Late at night, within the force field.

Under the massive load-bearing column, the temporary outpost was brightly lit."

The air was a mix of the charred remains of insect carcasses, blood, disinfectant, and the sweet and fishy odor unique to biological mucus, creating a nauseating yet numbing post-battle atmosphere.

Qin Hui, Old Qiao, Qi Hao, and Lv Chen, along with several members of the Sharp Blade Team, were huffing and puffing as they cleared the piles of insect carcasses.

The massive shell of the blade-footed cutter was incredibly heavy, while the corpses of acid beetles continued to emit corrosive white smoke and had to be handled carefully with special tools.

Sweat mixed with grime and dust on their wearied faces, etching lines into their expressions.

"Old Qiao, lend a hand with the leg of that Rock-breaking Beetle on the left!" Qin Hui panted heavily, using his Alloy Battle Knife to pry up a massive insect shell.

"On it!"

Old Qiao wiped his sweat, gave a low roar, and dragged out that tree-trunk-sized insect leg with brute force.

Meanwhile, Qi Hao and Lv Chen handled the finer tasks.

They collected relatively intact insect tissue samples in sealed bags, especially the remnants of several Royal Insect Guards.

Qi Hao carefully clamped a fragment of shell glistening with a ghostly blue sheen, grumbling softly, "This thing's really tough, feels harder than alloy... Hey, Lv Chen, does this neural bundle still seem somewhat active?"

Lv Chen leaned over, prodding the twitching dark purple tubular object with a gloved hand, "Tch, the Life Ghost's vitality is really tenacious... Be careful not to get shocked."

After working diligently for quite some time, they finally managed to clear the area before them to a rough extent.

Qin Hui straightened his aching back, habitually scanning his surroundings to see if Fang Qingyu had new instructions.

His gaze swept over the bustling crowd, the injured receiving preliminary treatment in a corner, and lastly, Wei Banmeng leaning against a pillar with eyes closed in meditation.

Huh?

"Where's Qingzi?" Qin Hui mumbled absentmindedly.

Beside him, Old Qiao, who was just tossing a shell into the recycling bin, lifted his head at the words, looking around blankly, "Yeah, where's Qingzi? Wasn't he here with Xiaojiang a moment ago? Said he was going to handle some corrosion injuries..."

Qi Hao and Lv Chen also paused their tasks.

They exchanged glances, seeing the same confusion in each other's eyes.

"Taking care of injuries shouldn't take that long, right?" Qi Hao scratched his dirt-covered hair, "The medical point is just behind those containers, only a few steps away."

"Could something have happened over at Xiaojiang's?" Lv Chen speculated.

Old Qiao frowned, his bald head reflecting the light from the searchlight, "Can't be, Xiaojiang seemed in good spirits... Wait! Didn't Qingzi say he got splashed with acid?" He suddenly recalled Fang Qingyu holding his side and the scorched combat suit.

"That's right!" Qin Hui slapped his thigh, "Damn! Maybe he's more injured than he looks and went off on his own to endure it? That guy just loves to show off!"

This thought sent a wave of panic through the four of them.

Qin Hui immediately pulled out his tactical tablet, preparing to contact Fang Qingyu.

At that moment, the tablet vibrated, and a shared location message popped up.

Sender: Fang Qingyu.

Immediately, Qin Hui fell silent.

The others crowded around...

Staring at the shared location outside, with the note 'trouble you all,' they too fell into silence.

...

Early the next morning, Qingjian City Divine Management Bureau Building, 28th floor.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the dawn was barely breaking.

Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds, sprinkling the city's skyline.

In the distance, the giant force field that had enveloped half of Qingjian City for days vanished with Lin Kang's departure at dawn.

Divine Management Bureau's logistics and engineering teams worked efficiently, collecting all the Life Ghost corpses before dawn's arrival.

When the force field dissipated...

In the real world, there was no trace of anything unusual, as if everything was exactly as it had been.

Fang Qingyu's squad now stood before the window, gazing at the city once more "peaceful."

Qin Hui and the others stood just behind Fang Qingyu.

They had washed and tidied up, yet the red veins in their eyes and the lingering smell of disinfectant evidenced the exhaustion from the previous night.

At this moment, the four weren't admiring the view but directed their intensely complex and indescribable 'resentment,' focused on Fang Qingyu's back.

Their gazes almost tangible.

Jiang Wei cradled a cup of hot milk, sipping it, her clear eyes flitting between the view outside and the visibly "resentful" group behind, finally glancing up at Fang Qingyu's calm profile, a subtle hint of amusement seemed to flash in her eyes.

Silence stretched at the window, broken only by Jiang Wei's soft sipping noise.

Finally, Old Qiao couldn't hold back anymore, he gave a hearty cough to break the silence.

Fang Qingyu seemed startled, slowly turning around.

The moment he turned, he met the accusing stares demanding an explanation.

Their gazes.

Somehow even more overbearing than facing the insect horde the previous night.

Fang Qingyu: "..."

The calm visage finally cracked a bit, his eyes flitting slightly, seeming slightly awkward.

He raised a hand to touch his nose, giving a light cough, "Ahem, I had something to attend to last night and left first."

He cleared his throat, looking over the group's resentful faces, eventually sighing with a wry smirk:

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