"Chaos Body-Refining Technique, activate!"
Following Li Hao's silent chant of the formula, the surrounding Evil Spirit Energy and toxic gases all converged toward him.
Bubbling energy poured into his body, frantically destroying Li Hao's meridians while constantly solidifying and reshaping them in the process.
Li Hao paid no mind to the heart-wrenching pain.
He kept walking, absorbing and refining the energy while steadily heading toward the core area.
"Comfortable!"
"Awesome!"
It truly was pain mixed with pleasure.
Long time no see, this exhilarating feeling.
In an environment so permeated with Evil Spirit Energy, Li Hao felt as though he had returned to the Calamity Space Battlefield.
In his past life, he had fought in the Calamity Space Battlefield for decades. That place was the source of Evil Spirit Energy, and also the period during which he grew and progressed the fastest.
Li Hao was more than familiar with Evil Spirit Energy.
To him, absorbing Evil Spirit Energy to cultivate was no different from breathing air.
Li Hao advanced all the way without encountering any survivors.
A micro energy shield set up at home was hardly common.
For Xiaobao to have survived, his family certainly couldn't be ordinary.
As for the others, they wouldn't be nearly as fortunate!
At this moment.
Zhao Qiang and the others, escorting the mother and son, had already come into people's sight.
The moment they appeared...
"Look, they're back!"
The crowd hadn't left; everyone had been constantly concerned for the safety of the group.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Thunderous applause erupted, and the crowd instantly boiled over.
"Heroes..."
"Welcome back, heroes!"
The applause rose and fell, lasting a long time.
As the group drew closer.
"Honey, you're not dead, that's wonderful! Sob, sob, sob!"
The woman hugged her young son and rushed toward Zhao Qiang, her eyes brimming with tears.
Zhao Qiang was also extremely emotional; he pulled his wife and child into his arms, feeling as if they had been separated by a lifetime.
"Wife, I'm fine! I'm fine!"
The two of them held each other and wept.
At that moment, a returning martial artist caught sight of his wife, smiled slightly, and fainted on the spot.
Medical staff who had been waiting nearby quickly stepped forward and loaded him into an ambulance.
At the same time, the woman and Xiaobao were promptly taken away by staff for medical treatment.
The situations of the others were largely the same. Although they hadn't fainted, they were utterly exhausted, and medical personnel immediately stepped forward to check their injuries.
Zhao Qiang was in slightly better condition. Just as he was about to leave with the medical staff, someone nearby asked.
"Big brother, have you seen my classmate by any chance?"
Zhao Qiang looked up.
It turned out to be the young brother's girlfriend.
At the same time, Zhao Qiang felt the gaze and inquiries of the surrounding crowd.
"Uh... I saw him!"
"Where is he? Why didn't he come out?"
Gu Qianxue asked anxiously, tears seemingly welling in her eyes.
"That's right! Hero, where is that high school student? Didn't he go in first?"
"Hero, is he alright?"
Zhao Qiang hesitated somewhat, not knowing how to explain it to everyone.
Because everything that happened was simply unbelievable.
The whole way back, he had been pondering it.
Yet he had no answers.
Clearing his throat, Zhao Qiang said solemnly.
"Actually, that mother and child weren't rescued by us!"
"We aren't the heroes either; the real hero is the young brother..."
"Right! Brother Qiang is right! That kid did a great job, he's the real hero!" shouted another returning martial artist.
Hearing this, Gu Qianxue felt an ominous premonition.
Her eyes turned slightly red, and tears streamed down her face.
"Where is he?" asked someone in the crowd, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"He... is still inside."
"When we left, he was very safe. Now..."
Hearing Zhao Qiang's words, the surrounding crowd sighed one after another.
"Such a fine young man! How could he..."
"Heaven is jealous of brilliant talents!"
Zhao Qiang fell silent. He desperately wanted to say that the young brother might still be alive.
However, he was afraid of giving everyone hope only to disappoint them later.
Just as everyone was discussing among themselves.
"My name is Du Kongcheng, captain of the First Branch of the Yuncheng Martial Defense Bureau. We are already aware of the specific situation."
A majestic man dressed in a dark blue special operations uniform slowly walked over, looking at Zhao Qiang and the other martial artists with a face full of solemnity and respect. "Even though you didn't rescue them, you are still heroes!"
"Right! Big brothers, you're all wonderful!" shouted a bystander in agreement.
"Go rest first, leave this to us!"
With that, he sighed in his heart.
As a branch captain of the Martial Defense Bureau, he had long been engaged in this type of rescue work.
In a disaster zone caused by a Rank-B Exotic Beast, anyone below a Rank-3 Martial Artist had a very low chance of survival.
Although it wasn't absolute.
Based on past experience, if rescue hadn't reached them after more than half an hour, the probability of survival was practically zero.
Not to mention, it was a disaster zone where Evil Spirit Energy and toxic gases coexisted.
He shuddered just imagining how horrific the harsh environment inside must be.
That was why he publicly praised the few martial artists.
To be able to go in for a rescue and come back alive—
If people like that weren't heroes, who was?
Gu Qianxue naturally noticed Du Kongcheng's sigh.
At this moment, her fists were tightly clenched, and her clothes were already soaked with tears.
"Branch Chief Du, the harmful energy in the disaster zone is rapidly weakening!"
"How is that possible!"
Du Kongcheng wore a look of utter disbelief.
"Run the test again. Could there be something wrong with the machine?"
"Chief Du, we've already tested it three times. We even swapped out the machines, and the results are all the same."
"Hmm..."
Du Kongcheng personally checked the test results, his eyes filled with doubt.
"How can this be?"
In his experience, the Evil Spirit Energy in a disaster zone shouldn't dissipate this quickly...
"Unless..."
Unless there was human intervention.
But who could this person be?
The members of the Yuncheng Martial Defense Bureau were scattered around the perimeter of the disaster zone. Aside from his First Branch, there were three other branch teams responsible for rescue operations in the other three directions.
He hadn't received any news about anyone clearing out the Evil Spirit Energy.
The deputy director of the Martial Defense Bureau was a Fourth-Grade Martial Artist, yet even he didn't have the ability to clear away Evil Spirit Energy.
Just as he was thinking, his phone rang.
"Du Kongcheng, why didn't you report to me that the Evil Spirit Energy has vanished?"
A majestic interrogation sounded from the other end of the line.
"Director Zhang, the Evil Spirit Energy has vanished... Could it be that the Evil Spirit Energy on your side has vanished too?"
"Not just on my side, the Evil Spirit Energy on the other two teams' sides has vanished as well! As far as I know, yours is the only team where someone entered and exited the disaster zone. Don't tell me you don't know the reason?"
"This..."
"Director Zhang, I only just received the report about the Evil Spirit Energy disappearing. I was in the midst of verifying it and hadn't had time to report to you yet. I truly..."
"What? You don't know either! That's strange!"
The person on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment, then ordered: "Investigate immediately, I'll be right there!"
"Yes!"
Du Kongcheng lowered his phone, suddenly thinking of something...
He hurried over to the ambulance.
At this moment, Zhao Qiang was already lying on a stretcher receiving an IV drip, about to be transported away.
"Mr. Zhao, wait!"
"Leader Du, is there something else?"
"Do you know anything about the Evil Spirit Energy disappearing?"
Subsequently, Zhao Qiang briefly recounted what had happened to them inside the disaster zone...
"In other words, you suspect it was that teenager..."