"Captain... where are we going?"

Mo Hongyi rubbed his head.

The team members gradually woke up. The outside world was rendered silvery-white by artillery fire, and bursts of roaring sounds rang in their ears, exploding like dense drumbeats... The wind pressure in the buffer zone also began to increase. The rescue team was heading in the opposite direction of the source energy艇 in the sky, which meant they were rushing back to Gu Fort.

"The storm is coming." Zhong Yuan said concisely, "You guys go back and rest first."

The unspoken meaning was that they shouldn't participate in this battle...

The team members looked at each other.

"During this time... you may be quarantined."

A slight pause.

Zhong Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, "A virus has broken out within Gu Fort. It's very likely it was brought back from the Maze..."

Hearing this, Gu Shen's eyes narrowed.

As expected... the thing he was worried about had still happened.

The "spiritual toxin" of the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower) had been brought back to the fortress by Hong Zhong.

However, fortunately, this "epidemic" had not spread beyond the fortress.

The Second Team's plan to pick up people must have failed. If Zhong Yuan had picked up Hong Zhong's body, he wouldn't have stayed in Gu Fort.

"Quarantine?"

Yuan Yuan frowned, instinctively touching his body. His clothes were still intact, and there was nothing unusual.

"It's a spiritual toxin."

Zhong Yuan sighed softly and recounted what had happened in the fortress in recent days.

Everyone fell silent.

The returning hero, Hong Zhong, had brought back a "spiritual toxin" to Gu Fort... The current scale of infection had already reached more than five hundred people, and the number was still increasing. Most importantly, due to the outbreak of this virus, Gu Fort was now unable to open its gates and connect with the outside world.

This news was like adding fuel to the fire.

And with the lessons learned from last time, Gu Fort had become very cautious in welcoming Gu Shen and his group of "returning heroes."

The rescue team was "fully armed," avoiding physical contact as much as possible, even eye contact. No one yet knew how this strange "spiritual toxin" was spreading...

Next.

They were to be sent to the quarantine zone for observation.

Because the "strange events" encountered by Hong Zhong's team had also happened to Gu Shen and his group... In the Book of Life and Death, their spirits had also briefly fallen into a state of "death."

"Captain... we'll follow the arrangements."

After listening, Yuan Yuan didn't resist. He seized the time and spoke about the most important discovery from the Maze mission.

The Maze had collapsed and could no longer be explored.

And the accidental death of Hong Zhong's team was not a true "accident."

The so-called "returning hero" was even more nonsense. He not only brought back the "spiritual toxin," but also personally killed his teammates...

As for the oasis...

It could now be completely confirmed as "false information."

Although this exploration had resulted in the safe return of everyone, which could be called a "great success," the "investigation results" they brought back were chilling, even despairing.

After listening, Zhong Yuan lowered his eyes and couldn't say anything...

He was still digesting the news.

As the captain, he had been extremely proud of the training atmosphere and the quality of the team members in the Second Team. Each mission beyond the fortress could be completed with high quality. These guys were comrades who could be entrusted with one's back...

But Hong Zhong's matter was like a sharp long knife that pierced his heart.

The person was already dead, and there was no way to explore the real reasons for these events. It might have been due to the spread of the "spiritual toxin," or there might have been other hidden causes, but none of that mattered anymore. Hong Zhong, who discovered the "oasis," was completely a liar.

For every member of the Second Team, it was a big blow.

……

……

Gu Shen and his group were taken to the quarantine zone.

This was a barren open space near the cemetery. The entire quarantine zone was not large, probably able to accommodate about a thousand people. The structure was also very simple, with temporary tents set up on the open space, and several "space seals" were used for physical isolation, roughly divided into two large areas: "confirmed cases" and "suspected infections."

Gu Shen and the others were taken to the "suspected infection zone."

Source energy tides were coming.

At this juncture, Gu Fort really couldn't spare more manpower to deal with this "spiritual toxin."

Each person had a tent.

Drones within the fortress flew back and forth in the air, responsible for providing people with food, water, and some simple services.

Within Gu Fort's local network, the quarantine zone and the giant wall had a signal connection, and every quarantined person could receive the latest information.

It was obvious.

Once you entered the quarantine zone... it was difficult to get out. The measures taken by Gu Fort were similar to a "gecko cutting off its tail." The urgent task was to solve the "storm" first, and these suspected and confirmed cases could only wait for the final battle to end before receiving unified treatment. "Rescue teams" wearing full protective suits were everywhere in the quarantine zone. They were transcendent beings who had awakened healing abilities, and some also had mental abilities, but unfortunately, they had no way to deal with this toxin.

