Chapter 986: The Higher the Virtue, the Higher the Devil

Chen Ling was speechless.

He had gone to great lengths to join this chaotic situation just to save the Rat Party as much as possible... but who would have thought that before he could even exert his strength, his identity would be seen through.

Especially this Fang Liangye, whose way of thinking was almost on the same frequency as his own. It had been a long time since Chen Ling felt like he had met a worthy opponent.

But unfortunately, the higher the virtue, the higher the devil...

"I am really not a Fire-Tamperer!!" "Jia Chen’s" face was full of anxiety. He looked at the knife in Fang Liangye’s hand, then at the surrounding "companions," and gritted his teeth hard. "We are being hunted now. If we drag this out, everyone will die...

Fine, since you want me to prove it, then I’ll go all out!!"

"Jia Chen" snatched the knife from Fang Liangye’s hand, tilted his head back nervously, and slowly cut his cheek with the blade. Scarlet blood flowed down his neck.

No one noticed an invisible Heart Python crawling down from him, beginning to bite frantically above everyone’s heads.

"Jia Chen..."

For some reason, the "doubt" the Rat Party members had toward Jia Chen vanished into thin air. They watched as scarlet blood stained Chen Ling’s clothes, and seeing those eyes—indignant and resolute amidst everyone’s questioning—their hearts jolted.

Chen Ling’s expression was twisted in extreme pain. Wu Duo finally couldn't bear it anymore and stepped forward to grab Chen Ling’s arm.

"He’s right. We could be surrounded by Fire-Tamperers at any moment; we can't waste time here... And if he really were a Fire-Tamperer, he could just shout, and the surrounding Fire-Tamperers would come and finish us off. Why go to such lengths to lure us into a trap?"

"Yeah, the most important thing for us now is to survive. If everyone has to prove their identity, no one will be able to escape."

"We must not have internal strife now... It’s precisely because of our unity that we’ve been able to hold on this long, right?"

After stealing their "doubt," everyone had a natural sense of trust in Chen Ling. Coupled with his superb acting skills and his determination to disfigure himself for everyone’s sake, the Rat Party members were now almost all on Chen Ling’s side.

Chen Ling covered his blood-stained cheek—which hadn't actually been cut very deeply—with his hand while hiding behind the others.

He looked at Fang Liangye, a cunning smile hidden behind his bitter eyes...

The Heart Python coiled on Fang Liangye’s shoulder. He, too, lost his suspicion of Chen Ling. Seeing the scene before him, after a slight hesitation, he nodded:

"Then let’s hurry and break through this place first."

"I still think going to the surface is a bit too risky," Chen Ling said again, taking advantage of the fact that no one would be suspicious. "Let’s go underground."

As he spoke, Chen Ling’s Heart Python took a few more bites out of Fang Liangye.

Fang Liangye was, after all, just an ordinary person. Even if influenced by Chen Ling’s memories, after a few bites, his mind went blank, and he almost lost his ability to judge. Although he still resisted going underground internally, seeing that everyone else agreed, he followed the majority.

Regardless, Fang Liangye was just an ordinary person saved by the Rat Party. With his doubt stolen by Chen Ling, everyone was certainly more willing to trust the backup plan left by their leader, Dulan, rather than the temporary plan Fang Liangye had suddenly come up with.

After confirming the goal, the group’s speed increased. They followed the tunnel all the way to the very bottom and cautiously entered the "Gate"...

It was called a "Gate," but in reality, it was a narrow tunnel. The surface of the tunnel was completely smooth, without any traces of artificial splicing, as if someone had used alchemy to directly open up the underground and create this path.

"This place is indeed hidden," even Chen Ling sighed inwardly.

This path was definitely not man-made, nor did it belong to the underground drainage system. Even if the Fire-Tamperers tore through every blueprint, they wouldn't find the existence of this path. But it was very close to where Chen Ling and Hong Xiu were stationed. If so many people passed through here, Hong Xiu would definitely notice...

In the face of absolute strength, there was no such thing as absolute concealment or safety.

I wonder how things are going on Hong Xiu’s side...

Chen Ling was lost in thought.

……

"What is going on with this place, winding around and around..."

"This path isn't on the blueprints either. Where have we ended up?"

"Who cares where we are, as long as the general direction is right. So many people came this time; those Rat Party members won't be able to run away... Besides, aren't we just supposed to drive them underground?"

"No one is running toward us, which means they’ve all been driven underground according to the plan."

"That’s true..."

In the dim tunnel, two Fire-Tamperers walked side by side.

There were quite a few Fire-Tamperers participating in the encirclement this time. Under such a large-scale siege, not everyone would encounter enemies. From the start of the operation until now, the two of them had only heard loud roars in the distance, and no one had run in their direction.

Just as they were feeling bored, a ghostly figure quietly appeared in the darkness behind them...

A pair of slender, fair hands grabbed the back collars of the two men from behind.

Before they could even react, a massive force, as if holding little chicks, slammed them into the ground, smashed through a thick stone wall, and sped away from the battlefield!

The intense pain and the dizzying sensation of the world spinning almost made them faint on the spot. By the time they regained their senses, they were already lying in a pile of rubble...

A woman wearing a black Enforcer trench coat was indifferently looking down at them in the dim light.

"Lady Hong Xiu... you..."

One of the Fire-Tamperers was about to speak, but Hong Xiu stepped on them one by one, crushing their bones and completely cutting off any possibility of escape. Two piercing screams rang out simultaneously.

But at this distance, no matter how miserably they screamed, it was impossible for it to reach the ears of other Fire-Tamperers.

Hong Xiu slowly lifted one of them up like a piece of mush and said faintly:

"I ask, you answer."

"Wu... wuwu..." painful moans came from the man’s throat, and his gaze toward Hong Xiu was filled with fear.

"Where is the person who possesses my memories?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the pupils of the two Fire-Tamperers contracted sharply. They knew the worst-case scenario had occurred... Hong Xiu, one of the Arbitrator Proxies, had actually broken free from the Silver King’s brainwashing and possessed independent thoughts...

But how could this be? Even if the Silver King wasn't in Wuji and couldn't steal their doubts regularly, it was impossible to awaken to this extent in just a few days.

Hong Xiu waited for a long time without getting an answer, and her eyes narrowed slightly...

She casually raised her other hand, curled her index finger slightly, and flicked it against the Fire-Tamperer’s forehead. The head exploded like a watermelon squeezed by a locomotive, and scarlet and milky white splattered all over the wall!