Fuyame stared grimly at the bald director, while the old man returned her gaze with an expression of pure, guileless innocence. They held the stare for three full minutes before the director finally sighed in resignation. "Oh, Your Majesty, it seems you are indeed critical to this matter... Very well, your command overrides all else. Children, quickly analyze the samples Her Majesty delivered the day before yesterday."

Pulling a heavy, fist-sized, ultra-precision chronometer from his pocket, the old man ground out through clenched teeth, "You have a quarter of an hour. Complete Her Majesty's task, and be swift."

The assembled researchers scrambled to the analytical equipment. Several young technicians, clad in full radiation suits, gingerly opened a transparent chamber beneath the analyzer, placing a stone the size of a child’s head—which pulsed with a blinding blue light—into a thick, sealed container. Gu Xiechen recognized it instantly: a piece of 'Blue Phosphorus Stone' he had collected from subspace. It was a primordial material, inherently saturated with intense, deathly Yin energy, making it the supreme component for forging various sinister magic artifacts. For any ordinary person to touch such a stone, the instant the Yin energy entered their body, death would be certain.

The analyzer hatch was sealed shut. Dozens of minuscule mechanical arms snaked into the chamber. Visible waves of intense energy washed repeatedly over the thick chamber walls, meticulously cleansing away any impurities that might interfere with the sample analysis. Several layers of heavy energy shields enveloped the analyzer, locking it securely inside. A meticulously cleaned automaton wobbled forward, carrying several sealed, transparent glass boxes into the analyzer chamber.

The contents looked awfully familiar, and Gu Xiechen watched the glass boxes with a flicker of surprise.

A lock of long hair, a few shed strands of tobacco, some flakes of grayish-white cigar ash, and several slender threads—judging by the color of those threads, Gu Xiechen recalled that the lining of the cloak Ranhua had worn just days ago was this same startling crimson. There was even a belt among them—a men's belt from the famous Earth Federation luxury brand 'L'!

If Gu Xiechen wasn't mistaken, Ranhua had worn that belt cinched around his waist only days ago. Heaven knew why his belt would end up here! Did he simply discard worn clothing haphazardly, just as he did back in the Earth Federation? Bitterly resentful, Gu Xiechen stared blankly at a pair of foul-smelling socks and a pair of underpants in another case, finally realizing these items were pieces from Ranhua.

Everything was loaded into the analyzer, and the transparent chamber door was closed. Dozens of visible and invisible scanning beams rapidly swept over all the samples.

A massive light screen descended from the ceiling of the laboratory, upon which torrents of data continuously scrolled.

Soon, the analysis report for those few strands of tobacco and ash was complete. Tobacco was cultivated in the Kingdom of Yafik, but all of it was grown exclusively in an area designated the 'Endangered Flora Sanctuary.'

The bald old man explained, "According to the analysis results retrieved from the database, this plant, called 'Reaper’s Breath,' was popular in the Kingdom of Yafik a hundred thousand years ago. Due to the severe side effects it inflicted on the human body, its cultivation and sale were gradually banned."

Gu Xiechen knew that the cigars Ranhua smoked were laced with vast quantities of Dama flower buds, specifically the hallucinogenic components grown using 'Green Sea' technology, reaching potencies of over forty percent. He hadn't expected the analyzer to uncover the Dama compounds as well. The bald director frowned. "Reaper’s Breath might be one thing, but this also contains the infamous 'Demon’s Sigh.' This plant is ranked 752nd on the Star Alliance's blacklist of prohibited agricultural products—a high-risk crop. It has intense hallucinogenic effects on normal humans and is lethally toxic to sixty-seven percent of the Star Alliance's member races."

"Whoa... this guy smokes 'dope'?" Jin exclaimed in astonishment. "Demon's Sigh? Even high-level Adepts are wary of touching that!"

The scanning waves covered Ranhua’s socks and underwear. After a few minutes, the bald director spoke, a note of genuine surprise in his voice. "These garments... were they removed from a living body?"

Fuyame nodded slowly. "The maid who tidied his room found them beneath his bed."

The director knitted his brow. "Very strange. Aside from a normal quantity of microbial colonies, there are no bodily secretions one would expect from a human... Could this fellow not be human?"

Gu Xiechen gave an affirmative thumbs-up. Indeed, Ranhua was no living being.

The scanning beams swept over the few strands of Ranhua's shed hair, prompting the director to cry out in astonishment. "Bizarre, truly bizarre. The matrix from which this sample was collected is absolutely not human. The energy content in his hair is extremely high—just these few strands contain energy equivalent to the energy cell of a standard assault rifle. Even the hair of a typical Adept wouldn't store such immense power. Moreover, the tensile strength of the hair is incredible... Oh, heavens, their strength is comparable to common alloy wires!"

