"What do we do now? Jiang Fan, should we just barge in and ask their king for his core?"
Jiang Fan just shook his head and said,
"No, if we go in, we'll be discovered by those bats. Although they've likely undergone human modification, their bodies have indeed blended with the abilities of these animals, becoming quite capable."
"If we want to find their king, we can only wait here slowly and strike when the opportunity arises."
At the same time, Jiang Fan saw the lion, who was rushing out in a hurry, followed by the bat soldiers.
Meanwhile, a child wearing very extravagant clothing emerged from the palace.
Upon closer inspection, Jiang Fan realized it wasn't a child, but an ordinary person suffering from rickets.
However, judging by his appearance, his status seemed quite high.
"You wait here. I'll go and see what's going on with that child. If he has the ability to control these creatures, I might be able to get some information from him."
Zhou Niannian, hearing Jiang Fan was about to leave, became flustered and quickly grabbed his sleeve.
"Do I really have to wait here alone? Isn't that too inappropriate? I don't want you to go down alone."
Jiang Fan knew that Zhou Niannian would never easily stay put without a specific task from him.
"You're overthinking it. I'm letting you wait here to keep watch. What if those people suddenly break in and capture me? Only if you stay here and keep watch will I be safe."
Hearing this, Zhou Niannian found it hard to refuse. She nodded slightly, looking at Jiang Fan with a hint of grievance as he slipped away.
At this moment, the king was pondering in his construction site about who these intruders could be.
After all, he hadn't seen ordinary people survive here for many years. Their survival was entirely due to the Atlanteans at the entrance guarding this place.
Although the Atlanteans weren't intentionally guarding the perimeter, Atlantis would never easily allow others into their territory, which made this place very safe.
Just as the king was thinking, a large hand covered his mouth and pulled him behind the throne.
"I'll give you one chance to explain what's going on. If you can't explain it clearly, I'll kill you."
Hearing this, the king nodded frantically, looking at the normal-looking person before him with great fear, never expecting him to actually get this close.
"Tell me, what's wrong with this world? Why are there so many strange people?"
"And what's with your core? I need your core to leave this place."
Hearing this, the king nodded quickly, agreeing to tell Jiang Fan everything as long as Jiang Fan didn't kill him.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything, as long as you don't kill me. I'll tell you everything."
Jiang Fan didn't make a move and watched as this so-called king explained to him, bit by bit.
"These creatures that are not like humans are all products of my modifications."
"But I have no malicious intent. I merely experimented with their dying lives, allowing them to continue living. I have no ill will; I just want them to be able to survive here."
"The modern world doesn't allow me to conduct these experiments, so I had to do it this way. Coming here was the only way to preserve their lives."
"That core is just a ruse. I just wanted them to resist the Atlanteans from entering."
"If you want this core, I can give it to you anytime, as long as you don't reveal what's happening here. Everything else is negotiable."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan felt, why not? He could get what he wanted, and the king could also survive.
"Okay, as long as you give us the core and let us leave this place."
Without hesitation, the king took out a bead from behind him. This bead was clearly the so-called core, and its high-precision equipment made Jiang Fan somewhat overwhelmed.
"This is your so-called core? If it's useless, why are there such high-precision devices rotating inside?"
The king just smiled awkwardly and said to Jiang Fan.
"Of course. If it wasn't made to look so advanced, no one would believe it, would they?"
"After all, these people were all on the verge of death. The reason I could save them was by brainwashing them and then modifying their bodies, allowing them to survive."
Hearing this, Jiang Fan finally understood what this so-called dream world was.
Although it looked very fantastical, it was actually an ordinary world, except that the people here were dying individuals who had undergone human modification.
After the king's brainwashing, they believed that outsiders would harm them, which is why they reacted so agitatedly when they saw Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian's group.
"Okay, now that we have the core, just tell us how to leave this world."
"And you must not hunt my companions. We have no ill intentions; we were just driven in by the Atlanteans out of desperation. Now that you yourself said this core is useless, I only need to hand it over to the Atlantean lord, and we can all live in peace."
The king seemed very willing. Upon hearing Jiang Fan's words, he immediately took out his device and sent a message to his subordinates.
Then, he looked up and gave Jiang Fan his reply.
"It's done. They have stopped pursuing your companions. Even if they walk in the streets now, they don't need to worry, because our people will never make a move against you."