"Not that old geezer," Xie Yuchen seemed to know what Wu Tianzhen was thinking, quickly dismissing the foreign elder who had logged off so quickly. "It's a more hidden, more terrifying force."
"...A more hidden force?" Wu Tianzhen murmured, repeating the words. He felt as if his life had suddenly become fantastical after Xiao Ge's departure.
Although exploring the Forbidden Land had been quite fantastical before, it had at least been a happy adventure. Unlike now, he even suspected he had been unceremoniously thrown into some spy thriller.
"Since you say it's hidden," Fatty interjected at this moment, raising a doubt, "May I ask how you discovered it?"
Xie Yuchen glanced at Fatty and smiled. He wasn't angered by the blatant suspicion.
"Having managed the household from a young age, my senses are somewhat more acute than others."
He took out a photograph and placed it gently on the table, gesturing for the two of them to examine it.
"This is one of the people I found. He's very strong. Although he couldn't defeat me, he still managed to escape."
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty looked at the photo with skepticism, but were instantly stunned—
The person in the photo was none other than an ordinary middle-aged man who often stayed at this hotel!
Fatty had even shared drinks with him at the table several times and had a particularly deep impression of him. In his memory, he was a down-on-his-luck but hearty man.
The photo was clearly taken during a chaotic struggle, from a low angle looking up. The man was likely trying to break free from Xie Yuchen's grasp, and in his exertion, the bulging muscles hidden beneath his clothes were clearly exposed.
His backward glance was chillingly cold, like that of an emotionless machine, a stark contrast to the man who had laughed heartily in Fatty's memory.
And behind the torn collar, a familiar, glaringly stark black tattoo crawled up his chest!
"...A tattoo," Wu Tianzhen's mind was in chaos, and he struggled with all his might to suppress the word "Qilin" that was about to escape his lips.
...Is this Xiao Ge's tattoo?! Why is it here? Who is he?!
Fatty gently pinched Wu Tianzhen's arm under the table. Wu Tianzhen, realizing something was amiss, looked again and noticed that this tattoo was slightly different from Zhang Qiling's.
However, having traveled with Zhang Qiling for so long, they had seen the tattoo on Zhang Qiling's chest more than once. They could vividly imagine the fiery black Qilin with their eyes closed.
Even if the tattoo in the photo was different from Zhang Qiling's, judging by the brushwork and style, it must have come from the same origin as Zhang Qiling's black Qilin!
...They were after Xiao Ge!!!
When did they appear? Could it be from the very beginning—
No, that's not right. Xiao Ge was still here then, and they wouldn't dare to appear. They only started monitoring after Xiao Ge entered the Bronze Gate.
But why?
...Could it be that they were the ones pushing for Xiao Ge to enter the Bronze Gate in the first place?!!
The more Wu Tianzhen thought about it, the more agitated he became, his hatred almost drowning him.
Xie Yuchen hadn't expected Wu Tianzhen's reaction to be so intense when he provided the photo, and he was a little surprised, but his expression remained unchanged.
"...It seems you have some ideas. Tell me, has this only appeared recently?"
"No, it hasn't." Wu Tianzhen's mind was exceptionally clear at this moment, and many forgotten or overlooked details surfaced in his mind. Amidst these chaotic clues, a piece of information gradually became bolder and more prominent—
(...For the past month, a mysterious force has been continuously attacking our work systems.)
Song Shuning's message!
These people had started their actions long ago, but they hadn't dared to appear before Xiao Ge, so they hadn't been discovered.
Their attack on Song Shuning seemed to have no effect on Zhang Qiling, but don't forget that Song Shuning had a vast amount of video data from their exploration of the Forbidden Land, and countless research data analyzing Zhang Qiling!
They had long premeditated this. They were even crazy enough to attack national systems. What exactly were their intentions towards Xiao Ge!
Wu Tianzhen felt as if he had been thrown into a bottomless vortex, with the dark side finally opening its mouth below.
But now—
He took a deep breath and managed to suppress these thoughts.
"Xiao Hua, thank you so much for telling us this." Wu Tianzhen's expression calmed down, which made Xie Yuchen raise an eyebrow, realizing that his childhood friend had changed quite a bit.
"But we haven't seen each other for so many years, and you're busy with work," Wu Tianzhen became more rational as he spoke, finally recalling that the Xiao Hua before him was the 'child of another family' his parents often mentioned, Xie Yuchen. "You came here specifically, probably for another reason, right?"
He looked up, meeting Xie Yuchen's gaze directly.
"Is it also about the Bronze Gate?"
"...Ha!" Xie Yuchen laughed again, and Wu Tianzhen keenly noticed a flicker of satisfaction on his face.
"That's right," he said straightforwardly, "I'm also here for the Bronze Gate."
"But unlike that old man, I'm not looking for the Bronze Gate to continue living."
"I'm here to uncover the truth."
He looked over, his eyes filled with determination: "Wu Tianzhen, you should know that I took charge of the family at the age of eight."
"...Yes, I know." Wu Tianzhen searched his memory and recalled this.
...Xie Yuchen took charge of the family at the age of eight, struggling among countless wolves and tigers to build his current empire, earning widespread admiration.
The reason he took charge at such a young age seemed to be because…
The previous head of the Xie family, Xie Lianhuan, had mysteriously disappeared.
"He disappeared while exploring the Forbidden Land, and at that time, the Bronze Gate appeared within the Forbidden Land."
Xie Yuchen's tone became solemn: "I don't believe that with his skills, he would die in the Forbidden Land. His disappearance is inextricably linked to the Bronze Gate."
"Wu Tianzhen, I don't know what exactly you've seen, but you have now become a coveted prize for countless people. I hope you will cooperate with me, after all…"
"After all, our goal is to find someone," Wu Tianzhen finished his sentence.
He fell silent for a long time, exchanged a glance with Fatty, and finally made up his mind.
"Okay, I agree," Wu Tianzhen stared intently at Xie Yuchen, "But you have to help us find that force that's been monitoring us!"
Those people…
Wu Tianzhen gritted his teeth.
…Those rat-like guys, he was determined to expose them all!
—
Meanwhile, deep within the Changbai Mountains, in an unseen space, streaks of colorful light were fiercely colliding with brilliant data streams.
[Host's health continuously decreasing]
[Danger] [Danger]
[Activating defense mode]
…
In the vast expanse of white snow, Zhang Qiling opened his eyes.
Everything around him was a blank, just like his thoughts at this moment.
He stood still for a long time before finally realizing that he was actually a person capable of moving freely. He took a step forward, and sharp pain shot through his body.
He noticed that he was bleeding all over.
So he stopped again.
…Where is this.
…Who am I?