The director looked eagerly at Fuyame. "Your Majesty, if at all possible, I request you deliver the source matrix here for comprehensive and in-depth research. Two months ago, we imported a high-precision slicer from the Star Alliance Academy Headquarters, capable of sectioning a matrix into millions of thin slices for analysis... I desperately desire this precious sample."

Fuyame only shook her head, her gaze fixed on the analytical data displayed on the light screen, a faint, elusive smile playing on her lips.

Jin stared at the outrageously high strength index of the hair strands, her eyes once again shrouded in a peculiar light. She mumbled softly, "Truly a monstrous creature, not a normal human. Heh heh, an interesting country bumpkin. Hmph, a spatial Adept? So many Primal Energy Stones! Hmm, how could I bring such beings to heel under my command? To think he violated me?"

Jin's seemingly quiet murmur was heard perfectly clearly by Gu Xiechen. Having cultivated the Innate Body, his five senses and six perceptions were vastly sharper than ordinary men. If he chose to, he could hear the exact sounds of a few ants fighting several miles away, let alone Jin’s private monologue. He glanced at Jin with surprise, musing internally, 'Country bumpkin? Hmm? Still won't let go? Little girl, don't think that just because I don't hit women, I can’t handle you!'

One scanning result after another flooded in, and the bald director finally summarized the data.

"Judging by the living habits of this sample matrix, the civilization he originates from is very primitive—a race that does not cherish its own body and recklessly ingests all manner of toxins. Their level of spiritual and material civilization is limited."

"Judging by the craftsmanship of this matrix’s clothing and adornments, their civilization is also very primitive. Their mechanical production processes are rudimentary, and the precision of their machinery is poor. The raw materials they use are also extremely common: some kind of long-fibered natural textile and some kind of long-fibered natural biological material. Both the material itself and the processing methods are exceedingly archaic."

"Especially that long-fibered natural biological material—if we subjected it to preliminary processing with our current technology, its wearing comfort would improve by dozens of times, and it would even possess a degree of protective capability. Yet, they utilize this natural material directly to manufacture clothing. This can only mean their civilization is... very, very, very undeveloped, perhaps not even having effectively solved the basic need for textiles for their populace."

"However, judging by his hair, this is a powerful race. An incredibly formidable race. Based on the most logical estimation, this race's combat power exceeds that of an ordinary normal human by more than a thousand times. A terrifying race, a profoundly powerful one." The bald director then spoke with a self-satisfied, sanctimonious air. "If we had ten thousand fully armed warriors like this, simply allowing them to land safely on the planet Yafik, they could easily swallow our entire nation whole."

Fuyame let out a soft hum, then slowly nodded.

Jin covered her mouth, chuckling softly. "An interesting race. If we in the Hook could possess warriors like these—if we had a million such warriors—what would the Star Alliance Security Force and the Adept Adjudication Council amount to? Ah, what an endearing, interesting race!"

The bald director shook his head and said sincerely to Fuyame, "Your Majesty, the source matrix of this sample is fascinating. If possible..."

Seeing Fuyame’s stiff expression, the director wisely steered the conversation. "Well, a single biological sample cannot accurately reveal the full details of this race. It would be beneficial if we had a few extra biological samples for comparison."

Jin quickly interjected, "Sister Fuyame, are there no naturally shed samples from Gu Xiechen?"

Fuyame frowned. "We have had sample-collecting robots active in the places he has stayed these past few days, but he hasn't shed a single hair, not a single downy fiber, not even a speck of skin residue... I don't understand why. Even biological robots experience minor shedding from normal wear and tear."

Jin’s eyes widened in shock. "Could Xiechen Gu not be human?"

Gu Xiechen’s mouth twitched in anger. He glared fiercely at Jin, wishing he could snatch her ear. The Innate Body attracts no filth and is inherently pure and untainted. Even sweat normally secreted after strenuous activity rapidly decomposes back into free energy within heaven and earth. How could he possibly have biological samples available for analysis? Unless Gu Xiechen willingly offered Fuyame a liter or two of blood—that would be a different matter entirely.

After fussing around for quite some time, Fuyame believed she had gained a deeper understanding of Gu Xiechen and his companions. She then took Jin on a hurried tour of several important sections of the research facility. After about two hours, they boarded the shuttle they arrived in and returned to the City of Glory.