"What the hell?"

He exclaimed in delight, "My butt is healed? Miracle Healing, Doc!"

"Alright, alright, everyone knows you're healed, you healed too fast! Hurry up and put your pants back on!"

Ji Xue regretfully put away her dagger and, with a kick to her own brother's butt, spoke irritably, "Remember to carry a banner to the Northern Mountain District later, thanking the great courage and wisdom of Dr. Ji for saving your butt!"

After Ji Liu had once again donned his protective suit, Ji Jue's hardened mercury foil fluttered across the fingerprints, and instantly wisps of black vapor rose from the protective suit, merging into the mercury, aggregating with the previously extracted pollution from the flesh, forming a palm imprint that writhed constant as if trying to break free from its bonds.

Ji Jue thought for a bit but didn't discard the item. After applying layer upon layer of seals to cut off any sensing, the hardened mercury bead returned to quietude, stilled.

He just pocketed it.

After all, it was some object he had never seen before.

Maybe it could prove useful.

In the carriage, after witnessing Dr. Ji's immediate removal of the disease and Miracle Healing, everyone's gaze towards him warmed significantly.

In an environment filled with Mutant pollution, having a teammate who could constantly rid you of pollution, put an end to future troubles, and also provide equipment maintenance and consumable supplies…

What was that?

That was pretty much a benevolent foster dad!

Whatever the Taiyi System could do, he could do; what the Taiyi System couldn't handle, he damn well could. Even if Embers' combat prowess wasn't too hot, when had this team ever lacked combat power? What it lacked was this kind of supportive powerhouse!

And what's more, "Dad" even provides for free…

If the situation wasn't so inappropriate, Ji Liu might have already grabbed Ji Jue's hand and started a 'Please don't abandon us' plea. After all, not many could suddenly prepare themselves to bid their butt cheeks farewell.

After experiencing two scares, the journey ahead became pretty uneventful.

Simply driving, stopping, then driving again, and stopping again.

They seemed to be following a planned route, moving slowly and prolongedly. At times, when a straight path clearly sufficed, Tong Shan would go through the great trouble of taking a huge detour, and more often than not, it was all a series of starts and stops without warning.

From Ji Jue's silent observations, it became apparent that the core of the entire team wasn't Tong Shan.

It was Xu Guan.

Or rather, his presence was part of the mission; a crucial part that had to be accomplished.

During the journey, the coordination between him and Tong Shan was exceptionally tight; outsiders couldn't gauge the nuances of their communications, but usually, whenever one of them reacted, the driving would suddenly accelerate, change routes, or stop altogether as everyone held their breath, waiting or hiding.

Most of the time, it was to give Xu Guan time to make records of the Taiyi System.

One record book after another fell from his hands and was carefully stored in specially prepared sturdy containers. According to Ji Jue's observations, even the containers seemed to be some kind of Blessed Creations from the Taiyi System, designed to store messages and prevent pollution.

"Are you mapping out a map?" Ji Jue curiously inquired.

"Did you figure it out?"

Xu Guan smiled slightly, his hand movements unceasing, with the faint glow from the record book capturing everything around in meticulous detail.

"Actually, the advance reconnaissance team isn't that thrilling. Although danger is unpredictable and can arise at any time, most of the time, there's nothing much to do yet we can't relax, not even losing focus for a moment.

The main work, besides understanding hidden threats in different areas, is pretty much like mapping.

Spring City's situation is complicated, the Mutated environment breeds numerous threats, and even space sometimes becomes chaotic. Every time we come here, certain areas have discrepancies and changes, different every few days."

Ji Jue puzzled, "Then why bother collecting records?"

"Don't we still have Heavenly Listening from the Tong family?"

Xu Guan glanced at Tong Shan taking turns resting in the back seat, "The more records, the more precise the calculations, the more we can analyze, including the few fixed routes we take, also all marked out by the Tong family. Compared to that, my skills aren't enough, so I just do these laborious tasks."

"Stop the self-pity, old Xu."

Tong Shan lifted an eyelid and glanced over, self-mockingly smiling, "The Tong family's here with you doing the grunt work, right? Want me to send you a couple of melons later?"

"What kind of melons?"

Xu Guan's eyes brightened, "You only told me half about that Lei Yaoxing matter last time! Didn't get the melon, but you cut off all the chapters!"

"Don't ask me about Lei Yaoxing's issue, the person involved is right beside us," Tong Shan looked towards Ji Jue, diverting the blame, "Now I should tell the story about how Ji the Good Samaritan persuasively urged a return to righteousness, and how Chen Xingzhou tearfully repented at the spiritual hall..."

"What the hell? You knew about this?" Ji Jue blanked.

"Tong Hua and Ye Chun were really good friends," Tong Shan gloated, "Lately, every time I go home, I get to listen to the daily updates of these little tragic tales, Uncle has been following them for quite a while."

Tong Hua!!

Forget it, Tong Hua for now, he couldn't beat her brother anyway, this vendetta will be noted for later.

But there's also you, that naturally evil little ghost Ye Chun, I'm going to get you...

Ji Jue's eyes twitched, his fists clenched and clenched again.

—Tell Professor Ye, I want to write a paper!

Some dogs, when they get extremely angry, start scheming against people, "Fundamental Insights and Summaries of the Reverse Application of Fluid Alchemy" emerged in his mind in just a few seconds.

This inspiration does come unexpectedly!

Looks like his senior really was his academic muse!

