3 hao held the book in his hand, uninterested in how the people above viewed them, but if they intended to deal with Mister, he would guarantee that General Chen would not see the sun rise tomorrow.

"What are those people they're talking about?" 2 hao took off his cowboy hat and carefully placed it on his lap. "They sound like their trump card, very powerful."

Lin Wan'er hesitated for a moment, thinking before replying, "I heard some rumors a long time ago that the higher-ups were secretly conducting some kind of experiment, focused on how to help disciples on the verge of collapse achieve control over their bodies."

"In simple terms, it's using technological means to delay the time that disciples are eroded, keeping them at the critical point before erosion, and preserving their consciousness as much as possible."

The Gate is a curse, but in a way, it's also a blessing. The more eroded a disciple is, the stronger they become, but equally, the more insane and irrational they become, like the final bloom of life in this world.

And disciples at the critical point before erosion are undoubtedly extremely powerful. If they can retain a trace of consciousness, then this power is terrifying.

The state has the most cutting-edge technology in its hands, which is an advantage that the Night Watchers do not possess, but from what we've eavesdropped so far, the experimental results are not optimistic.

The modified disciples are very difficult to control, and even need to be cryogenically frozen to limit the deterioration of their condition.

So even the higher-ups don't plan to use them unless absolutely necessary.

"Da da da."

A burst of brisk footsteps quickly approached, then stopped outside the door with a knock.

13 hao jumped off the chair and scurried to open the door.

Wan Yuan Ning, dressed as a secretary, was holding a document. When she noticed that all the Crimson members were inside, she looked a little at a loss.

"Just say what you need to say." Lin Wan'er rubbed her temples, recent events were making her anxious.

"Commissioner, the military just contacted us, saying that there's been an anomaly at a checkpoint outside the city. They plan to send people to investigate and are notifying us in advance."

"Where is it?"

Wan Yuan Ning placed the document in her hand on the table and spread it out. It was a high-precision map of the city they were in. The blue circle marked the office building they were in, and in the distance, in an inconspicuous place, was a red question mark.

Wan Yuan Ning pointed with her finger, "It's right here."

"Tell me the specifics." 3 hao stared at the map, very seriously.

"This checkpoint was set up not long ago, and the location is very remote. The west side of the city is mountainous, and the road where the checkpoint is located is the only way to enter the city from the mountains. Everything was normal before, but about half an hour ago, the communication there seemed to be interfered with, and contact was lost for about 10 minutes."

"The established rule is that the checkpoint reports to us every 10 minutes. After the communication was lost, we immediately sent a message to inquire, but received no reply. It wasn't until 10 minutes later that the checkpoint contacted us on its own, replying with the code word, 'All normal.'"

"Our monitoring personnel felt that something was wrong, so they sent several more messages in a row, but the other side didn't explain the reason for the problem, just repeatedly answered, 'All normal.'"

"Later, the monitoring personnel chose to use another set of backup codes, but the other side still chose to reply with the previous set of code words! The content was still 'All normal'," Wan Yuan Ning explained.

There must be a problem here. Considering the series of events that had happened recently, they couldn't help but be vigilant. Lin Wan'er shifted her gaze, scanning the people in front of her.

When her gaze landed on 2 hao, 2 hao shrank his neck a little awkwardly, then leaned back in his chair, tilted his head, and pretended to be dead with his hat covering his face.

13 hao didn't even dare to raise his head, playing with his fingers below.

8 hao's eyes darted left and right, looking up and down, but not at Lin Wan'er.

Seeing this scene, 3 hao frowned, looked at Lin Wan'er, and said in a steady voice, "Mister, I want to go take a look."

"What are you going to do? Stay home and recuperate. I'll take a trip." Chen Ran turned around, and with the other hand, lifted the head-bowed 13 hao up, and said to him very seriously, "13 hao, you stand in my position and hold up the IV drip."

"I'm the best at holding IV drips, especially for Sister Lu!" Hearing that he didn't have to go, 13 hao's heart finally relaxed, snatched the IV drip, held it up high, and smiled very brightly.

"When I get back, if I find out that you've broken the IV drip, I'll tell 8 hao all the bad things you said behind his back, word for word. You can figure it out yourself." Chen Ran leaned close to his ear and said seemingly gently.

"Understood!"

"Be careful on the road." Lin Wan'er instructed.

Chen Ran didn't answer, just waved his hand as he walked towards the door. When the door opened, a gust of wind blew in, lifting the hem of his trench coat, and two short swords crossed behind him, reflecting a cold light.

Arriving at the underground parking lot, he started a black SUV and followed the navigation, heading towards the target location.

As he drove out of the underground parking lot, Chen Ran moved his neck slightly, his eyes swept across the rearview mirror, then he withdrew his gaze and drove slowly.

Outside, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

Following the navigation, the car gradually moved away from the city, and the surrounding cars and pedestrians became fewer and fewer. The west was mountainous, and traffic was restricted. To get to the checkpoint, he had to pass through a very long mountain tunnel.

Looking at the dark tunnel entrance that seemed to swallow people, Chen Ran drove in without any vigilance.

The tunnel was very long. He drove for several minutes without seeing the light of the exit ahead, which was obviously a problem.

Moreover, the tunnel was not straight, but had a slight curve. Looking at it for a long time, it felt like he was circling around something, making people dizzy.

Chen Ran drove unhurriedly, seemingly unaware of the abnormality.

Until...

"Hehehe..."

After a period of extreme suppression, a laughter squeezed out from between the teeth suddenly rang out in the car. A strange man dressed as a magician, wearing a black cloak and a top hat, appeared in the back seat of the car.

Right behind Chen Ran!

Both hands were wearing neat white gloves, gently clasped together, holding a slender scepter.

"Have you finally discovered the problem, Mister Chen Ran, 6 hao?" The magician's mouth widened, revealing an arrogant and triumphant smile, "But isn't it too late?"

The magician's eyes revealed fanaticism, but his words revealed deep regret. "Once upon a time, I regarded you and the Crimson you belonged to as idols, but the greatest regret in the world is watching yourself surpass your idols."

"To make up for my regret, I have no choice but to kill you with my own hands, my former belief..." The magician drew out the knife hidden in the scepter, and said wistfully, "Mister Chen Ran."

"We're almost at the exit. I'll take your body away and give you a decent funeral."