Several executive vehicles stopped in front of the barricade, and Xiatu Zhilan led the team out as the doors opened. The MPV is the official vehicle, and from the money-minded Mr. Jiang to the senior-level leaders, everyone typically uses this type of dedicated vehicle. On one hand, the MPV offers a wide range of premium models, so regardless of their status, passengers can always find a suitable match; on the other hand, for team outings, this type of vehicle is most practical—small sedans have limited seating capacity, while minivans might seem less fitting, and it would be inappropriate to have the Lingjing practitioners travel in Wuling Hongguang vehicles. The young housekeeper has a superb figure, her tailored olive-green vest accentuating her full, well-defined waistline. Her waist is slender, her legs long, and she wears military boots—cold and elegant, yet full of poised strength, like a high-minded female instructor. The other housekeeper, Huayu, also has a pleasant appearance. Her face is round, with a touch of baby-like softness, her skin fair and her eyes large and bright. She wears a pleated dress and always carries a warm, sweet smile—immediately giving the impression of a gentle, easy-to-handle girl. Though she holds the position of housekeeper, her demeanor is fresh and approachable, never stiff or formal, and she appears to be around twenty-five. "We'll suppress the stories circulating online, issue an official statement to clarify the facts, and then block discussions on major social platforms. Over time, this will naturally quiet the noise. That's the kind of challenge the public relations team will have to manage," said Xiatu Zilin with patient assurance to the young Yuanshizhen. It sounds as though the official rumor platform is solely responsible for spreading falsehoods... Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath, noticing the tall, imposing Fire Saint and Jiang Jingwei's growing impatience. He immediately said, "Let's go in. Staff below the Saint-level will remain outside. If they lose contact and haven't emerged by dusk, notify the Hangcheng branch immediately and request the elders to intervene." Losing contact in the fog doesn't necessarily mean they're trapped—it could simply be signal interference. That's why he added "by dusk." After speaking, Zhang Yuanqing produced the Da Luo Xing Pan, naturally stepping forward to lead the way into the fog. Behind him came Guan Ya, Jiang Jingwei, and Yin Shi Xue Qiangwei, while the four Saints from the Hangcheng branch trailed a few meters behind. Once inside the fog, Zhang Yuanqing again took out the Da Luo Xing Pan. The black iron body was heavy and ancient, its surface painted with silver lacquer depicting the celestial constellations of the zhou tian. With the infusion of stellar power, the silver-painted celestial constellations instantly activated, projecting a brilliant river of stars into the sky, as if solidified in a full-holographic display above everyone's heads. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Simply follow the positions of the stars, and we'll never get lost." Although the Great Luo Stellar Disk lacks positioning or directional functions, its constellations correspond precisely to the celestial patterns of the myriad realms—much like the real night sky. Taking the point where they entered the mist as their reference, they aligned themselves with the Jinhui City map on their phones and proceeded toward the museum, ensuring they would never lose their way. The three sages of Xia Shu Zhi Li, finally reassured, smiled warmly with confidence. The sage of fire said, "This method works—let's quickly find the museum and settle this matter. Ha! I retract my earlier criticism. Master Yuan-Shi is indeed quite useful." "Of course," said Jiang Jingwei, proudly lifting her chin, "Master Yuan-Shi is the one I brought along." The Saint of Fire quickened his pace and asked curiously, "Princess, are you currently the team leader under the Prime Immortal?" "No!" Jiang Jingwei replied, "I'm not on the same team as the Prime Immortal. I'm with Guan Ya, my sister-in-arms—she's our team leader." "What? As a fire master of such pure lineage, how can you be assigned to a scout? It must be that the Songhai Division is specifically targeting you. Why don't you transfer to the Hangcheng Division?" the Saint of Fire exclaimed, deeply indignant. Fire masters always seem to unintentionally offend others... Zhang Yuanqing glanced back at Guan Ya and Xia Shu's mutual affection, both of whom looked slightly displeased. Outside the thick fog, the Queen sat in the business vehicle, holding her phone and scrolling through the online forum, occasionally glancing out at the surrounding developments. Online browsing was one of her few hobbies; she had left her mark on most of the popular posts. As expected, the bronze sculpture incident in Jinhui City, Jiangnan Province, had risen to the top of the trending topics today, with the official correspondent from Jiangnan Province posting a detailed "Latest update: The Hangzhou branch has dispatched five stewards and over a dozen