The burly man, never one to think before he spoke, blurted out, "Commander, you yourself said it's been two minutes. Even if you went down now, you probably wouldn't be able to save the Eldest Miss, and you'd likely die there with her!"
His words enraged Shangguan Wen even further, and he landed a heavy punch on the speaker's face. "Dare you say one more unlucky word about the Eldest Miss!"
The man, clutching his bleeding mouth, painfully replied, "I apologize, it was my oversight."
He Mu, who had been staring at the water with a deep, unreadable gaze, finally turned his head slightly at Shangguan Wen's agitated voice and said, "Commander, please don't be impulsive. Things you cannot do, the Eldest Miss might be able to!"
This only fueled Shangguan Wen's fury. He rushed forward and grabbed He Mu by the collar. "Doctor He, you still have the mood to make sarcastic remarks here? If you hadn't insisted on coming here to find this Frost Rock, how would the Eldest Miss have encountered this situation? If you hadn't refused to take a detour and warned the Eldest Miss about the danger of those mutated people, why would she have jumped down so rashly!"
He could see clearly that the black aura on him was growing, and the yellow aura from before seemed to have completely vanished not long ago.
Although he didn't understand what it meant, he just felt that everything was being orchestrated by He Mu.
It was a man's intuition!
"I'll throw you down right now to be buried with the Eldest Miss!"
With that, he lifted He Mu, about to hurl him into the alcohol lake.
The members of the Dark Department and the Haidao City defense forces were stunned, momentarily forgetting to intervene.
But just then, a splash erupted from the water's surface, something breaking through the water with a rushing sound.
"Commander Shangguan, you'd better think carefully. If you throw Doctor He down, I'm afraid I'll have to go down again to save him."
The voice came from nearby. As everyone snapped back to attention, Bai Xi had returned to shore and was taking a blanket from her backpack to wrap herself.
Her entire body had been soaked in alcohol. In this extremely cold environment, she should have felt very cold, but she didn't. A faint warmth emanated from her heart, warming her body and filling every pore.
She gently pressed her hand against her chest with the blanket. It was both warm and painful.
Han Mo... wait for me.
Shangguan Wen was shocked and immediately released his grip on He Mu. "Eldest Miss, you're back? Are you cold? Would you like a drink to warm up? Right, the medicine, Doctor He, where is your medicine..."
Bai Xi looked at Shangguan Wen calmly and said, "It's alright, I'm not cold."
She wasn't being brave; it was the truth.
Shangguan Wen was very puzzled. He found it truly abnormal for someone soaked and in such a cold environment not to feel cold. However, he was also overjoyed that Bai Xi had returned safely and was standing before him.
If the Eldest Miss said so, then it was so.
"Eldest Miss, it's good that you're alright."
Bai Xi didn't look at him further but shifted her gaze to He Mu. "Doctor He, is this the Frost Rock?"
After speaking, she displayed what she had been holding in her palm for He Mu to see.
He Mu had been watching Bai Xi the entire time, seeing her emerge safely from the water with a gentle smile, as if he had already guessed everything.
Hearing Bai Xi's question, he simply nodded calmly. "Yes, this is Frost Rock."
Bai Xi looked at the white and gray ice-shard-like rock in her hand and said faintly, "In that case, let's head back to Haidao City today."
The Ice Ridge Mountains were geographically complex. It was not easy to get here, and it was equally challenging to leave. Apart from a more familiar route and better adaptation to the wind, snow, and extreme cold, there was no other way to contend with nature.
Finally, after traveling day and night for three days, they had the chance to rendezvous with a helicopter, leaving Harbin City and returning to Haidao City.
The tropical climate of Haidao City presented a stark contrast to Harbin City. The sun, beaches, and heatwave made it difficult for them, who had returned from the extreme cold, to adapt immediately.
Inside the Haidao City defense forces' surveillance room.
He Mu took a small piece of the Frost Rock he held, ground it into an extremely fine powder, and mixed it with a bucket of warm water, forming a murky liquid.
Everyone watched his actions with a hint of anticipation. "Doctor He, can this thing detoxify?"
He Mu shook his head. "For now, I'm just trying to determine if the poison they've contracted is indeed demon poison."
Shangguan Wen looked at him and said calmly, "How do we do that?"
He Mu did not hesitate. He picked up the bucket and walked towards a woman mutated into a gorilla. The woman was currently sedated and lying on the ground, her eyes, now blood-red, glaring fiercely at everyone present. It was as if she would tear everyone before her apart if she could stand, and she emitted beast-like growls from her throat.
As He Mu approached, the growls became more pronounced, and her sturdy body began to writhe, resisting the effects of the medication.
He Mu smiled and said, "Calm down, you will be alright."
After speaking, he splashed the contents of the bucket onto the mutated person.
The mutated person let out a shrill scream upon contact with the water mixed with Frost Rock. Simultaneously, her mutated state began to be corroded, revealing bloody flesh and emitting blue-white gas.
Everyone present widened their eyes, watching the bizarre scene unfold.
He Mu casually dropped the bucket and walked towards Bai Xi, cupping his hands. "Eldest Miss, these people have indeed, as I suspected, contracted demon poison."
Shangguan Wen looked at the woman's bloody and mangled appearance and frowned slightly. "Doctor He, as a physician, shouldn't you be trying to alleviate the patient's pain? If it's just for verification, splashing so much directly on her seems a bit cruel, doesn't it?"
He Mu calmly looked at Shangguan Wen and stated, "There is no other way. For those who have contracted demon poison, to be completely detoxified is equivalent to removing all the toxicity and mutated state from their bodies using Frost Rock. From the outside in, from the inside out. If even a trace remains, the poison cannot be completely cleared, and the person will continue to go mad."
Shangguan Wen pursed his lips and remained silent.
He Mu's expression did not change. He looked directly at Shangguan Wen, unfazed, and said, "My washing away the demon poison from her body with Frost Rock water is itself part of the detoxification process. Subsequently, every mutated person will need to undergo the same. Commander, you do not understand demon poison, and therefore, you naturally would not comprehend the reason."
Everyone suddenly understood that this action was itself part of the detoxification.
Shangguan Wen still wanted to raise objections. His suspicion and displeasure towards He Mu were evident and unreserved.
However, before he could speak, He Mu preemptively said, "I believe Commander, instead of constantly scrutinizing me, it would be more beneficial to apprehend the person who administered the poison as soon as possible. That would truly be avenging these poisoned individuals and would also better protect the citizens of Haidao City."