259: The child has been sent back.

Wei Ziqing returned to the rendezvous point with Lu Jianchuan like a silent shadow. He saw Lu Jianchuan leaning against a large rock, doing his best to soothe The Blind Man, who was still convulsing and clawing intermittently.

"All taken care of?" Lu Jianchuan asked without looking up, having heard the faint sound of landing.

"Yeah, the child's been returned. His mother... Reiko, decided to move away now."

Wei Ziqing deactivated his transformation. The pristine white armor rapidly receded and contracted from his body surface as if alive, ultimately transforming into a layer of form-fitting dark clothing with a peculiar texture, completely replacing his original attire.

He stretched his slightly sore and stiff shoulders and neck, then retrieved two sealed silver tubular nutritional supplements from a small waist pouch he carried, tossing one to Lu Jianchuan. "Here, replenish a bit."

Lu Jianchuan nodded, also deactivating his silver skeleton form. The armor similarly receded, transforming into another set of dark clothing suitable for movement.

He caught the nutritional supplement, unscrewed the top seal, tilted his head back, and drank the thick, high-energy liquid in one go. Wei Ziqing did the same.

The bitter liquid with a hint of aftertaste slid down his esophagus. Soon, a warm current began spreading from his stomach to his limbs and throughout his body, dispelling the intense exhaustion and hunger brought on by the battle and maintaining the transformation.

The two sat down leaning against the rock, briefly silent, seizing this moment to catch their breath, recover their strength, and digest the night's events.

About twenty minutes later, the roar of engines and the sound of propellers slicing through the air came from the distance.

Several black off-road vehicles bearing the GUPA insignia arrived first, followed closely by a medium transport helicopter landing on a clearing not far away, its rotor wash flattening the grass and shrubs.

Well-trained special operations personnel quickly disembarked and established a security perimeter. Several researchers in white coats, carrying portable medical and detection equipment, strode briskly towards Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing.

"Officer Lu, Mr. Wei," a bespectacled, efficient-looking research supervisor nodded at them, his gaze immediately falling on The Blind Man in an abnormal state. "Is this the target individual? How long has this state persisted?"

"He was like this when we found him, at least half an hour," Lu Jianchuan replied succinctly, handing over the situation.

The researchers immediately stepped forward. Two were responsible for preliminary vital sign checks and restraint to prevent self-harm, while another took out a handheld scanner and sampler to begin a rapid toxicology screening on The Blind Man.

The hum of the instruments and flashing indicator lights pierced the night.

After completing the on-site handover, another fully armed special operations team, under Lu Jianchuan's brief guidance, swiftly advanced towards the cave deep in the Mountain Forest to conduct scene lockdown, evidence collection, and the search, rescue, and transfer of any remaining personnel.

While waiting for the preliminary results, logistics personnel brought Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing specially formulated supplements with even higher energy content and warm water.

The two drank slowly, watching the efficient and busy on-site operations of GUPA.

Another quarter of an hour later, the research supervisor walked back, holding a freshly printed preliminary report, his expression serious.

"The preliminary toxicology and residue analysis are in," he said, adjusting his glasses and showing the report to the two men. It displayed complex waveform graphs and chemical composition lists.

"Samples from the target's body, as well as those we collected from two other individuals in similar states inside the cave, all tested positive for the same Complex Alkaloid Toxin. It's a mixture of extracts from several known hallucinogenic plants and... some trace components we cannot yet fully analyze, similar to EVO Catalytic Derivatives."

He pointed to a peak on the report: "The key point is here.

This mixture is carefully formulated and highly diluted, with acute physiological toxicity controlled within non-lethal limits, but its psychological effects... are very problematic.

We extracted minute residues and conducted acute-effect observations on standard laboratory animals."

The supervisor's tone grew heavier:

"Observations show that even the smallest dose can induce intense euphoria and hallucinogenic dependence in an extremely short time.

Although withdrawal symptoms weren't fully manifested in the short-term observation, the addictive potential and the pattern of hijacking the central nervous System are preliminarily judged to be... far exceeding most currently known illicit drugs.

