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墨書 Inktalez
Throughout this journey, no one has brought up the cave entrance and tunnel; everyone has been following Coach Brothers' guidance to try to cross this treacherous mountain in search of the so-called treasure.
However, the path has been fraught with danger. First, they were nearly frightened to death by a Bear-like Creature, and later discovered they were being followed, forcing them to change their route. Now, every step feels like walking on a minefield.
Just look at everyone now; they are dirty and smell bad. The entire group is exhausted. Fortunately, so far, only a few have been injured and no one has lost their life. Therefore, everyone is focused on survival, with no time to consider the shortcut they had heard about before.
Of course, a shortcut implies less danger. So when Shijieyu mentioned the so-called shortcut, Mei Shuang immediately became interested. However, the key point was that Shijieyu's statement was phrased as a question, carrying significant uncertainty.
Anriyan nodded and said, "It is said that after that batch of treasure went missing in Qishan, someone accidentally stumbled upon this place and walked through a long tunnel. This tunnel is supposedly the shortest distance from this side of the mountain to the other side and leads directly to the treasure... Of course, if we can find it, that's best; if not, we'll have to find another way..."
To Mei Shuang's ears, Anriyan's words were better left unsaid. Not saying anything would mean not thinking about it; saying it only deflated her spirits.
Whether that tunnel truly exists or is merely a figment of legend—sometimes legends are just baseless rumors that should not be trusted.
So when she heard the phrase "it is said," Mei Shuang lost her patience.
Can we rely on what we hear? Damn it! Are we here for a leisurely trip? This is serious business where lives are at stake. After planning for so long and gathering so much information, now there’s talk of an "alleged" cave entrance and tunnel.
Setting aside whether it exists or not, even if it does, no one knows if it’s natural or man-made. Moreover, if the tunnel exists, how did those who came before avoid all sorts of dangerous creatures? How did they leave? If word got out that there was something here, it implies those who came before were safe. Did they not feel tempted to discover the treasure? And if they found this place on their first visit, surely they would return again. In that case, would that treasure still be here? Furthermore, how could something so secretive be spread through a Secret Edict? Clearly, if it has circulated, it cannot be a secret...
Mei Shuang's mind was racing with her thoughts, but she maintained a calm exterior.
Now, this team might not be as innocent as initially thought. Until she identifies the true traitor among them, it's best for her to keep quiet.
A few people ate the green tuber for a quick snack and soon felt sleepy. Thus began the second watch while others started to rest.
Mei Shuang also felt drowsy and closed her eyes to sleep.
Though her eyes were shut, she couldn't fall asleep; she kept pondering whether avoiding those behind them was a blessing or a curse.
If the people behind them are truly their opponents tracking them, then changing routes undoubtedly shakes them off and cuts off the connection with the traitor. However, the downside is that it places them in another perilous situation.
Conversely, if those behind them are allies supporting them, then changing routes would be quite foolish. In this case, they have brought this predicament upon themselves; after all, without support, in such a dangerous situation, their strength is as weak as ants, and the outcome is undoubtedly fatal.
Regardless of which assumption is true, they have now stepped into a perilous situation or a point of no return.
What exactly compelled them to choose this path?
Was it the relentless pursuit of the Bear-like Creature? Or was it the so-called mark dropped by Anriyan from Shijieyu? Why is Shijieyu so calm? Who was the first to suggest changing the route?
Vaguely, Mei Shuang had several threads intertwining in her mind, but they just wouldn't connect. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head. Could it be that no matter what happened along this journey, the goal was to lead them away from their original path? So, whether it was the pursuit by the Bear-like Creature or Anriyan's so-called found mark, were they merely superficial phenomena?
Yes! Eliminate! Wipe them all out!
Thinking this way, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Mei Shuang's body.
She secretly opened her eyes and, using the moonlight above, glanced at Anriyan sitting nearby. She saw him gazing blankly into the distance, the cool moonlight casting shadows on his chiseled face, his expression solemn as if he was pondering something.
Mei Shuang pretended to turn over in her sleep and squinted around. She noticed that Coach Brothers and Shijieyu were not present; they must be on guard nearby.
Unable to sleep any longer, she rubbed her eyes awake and got up, yawning as she asked Anriyan, "What time is it?"
Anriyan turned to look at Mei Shuang and smiled slightly. "In about an hour, it will be dawn."
Mei Shuang stood up accordingly. "Oh, okay. I need to take care of something. Don't follow me; I'll be right back."
Anriyan cautioned her to be careful as he watched Mei Shuang walk ahead.
