193: it's over.

Shen Mingyuan maintained the basic form of his shadow armor as his figure moved at high speed through the woods and rugged terrain.

He didn't return via the highway, as that would make him too large a target. Instead, relying on his memory from the journey there and his keen sense of terrain, he chose a more direct but more difficult off-road route.

The matte black armor allowed him to almost blend into the evening shadows of the forest, with only his red eyepieces leaving a fleeting glimmer as they occasionally scanned obstacles.

His speed was extremely fast, far exceeding the mobility of a vehicle in complex terrain. Like a silent black gale, he swept past streams, leaped over fallen logs, and accurately sped back toward the direction he had come from.

Roughly twenty minutes later, the silhouette of the abandoned warehouse district appeared in the fading light. He slowed down slightly but did not stop, moving like a ghost through the dilapidated buildings on the outskirts until he reached a more desolate area filled with industrial waste behind the warehouses.

His car was parked here, under a simple camouflage. After confirming the surroundings were safe, Shen Mingyuan deactivated his transformation.

The armor retracted and faded quickly like a living thing, eventually returning to the inconspicuous black armband on his left wrist.

He stretched his limbs, carefully feeling the state of his body.

There was no intense collapse from exhaustion after a fierce battle as he had expected, nor was there that fierce hunger demanding immediate energy replenishment.

His body was indeed a bit tired, his muscles aching from high-intensity use, but it was entirely within tolerable limits; even his mind remained quite clear.

He touched the tiny mark on his neck where he had injected the medicine—the injection given by that 'White Tiger' from GUPA indeed had a significant effect.

He efficiently removed the camouflage, sat in the driver's seat, and started the engine. The vehicle pulled onto the road, heading toward the city.

The scenery outside the window receded rapidly, but Shen Mingyuan's thoughts became increasingly clear as he began to review everything he had just encountered. The first thing that surfaced in his mind was that pitch-black giant Dragon capable of human speech.

“Captured by GUPA?” He frowned deeply. The monster had said it himself, and it didn't seem like a lie. Yet, it had actually appeared in Prometheus's secret laboratory, preserved as a specimen.

The conclusion was almost self-evident: something was wrong within GUPA.

Either some high-level official or faction was in league with Prometheus and had secretly handed over the captured anomalous creature, or GUPA's secure transport or detention process had been infiltrated or hijacked.

Whichever it was, it meant the official organization was not a monolithic entity; there were dangerous loopholes or even traitors within. This discovery made Shen Mingyuan's mood even more solemn.

Next was the term the Dragon had mentioned—

“The Fellowship...”

Shen Mingyuan repeated it in a low voice.

In his intelligence, as revealed by the mysterious 'The Forger,' the main forces active in the shadows of this world were none other than 'Prometheus,' which conducted forbidden human experiments;

the 'New Federation,' dominated by anomalous creatures and hostile toward humans; and the 'GUPA (GUPA),' which maintained order on the surface but had complex internal situations.

Now, a fourth had suddenly popped up: the 'The Fellowship.'

Judging by the Dragon's tone, this organization seemed to be composed of 'Advanced Lifeforms' or 'Evolvers' like itself, and it held extreme arrogance and a desire for dominance over 'lower creatures.' Its philosophy didn't seem entirely the same as the New Federation's demand to overthrow humanity, leaning more toward 'rule' and 'enslavement.'

Where did they come from? What was their scale? What exactly was their goal? Why had there been no sign of them before?

Prometheus was already trouble enough, and with the New Federation's unclear stance and unknown methods, there was now an additional 'The Fellowship' that sounded extremely xenophobic and powerful... the chaos beneath the surface was far deeper than he had previously estimated.

The vehicle drove into the Nandu City area late at night. Shen Mingyuan parked the car back in the hotel's underground garage and dragged his body, which was also beginning to feel sore, back to his room.

He didn't even have the strength to think much more. After a simple wash, he threw himself onto the bed, and almost the moment he hit the pillow, his consciousness was swallowed by a deep, sweet sleep.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the hotel curtains, casting a spot of light on Shen Mingyuan's face. He woke up almost exactly to his biological clock, and immediately, a familiar, bone-deep ache swept through his entire body.

The muscles in his back, arms, and legs in particular felt as if they were being lightly pricked by countless fine needles, or like the morning after extremely high-intensity weight training. He lay on the soft bed for a full ten seconds before slowly and carefully sitting up.

“Hiss... that’s really something,” he muttered to himself, moving his stiff shoulders.

This wasn't an injury, but a 'souvenir' left by maintaining his armor form for high-speed maneuvers, intense close combat, and that final run yesterday.

Even with the GUPA medicine as a foundation, the excessive depletion of the body still had to be fed back through this most primitive method.

