60: His life or death remains unknown? State officials are getting restless!

Inside the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, it was brightly lit, and the atmosphere was so tense it could be wrung out.

Several Demon Suppression Guards who had just come off duty were urgently called outside the council hall before they could even remove their armor.

"Earth Abyss... what exactly happened?" A slightly hoarse voice came from inside the hall, carrying a hint of barely concealed anger.

"Sir, the specific situation is still under investigation. We only know that the energy fluctuations are unusually strong, and communication from the Earth Abyss direction has been completely cut off!" A slightly flustered voice responded.

"Useless! Such a huge commotion, and you think 'still under investigation' will suffice? I want to know what level of demon could cause such a violent energy reaction?!"

Inside the council hall, several high-ranking officials of the Demon Suppression Division sat upright, their faces terribly grim. Sitting at the head was an old man with white hair and beard, none other than the Division Head of the Demon Suppression Division, Wei Zheng. He tightly clutched a Dragon-head walking stick, his knuckles white from the force.

"Division Head Sir, could it be... a powerful Demon King has emerged?" A middle-aged official asked cautiously.

"Demon King?" Wei Zheng snorted coldly, "If it were a Demon King, this old man would have sensed it long ago! The situation in the Earth Abyss is probably more complex than we imagined."

The hall fell silent for a moment. Everyone knew that the Earth Abyss was not an ordinary demon Nest; it hid some... unspeakable secrets.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence: "Report! Vice Commander Lin is here!"

Wei Zheng frowned and waved his hand: "Let him in."

Lin Xiaotian walked into the council hall, a trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes were still sharp.

"Division Head Sir, esteemed sirs, I have a basic understanding of the situation in the Earth Abyss." Lin Xiaotian clasped his fists.

"Oh? Vice Commander Lin has grasped the situation so quickly? Tell us, what exactly caused such a drastic change in the Earth Abyss?" Wei Zheng's tone was calm, but his eyes were full of pressure.

Lin Xiaotian seemed to be prepared and calmly said: "According to preliminary investigations, the drastic change in the Earth Abyss was caused by a Demonic Path spy. This person, named Li Dong, is a newly promoted Demon Suppression Guard. He infiltrated the Earth Abyss, damaged its facilities, triggered a demon riot, and ultimately led to this disaster."

"Demonic Path spy? Li Dong?" Wei Zheng narrowed his eyes, seemingly pondering something. "Vice Commander Lin, do you have evidence?"

"The evidence is conclusive!" Lin Xiaotian waved his hand, and a Demon Suppression Guard immediately presented a scroll. "These are some of the documents recovered from the Earth Abyss, which detail Li Dong's actions in destroying facilities and releasing demons."

Wei Zheng took the scroll and read it carefully. The scroll listed various "evidence," placing all the blame on Li Dong.

"Vice Commander Lin, this scroll... isn't it a bit too one-sided?" Wei Zheng finished reading the scroll, looked up, and stared at Lin Xiaotian with piercing eyes.

"Division Head Sir, every word this subordinate has spoken is true, without the slightest falsehood!" Lin Xiaotian said firmly.

"Hmph!" Wei Zheng sneered, "This old man is not ignorant of the situation in the Earth Abyss. Lin Xiaotian, you had best tell the truth, otherwise... don't blame this old man for being impolite!"

Lin Xiaotian's expression changed slightly, but he still feigned composure: "Division Head Sir, this subordinate truly doesn't understand your meaning."

Just then, a Demon Suppression Guard rushed into the council hall, his expression flustered, saying: "Report! Division Head Sir, the Earth Abyss entrance has been completely sealed off, and all entrants are being isolated for interrogation!"

"Who gave the order?" Wei Zheng asked sternly.

"It was... it was Vice Commander Lin."

Wei Zheng slammed the scroll in his hand onto the table with a loud "bang." "Lin Xiaotian! How dare you!"

Lin Xiaotian's face turned ashen, knowing that things had spiraled out of his control.