"Brother Gu... it seems we can only stay here until the 'war' is over."

Li Chen walked with Gu Shen, looking at the tents in the suspected infection zone in front of him, and sighed.

No matter how hard he tried, his [Source Pupil] could only open a sliver at the moment... This mission beyond the fortress had exhausted a lot of his mental strength. Even if he was allowed to continue participating in the battle at this moment, he wouldn't have the strength to use his abilities anymore.

After walking several hundred meters, the guys in the suspected infection zone just looked a little unwell, some were haggard, but there seemed to be nothing abnormal in their "spirit." At least he couldn't feel anything strange.

Well... this so-called spiritual toxin shouldn't be that terrifying, right?

Li Chen comforted himself, this period was just right to rest here.

"Brother Gu?"

Li Chen noticed that Gu Shen had suddenly stopped.

Gu Shen stopped in front of a tent.

He silently looked at the "suspected infections" passing by him... If he used mental power to sense, he would find that most of the people here didn't show anything particularly unusual, just their faces were slightly pale.

But...

If he used "Blazing Fire" to sense.

Then it would be completely different.

Gu Shen saw the scene inside the Maze... strands of soul-fire floated out from their heads. That was the mark of being infected with the Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower) toxin. The dozens of suspected infections he had seen along the way were no exception, but their spirits had not yet been ravaged by the toxin.

Above the Pure Land.

A wisp of underworld fire flickered.

Gu Shen felt the "evil power" of the King of the Underworld. With just a thought, he could ignite these "toxins," and the souls of these infected people could be "extracted" at any time.

"Jin Sui Hua."

Gu Shen used his mental power to touch the underworld fire and build a mental link.

This time the link was fast, and the interaction was completed in an instant. Then, a cautious voice came from the [Old World].

"Master... have you arrived safely?"

Hearing this voice, Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief.

Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower) was fine.

You must know that the [Old World] was currently in a state of source energy chaos due to the raging storm.

However, the Great Serpent had extremely strong survival abilities. As long as it wasn't caught in the storm, it would be no problem to survive.

Fortunately, Gu Shen had given the order in advance to forcibly expel it, otherwise this big fool would have really used its physical body to withstand the final tornado.

This response was also an important message.

Mental communication within the "underworld fire" was indeed able to achieve transcendence of long spatial distances.

Even across the Umbrella Defense Line and a fortress, he could still build a link with Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower), so even if he went further south... this link shouldn't fail.

Gu Shen used his mental power to transmit the scene he saw back.

One infected person after another.

And strands of soul that could be "extracted" into the Pure Land.

"Look at what you've done."

Confirming that this big guy was okay, Gu Shen's tone became stern.

The Great Serpent opened its mouth aggrievedly, "King, I have remembered your instructions and there won't be a next time."

"How do you remove these 'toxins'?"

Gu Shen said coldly.

"These toxins are not immediately fatal. Those with strong mental power can resist them, and it's no problem to resolve them on their own." The Great Serpent slowly said, "Originally, I thought that sooner or later you would need to rebuild the 'Pure Land.' Relying solely on the souls in the snow mountain would not be enough, so the toxin will continue to spread, and each spread will weaken it by three points."

In the "Blazing Fire vision," Gu Shen looked around—

The entire quarantine zone was filled with souls infected by "Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower)."

Several hundred of them.

This "spiritual toxin" was not as serious as Gu Shen had imagined... There were no deaths yet.

According to Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower), the more this virus spreads, the weaker its lethality will be. Of course, no matter how weakened it is, it is still a powerful corrosive force that early-stage transcendent beings cannot resist, because spiritual toxins are difficult to truly annihilate. Once it causes "death," it will find the next "host."

Constantly spreading to find "souls" for the Pure Land.

"If you want to remove the toxin... you just need to touch it with 'underworld fire,' or summon your underworld fire to attract them." Jin Sui Hua (Golden Tasselflower) said piously, "I will forever follow you, and so will my spirit."

In fact, when it cast the toxin, it never thought about removing it.

According to the will instilled by the previous King of the Underworld, it was indeed so... If the one who returned to the Maze was the previous mad King of the Underworld, he would probably still think that there were not enough souls in the Pure Land.

Gu Shen sighed softly. Releasing "underworld fire" was impossible. This would cause great trouble and expose the power of the Fire Seed.

The current solution should be to contact them one by one.

It wouldn't be a problem to really detoxify.

It's just that this spiritual toxin has swept through the entire Gu Fort. Currently, no one has a means to treat it. How should he explain this "weird" power to the North Continent military if he suddenly displays it?