The Abyss Realm expert who had asked the question was taken aback, his face showing displeasure.
They had rushed over at full speed after receiving the ergency distress signal, never expecting to be questioned like this the mont they arrived.
His tone also turned cold. "Commander Qin, haven't you already used your highest authority to mobilize all Aberrant Purge Division elites from the nearby cities, anyone at Tide Realm or above, to participate in this manhunt?
We were transferred from cities much farther away, without a mont's rest. This speed is already the fastest possible."
Qin Bai pressed on aggressively. "The nearby cities, could they not spare even a single Abyss Realm expert? Why is there no support from them?"
He clearly rembered that his mobilization order was only for Tide Realm mbers and did not forcibly requisition the Abyss Realm guardians stationed in each city.
Logically, they should have been able to respond faster.
This statent made the expressions of the three newly arrived Abyss Realm experts darken.
Another person spoke with obvious dissatisfaction. "Commander Qin, what you're saying now is rather unreasonable.
Which Abyss Realm expert doesn't shoulder important duties and have their own responsibilities to guard?
With Aberrant incidents frequently occurring all over Daxia these days, how could they have so much free ti to be on standby at all tis?
Moreover, the cities near Black City have complex situations and heavy workloads. The Abyss Realm guardians stationed there cannot be moved lightly.
Only those of us not directly within Black City's sphere of influence could be promptly transferred to support you.
To think we'd be blad and interrogated the mont we arrive, it's truly so disheartening!"
Disheartening?
Qin Bai sneered inwardly, but seeing the undisguised displeasure on the faces of the three, he knew further argunt was pointless and would only make him seem frantic.
He pressed his lips tightly together and said nothing more.
The atmosphere on the scene beca sowhat stiff for a mont.
Seeing Qin Bai fall silent, the leading Abyss Realm expert steered the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Commander Qin, then... was this mission completed?
Where are Specialist Han Xiao, Specialist Ling Shuang, and the other team mbers now?"
"Was the mission completed?"
"Where are the others?"
These two questions stabbed directly into the most humiliating part of Qin Bai's heart.
Han Xiao and Ling Shuang killed in action, the entire team wiped out, the target escaping right under his nose... This was more than just a failure.
It was an indelible stain on his career that could never be washed away!
A wave of humiliation rushed to his head, making his vision darken slightly.
Qin Bai clenched the Eternal Night Aurora Whip in his hand until his knuckles turned white.
He did not answer.
Without another glance at the three, he abruptly turned around and, dragging his severely injured body, staggered step by bloody step out of the ravine.
Leaving the three colleagues who had rushed to support him completely behind.
Watching his back as he directly turned his face away and left.
The three remaining Abyss Realm experts exchanged glances, their faces transforming into unconcealed anger.
"What... what kind of attitude is this?!"
One of them muttered angrily in a low voice.
The leader looked in the direction Qin Bai had disappeared, shook his head, and revealed a aningful smile. "Looking at this situation, do we even need to ask?
The mission definitely failed, and... it was a devastating defeat.
I'm afraid Han Xiao and Ling Shuang... their chances don't look good."
Another person snorted with a laugh, his tone full of schadenfreude. "Hmph, I said it long ago. This Qin Bai, his path has been too smooth. Relying on a bit of skill and connections, his eyes are practically on the top of his head.
When has he ever looked properly at us colleagues from the local branches?
Now he's taken such a huge fall. Looking at his state, he clearly can't accept reality."
"More than just can't accept it?"
The one who spoke first chid in. "Think about it. Such a luxurious setup, to capture a target whose intel showed was only at the peak of High-risk, and the result?
Not only did the target escape, but his own people were almost completely wiped out, and even he ended up in such a state... This is a failure among failures, a supre disgrace!"
"Haha, serves him right!"
The last person concluded. "There are plenty of people in the Aberrant Purge Division who dislike this kind of arrogant person.
This ti he made such a huge ss, lost troops and commanders, failed the mission. I wonder if he can still sit comfortably in his 'star specialist' position.
After he goes back, he'll have a hard ti!"
The three exchanged smiles, the previous slight displeasure seemingly gone with the wind.
After a brief investigation and docuntation, they also left the ravine one after another.
...
Black City.
The first light of dawn was breaking.
Su Zhan pushed open a worn wooden door and stepped onto the streets of Black City.
He had changed into a set of clean but ordinary gray clothes left behind by Xu Hao and the others, covering most of his injuries.
The wound under his left rib had also been carefully bandaged, throbbing faintly beneath the clothes.
But it no longer hindered basic movent.
After all, the self-healing ability of an Aberrant was there. It was just that Qin Bai's offensive power was too abnormal. Even so, his strength had already recovered by seventy to eighty percent.
He estimated a full recovery could be achieved today.
The streets were empty and silent, a world apart from the rumored bustle of the night.
Occasionally, one or two figures could be seen curled up in corners, wrapped in tattered blankets or sacks, unsure if they were still drunk from the night before or simply holess.
Outside an all-night tavern, a burly man was yawning as he roughly tossed several empty barrels onto the street, the dull thuds breaking the morning quiet.
He glanced at Su Zhan walking alone on the street with muddy eyes, then indifferently looked away.
The air was filled with a complex mix of slls.
Alcohol, tobacco, a fishy odor...
Forming the unique scent of Black City.
Su Zhan walked slowly on the empty street, his gaze sweeping the surroundings.
He was not unfamiliar with this city.
In his early years while carrying out academy missions, he had co to this lawless land.
The vitality of Black City ca at night.
When night fell, all kinds of shady transactions, bloody fights, and unrestrained revelries would play out in the shadowy corners of this city.
The dayti silence was rely a feigned slumber before the storm.
Su Zhan needed to quickly familiarize himself with the current power distribution within Black City and find a way to obtain information.
He also needed a safer place to stay.
That rented room could only serve as a temporary refuge, definitely not a long-term solution.
Su Zhan's inner state was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface.
Black City... safe, yet also a cage.
He had to hunt Mist Creatures and absorb their Life Essence to increase his strength.
But this lawless land of Black City, though chaotic, had its own unique order.
It strictly forbade the entry of Transcendence Society Aberrants.
Once discovered, they would face a joint pursuit and execution by all the city's factions.
This ironclad rule fundantally eliminated the possibility of Transcendence Society mbers summoning Mist incidents in this place.
It also ant that, under normal circumstances, there were simply no Mist Creatures in this city.
No Mist Creatures... how could he grow stronger here?
Safety ca at the cost of sacrificing his growth speed.
For him, Black City was more like a gilded cage. It could shelter him temporarily but might trap him forever at the first step of Special-risk, unable to advance an inch.
The world outside was fraught with danger. Qin Bai and the Transcendence Society would never give up their pursuit of him. Stagnation here was equivalent to a slow death.
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