"Division Head Sir, this subordinate was also trying to find out the truth as quickly as possible and stabilize the situation!" Lin Xiaotian argued.

"Stabilize the situation? I think you want to cover up the truth!" Wei Zheng roared, "Guards! Apprehend Lin Xiaotian!"

Several Demon Suppression Guards immediately stepped forward and restrained Lin Xiaotian.

"Wei Zheng! How dare you!" Lin Xiaotian roared.

"What is there for this old man not to dare!" Wei Zheng looked at Lin Xiaotian coldly, "This old man will thoroughly investigate the matter of the Earth Abyss! I will never allow anyone to act corruptly or cover up the truth!"

Inside the council hall, a storm was brewing... In Lin Fan's residence, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

"Uncle... has been apprehended?" Lin Fan asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes, Young Master." Manager Liu replied with a pale face, "Division Head Sir seems to attach great importance to the Earth Abyss matter, and Vice Commander Sir... is probably in grave danger."

"How... how is this possible?" Lin Fan slumped into a chair, his face ashen. "Li Dong... that bastard Li Dong, he actually caused such a mess!"

"Young Master, what should we do now?" Manager Liu asked anxiously.

"What to do? How should I know what to do!" Lin Fan roared, "That bastard Li Dong, if he's still alive, he definitely won't let us off! We... we're doomed!"

Lin Fan's cronies also looked as if they had lost their parents. They knew that once Lin Xiaotian fell, they would not escape implication.

"Young Master, why don't... we run?" One of the cronies asked cautiously.

"Run? Where to?" Lin Fan said in despair, "The Demon Suppression Division is all over the world, where can we run? And... even if we run, the Lin family won't let us off!"

Despair spread through the room. Everyone knew that their doomsday had arrived... Inside the Mu Shi County Demon Suppression Division, Zhang Wu was pacing anxiously.

"Damn it! What exactly happened on the Prefecture side? Why can't I find out any news?" Zhang Wu was extremely anxious.

He had already tried to contact everyone he could, but the responses he received were either silence or vague evasions.

"No! I can't just sit here and do nothing!" Zhang Wu gritted his teeth and made a decision.

He immediately picked up a pen and paper and began to write a letter.

"Li Dong, whether you are alive or dead now, I will do my best to find out the truth and avenge you!" Zhang Wu wrote in the letter, "The Prefecture Demon Suppression Division is probably rotten to the core. I must seek outside help to expose their crimes!"

After finishing the letter, Zhang Wu immediately called a trusted subordinate and handed him the letter.

"You must deliver this letter to Yingtian Prefecture and give it to my old friend, Sir Zhao!" Zhang Wu said solemnly, "Remember, you must deliver it to him personally, and don't let anyone else know!"

The subordinate took the letter, nodded, and turned to leave.

Zhang Wu watched the subordinate's retreating back, his heart filled with worry.

"Li Dong, you must come back alive!" Zhang Wu prayed silently in his heart... At the same time, in a hidden cave several hundred miles from the Earth Abyss, Li Dong lay quietly on the ground.

His body was covered with a faint golden glow, and his breathing was weak, as if he could die at any moment.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the System was operating at full capacity, absorbing energy extracted from the "core experimental data chip."

"Ding! Host detected in critical condition... System is fully repairing..."

"Ding! Beginning to absorb energy from the 'core experimental data chip'..."

"Ding! Host's Meridians are being reshaped..."

"Ding! Host's Dantian is expanding..."

"Ding! Host's Spirituality is increasing..."

The System's prompts kept ringing, and Li Dong's body was also undergoing subtle changes.

Unbeknownst to him, he was in a state of suspended animation or deep coma, and the System was using the energy from the "core experimental data chip" to perform a complete transformation on him.

This was a life-or-death test. If he succeeded, he would be reborn and his strength would greatly increase; if he failed, he would die completely and turn to dust.

And at this moment, in the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, a power struggle revolving around the Earth Abyss incident was in full swing.

No one knew how the final outcome of this struggle would affect Li Dong's fate.