Chapter 117: The Traitor

Cadis and his men were master marksmen, and their murderous intent toward Sui Yi and the others was even sharper. Without a moment’s hesitation, they struck, and in an instant, the dark room erupted with the thick, acrid scent of gunpowder.

Bang! Bang! Bang!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Cries of agony rang out in succession!

The expressions of Gong Jiu and the others shifted instantly. They looked up, only to find the gunfire halted at the muzzles. Something was faster than bullets—arrows! The arrows had pierced the wrists of Cadis’s men or knocked the guns right out of their hands.

"Who’s there!"
"Who is it!"

The group turned to look. At the entrance, the faces of Agu Na and his companions came into view. Agu Na said coolly to Leng She, "Why run so fast? We almost couldn't keep up with you."

Leng She, usually cunning and calculating, saw his expression transform in a flash. So, they had been tracked this entire time? And ambushed right at the perfect moment?

"Hahaha!" Gong Jiu and the others burst into laughter. It turned out that the "stone-faced" types were extremely sharp-tongued—take, for instance, that stone-faced girl, Sui Yi.

Leng She’s profound shock and disbelief clearly pleased the previously stifled Gong Jiu and her companions. He was truly stunned; how could there be such a reversal? He had planned everything, and his men had assured him that everything was under control.

Only a few breaths later, as Agu Na and the others closed in, Leng She curled his lips into a cold sneer. "Although your appearance is somewhat unexpected, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ve lost."

With that smile, his gaze shifted toward Gong Jiu. The snake-like man’s expression was so sinister that Gong Jiu felt a sudden chill in her heart, followed immediately by a cold sensation against her temple. A man stood there, his gun pressed firmly against her head.

"Nobody move, or I’ll kill Gong Jiu."

The proximity was so close that no one had anticipated his move.

"Damn it! It’s you!"
"You brat!"

Brother Ma and the others looked in disbelief at Lin Feng, who had been standing right next to Gong Jiu. Sui Yi also raised an eyebrow. It was Lin Feng. No one had expected it to be him—the frail, rookie-like, naive doctor who had turned out to be a pawn long planted by Leng She. Now, the pawn had finally revealed his true face.

"Looking at your shocked expressions, I suppose my disguise was quite good..." Lin Feng chuckled, his demeanor craftily different from the honest and simple persona he had maintained. As he spoke, he pressed the barrel harder against Gong Jiu’s head. "Miss Jiu, I know your skills are formidable, but I am not the same Lin Feng you knew. If you try anything, I can guarantee that the gun you just issued to me has a bullet that will find its way into your skull."

It was deeply ironic. Brother Ma had given him that very gun only a short while ago, claiming that as the lead medic, he carried a heavy responsibility and needed to protect himself. And now, that gun was pointed at Gong Jiu’s head.

"Of course, if you make everyone here put down their weapons obediently, I might consider not killing you..."

Lin Feng laughed, Leng She laughed, and they all laughed.

Hua Yao Fei frowned, Brother Ma and the others grew tense, and Gong Jiu narrowed her eyes.

"You’re nothing but a traitor. Do you really have the authority to decide?" she sneered.

"A traitor?" Lin Feng asked, unperturbed, raising an eyebrow. "What if I told you that this 'traitor' is the one in charge?"

Leng She lowered his gaze and smiled. "My apologies. I don’t recall ever saying I was the leader of these people."

Brother Ma and the others changed color. Damn it! So this traitor was actually the boss of Leng She and his crew? They had let the enemy boss hide in their midst for so long!

Gong Jiu, her life held in the hands of the enemy leader, pondered for a moment before asking coldly, "And what if I say no?"

"No?" Lin Feng saw Agu Na and his men drawing their bows, aiming at Leng She and his group. His expression turned gloomy, cold, and cruel. "Then let’s test their loyalty to you..." His gun barrel flashed as he aimed at Gong Jiu’s left leg—and fired!

Bang!
Smoke rose! Brother Ma watched helplessly as the bullet, fast as lightning, struck Gong Jiu’s left leg!
Puff!
A cloud of powder exploded outward...

At the same time, Gong Jiu’s gun moved!
Bang!
The bullet fired!

A breath later, Lin Feng, who had dodged the shot in a somewhat disheveled manner, stared at the gun in his hand with a freezing gaze. Gong Jiu stood her ground, her own weapon pointed at him.

Leng She and the others stood silent. Could someone tell them why the bullet fired from the gun had turned into a puff of white powder?

Lin Feng weighed the "bullet" in his hand, his eyes flashing as his face darkened. "Something is wrong with this gun?"

"Naturally. I gave it to you, after all," Brother Ma grinned.

"You? You saw through me... Impossible!"

"Impossible? Hmph. Ever since you were the only one to survive and find us, I felt something was wrong. Of course, what confirmed it for me were the wise and brilliant Miss Sui Yi and Miss Jiu," Brother Ma said boisterously, winking at the two women.