This is practically a 'High-Efficiency Addictive Agent' designed to target the human nervous System."

He put away the report and looked towards The Blind Man, who had been injected with a sedative and was temporarily quiet but still had a contorted face:

"This gentleman, and the two in the cave, are likely more than just 'poisoned.' They need immediate transfer to a specialized Medical Detoxification and Rehabilitation Center for long-term, systematic detox treatment and psychological intervention. The road ahead... will be very difficult."

After hearing this, both Lu Jianchuan and Wei Ziqing's expressions darkened.

Using poison to control people, possibly even to screen or create 'Believers'... "I understand," Lu Jianchuan said gravely. "Thank you for your efforts. Please ensure they receive the best possible treatment."

"It's our duty," the supervisor nodded, turning to direct his team in carefully transferring The Blind Man onto the helicopter.

Just as the tense atmosphere at the scene grew heavier due to the preliminary conclusions, a slightly teasing voice came from the side:

"You two, how could you forget me, your Consultant, back at the base during such a 'lively' occasion?"

Shen Mingyuan had somehow already driven to the scene and was leaning against his car door, watching the busy GUPA team wrapping up operations and the two Lu's standing together. His face wore his usual hint of a smile, as if seeing through everything, but his eyes held no real reproach.

Lu Jianchuan turned his head, a trace of apology on his face. "It happened suddenly, the situation was urgent. We rushed over immediately after locating the lead and didn't have time to synchronize. Sorry."

Wei Ziqing also rubbed his nose, looking a bit embarrassed. "Uh... Lawyer Shen, this time we did act a bit hastily."

"Alright, just kidding," Shen Mingyuan waved his hand dismissively, walking forward. His gaze swept over The Blind Man being transported and the deep Mountain Forest in the distance. His smile faded, becoming sharp.

"The cleanup work seems to be handled professionally by the authorities. So, regarding the remaining 'Mastermind'... that escaped 'Immortal,' we can't just let it go, can we?"

"Of course not," Lu Jianchuan's tone turned cold.

"We were just worrying about how to track him," Wei Ziqing added, looking at Shen Mingyuan with trust and anticipation. "That guy is slippery, very familiar with the environment. Conventional tracking will probably be difficult. Lawyer Shen, your 'expertise' is most useful right now."

Shen Mingyuan's lips quirked slightly. He pushed up his non-existent glasses—a habitual gesture when thinking. "It seems I have no choice but to accept this 'commission.'"

His gaze turned towards the depths of the Mountain Forest, as if able to penetrate the heavy night. "Don't worry. As long as he hasn't escaped this mountain area, there will be traces left. Leave it to me."

As his words fell, the three moved a few steps to the side simultaneously with perfect tacit agreement.

The next moment, faint light flowed.

Lu Jianchuan's body was instantly encased in the silver-white skeletal biomaterial armor, with faint flashes of lightning.

Wei Ziqing was enveloped in pristine white with black-gold patterns, a sword sheath at his waist and flowing light skirt silently manifesting.

And Shen Mingyuan was covered in that extremely stealthy matte black armor, the red compound lenses of his visor glowing faintly.

Without further words, Shen Mingyuan slightly raised his head, facing the direction where the Hanfu Immortal had last disappeared.

The red glow in his compound lenses flowed, as if adjusting focus; the inconspicuous Arrays of Simulated Pit Organs on both sides of his faceplate quietly activated; within his chest cavity, a Biomembrane Oscillator began working at a frequency inaudible to the human ear.

Distant details were pulled in wildly: gaps between trees, trembling leaves, the texture of distant rocks became as clear as if before his eyes.

All heat radiation in the environment became visible, outlining the residual temperature contours of recent biological activity, forming a stark contrast against the cold background.

Simultaneously, invisible sound waves spread forward in a fan-shaped area, colliding, returning, constructing a three-dimensional topographic map of structure and voids in his consciousness, surpassing vision.

Three distinct yet complementary streams of sensory information flooded into his neural center like a tide, being efficiently integrated and analyzed.

He turned his head, looking at the silver skeleton and the Hero Shadow.

"Leave the last one to me. I'll find him."