team leaders, yet so far, one steward and his team have lost contact after penetrating deep into the fog—now, combined with the group that got lost last night, the total number of missing colleagues has reached fifteen. The situation remains poorly controlled." Comment below: "Unbelievable—dispatching so many stewards and still can't manage it. The incident's severity even surpasses most crises caused by evil-aligned professions. Are the colleagues trapped in the fog safe?" "How could they possibly be safe? The longer they remain in the fog, the more likely they become agitated. We're still uncertain whether their mental states will be permanently altered. One of my friends went missing during yesterday's operation—no word from them since, and I'm absolutely frantic. I never realized the branch stewards were this ineffective." "Floor above, please speak more clearly." I was right there, and here's what happened. The fog level was quite high, making it impossible for the stewards to orient themselves—soon they'd get lost within it, unable to find the museum, thus unable to address the source effectively. This is precisely the fog's nature; there's nothing we can do about it. The stewards have decided to wait for the support team from the Matsushima branch to arrive, then break through the fog forcefully. "Latest update: The support team from Songhai has arrived—it's Yuanshǐ Tianzun. He's provided a method for determining direction. Phew, this mess is finally going to be resolved." "Master Tianzun has come, right? Yes, I almost forgot he's a star official." "Waiting for further developments..." The enthusiasm is soaring—these folks are suddenly full of confidence just upon hearing the captain's arrival. The captain holds an unshakable position in the minds of the mid- and lower-level members. Yet, this reveals a vulnerability in Jinhu City—what if the bigwigs from the evil organization find out? The Queen furrows her brows. ... A thick fog blankets everything, visibility reduced to less than five meters, as if even sound is being absorbed by the mist. Throughout their journey, the group hears not a single sound. The streets, the greenery, the vehicles, the buildings—all "soaked" in fog, the world utterly silent. Zhang Yuanqing holds his Da Luo Xing Pan and strides forward briskly. Suddenly, the fog ahead stirs, and a figure roars, charging straight toward Zhang Yuanqing, who is holding the star disk. Guan Ya stepped forward, kicked the attacker off balance, and planted her long legs squarely on his chest. This was a middle-aged man with a clearly receding hairline, his eyes bloodshot, saliva streaming from his mouth, his throat roaring like that of a wild beast—his consciousness completely gone, transformed into a fiercely aggressive creature. Guan Ya studied him for a moment, then exhaled in relief: "His mind is momentarily disoriented; with some rest, it will recover. It seems the bronze sculpture in the museum only has a superficial effect on the targets within the mist." Zhang Yuanqing also relaxed: "It might be a widespread influence, but only reaching this level of impact." As long as it's not a permanent mental impairment, like that of the Color-Desire General, it's acceptable. The group continued on, using the Big Dipper to confirm their direction and cross-checking their route with the city map on their phones. As they ventured deeper into the mist, they encountered more and more citizens in a state of frenzy, and the number of bodies lying along the roads and in the green belts grew steadily. Although it was inevitable that casualties would occur in such a large-scale event, the weight of concern remained in everyone's hearts. Fortunately, these frenzied citizens would only attack living beings instinctively, without damaging city infrastructure—otherwise, the losses would have been far more severe. After a minute, they finally reached their destination: a pale marble archway bearing a bronze plaque inscribed "Jinhui City Museum." Behind the archway lay steps and a plaza, where the main building of the museum remained hidden in the mist, indistinct. Zhang Yuanqing folded his Da Luo Xing Pan and was about to ascend the steps when Xia Shu Zhi Liang called him back. The poised female officer smiled, "My troops from Songhai will take up the rear to guard against surprise attacks; I'll lead the way." The gentle, composed Hua Yu stepped forward willingly and walked alongside Xia Shu Zhi Liang. Was she concerned that our strength might not be sufficient, and that we might encounter danger if we were to proceed ahead? He was quite considerate... Just as Zhang Yuanqing's thought flashed through, he heard the Fire Saint say, "The mist has a grade of 4 or above. You three have only just become Saints, and your strength isn't yet sufficient—your role will be to provide support." The Fire Saint was always straightforward. Hua Yu and Natsuki Sumi looked utterly helpless, and could only explain with a sigh, "Please don't mind." Implied in their words was their agreement with the Fire Saint's assessment. "We're used to it!" Zhang Yuanqing smiled. His words