Chapter 985: A Troublesome Opponent

"Tucked with a playing card? What suit?" Fang Liangye’s attention had been completely captured by the playing card, and he asked immediately.

Chen Ling pretended to think for a moment,

"It seemed to be... the Queen of Diamonds."

"Queen of Diamonds..."

Fang Liangye fell into deep thought.

At this moment, countless thoughts flashed through Fang Liangye’s mind. Chen Ling’s story might sound like nonsense to others, but to Fang Liangye, it suddenly became credible... He had been kidnapped to the Wuji Domain by the Silver King. If Zou Wei had reported the situation to the higher-ups in time, the Twilight Society would definitely have sent someone to save him!

This would also explain why "Jia Chen" said that person seemed to have a grudge against the Fire-Tamperers; the Queen of Diamonds was likely an advance force from the Twilight Society, sent specifically to rescue him!

At this point, the suspicion in Fang Liangye’s heart had mostly dissipated... He didn't believe a Rat Party member could invent a Queen of Diamonds out of thin air.

"A playing card... could it be the Twilight Society?" the other Rat Party members realized belatedly. "Did Mr. Fu come to help?"

Mr. Fu should be the Eight of Spades hiding in the private hospital; after all, he had said he had helped the Rat Party many times before.

"Who is Mr. Fu?"

"He is a member of the Twilight Society who is very close to us, and he is also in the Wuji Domain."

Chen Ling watched Fang Liangye’s expression as he asked, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart... For some reason, this ordinary person seemed very interested in the Twilight Society.

Rumble—

A roar came from the distant tunnel, and dust trickled down from above.

"Regardless, let's get out of here first!" Wu Duo knew they couldn't delay any longer and spoke immediately, "The 'Gate' is very close now, let's go."

The group quickly moved downward along a staircase.

Chen Ling blended into the crowd, watching their route, and clicked his tongue in his heart...

The Rat Party’s escape route was no different from what he had guessed at the beginning. In the intricate tunnels, there must be a hidden path known only to them, and this path must lead deeper underground. This wasn't hard to guess; after all, whenever they encountered an enemy attack, they were always driven from the surface downward.

It was just that their route would be more secretive. It might be enough to fool others, but it couldn't deceive a powerhouse of Hong Xiu’s level.

According to the original layout, as long as they went deep underground, they would definitely run into Hong Xiu and be wiped out in one fell swoop... One could only say it was fortunate that he had intervened in the encirclement, and fortunate that Hong Xiu was now on his side.

"Wait!"

Just as the group was about to head deep underground, Fang Liangye suddenly stopped.

Everyone turned to look at him simultaneously, confusion flashing in their eyes.

"What's wrong, Fang Liangye?" someone asked.

"...Don't you think everything is too simple?" Fang Liangye frowned. "This time, the Silver Government dispatched more than one Saint of Thieves, along with a large number of Fire-Tamperers. It’s clear they are determined to wipe out the Rat Party... Can we really escape from underground so easily?"

"What do you mean?"

"The distribution of the Fire-Tamperers is too scattered. It doesn't look like a blockade or encirclement at all; instead, it looks like they want to drive us and force us to gather in one place... I keep feeling that they must have a backup plan to wipe us all out at the last moment."

Chen Ling, hidden in the crowd, raised his eyebrows slightly...

This Fang Liangye is something else.

To be able to see the essence of the situation from such chaos and even guess his original plan... Is this guy really just an ordinary person?

"You mean... they might have set an ambush near the 'Gate'?" a Rat Party member frowned. "But how would they know where our 'Gate' is?"

"They don't need to know where the 'Gate' is, as long as they know we will definitely run underground. Underground is different from the surface; there are only a few ways to choose for an escape... As long as we go down, they have ways to block us off."

"Then... then what do we do?"

"..." Fang Liangye pondered for a moment. "Do the opposite. We run toward the surface."

"What?!"

What?

Chen Ling was even more surprised.

"But we are almost surrounded by Fire-Tamperers. Running to the surface, isn't that just seeking death?" Wu Duo couldn't help but ask.

"Just as I said, the positions of these Fire-Tamperers are too scattered. Although they occupy all directions, each direction is weak. If so many of us join forces to charge at one spot, it is very likely we can tear open a gap..."

Fang Liangye said seriously, "And we have the Queen of Diamonds in the shadows; he will definitely hold back the high-level combatants of the Fire-Tamperers. Our hope of escaping from the surface is quite high."

Chen Ling’s gaze toward Fang Liangye had changed. For some reason, he felt like he was looking in a mirror...

If the positions were swapped, all of Fang Liangye’s ideas for breaking the situation were exactly the methods Chen Ling would choose... Reverse thinking, seeking stability in danger, within reason, yet beyond expectations.

Who exactly is this Fang Liangye?

"What Fang Liangye says makes a lot of sense." Several Rat Party members pondered for a moment and nodded one after another. "But this method is still a bit risky... Should we follow the original plan and take the 'Gate', or charge directly to the surface... Jia Chen, what do you think?"

Everyone’s gaze turned to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling: ...

"I think... is he overthinking it?" Chen Ling said hesitantly. "Perhaps, the underground isn't as dangerous as we imagine."

Chen Ling had considered whether to just expose his identity and lead them underground to leave this place directly, as he knew very well that there was no one guarding that area now. But after cautious consideration, he gave up on this method... Not everyone was Hong Xiu, and Chen Ling did not have absolute trust in the Rat Party members before him.

There was another point... one had to know that Fire-Tamperers could also "steal faces." Chen Ling couldn't be sure if there were any Fire-Tamperers mixed in among the Rat Party members.

Chen Ling often did this himself, so he was extra wary of this aspect.

Fang Liangye looked into Chen Ling’s eyes, suddenly thought of something, and turned to look at the Rat Party member who had spoken just now.

"Have you all been together the whole time?"

That Rat Party member was stunned and answered subconsciously, "The few of us have been running together from the start... except for Jia Chen; he was found by us alone."

"...Oh?" Fang Liangye’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Hearing this familiar tone and the habit of narrowing his eyes, Chen Ling suddenly had a bad premonition...

"So, only Mr. Jia Chen was left behind and then came here," Fang Liangye said in a deep voice. "I want to remind everyone that Fire-Tamperers also have the ability to 'steal faces' and can disguise themselves as others...

Moreover, he is the only one who, without offering any viewpoint, vaguely rejected my proposal."

Fang Liangye pulled a short blade from his waist and slowly pointed it at the strangely expressioned Chen Ling.

"Mr. 'Jia Chen'... I think it is necessary for you to prove your identity to us."

Chen Ling: ...

[Audience Expectation +3]