50: Is the rot inside deeper than I thought?

Another mission concluded.

The strange smell in the abandoned dyeing workshop area of the South City was identified; it was caused by a mixture of several rotting dyes and the bodily fluids of some dead Yao Beasts. Nothing special, and the merit points were secured.

Li Dong, dragging his somewhat weary body, walked back to the Demon Suppression Division outpost, his mind anything but idle.

This was already his… how many missions had he completed in the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division? He couldn't remember. In any case, his merit points had indeed increased significantly, but more importantly, his understanding of this vast organization had skyrocketed like a rocket.

He used to think of the Demon Suppression Division as a righteous organization that slayed demons and evil, protecting the border and bringing peace to the people. Now? Heh heh.

Factions were rampant, like vendors fighting for stalls in a wet market. To gain resources or a promotion slot, they would stop at nothing.

He had personally witnessed a small team deliberately conceal some dangerous information about a target area to snatch a 'lucrative' mission, which almost led to the annihilation of another new recruit team that took the mission. Afterwards? Nothing happened, and the leader of that team even received commendation for 'bravely undertaking high-risk missions'.

Another time, when he went to submit a mission report, he inadvertently overheard two old Demon Suppression Guards chatting, saying that a certain Centurion had deliberately given a suicide mission to his opponent's trusted subordinate, calling it 'a heavy responsibility', all to suppress his rival.

At that moment, Li Dong felt a little uncomfortable. This maneuver... why did it have the surprising feel of Jia Baoyu slaying Hua Xiong with warm wine? What about the promised justice? What about the promised protection?

It was as if his beautiful filter for the Demon Suppression Division had been brutally torn off, thrown to the ground, trampled hundreds of times by shoes that had stepped in dog shit, spat on, and finally thrown into a pigsty to plaster the walls.

He suddenly remembered that the milk tea he bought yesterday, the clerk had forgotten to give him a straw, and he was so annoyed at the time. Now that he thought about it, compared to these internal messes in the Demon Suppression Division, not having a straw was nothing.

This kind of behavior, where even their own people's lives could be used as bargaining chips for power and profit, made him deeply doubt the so-called 'Demon Suppression Division iron rules' and 'colleague camaraderie'.

This was no longer just simple workplace competition; this was... an internal meat grinder.

Li Dong returned to his dormitory, where Brother Qian was lying on his bed, sighing. He was probably being targeted by some old-timer again.

"Brother Dong, you're back? Was today's mission smooth?" Brother Qian asked weakly.

Li Dong nodded, not saying much. His mind was now filled with deeper things.

The special scent in the mine.

The attendant accompanying Zhao Zhen, who also carried the same scent.

The secret connection between that attendant and a certain force in the Prefecture, as reported by Centurion Zhang Wu.

And Demon Subjugation Guard Wang's hesitant words at the mass grave—"certain... undisclosed experiments within the Division."

Experiments? Experiments with what? With that special scent? Who were the experimental subjects? Demons? Or... humans?

An extremely bold, even insane, guess, like a seed, quickly took root and sprouted in his heart.

Could there be a force within the Demon Suppression Division that was rotten to the core?

Could they, for some unspeakable purpose, secretly collude with demons? Or even... use demons for some forbidden experiments?

Li Dong suddenly remembered the controlled giant python in Black Wind Ridge, and the spirituality fragments with obvious consciousness fluctuations during the baptism ritual.

That feeling... it was as if someone was trying to 'activate' or 'control' something!

Could it be that that special scent was the key to achieving such forbidden methods?

If that were truly the case... Hiss—

Li Dong felt a chill down his spine. This time, it wasn't from exhaustion, but from fright.

Zhao Zhen, that mysterious attendant, the Lin family faction behind Lin Fan... even those 'certain people within the Division' that Demon Subjugation Guard Wang referred to when hinting at 'experiments,' could they all be links in this chain?

The Demon Suppression Division, which should have been humanity's strongest shield against demons, might actually be harboring such a group of degenerates who colluded with demons and conducted forbidden research?

The extent of this corruption was simply beyond his imagination.

He had originally thought that he was merely caught up in the factional struggles of Lin Fan and his group, at most a personal grudge triggered by the 'Extraordinary Ranking' slot.

Now it seemed he might have stepped into a bottomless quagmire, full of man-eating crocodiles.

These people were probably more cunning than a hornet's nest, and his current level of skill was simply not enough to contend with them.

He now felt like the pregnant woman who, after ten months of pregnancy, was told her dragon and phoenix twins were premature, and the midwife asked which one to save, but in the end, neither was saved—filled with a sense of powerlessness.

He must investigate thoroughly!

But how to investigate?

Charging in blindly was definitely not an option; that was suicide.

He had to be more careful, more cautious.

From now on, taking missions had to be more targeted.

Missions that mentioned 'abnormal demon activity,' 'unidentified energy fluctuations,' 'discovery of unknown residues,' or locations near the previous abandoned mine, mass graves, or even 'smelly' places like the South City dyeing workshop, all had to be prioritized.

Following the scent trail, little by little.

Yes, that's what he would do.

Over the next few days, Li Dong was like a wound-up clock, frantically shuttling between the mission hall and the mission execution routes.

