Yu Zhongmin looked at the scene in front of him, truly overwhelmed, wondering why everything happened on the same day. Headquarters just received a rescue request from Shangxing and rushed here at full speed, only to find such devastation. The entire site was severely damaged, and a major casualty incident occurred: one field operative and six personnel from the Three Pristine Department were lost, and almost everyone present was injured. "Where’s Gu Shenghui?" Pei Yan asked weakly, lifting his head. "Ah!" Upon hearing Pei Yan’s question, Yu Zhongmin was taken aback, then turned his head towards Pei Yan, feeling somewhat slighted and dissatisfied, he said, "He’s leading a mission. I’m staying behind at headquarters." "I’ve searched already. There’s no one in the city surveillance matching the description from Xia Yu. If they haven’t left the city, then they’ve used some kind of invisibility to evade video surveillance! Are there any leads in the department?" Pei Yan asked, his body trembling from suppressed anger and sorrow. "Don’t bother thinking about it, they’ve already fled. The Monitoring Bureau detected a space fluctuation signal just before we arrived here. According to that person’s ability, they already have the power to tear open a dimensional rift at will. They’re likely back in the Magic realm by now!" Elder Lin, after treating Zhao Yuanhu’s injuries, came over to Zheng Jia Ru to examine his wounds and responded in passing. "How do we chase them? Tell me! How can we find them?" Elder Lin glanced at Pei Yan, who was overwhelmed with agitation, and said solemnly, "And then what? Do you think you’re strong enough to defeat an opponent that left even five of us defeated? Can you win?" "Are we just going to let them kill and escape? Are we not going to do anything?" Pei Yan roared with tears brimming in his eyes. "I can responsibly tell you we won’t! I can also assure you this won’t end here, a retaliation will definitely happen, but not now! Do you understand? The urgent task is to get your teammates back alive!" Seeing the hidden fury in Elder Lin’s eyes, Pei Yan knew the old man wasn’t lying. Realizing there was no immediate hope for vengeance, the fire of anger within him subsided, replaced by a feeling of powerlessness and confusion, as he gazed at Shangxing’s body with a hole through his chest, slumping to the ground as if his backbone had been pulled out. Dead! Just like that, dead! The Shangxing who gave him cigars and guidance, who always shielded others from harm during missions, who loved life, is just dead! Pei Yan lowered his head, clutching his hair in handfuls, unable to hold back his sobs. Through the battles and predictions about the future, Pei Yan knew injuries and deaths would come one day. He thought about various possibilities and what he would be like when that day arrived, but the crushing pain when it actually happened rendered him breathless. Seeing Pei Yan’s state, Yu Zhongmin, previously annoyed, felt a wave of compassion. He took a step forward to say a few comforting words, but Elder Lin stopped him, whispering in his ear, "Let him calm down by himself, after all, it’s his first time facing something ." After saying this, Elder Lin glanced at Shangxing, covered by a sheet on the ground, his face filled with sorrow and regret. He shook his head to temporarily clear the anger and grief from his mind, and quickly moved to the side of the fallen Ye Jiumu, placing his hand on his wrist. Moments later, his face changed dramatically as he urgently shouted, "Quick! Quick! Someone! Jiumu’s life is in danger! Medical team, stretcher! Take him away and rush him back to headquarters! I can’t handle it alone!" Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Pei Yan and Xia Yu looked up quickly, rushing forward, tumbling and crawling, to question, "Elder Lin! Elder Lin! What’s wrong with Jiumu?" You can’t blame Pei Yan for his reaction; since he arrived on the scene, aside from the already deceased Shangxing, Zhao Yuanhu and Zheng Jia Ru were the most severely injured. Their plight fully captured Pei Yan’s attention, leaving Ye Jiumu, who was lying in the mud and appeared to be breathing steadily without obvious external injuries, as an afterthought. "Get out of the way! I don’t have time to explain now! Jiumu’s condition is critical! I must get him back to the Investigation Hall for emergency care!" Elder Lin kept his hand on Ye Jiumu the entire time, until another medical team arrived with a stretcher. With everyone’s help, Ye Jiumu was placed on the stretcher, and the group quickly left the scene. After Elder Lin left, Yu Zhongmin looked at the dazed Pei Yan and Xia, sighing, "Are you worried about him? Zheng Jia Ru has a strong self-healing ability, he just overexerted his core energy earlier. After Elder Lin’s care, he’s alright now. Zhao Yuanhu has also been transferred, so there’s no need for you to stay. Head back to headquarters together!" Hearing this, Xia Yu and Pei Yan gratefully glanced at Yu Zhongmin. After a wave of a hand from him, the two rushed off like the wind. Half an hour later, waiting outside the emergency room at headquarters, Pei Yan finally understood the feelings of those waiting outside an ER. Sitting silently in the hallway seats with Xia Yu, he looked up at the red light signaling ongoing surgery and the Healing Ability Users coming in and out. Pei Yan exhaled deeply and asked softly, "What exactly happened then?" Xia Yu leaned back tiredly in his chair, squinting his eyes, "Got a cigarette?" Pei Yan nodded, disregarding the no-smoking rule for the moment, and took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. The two smoked together in the hallway, one cigarette each, and after a long while, Xia Yu slowly started to speak, "Not long after you left, the Three Pristine Department reported signs of a space fluctuation outside the array, while the water inside hadn’t been cleared. The team leader was directing the cleanup..." As he recalled the sacrificed Shangxing, Xia Yu choked up, sniffling and taking a deep drag on the cigarette, suppressing his emotions before continuing, "The team leader thought the divine retribution had returned, leading us in preparation to confront. But the defense array was forcibly broken from the outside! Those two, one old and one young, appeared in front of us. Pei Yan, do you know? When we saw them appear, we knew we weren’t their match! Remember Li Songtao?" Pei Yan nodded, indicating he remembered. How could he forget the man whose mission brought him to the brink of death? But now, Pei Yan had lost his sense of awe for him. He believed if he faced Li Songtao now, even if he couldn’t win, he would never be as embarrassed as before. "The old man gave us the same feeling as when we first met Li Songtao, no, it was ten times more shocking!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