At this moment, Ji Jiu, whom John Joyce was thinking about, was in the warehouse of an electronics store that had already closed. He hadn't turned on the lights. Instead, he sat on the floor, using the light from a flashlight to indifferently sew up a deep, bone-visible wound on his calf with rough, savage stitches.

Before him lay a player who had been shrunk into the shape of a pumpkin, his head embedded with steel spikes—none other than Martin, John Joyce's teammate, whom Ji Jiu had encountered earlier.

Minutes ago, while attempting to pursue John Joyce, he was obstructed by the Mobile Detachment and forced to flee.

The deep wound on his calf was inflicted by Xing Hechou, the captain of the Mobile Detachment's second team.

Ji Jiu hastily stitched the wound and wrapped several layers of bandages tightly around his calf. He then took out a tube of dark green reagent and jabbed it into his shoulder.

This dark green liquid was the Datura Type III reagent. It could greatly stimulate human potential. Not only did it make users sharp-eared and keen-sighted, granting them photographic memories and nimble minds, but it also boosted their confidence, changing their speech and behavior as if they had become entirely different people. Furthermore, it enhanced all aspects of the user's physiological skills, transforming even the weakest homebody into someone with superhuman strength, as fleet-footed as a superhero from the movies.

The only two drawbacks of Datura Type III were that it had to be refined from a large amount of Datura Type II reagent, and it induced strong dependence.

This dependence was not merely physiological but also psychological.

Once use of Datura Type III ceased, the recipient would instantly devolve from "superhuman" to "mere mortal," their thought processes becoming clumsy and dull, their bodies frail and weak.

This significant disparity made it incredibly difficult for people to abandon Datura Type III. Even some senior executives within the Datura organization couldn't break free from it.

CLICK.

Ji Jiu placed the empty reagent tube into his backpack slot, stood up, and hopped a few times, unconcerned by the blood seeping through the bandages and dripping to the floor.

This level of injury would heal rapidly with the help of his body's Self-healing Ability and the Datura Type III reagent.

CLANG—

The sound of an animal scuttling through the ventilation duct above the electronics store warehouse echoed. With another loud CLANG, the duct's grille was smashed open, and Zhi Jue's head "crawled" out, dragging his limbs and torso behind him.

"Tsk, tsk. The Mobile Detachment is truly ruthless. Even when facing an emergency, with most elite members dispatched to the temporary strongholds on Qianhua Road, they still managed to spare manpower to pursue us."

Zhi Jue snickered as he reassembled himself into human form, though he was missing his right palm. "Luckily, we split up and ran fast. By the way, give me back my right hand."

Just moments before, as they fled the pursuit led by Xing Hechou's team, Zhi Jue had deliberately detached his right hand and tossed it to Ji Jiu. This way, he could later locate his teammate by following the connection between his body parts.

Without a word, Ji Jiu reached under a nearby bottom shelf, grabbed a dirty palm, and tossed it over. Before sitting down, he had used this hand to sweep the dust off the floor.

"You arrived later than I expected," Ji Jiu said indifferently. "Were you delayed?"

"Hmm," Zhi Jue nodded. He mysteriously pulled a crushed miniature surveillance camera from his backpack slot. "On my way here, I briefly accessed the city-wide surveillance. I discovered the Special Affairs Bureau was using their Skynet to search for a man in a cape. So, I stopped by the park he'd recently visited and found this camera. Take a look. See if you can use the ritual track to pinpoint his location."

Among the members recruited by the Datura organization were many influential merchants and magnates. The networks these prominent individuals possessed were sufficient to help the Datura organization accomplish many things.

For example, they could establish small, concealed, automated surveillance networks in major cities around the world.

Senior members like Ji Jiu and Zhi Jue had the authority to access this 'bootleg Skynet.' On his way, Zhi Jue had even taken a significant detour. He rushed to the park and retrieved the micro-camera Li Ang had left behind, managing to get it before the first barrier contraction completed and beating the Special Affairs Bureau to the punch.

Facing Zhi Jue's expectant gaze, Ji Jiu silently took the camera, now thoroughly shattered into components, closed his eyes, and fell into deep contemplation.

One of Ji Jiu's skills involved using items others had touched and, through a mysterious sensation, divining their owner's location.

The aura clinging to this camera would likely only last for about an hour. However, for this mission, it was more than enough for Ji Jiu to get a rough fix on the target's position.

After a while, he opened his eyes and stated indifferently, "Northwest. About a twenty-minute drive."

"That close?"

Zhi Jue licked his lips, clearly eager. "How about we hunt them down? Doing something like that right under the Special Affairs Bureau's nose would definitely be interesting."

Ji Jiu glanced sideways at him and said coldly, "Prioritize completing the mission."

"I know, I know." Zhi Jue grinned, rubbing his sharp fingernails together until his fingertips were cut and bleeding. "It's just... the excitement, you know?"

The mission Ji Jiu referred to was not merely the "Moon God Crown" regular task issued by the System, but also a charge entrusted to them by the higher-ups of the Datura organization.

Two weeks prior, the Datura organization's high-ranking leaders had received news from the Prophet about an impending anomaly in the Misty Territory on Qianhua Road. They had specifically devised a plan to leverage this anomaly, fulfill a prophecy, and thereby complete the Datura organization's ultimate mission.

What virtue has the nocturnal light, that it grows anew upon death?

What benefit does it provide, with a hare in its belly?

What is it that does not die; what must the tall ones guard?

The dragon chariot, riding thunder, departs its den, heading east.

As Ji Jiu silently recited the prophecy, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

This Moon God Crown mission was, in essence, orchestrated by the Datura organization under the Prophet's guidance.

The history of the Datura organization was far more ancient than the outside world believed. Their understanding of the Killing Field Game System surpassed that of any other organization. This was because the System would automatically generate relevant missions based on equipment and items left behind by ancient players.

With documented records of ancient players, they could arrive at locations in advance. This allowed them to easily activate specific missions and unearth the legacies of these ancient players before modern players could stumble upon them by sheer luck.

Take, for example, this Moon God Crown.

Of course, the ultimate goal of the Datura organization and Ji Jiu was not the crown itself, but the "thing" wearing the crown.

That last Mirage Dragon in the world, wearing the crown and guarding the Demon Prison from within the Misty Territory.

Ji Jiu looked towards Qianhua Road and murmured, "Judging by the time, the first barrier should be closing soon..."

"Yeah," Zhi Jue said, casually twisting his lips. "I'm quite disappointed, you know. Besides us, it seems no other teams have drawn blood yet."

[Player "Si Wenbin" has been killed by player "Resentful Demon".]