Sure enough, after walking for a short while, she saw Coach Brothers and Shijieyu facing each other or leaning against something while vigilantly watching their surroundings.
As Mei Shuang approached, Shijieyu asked, "Why aren't you resting?"
Mei Shuang glanced back to confirm that Anriyan was not following and whispered, "Don't you think that this Yamatai guy seems a bit off?"
Sure enough, Shijieyu's eyes widened in surprise. "What's wrong?"
Coach Brothers also felt that Mei Shuang's sudden remark was significant, especially since the previous markers had left them both puzzled. They moved closer.
"We've been fooled!" Mei Shuang said quietly.
Her words shocked everyone!
Changing their route was a necessary measure to conceal their movements and shake off the pursuers behind them. Therefore, they would rather lose contact with the main force than be caught by unrelated individuals.
However, Mei Shuang claimed they had been fooled.
"The Bear-like Creature's tracking was just a smokescreen. Everything was designed to make us believe we were being followed, forcing us to change our route! The real goal of the other party was actually to make us change our route!"
Shijieyu's face turned pale as he stared at Mei Shuang in confusion. "If we don't change our route, won't we still be tracked?"
Mei Shuang smirked coldly. "That's different. Following the original plan would minimize the dangers we encounter and wouldn't achieve their goals."
Cong Fei furrowed his brow. "What goals?"
"To make us... die!"
Mei Shuang's voice was extremely low, yet it struck the others like a bomb, leaving them suddenly silent.
"I guess there are two possibilities for their actions. One is that they have already found the treasure but won't let anyone near it and are unwilling to expose their whereabouts. So instead of acting directly, they intend to eliminate us using the dangers of nature."
"Dun Dun," Mei Shuang continued, "the second possibility is that they also cannot find the treasure and are tracking us to leverage our strength in searching for it. The fact that they want us to change our route and go astray indicates that they might have found the entrance to the treasure..."
The faces of several people suddenly changed color.
Shijieyu's lips trembled, and his gaze was clearly vacant. "Then does that mean we..."
A cold wind blew, and a chill rose within them. Even the Coach Brothers fell silent after hearing Mei Shuang's analysis.
Cong Fei shook his head. "Miss Lin, I admit your analysis makes sense, but I don't believe they have that kind of power."
Cong Yue was filled with rage, gritting his teeth. "So it's this Emissary Dog Thief! I'll take him down!"
Mei Shuang stopped him. "Calm down! We still have options! Of course, we should thank him for making us realize this in time; otherwise, we wouldn't even know how we died... Compared to him, our enemies are much stronger now; the beasts in the jungle are what we should be most wary of! We must find the entrance to the treasure as soon as possible if we want to survive."
...
Under the moonlight, a figure in black stealthily approached a tree and felt around it for a while, but after searching for a long time, he still couldn't find what he wanted.
He was greatly surprised and searched carefully with the Firestarter for quite some time but still found nothing.
Not daring to linger, he quickly turned back.
The Man Under the Silver Mask stood on the Cliff, looking down below.
The cold moonlight poured down, illuminating the distant rugged cliffs only in silhouette—majestic and perilous. A waterfall hundreds of feet wide cascaded down like a silver river into the valley below, roaring like a thousand galloping horses as it rushed eastward.
The mountain wind howled, lifting his clothes as he stood on a protruding rock, surveying the land like a hawk. In an instant, a surge of ambition rose within him.
He questioned the vast earth: who holds dominion over fate?
He silently finished his recitation, a cold smile appearing at the corners of his lips. Soon, this territory of Mountain and River would be under his control!
The hurried footsteps approaching were somewhat chaotic. He despised such uncertain steps, especially when his thoughts were interrupted; he felt unusually displeased. "What is the rush about?"
"They have already lost contact..." the newcomer replied while bowing, a thin layer of cold sweat covering his forehead.
Without obtaining the expected marker, their mission would be deemed a failure. The master's intention was to keep that damned woman alive, but now, without the marker, they had effectively lost the Inside Man. Without the Inside Man, how could they find that woman?
"What do you think about this matter?" Man Under the Silver Mask asked casually.
Even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him, he always remained calm and unhurried. However, the newcomer keenly sensed a terrifying atmosphere in the air; his words indicated that he was in a bad mood.
The newcomer dared not respond and simply accepted the punishment.
"Is it possible that the insider was exposed early? Did the other party unexpectedly change their route before you could act?" Silver Mask's voice came down lightly. "Your tactic is called taking advantage of others' misfortunes; it may work against those with small minds, but it might not be effective against those who are clever."
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