The problem is, our current paper strength far surpasses Chi You's. If we can wipe out the Chi You organization entirely, the Shanhai demons of Jiangnan will be headless, and the largest Shanhai demon organization in Jiangbei, Mohe, has also fractured due to the surrender of its leader, Long Yue. This battle would be a complete victory.
"I was just making a suggestion," I said. I had indeed overstepped. Bai Qingcheng hadn't spoken earlier, allowing us to speak, so I did. It was mainly because I was accustomed to being the "mastermind" in the underworld.
Lin Xi looked at Bai Qingcheng, who in turn looked back at her. "Why are you looking at me? Just do as he says."
"...We'll listen to him completely?" Lin Xi forced a smile.
"Otherwise? Have you commanded armies or have I led any significant campaigns?"
"That's true," Lin Xi nodded. "Like you, I only have experience in one-on-one combat."
"Thank you for your support, Madam Governor." I said politely.
We immediately divided into three routes, each acting independently. Since Lin Xi's brother's special operations team needed half an hour to reach the copper mine, we could only wait. Once they launched their attack, Furong Town's attention would be drawn away, and our defenses would inevitably loosen. It would be much easier to approach then.
After all, this was the mortal realm. The sensations around were too real, unlike the underworld, which always felt like playing a game.
Seconds felt like years. The cigarettes I brought were all smoked by the fox demon and me.
Finally, half an hour passed. Governor Lin called, requesting permission to begin the attack. They heard the tunnel was quite wide and actually brought two tanks to clear the way. These things were even more robust than armored vehicles.
Bai Qingcheng gave the order to move. We could even hear two muffled cannon blasts from the other side of the mountain.
I was genuinely worried that the special operations team would attack too fiercely or prioritize overwhelming firepower, causing the tunnel to collapse!
They wouldn't be that foolish, surely.
Once their attack began, in my phase-sensing technique, the faint auras within Furong Town clearly diminished. They had likely gone to reinforce the tunnel entrance. I immediately took our five-person squad – Diana, Shao Chen, Xu Ran, the fox demon, and myself – down the mountain and climbed up the mudslide slope where Furong Town was located.
Upon getting closer, we discovered that there were indeed many ventilation shafts, hidden within the dense forest. They were about the size of manholes, but guards were posted outside. Diana stealthily moved forward and efficiently eliminated the guards at the four surrounding ventilation shafts.
Shao Chen entered a ventilation shaft first and quickly returned, reporting it was safe to enter.
Inside, the space was cramped, allowing only one person to pass. It was about five meters long, likely a ventilation duct carved out of the original ruins. At the end was a half-open door, leading into darkness.
I extended my phase-sensing technique. Within my field of vision, there was nothing. We all had night vision, allowing us to roughly discern the terrain. Ahead was a T-junction. We could proceed either left or right. Following these paths for about five meters, we encountered another T-junction on each side.
"Could it be that if we go the wrong way, we'll fall into a trap?" I whispered.
"It's possible. I'll go first, I'm more agile," Xu Ran volunteered.
I grabbed her shoulder. "No. The space is too small. No matter how agile you are, it'll be hard to evade effectively. Kun Kun, you go up and catch one alive to question."
"Understood." The fox demon returned to the ground. I didn't know how she did it, but after a while, she brought back a minion with glazed-over eyes. That minion seemed to be under an illusion. Holding a flashlight, he didn't even see me. He was just following the fox demon's waist, leading the way while spouting disgusting sweet nothings.
Left, right, then left again. We successfully entered the underground space.
At the last fork in the road, the minion still wanted to show off to the fox demon and asked her smugly, "My dear, do you know what happens if you take the wrong path?"
"I don't know, brother. Will I fall into a pit?" the fox demon cooed.
"A pit? Heh, more than just a pit. If you accidentally take the wrong turn, you'll be dismembered!" the minion said proudly, as if he had designed the trap himself.
"Oh my, brother, don't scare me, I'm so scared. Are there any traps ahead?"