After their mission failed, Wang Hu and his team quickly returned to the South City base, which was now located at the Southern Prosperous Chemical Plant.
Although they retraced their steps on the way back, they still encountered monster disturbances that hindered their swift return.
When they had set out, they had hurried to their destination, but they had not cleared out the monsters along the way.
However, fortunately, they had managed to preserve their strength well, so despite the obstacles, there were no casualties or injuries due to the monsters' disturbances.
As they approached the chemical plant shrouded in fog, the distant glow of the Lamp Trees finally allowed Wang Hu and his team to breathe a sigh of relief.
The entrance to the chemical plant was significantly different from before, with sandbags and discarded vehicles piled up into a solid defensive position, and a squad of about twenty fully armed soldiers were on guard, with Angel Envoys summoned around them as sentry vanguards.
Among them were both Corpse-class Angel Envoys and canine monsters like the Giant Macrophage Dog.
"Special Combat Guard Squad, Wang Hu."
At the sentry post, Wang Hu leaned out of the vehicle window to identify himself. Although they were all driving armed vehicles, such caution was essential.
The sentry recognized Wang Hu, saluted, and waved his hand to signal his team, "Let them through."
The convoy slowly entered through the opened gate into the chemical plant and slowly drove along the hardened roads inside towards the interior.
The fog density within the entire chemical plant was very low, almost completely dispersed, providing a very broad field of vision. They could see people patrolling from afar, and ordinary people tilling and planting crops on non-hardened land.
South City base gathered more people and explored more areas, so the base stockpiled more Lamp Trees than Su Han's Shanhu Villa District.
Moreover, aside from a portion of their Lamp Tree Crystals being used for research, the rest were all kept, now amounting to several dozens.
Apart from the Lamp Tree Crystals used for exploration and combat, at present, within a certain range, a Lamp Tree Crystal was placed as a street light inside the chemical plant, dispersing a large area of fog.
Relying on the range covered by light, Li Ruikang had already ordered Wen Zhenhui to begin organizing non-combatant personnel within the base to start farming, turning over the soil, and then planting crops.
It could be said that after relocating the base, the entire South City base had now begun to operate in an orderly and rapid manner.
"Wang Yi, take everyone to treat their wounds, rest individually for now; Zhao Yaqian, come with me to the office building."
The vehicle stopped in front of the office building, Wang Hu and Zhao Yaqian got out of the car, and Wang Hu instructed the others inside the vehicle.
"Yes, Captain Wang."
Wang Yi responded loudly, and then the team members drove away from the front of the office building.
The interior of the chemical plant was mainly divided into four large areas: the administrative office building, the factory and workshop area, the employee dormitory accommodation area, and finally, the area for parking and sports grounds.
There were several dormitory buildings, originally designed to accommodate eight thousand employees, which were now perfectly used as lodging for the base.
The office building was directly converted for use as the administrative center of South City base, and part of the laboratories would also be set up here. Of course, even more might make use of the existing chemical laboratories from the original factory.
Upon entering the office building, Wang Hu went straight to find Guo Wutao and the other two in the meeting room. His first words were, "The mission has failed."
Inside the meeting room, Li Ruikang, Guo Wutao, Yan Tiejun, Bai Qiuwen, and Tian Jiaxuan—five people sitting in chairs—seeing the appearance of Wang Hu and Zhao Yaqian, could somewhat guess that the outcome might not be good.
Li Ruikang spoke in a calm voice, slowly saying, "Sit down and tell us slowly, how are the casualties?"
Wang Hu's eyes reddened, and with a heavy heart, he said, "Guan Xiaoqiu, Zhou Yun... eighteen team members sacrificed, we couldn't bring back their bodies. Li Yun and Wang Shitian are severely injured."
Guo Wutao related the events at the Aoke Biological Research Center to Cheng Zhenyong, sharing both the details and the overall picture, yet clarifying the matter.
"This is indeed his way of doing things. As for the Angel Envoy...."
After listening, the hesitant look on Cheng Zhenyong's face immediately made Li Ruikang and the others aware of something.
"Old Cheng, if you can speak, please do. We inherently have no malice towards Su Han and do not have any conflicts of interest. On the contrary, as the first Second-order Contractor we've discovered, it would be of great help to be in good terms with him."
Li Ruikang keenly sensed that Cheng Zhenyong might be hesitant to reveal too much about Su Han, not wanting to betray a friend.
But in this matter, there was no question of betrayal, just a desire to understand Su Han better, to make a judgment.
Cheng Zhenyong said with a wry smile, "He told me about the Angel Envoy, that he has a special Talent, so changes in form and Evolution are not strange for him. So you say that the Angel Envoy's form is not a humanoid Four-armed Corpse, that's not a big problem."
"Special Talent?"
Yan Tiejun's expression grew serious, as he honed in on the key point, asking, "What kind of Talent, is it like Skills?"
"I don't know, he didn't elaborate, and I suppose this isn't something he would just tell anyone."
Cheng Zhenyong shook his head, but it was Bai Qiuwen who suddenly spoke up, "Actually, the emergence of special Talents should be the norm."
All eyes turned to him as if waiting for an answer.
Bai Qiuwen spoke unhurriedly, "Although it's just a guess, if animals can mutate due to the mist and the pervasive Spiritual Energy in the environment, then why can't we humans, as primates? The Book of Blood Spirit originates from that eyeball, but shouldn't there be some changes in us as well?"
"Professor Bai, are you suggesting that every one of us might potentially awaken a Talent?"
Li Ruikang also grasped the key, his tone revealing urgency, for if humans also possessed special Talents, then the situation might become much more favorable.
However, Bai Qiuwen shook his head, "I don't know."
Feeling that this answer might be unsatisfactory, he pondered for a moment before adding, "It might appear, but each individual's Evolution would likely differ, not everyone will have it, that's my guess."
The topics of Evolution and Talent fell by the wayside, and even Bai Qiuwen couldn't provide an answer, but it did lead everyone to tacitly accept Su Han's special abilities.
Li Ruikang looked toward Cheng Zhenyong, asking seriously, "Old Cheng, what do you think of Su Han as a person? This is very important, it affects how we interact with him, what measures we take."
"Calm but definitely has boundaries."
A fair assessment, not broadly labeling him as a good or bad person, he added, "He wouldn't wantonly enslave or harm others, but he certainly won't overlook any offense or threat...."
He paused, remembering the deceased He Fang and others. Since then, Su Han had become even more calm, decisive, and sharp, more akin to a leader.
This was what he had witnessed with his own eyes, his personal experience.
"From my perspective, making friends with Su Han is the best choice, and I can serve as the liaison if needed."
The voice was firm, meeting the eyes of Li Ruikang and the other two without a hint of cowardice or evasion, upright and forthright.
Li Ruikang smiled and nodded, saying, "With your words, we now have a good understanding."
With that, Cheng Zhenyong left the conference room first, leaving only Li Ruikang and the four others behind.
"Regarding Su Han, what are your thoughts?"