Shen Heng also chose a direction.
The sound waves spread outwards as he walked.
He closed his eyes, letting the information from the sound waves build a clear image in his mind.
Distortion steel bars, shattered concrete, and metal fragments broken due to low-temperature embrittlement...
After a long while, a somewhat hoarse voice came through the earpiece.
"Found it."
That was Wei Leyang's voice.
Shen Heng stopped in his tracks and stood still.
Although he already knew the outcome before he arrived, on the rooftop, when he learned of the plan, but...
The message, containing only the three words "found," still felt like a heavy hammer had struck his heart.
He stood still for a couple of seconds before turning around and walking towards Wei Leyang.
By the time he reached Wei Leyang's side, Wei Leyang had already dug the body he had found out from among a pile of rubble.
At this moment, he was sitting there helplessly.
In front of him was a somewhat chubby figure.
Wu Cheng's body lay quietly in the pile of rubble, covered with frost-covered, cracked fragments of black armor.
The exposed skin had an unnatural bluish-purple hue, interspersed with severe frostbite marks.
Shen Heng suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if it were being clenched.
He stood silently to the side, gazing at Wu Cheng's purplish-blue face, which revealed a quarter of its cheek.
This young man, who was usually so carefree and irresponsible, was now heartbreakingly quiet.
Shen Heng suddenly remembered the last sentence he heard on the rooftop, "I don't want to be that kind of person next time," and his throat suddenly felt sore and choked.
He slowly squatted down, picked up Wu Cheng's hand that was dangling to his side, and placed it back beside him.
"This guy... actually managed to be cool for once in the end." Wei Leyang's voice was hoarse beyond recognition. He turned his head away and vigorously wiped his face.
Shen Heng didn't reply; he didn't know what to say.
Le Gu Nan and Dahuang arrived without anyone noticing.
When she saw Wu Cheng's body, she instinctively raised her hand to cover her mouth, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Dahuang also stood silently to the side, its tail drooping.
Suddenly, Le Gu Nan seemed to remember something.
She turned her head and looked around, then looked at Shen Heng and said:
Where is Sister Ling?
Shen Heng looked up and glanced around, only to find that Han Ling was indeed not present.
He seemed to have thought of something, and looked in one direction.
He controlled the surrounding sound waves to spread in that direction.
After a moment, Shen Heng turned his gaze back.
He looked at Wei Leyang, who was still kneeling on the ground.
"Bring Wu Cheng's body along with you."
Upon hearing this news, the two seemed to understand something.
Wei Leyang got up and carried Wu Cheng's body on his back.
The three then arrived at another location in the ruins.
Han Ling knelt beside the rubble, holding in her arms a human-shaped body also covered with frostbite and impact wounds.
Her uniform was stained, her long hair was disheveled, and she looked as if her soul had been ripped out.
"Captain..." Le Gu Nan's voice trembled slightly.
Shen Heng remained silent for a moment, then slowly walked over.
Noticing the arrival of everyone, Han Ling slowly raised her head.
Two dried tear tracks were visible on her face.
"Take the captain... back to the station..."
The roar of engines could be heard in the distance.
A black van bearing the emblem of the Supervision Bureau slowly drove up, its blue roof lights flashing silently.
As the vehicle started, Shen Heng took one last look at the rearview mirror.
In the mirror, the ruins of the cold chain center are receding into the distance.
Further away, the outline of the Linhai city is gradually awakening in the Chenguang.
Linhai City, Supervision Bureau.
Li Jianguo and Zheng Anlin waited in the lobby on the first floor.
They rushed over as soon as they were brought back.
Logically speaking, given what happened, no one would have said anything even if they hadn't come today.
But because this incident was so serious, they were really worried, so as soon as they returned, they rushed over again.
After an anxious wait, the sound of a vehicle was finally heard outside the gate.
The two exchanged a glance, then breathed a sigh of relief and walked towards the door.
Outside the gate, a black van slowly came to a stop.
The moment Li Jianguo and Zheng Anlin saw the car, they stopped abruptly.
Their expressions froze on their faces.
Under their watchful eyes, the car door was opened.
One figure stepped down first.
That was Shen Heng. He was covered in dust and his face was terribly pale.
Following closely behind was Le Gu Nan, who was supporting the nearly exhausted Han Ling.
Next were Wei Leyang and Dahuang.
The last police officers to get out of the vehicle carefully carried two stretchers covered with white sheets.
"This..."
Li Jianguo stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
His gaze swept over the approaching group, and he finally had to confront this reality.
His worst fears came true: after several years, the Linhai Supervision Bureau experienced another reduction in staff.
Moreover, this time, two team members, including the team leader, were eliminated!
Zheng Anlin watched the scene unfold in silence, his remaining left hand unconsciously clenching tightly.
Shen Heng slowly walked up to the two of them, and then stopped.
"I'm sorry." Shen Heng's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping.
Hearing this, Old Li finally came to his senses.
He looked up at Shen Heng and remembered that he had once told Shen Heng that he hoped Shen Heng could protect the team and prevent anyone from sacrificing themselves.
Old Li sighed and slowly shook his head.
"Don't feel guilty. I know you did everything you could."
Shen Heng remained silent and did not reply.
He didn't come to his senses until the police officers carrying the stretcher arrived at his side.
Shen Heng looked at the captain and Wu Cheng's bodies, both covered with white sheets, beside him, then glanced at Han Ling, who was being supported by Le Gu Nan.
"Take it to my training room first, I'll go get a Mind-Calming Incense stick."
Everyone nodded, and then walked towards Shen Heng's training room.
Just as Shen Heng was about to leave, he suddenly heard a heavy, serious voice.
"Perhaps this is the fate of our generation of inspectors..."
Shen Heng stopped and looked at Zheng Anlin, who had just spoken.
His face was solemn and grave.
"Fate, is it..." Shen Heng sighed softly.
"Hmm, resistance, protection, death..." Zheng Anlin said in a deep voice.
Resistance, protection, and death—was this the price paid for the first generation's resistance against the invasion of the Ruins Realm?... This thought echoed in Shen Heng's mind.
He turned his head and looked into the distance.
Under the bright sunshine, the outline of Linhai City gradually became clear.
In my ears, I could hear the gradually returning noise.
He suddenly remembered the last words the captain had said in the communication.
This land, these crops, will always remain.
Ten minutes later, in the training room.
The members of the Linhai Supervision Bureau gathered here in silence.
They might sit silently, or stare blankly out the window.
The only one taking action was a single figure.
Le Gu Nan was standing beside one of the stretchers, raising his hand to reconstruct the faces of the captain and Wu Cheng.
Shen Heng leaned against the wall, silently watching the scene before him.
Suddenly, Han Ling, who was curled up on a soft cushion, raised her head and looked at Shen Heng.
" Shen Heng, when you notify the family... I should go too."