Fortunately, his mind was quite clear, and that sense of emptiness after energy exhaustion did not appear.

He picked up the phone on the nightstand. There were several unread messages on the screen, but none were urgent matters. After a moment's deliberation, he first dialed Xu Lang's number.

The phone rang a few times before being picked up, and Xu Lang's somewhat hoarse and tense voice came through: “...Hello? Mingyuan?”

“Xu Lang, it's me,” Shen Mingyuan's tone was as steady as usual. “The matter is basically resolved. You can rest easy now; you don't have to worry about Sun Qian anymore, and no one will come to arrest you because of this.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end, the sound of breathing somewhat heavy: “Re-resolved? How was it resolved? Did... did he die?”

Shen Mingyuan's fingers tightened slightly on the phone. On this end, his face was expressionless, but a very complex emotion flickered deep in his eyes.

He pursued logic and truth. But at this moment, to protect this old classmate who had been pushed to a dead end, a lie naturally slipped to the tip of his tongue.

This was the first time since he became a lawyer, determined to practice justice in his own way, that he had actively told a lie for the sake of 'protection' rather than 'exposure.'

“No, he's not dead.” Shen Mingyuan's voice didn't fluctuate at all, as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary legal fact. “After I intervened in the investigation, I discovered some... other issues.

The matters Sun Qian was involved in are deeper than imagined, and he has already been secretly taken into custody by the relevant authorities.

Because the case is sensitive and has a significant impact, there won't be any news released to the public, do you understand? But for you, the threat has been eliminated. This matter ends here.”

Xu Lang on the other end seemed to let out a long, long breath, that string stretched to its limit finally loosening, his voice carrying a sob and lingering fear:

“Re-really? That's great... Mingyuan, I really... don't know how to thank you... I thought I was finished, my life, my family...”

“No need to thank me.” Shen Mingyuan interrupted him, his tone softening slightly. “Live well with your family and don't get involved in this kind of thing again. If you feel being a lawyer is too tiring, it's fine to change your way of life.”

“Yeah... yeah!” Xu Lang sniffled hard. “Actually, after this, I've thought about it for a long time. In these years as a lawyer, I've made some money, but I've also seen too much... I might really not be suited for it.

When I was a kid, I actually really wanted to open a small shop at the entrance of an elementary school, selling snacks and toys and stuff, thinking being a small boss would be pretty carefree... Later, sigh, I ended up studying law by a twist of fate. Now that I think about it, maybe that's a path more suited for me. Mingyuan, thank you, really. In the future... in the future if you ever pass by the shop I open, you must come in, I'll give you a fifty percent discount!”

The corner of Shen Mingyuan's mouth twitched imperceptibly: “Heh, alright. Then let's leave it at that for now, take care.”

After hanging up with Xu Lang, Shen Mingyuan looked at the phone screen and was silent for a few seconds. Only he knew the weight of that lie. But he didn't regret it.

Next, he found Wei Ziqing's number and dialed it.

The call was quickly connected, and Wei Ziqing's voice sounded much more stable than before, though it still carried concern: “Lawyer Shen?”

“How is your Master's situation?” Shen Mingyuan got straight to the point.

“The doctor said he's stabilized!” Wei Ziqing's voice revealed a lightheartedness of being relieved of a heavy burden. “He woke up for a little while in the middle of the night, could recognize people, and said a couple of words, but he just didn't have much strength and soon fell back asleep.

The doctor said this is a good sign, the intracranial hemorrhage has been controlled and hasn't continued to worsen; next is just slow recovery and observation.”

“It's good that his condition is stable,” Shen Mingyuan said. “As for those few thugs and the people who might be involved behind them, due to some special reasons, the matter is more complicated than expected.

But what is certain is that the main personnel involved have been taken into custody. However, the proper procedures still need to be followed. Your statement and your Master's injury assessment are both necessary evidence.”

He thought for a moment and continued: “How about this, send me the specific address of the hospital and the ward number.

I will contact some familiar police personnel here today and communicate with them in advance.

Then I'll head over to pick you up, and we'll go to the Public Security Bureau together to officially make a record of the cause and effect of the matter and the situation you know.

Setting the matter down at the official level will be beneficial for your Master's subsequent compensation and legal prosecution.

You're at the hospital now, right? Take good care of your Master, and also pull yourself together and prepare what you want to say. Wait for my news, I'll pick you up in a bit, and we'll go together.”

“Okay! Okay, Lawyer Shen! I won't go anywhere, I'll wait for you at the hospital!” Wei Ziqing's voice was full of trust and a sense of grounding from having found a pillar of support.

“Mhm.” Shen Mingyuan gave an affirmative sound and hung up the phone.