brought genuine understanding to Hua Yu and Natsuki Sumi's faces. With the topic now settled, Natsuki Sumi spoke directly, "Based on the current information, the bronze sculpture only exhibits the effects of enchantment and mist. Its life status remains unclear—should it possess life, it would be at least grade five. This poses a significant risk for you, especially for the Prime Immortal, who is a key focus of the Five Elements Alliance. Should anything happen to him, we simply wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility from our Hangcheng branch." "Well, just after becoming part of the patrol and taking on our first mission, we've been underestimated... Zhang Yuanqing, a skilled socializer, nodded continuously: 'Summer Tree, your planning is thorough—everything follows your vision.' Jiang Jingwei looked unconvinced, but was gently subdued by Guan Ya. The two parties reorganized, and under the leadership of three stewards from Hangzhou Branch, they proceeded up the steps into the plaza. Immediately, she knelt down, placing her palms on the ground. The square stones cracked with a crisp sound, one after another, giving way as green vines burst through, rapidly growing. Like tentacles, they reached out, writhing and clutching the frantic citizens, binding them tightly. Hua Yu rose and said, "Let's go!" As they continued forward, the group soon passed through the square and entered the museum. Here, the mist was even thicker, visibility now reduced to just three meters—those ahead had to move slightly faster to remain visible as only silhouettes remained. Though the museum's lights were bright, the light could not penetrate the dense fog, instead being constantly refracted by the fine particulate matter, making the gray-white mist appear luminous. "There's a blood scent!" remarked Xia Shu Zhi Lian, frowning at the front. Following the scent, the group moved through the grand hall and reached the entrance of the exhibition hall, where they found bodies scattered across the floor—none intact. Some had their heads severed, others were cut in half, organs and intestines spilled out, and blood had dried on the smooth marble surfaces. "Yunmeng!!" When Xia Shu Zhi Lan saw the familiar face within the fragmented body, her expression changed instantly. She hurried forward. Zhang Yuanqing turned toward the sound and saw the composed female officer cradling a female head, her face contorted, eyes wide open, as if she had encountered something incredibly terrifying just before her death—her fear permanently frozen in place. Was she Yunmeng? The missing Saint, now gone? Zhang Yuanqing felt a weight settle in his chest and asked softly, "Are all these people colleagues from the Hangzhou branch?" The reserved "Thick Virtue Bears All" nodded, her face filled with sorrow: "All of them have perished." All of them have perished... Zhang Yuanqing's alarm bells rang continuously. Guan Ya approached Yunmeng's body and examined it carefully, analyzing calmly: "Everyone was killed by sharp instruments—clean, decisive cuts. Yet, aside from Yunmeng, all others appeared calm and composed. This suggests that they all experienced a kind of hallucination before their deaths—perhaps they were manipulated." "Yunmeng was able to react just in time, but too late—she didn't make it. What was Xia Shu's rank?" Xia Shu placed her friend's head gently and took a deep breath: "Rank 4, 80% experience points." Guan Ya immediately replied: "Then the enemy's strength must be at least rank 5, with 50% experience points or more." Xia Shu shook her head: "Yunmeng was a plague deity—she had a passive ability that ignored physical attacks—but still, she fell without any resistance. Therefore, the enemy's strength is likely at rank 5, with over 90% experience points, approaching rank 6, possibly even exactly rank 6. 'The danger of this mission is higher than we anticipated,' I believe." The group exchanged serious glances, surveying the surroundings. In the thick mist, a hidden peril loomed—perhaps with just a moment's lapse of attention, one of their colleagues would lose their life. The Saint of Fire spat forcefully, his face determined: "Let's go inside. I'd like to see just how formidable that thing really is." "说完，他大步走进陈列室。众人急忙跟上。陈列室里陈列着一排排展柜，柜中主要存放着壶、炉、瓶、杯等陶器和瓷器，少量字画和青铜鼎。在陈列室深处，众人又发现了一堆残肢断臂，死者正是考古队成员和拍摄工作人员。张元清俯身拾起摄像机，发现还有电，便忙道：'大家过来看看，摄像机里有他们死前拍摄下来的视频。'众人纷纷涌了上来。张元清释放出小逗比和鬼新娘，让两位灵仆配合阴尸站岗，以防敌人偷袭。随后，他点击播放视频。视频画面中，首先出现的是一尊两米高的青铜雕塑，身着盔甲，手持三尺青铜剑，铜铃般的大眼直视前方，面目极为凶恶。" The armor's texture and facial contours are quite rough, and the craftsmanship is only average. However, Zhang Yuanqing and the others noticed that the bronze sword is exceptionally sharp, having been honed and sharpened. Voices from the archaeological team are heard in the scene, discussing the craftsmanship of the bronze sculpture and the style of the armor. At that moment, a young voice interrupts the team's discussion. The scene switches, and the camera focuses on the young person speaking. The young man looks unusually composed, saying, "I've heard some strange sounds..." "What kind of sounds?" his companions ask.