Manager Liu still greeted him with that fake smile, wanting to trip him up, but Li Dong now had 'rules' in hand, making him invincible.

"Li Dong, North City patrol, simple and easy..."

Li Dong pointed directly to another one: "Manager Liu, this 'Energy Residual Detection in West City Abandoned Altar Area' has a medium-low danger level, within my capabilities. I'll take it."

Manager Liu: "..."

He felt like this kid was going to give him internal injuries. Every time, he cited rules and regulations, and he did it so logically and thoroughly that Manager Liu couldn't refute him at all.

Did this kid memorize the 'New Recruit Camp Management Regulations' like a bible?

Lin Fan and his followers, Zhao and Sun, watched from afar, their faces so grim they could drip water.

"Brother Fan, this kid is too slippery! He doesn't give us a chance to act!" The follower surnamed Zhao whispered complainingly.

Lin Fan snorted, saying nothing. He also now felt that Li Dong was an unusually tough nut to crack. Force wouldn't work, and as for persuasion... this kid was impervious, he didn't fall for that at all.

They had to find a more reliable and covert method.

Li Dong had no time to concern himself with their silent battles; he took his mission token and left.

The abandoned altar in West City.

This place was once the stronghold of a suppressed evil cult, eerie and dilapidated, with a faint, lingering scent of blood and decay in the air.

Li Dong, as required by the mission, meticulously investigated the energy residues.

Just as he walked to the center of the altar, in front of a stone platform covered with bizarre runes, the System's prompt suddenly sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Detecting faint abnormal energy fluctuations..."

"Ding! Detecting unknown type of pollutant residue... Warning: This pollutant has potential mental erosion characteristics..."

Here it comes!

Li Dong's heart tensed.

The area indicated by the System was precisely near this stone platform! It vaguely coincided with his previous guesses!

This place definitely had problems!

He squatted down and carefully examined the cracks in the stone platform. Sure enough, in an inconspicuous crack, he found a tiny bit of grayish-black powder residue.

He carefully scraped off a bit with a tool and sealed it.

The smell of this powder... although very faint and mixed with other odors, he was almost certain that it contained an extremely faint, but definitely homologous, trace of the special scent!

Indeed!

These clues, like scattered pearls, were being strung together by him with that wisp of special scent!

The 'experiments' within the Demon Suppression Division, the strengthened demonic spiders in the abandoned mine, the demon unrest in Mu Shi County, Zhao Zhen, the Lin family... and now this abandoned evil cult altar!

Behind all this, what kind of vast and dark secret was hidden?

Li Dong felt that what he held was becoming increasingly hot.

Once this secret was exposed, not only he himself, but also Centurion Zhang Wu in Mu Shi County, and even his family in the county town, could be drawn into an irreversible predicament.

He must find more direct evidence!

Or... find a truly reliable patron.

But now, looking across the entire Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, who could be trusted?

Manager Zhou? He seemed fair enough, but his strength and status didn't seem sufficient.

Centurion Zhang Wu's superior? He didn't know his background; what if he was also a member of that corrupt force?

No, before he had absolute certainty, he couldn't trust anyone.

The only way out was still to rely on himself!

Improve his strength! Wildly improve his strength!

Only when he was strong enough, strong enough to overturn the table, strong enough to make those rats hiding in the dark wary, would he have a chance to survive and to uncover this dark curtain!

Li Dong carefully put away the powder sample, completed the energy detection record for the altar area, and then left this eerie place without looking back.

By the time he returned to the dormitory, it was already late at night.

He didn't rest but directly sat cross-legged, circulated his Cultivation Technique, and began a new round of Cultivation.

The nascent Golden Core in his Dantian slowly rotated, the runes of the Heavenly Pill Rifting Demon Seal flowed in his Sea of Consciousness, and vast Spiritual Qi was swallowed and absorbed by him, transforming into his own cultivation base.

The greater the pressure, the stronger the motivation.

He was now like a sick donkey, exhausted as if he had plowed eighty acres of land in three days, but as long as he had a breath left, he had to keep running!

Li Dong remained silent, solely focused on Cultivation.

He could feel that the Bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase seemed to be not far off.

He must be faster! Stronger!

Early the next morning, before dawn, Li Dong was already at the training ground.

He needed actual combat; he needed to convert his cultivation into real combat power.

On the training ground, several equally diligent new recruits were already doing their morning exercises.

Li Dong found a corner, took out his Demon Suppression Ruler, and began practicing basic Moves.

Each Move was precise and meticulous.

Not long after, Lin Fan arrived with Zhao and Sun.

Seeing Li Dong, Lin Fan paused, his eyes complex.

The follower surnamed Zhao leaned into Lin Fan's ear and whispered a few words.

Lin Fan frowned slightly, but ultimately shook his head and led his people to another part of the field, seemingly not intending to provoke him actively for now.

Li Dong glanced at them, paid them no mind, and continued to immerse himself in his own Cultivation.

He didn't have time for petty squabbles with these minor characters now.

His target was the bigger fish hidden deeper within.

He must raise his strength as quickly as possible, and then, pull those rats out of their holes, one by one!

He tightened his grip on the Demon Suppression Ruler.