Since there wasn't much else to do in the car, Ji Jue simply rummaged through his bag for paper and pen and started scrawling a rough overview.

Lou Feng accidentally glanced over and immediately shifted his gaze away as if shocked.

Looking out the window, his expression crazily changed.

What the hell? What's going on? Why did Ji Jue suddenly start studying Fluid Alchemy right beside him? He wouldn't use this as an excuse to accuse me of spying on secrets, would he?!

Remembering what his teacher had told him about Ye Xian's 'glorious past', Lou Feng felt utterly awful!

So dirty! Too dirty!

"Everyone from Tide Sound Workshop has a heart!"

In a fit of resentful fury, Lou Feng gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, pulling out paper and a pen from his bag and began to furiously write 'A Preliminary Discussion on the Effects Produced by the Combination of Spiritual Shaping and Blessing.'

"Come on, get dirty! Let's all get dirty!"

"I've tolerated you for a long time!"

During a noiseless drive, the only sound was the incessant friction of pen on paper.

On the roof of the car, Ji Liu couldn't help but poke his head out, watching the two individuals, who were engrossed in writing, sometimes frowning with rage, sometimes silently cackling, sharing confused glances with his companions inside the car, utterly baffled.

"Why did things suddenly escalate?"

"You guys from Embers are really weird!"

Then, in the midst of their journey, Xu Guan and Tong Shan, who were resting in the back seat, suddenly shuddered without warning, their expressions changing drastically: "Stop the car!"

Instantly, the screeching of an emergency brake resounded.

Everyone in the car was violently jostled around, thrown into chaos, and then, they heard wails and screams coming from outside the window, right in front of the car.

Thick blood spread out like the tide from beneath the wheels, wrapping around layer by layer, turning into a quagmire that made it impossible for the wheels to escape, no matter how they spun.

Then, from the sticky pool of blood in front of the car, under the glaring lights, a twisted face was illuminated.

With a bizarre smile, the mouth screamed in agony.

"Murder, murder, help, help me—"

On that writhing face, two sets of features stitched together kept shifting positions, indistinguishable as male or female, the voice alternately shrill and then deep, shouting: "Someone's been run over! Help, I'm going to die!!!"

Along with the sharp cries of that eerie figure, the once empty street seemed to ripple subtly. From the surrounding murky darkness, one pale face after another emerged, each wearing a resentful smile, slowly closing in.

"What the hell?"

From the driver's seat, Ji Xue exclaimed in shock, "Are ghosts trying to extort people nowadays too?"

Sensing his surroundings, Tong Shan's expression gradually darkened, "Ship City's team has encountered this before, these are clusters of residual spirits, like Chang Ghosts, they'll draw more and more. Everyone, be careful."

Bang!

A mass of blood suddenly exploded onto the windshield, and a blurry figure crawled out from under the hood, continuously slapping the glass, its face, composed of two sets of features, grinning wickedly, pressed against the glass: "I saw you, you were the ones who hit me, it was you!!!

"Pitiful me, I'm so pitiful, I'm dying..."

It wailed miserably, screaming, yet the wicked grin never ceased: "Pay up! Pay the money! Pay!!!"

Accompanied by the screams, its palms kept slapping the car body, as if hitting a repulsion field created by telekinesis, with the sound of cracking incessant in the ears.

Wherever the blood spread, the color of rust promptly appeared, aging and damaging.

The engine died instantly.

Bang!

Under Tong Shan's stern gaze, that body burst apart instantly, but within the plasma, a new figure eerily crawled out and clung to the car, roaring and crying.

The surrounding eerie figures also kept pressing forward, squeezing the invisible repulsive force field.

"Damn."

Tong Shan's expression darkened even more, he took a deep breath, the violent pressure surging like a tidal flow brewing, just about to give it his all, when he felt someone pat his shoulder from behind.

"Team Tong, should I give it a try?" Ji Jue asked.

"Are you sure?"

"A little, but not much," Ji Jue honestly replied, "If it doesn't work, you're still here, right?"

Tong Shan fell silent.

Had it been before, he might have reflexively refused, reluctant to entrust matters concerning everyone's safety to Ji Jue. But having witnessed Ji Jue handling many Mutant situations firsthand, he hesitated, struggling to decide.

In just an instant, he made up his mind decisively.

"Be very careful."

"Alright."

Ji Jue grinned.

Deeply, he took a breath and slowly exhaled.

No longer suppressing the impulses and malice that had been surfacing in his consciousness since just now.

Then, everyone saw it, from the excited chirping of the Bone Knife at his waist, his protective suit rapidly transformed.

Under the Erosion of the spiritual material and spontaneous conversion, the thick black protective suit swiftly shed its original color, turning into an eerie, thin, pale sheet. Then, a vast expanse of blood red spread from the paleness, writhing, faintly tinting traces resembling faces in agony or handprints.

The blood-stained badge appeared out of thin air, hanging from Ji Jue's chest.

It swayed slightly, moving on its own without wind.

Click!

In the intermittent silence of wailing, a crisp sound rang out.

The car door opened, trampling the pool of blood.

One step at a time forward.

"Are you hurt?"

The pale figure looked down and asked.

On the hood, the wailing, writhing eerie figure stiffened for a moment, seemingly bewildered, lifting its head, then froze in place.

Reflected in those trembling eyes, draped in white, a corpse dripping thick blood continuously, silently grinned at it.

"What a truly… excellent specimen."

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