In the Chaos Zone, far from the twisted land of the Qingshan Sanatorium, an armored transport vehicle sped along a stretch of abandoned highway.
At the end of the straight road ahead, a massive object gradually appeared—a large transport plane with cold, hard lines, parked quietly in the middle of the highway.
The armored vehicle didn't slow down; instead, it accelerated. The ramp at the rear of the transport plane slowly lowered, forming a slope of about thirty degrees.
The vehicle drove onto the ramp with precision, disappearing into the spacious, dim hold of the plane.
The hatch closed quickly, cutting off the last sliver of outside light.
The cabin plunged into darkness, save for a few dim indicator lights. The roar of massive engines began to shake the space as the plane taxied, accelerated, and finally took flight.
Inside the relatively quiet armored vehicle, only the sounds of operating equipment and breathing could be heard.
Suddenly, the main control computer screen lit up automatically, displaying a blurry, featureless black silhouette.
A low voice came through the speakers: "How is the mission progressing?"
The middle-aged man, whose nerves had been taut, took a deep breath and spoke into the microphone: "008 and 009 are confirmed dead. The target item... according to preliminary investigation, does not appear to be within the Qingshan Sanatorium."
Dead silence fell inside the vehicle. The three other technicians even held their breath. The mission had failed, and they didn't know what awaited them.
The black silhouette on the screen remained silent for a long time—so long that the air inside the vehicle almost solidified.
Just as cold sweat began to bead on the middle-aged man's forehead, the voice spoke again, its tone unreadable: "Are there... any other discoveries?"
"No," the middle-aged man replied, striving to keep his voice calm and devoid of emotion.
"I see." The black figure seemed to accept the result. "Suspend active search. Immediately arrange personnel for highest-level surveillance of the Qingshan Sanatorium. Watch for any abnormal activity and report at once."
"Understood," the man replied.
The black silhouette vanished, and the computer returned to its standby interface, as if nothing had happened.
The four people in the vehicle exhaled in unison.
However, none of them noticed that in the brief interval when the hatch closed and the light dimmed—while everyone's attention was focused on the communication—an extra person had silently appeared in the shadows of the corner.
It was a woman in dark, casual clothes, sitting in a relaxed posture as if she had been there from the very beginning.
Her face was somewhat blurred in the dim light, but her eyes were as calm as a bottomless well, carrying a look of both compassion and detachment as she watched them.
The middle-aged man subconsciously felt that the cabin was a bit more "crowded" than before. When he turned around in confusion, his gaze met the woman's eyes.
Their eyes met.
The man froze for a moment, a flicker of confusion in his eyes as he wondered who this woman was and when she had boarded.
But in an instant, the confusion vanished. His gaze softened, becoming natural, even carrying a hint of subtle respect—as if he were looking at a leader who had always been there.
The other three technicians noticed her one by one. Their reactions were identical to the middle-aged man's. After a brief moment of daze, their eyes clouded over, and they nodded to her with familiarity and acceptance, showing no doubt or surprise.
This lady had been an indispensable member of their team from the start, sitting quietly in this jolting, speeding armored vehicle, having experienced everything alongside them.
The woman nodded slightly to them, a faint smile touching the corners of her mouth. She didn't speak, but simply faded into the background, becoming a "natural" presence in that cramped space.
Meanwhile, at the mysterious Bureau headquarters.
Inside a solemn, tense meeting room.
Smoke swirled, nearly drowning the ceiling.
Several high-level officials smoked one cigarette after another, trying to use nicotine to suppress the anxiety and unease in their hearts. The air was as heavy as lead.
Everyone's attention was focused on Amber City.
Lyu Huan's operation had been a complete failure. Not only had he failed to retrieve the crucial item, but he also hadn't brought back the Director of the Qingshan Sanatorium.
The only silver lining was that none of the transcendents in the team were injured or killed; only some insignificant people had died.
The Qingshan Sanatorium was currently very peaceful. Not only were there no riots or expansions, but it was as if nothing had happened at all.
But this deathly silence only made those in the know feel a chill down their spines. It only proved that the Director's strength and control over the supernatural domain were far deeper and more dangerous than they had estimated.
Now, everyone's wariness of the Director had increased significantly, while their greed for his power grew as well.
Just then—
The meeting room door was slammed open. A guard in the Bureau's internal security uniform rushed in, looking panicked, even forgetting basic etiquette.
He was frantic as he looked at the white-haired Minister sitting in the center, his voice cracking: "Minister, this is bad! There's an intruder! That... that person is here!"
"What?!"
Everyone in the room turned pale. Someone stood up abruptly: "Who is it? Where are they? If there's an intruder, why is there no sound from outside?!"
However, the guard who had rushed in didn't answer. The panic on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a superior calm.
He stepped to the front of the group and stood still, a kind smile curling his lips. Using a tone that didn't belong to a guard at all, he said, "I'm right here, of course~. It's me."
The expressions of everyone present worsened. The intruder had walked into the core area of the headquarters so blatantly, even disguising himself as a guard!
The Minister remained calmly seated, his gaze piercing through the open door to the outside.
In the hallway, other guards were still performing their duties, patrolling and standing watch without any sign of abnormality.
There were clearly several transcendent guards outside the door, and the detection equipment lining the corridor was as quiet as a mouse. Yet this intruder had silently bypassed all defenses and stood right before them.
"Who the hell are you?" a young high-level official shouted, unable to contain his anger.
The intruder in the guard's likeness simply gave him a nonchalant glance.
In the next second, a horrifying sight occurred—
The flesh on the right side of the official's face was wiped away as if by an eraser, vanishing instantly to reveal the stark, white bone of his skull!
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