Gong Jiu sneered, "You were with us, you entered the water repeatedly, and you managed to return safely every time—not just that, but you kept your medical kit with you. That’s too diligent! And even if you kept it, the kit was one hundred percent waterproof; the medicine inside wasn't damaged in the slightest! Truly, that kit made your presence very prominent and made us rely on you, helping you integrate into our core group quickly. But it also exposed your suspicion. If your resume states you know nothing about archaeology and are just a simple doctor, why were your preparations so thorough, yet your performance so cowardly and incompetent?"

Two contradictions were enough to raise Gong Jiu’s suspicion. Of course, the most fatal piece of evidence was what Sui Yi had told her: Lin Feng possessed internal energy. That was the nail in the coffin, exposing him completely. Although Gong Jiu couldn't see it herself, she trusted Sui Yi implicitly. She observed Lin Feng closely, confirmed her suspicions with Brother Ma, and then...

"From the start, we knew there was a mole. That gun was prepared long ago. It looked exactly like a real one, but the bullet was different. Once exposed to air or subjected to impact, it would trigger a chemical reaction and turn into powder. We thought we might not need it, but since you showed up, we figured we’d give it to you," Gong Jiu said, acting as if she were being incredibly generous.

Lin Feng was furious, his face cold. "A clever scheme. But weren't you afraid I’d inspect the gun and find the problem?"

Gong Jiu smiled. "But you didn't check it in the end, did you? Because you were too confident, too arrogant... you never thought you had been found out. Besides, if you had checked it, there would only be two possibilities: one, you would pretend to know nothing and keep using it; two, you would have swapped it for another. If you had swapped it, it would have proven you checked it, and it would also have proven... that you were far more than just a newly graduated doctor!"

Who said Miss Gong Jiu wasn't smart? Who said she was a fool?

The group fell silent for a moment. Then, Brother Ma added, "Also, you were the one who farted and deliberately lured those monsters to us!"

Lin Feng’s face twisted, his teeth gritted. "I told you, that wasn't me!"

I imagine no one likes being accused of farting, especially not a dark-type boss. If Lin Feng had been smug before, he was now one hundred percent humiliated.

Regardless of how embarrassing it was, Gong Jiu and her group had won. After several clashes, they had finally turned the tables. Their guns were trained on Lin Feng and his men.

"Now, it’s time to clear the field."

The words drifted eerily through the space.

Brother Ma and the others were stunned. Since when had Miss Jiu’s voice become so deep? Sui Yi was also taken aback. That voice was...

At the entrance to the water tunnel, another group of "people" arrived. They flooded in en masse. A figure wearing a ghost mask stood among them, watching.

The figure said softly, "You’ve been fighting for so long, you must be exhausted. It’s my turn now."

Gong Jiu and her entire group shared a singular, common sentiment:
*What the hell!*

Sui Yi smiled bitterly. Was this the end? In reality, they were all just grasshoppers in the hands of this masked figure, unable to escape. Even worse, the figure's goal... didn't seem to be killing them.

***

Clang. The door to the water tunnel shut. The monsters poured in. The ghost-masked figure stood before the door and said coolly, "Kill them."

The "people" and the monsters attacked!

Even with all the cursing in the world, Gong Jiu and her companions couldn't hold back such a terrifying, overwhelming force. It was virtually impossible to resist! They were in total despair!

*Damn it, why!* They had come so far, only to be trapped like rats in a corner!

Lin Feng and Leng She were equally frustrated. This wasn't right! According to their plan, Gong Jiu and the others were supposed to be the ones in their palms, and the ancient secrets of the tomb were supposed to be theirs to toy with. How did it turn into this? No!

Just as the group was being beaten back, step by step, the door to the underground palace in the wall suddenly opened. Light spilled in, illuminating the disheveled, despairing faces of Gong Jiu and her team.

They looked over. What did they see?

Sui Yi, looking weak, leaned against the door, frowning as she said to them, "Are you idiots? Why haven't you come over yet..."

The tone was soft and gentle, cold and distant, intoxicatingly sweet yet dripping with the implication: *Are you all morons? There’s a door right here, why are you still fighting?*

Gong Jiu and the others truly felt as though they had reached the end of their rope, only to find a new path opening before them. However, standing in front of the "village" was still a high-level, dark-bellied, stone-faced girl.

"Run over there, quickly!"
"Run!"
"Go!"

Gong Jiu and the others scrambled forward, filled with joy, rushing toward Sui Yi like a stampede of mythical beasts. Behind them, the massive throng of "people" and monsters surged forward.

Sui Yi looked up and met the ghost-masked figure’s strange, calculating gaze.

*So that’s how it is. Your goal was to force us into the underground palace? How very interesting.*