Chapter 982: The Encirclement Begins

Chen Ling heard this, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes...

It had only been a dozen hours since he had a showdown with Hongxiu. Before that, Hongxiu had been in a state of confusion and wavering. How could she suddenly be so firm?

What exactly happened during this night?

Chen Ling didn't ask more. No matter what Hongxiu had experienced, as long as she made this choice in the end, it was enough.

"Tell me, what should I do?" Hongxiu asked again.

Chen Ling lowered his voice while driving. "The reason we are in our current situation is because the Silver King used the power of [Borrowing the Moon] to replace our pasts with someone else's... The one I was replaced with should be an ordinary person, and the one you were replaced with should be the original Guardian Knight."

"Exchanging pasts... Then why weren't the names in our memories replaced?"

Hongxiu had Tan Xin in her memory, and the [Rotten Tongue] also had Tan Xin. The same name, but representing different people, gave her a sense of dissonance.

"As I understand it, this kind of replacement is like an organ transplant. The core memories and interpersonal relationships are like organs, and the people we know are like blood vessels... When the organ is transplanted into our body, it essentially reconnects with our blood vessels, so the names in our memories won't change, but the interpersonal relationships will reconnect to the new 'past'..."

Chen Ling also used this point to fabricate the persona of "Chi Tong," forcing him to act with him... But in reality, Chi Tong was not a friend in Chen Ling's memory at all, just a popcorn vendor across from the factory.

"Then how can we get our memories back?"

Chen Ling thought for a moment. "The simplest way: the one who tied the bell must untie it. As long as the Silver King takes action, our memories will naturally return... Of course, that's impossible."

Before Hongxiu could feel disappointed, Chen Ling spoke again:

"But besides him, I know someone who can misplace memories between different people in the form of a curse... This might be the only way for us to get our memories back."

"Where is he??" Hongxiu's eyes lit up.

"Right now, he should be in the Tian-Shu Domain."

Hongxiu frowned slightly.

She pondered for a moment and answered seriously, "Now that the Silver King is away, I can take you to break out of the Wuji Domain and head straight to Tian-Shu."

Hongxiu's tone was very calm, but it contained a powerful confidence, as if no matter what Thief Saint, Adjudicator, or Wuji Lord it was, she didn't take them seriously.

"I don't doubt your strength, Miss Hongxiu." Chen Ling let out a long sigh. "But to exchange memories, we have to bring the people who carry our memories along... Otherwise, who are we exchanging with?"

"Then where are the people who have our memories?"

"I don't know." Chen Ling paused for a moment. "They should have been hidden by the Fire-Tampers."

Hongxiu's gaze fell on the rearview mirror. Black sedans followed behind them, driving slowly in the dimness before dawn...

"You must have had a plan for a long time, right?" Hongxiu asked.

"I do." Chen Ling nodded slightly.

"And this plan requires your cooperation."

……

The vehicle stopped slowly in the wilderness.

Numerous figures gathered in one place. Huang He's gaze swept across the surroundings and quickly locked onto an inconspicuous manhole cover.

"This is it." Huang He lowered his eyes. "Going down from here leads to a complex drainage system. After previous surveys, we've basically locked onto an area... The Rat Party is right there."

"Then let's just go down and catch them all in one net." Lan Yu said casually. "There should only be one Seventh-Order in this Rat Party. With so many of us, they won't be able to fly away."

"Not necessarily. Many of the drainage pipes down here aren't recorded on the maps. We can't rule out the possibility of them escaping in the chaos."

Huang He's gaze turned to Chen Ling.

"Otherwise, we wouldn't have invited Mr. Chen on this trip... What does Mr. Chen think?"

"You're right, the Rat Party are all insidious and cautious guys."

Chen Ling said in a deep voice, "Based on my understanding of them, they must have prepared more hidden escape routes outside the conventional routes, and even prepared deceptive mechanisms and traps."

"Oh?"

Huang He raised an eyebrow. "Then what do you think we should do?"

"We absolutely cannot spread all our manpower in one place. We must split up, and the more dispersed we are, the better." Chen Ling pointed to the sewer.

"When the encirclement begins, everyone will be like a large net, closing in on the Rat Party bit by bit, but don't seal it off completely... Leave them a way out, let them escape in that direction, and I and Miss Hongxiu will be responsible for intercepting and killing them. That way, we can catch them all."

"That's too risky. We only have so many people. If we spread out too much, there will only be one or two people in each place. What if we run into the Rat Party when closing the net but can't hold them?" Lan Yu subconsciously retorted.

"That's still better than letting them escape without anyone knowing."

"But..."

Chen Ling actually didn't understand the Rat Party at all. In the memory of the ordinary person he was replaced with, he didn't even know what the Rat Party was... But this group of Fire-Tampers seemed to have determined that he had some kind of relationship with the Rat Party and knew them very well.

Since that was the case, Chen Ling simply used their strength to fight back, pretending to be very knowledgeable about the Rat Party and offering advice.

Actually, Chen Ling proposed this plan purely to create an opportunity to act alone. After all, he and Hongxiu were now on a unified front, but if there were others around, their actions would be restricted.

"If you don't trust me, there's nothing I can do. After all, I'm just a guide... Do as you please."

Chen Ling acted as if it had nothing to do with him.

Huang He stared at Chen Ling for a long time before finally making up his mind.

"Let's do as he says..."

After all, he was the person Chi Tong personally chose, and looking at this kid's stance, he really seemed to know the Rat Party well. Rather than taking responsibility for their own actions, it was better to trust Chen Ling once.

Soon, everyone was divided into more than a dozen groups of two and quickly entered the underground.

And Chen Ling and Hongxiu naturally became a group without any suspense. Moreover, due to Hongxiu's own super-high combat power, they were directly assigned to the deepest part of the underground, waiting to intercept the Rat Party members.

"Will anyone really hide in a place like this?" Hongxiu felt the dark and damp environment around her and frowned slightly.

"Not to mention the light and smell, the underground drainage system of the Wuji Domain is full of various bacteria and poisonous insects... Living here for a long time will cause physical problems."

"Who knows... But to be able to make up their mind to set up a stronghold here, the leader of this Rat Party is indeed impressive."

Chen Ling wanted to say something more, but a roar of explosion came from above!

Boom—!!

"...It's started." Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly.