Inside the Class A Airship, Chen Yu stood by the table, constantly reviewing the strange events since exploring Forbidden Zone 008.
Previously, Chen Yu suspected that Shendai was sabotaging their plans. If he hadn't discovered Qing Chen's presence, it would have been fine.
Now, it seems that Qing Chen was behind it all.
Chen Yu felt that the name Qing Chen was special, as if it had some kind of magic. Every time he heard Qing Chen's name mentioned in an event, he couldn't help but ponder for a moment, considering if there was something suspicious about it.
The Airship was bustling with activity; everyone was preparing to evacuate the Class A Airship.
Chen Yu suddenly looked at the commander and asked, "Confirm with Yehu, when the ground forces advanced, did they encounter any refugee corpses?"
The commander was startled for a second. He turned around and hurried to contact Chen Yehu.
After confirmation, it was found that the ground army did indeed discover refugee corpses after entering the Forbidden Zone a second time, but the number was completely inconsistent.
At first, everyone didn't think much about it, assuming they were digested by the plants in the Forbidden Zone or dragged away by beasts.
But now, reminded by Chen Yu, they realized the strangeness!The Airship commander's hair stood on end: "Boss, what kind of strange thing ate all the corpses?"
Chen Yu looked him over: "After this battle, you will be demoted from colonel to major, and you'll go back to Class B Airship for training before coming back. Cure your stupidity before returning."
The commander's face changed, and he could only respond in a low voice.
This Chen Family Demigod was like a gentle figure stepping out of a painting, but when he made a decision within the family, no one dared to question it.
After Chen Chuanzhi's death, some people had questioned it, but they were all suppressed by Chen Yu's iron fist.
Chen Yu said: "Those refugees are not dead at all; it's all an illusion. I guess when you captured the refugees, you might have accidentally captured Qing Chen. He should have a Forbidden Artifact Marionette and used this artifact to plan this whole thing. Let Chen Yehu re-analyze the video, carefully analyze the rules obtained from the video, separate the false from the true. Have a soldier eat something directly in the Forbidden Zone. If he doesn't die, it means we've been misled."
The commander immediately went to pass the order.
Many army soldiers hadn't eaten for a day and a night; they were starving.
If it's confirmed to be a misleading, then crossing the Forbidden Zone 008 will not be so difficult.
This matter cannot be spread, otherwise, the Chen Family will lose face!
At this time, Chen Yu continued: "You evacuate; I'll stay here and paint quietly, so you won't disturb me. If something happens, send me the coordinates. I have Qingniu, and I can arrive anytime. If you don't find the target within two days, all officers' salaries will be reduced by one level, then directly give up chasing them and directly attack Fire Pit."
Speaking, the Chen Family Demigod waved his hand, signaling the commander to retreat.
He then put the half-finished painting of Skanda aside and took out a new canvas to begin sketching lines.
Chen Yu is indeed a painting genius. With just a few strokes, the figure in the painting already has "life," as if staring angrily at the outside of the painting.
The person in the painting has hair like flames soaring into the sky, it is the fire god Zhurong.
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Countdown 24:00:00.
"Turn left, climb over the small slope ahead, and you'll find the hiding place," the Elder lay on Qin Yiyi's back, extremely weak.
Qing Chen, Dayu, Zard, Chen Jiazhang, Qin Yiyi, and the Elder of Fire Pit—this group of six fugitives—were currently passing through a long cave.
Three of the six were seriously injured by Chen Yu: Qing Chen, Chen Jiazhang, and the Elder.
The remaining three, Dayu was acting as if nothing had happened, Zard was like a pregnant woman with a big belly.
Qing Chen was surprised: "What are you doing?"
"The elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and pregnant women, we've gathered all the types, just missing a pregnant woman," Zard said seriously.
Qing Chen: "...Are you going to grab a seat on the bus?"
Elder: "Where did you find such a funny guy?"
Dayu said expressionlessly: "Dug it out from the ground."
Qing Chen saw some unknown marks in the cave, like codes. The Elder was responsible for deciphering the codes, guiding them forward.
During this period, they also crossed several underground rivers. Even mechanical hounds wouldn't be able to track them by smell. If the Chen Family army really pursued them, they might all get lost here.
Following the Elder's instructions, they climbed a small slope in the cave, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.
A cave of more than 100 square meters was dry.
Eight kerosene lamps hung on the walls, providing warmth to the cave.
"Can these kerosene lamps burn continuously?" Qing Chen was curious.
"They're filled with oil refined from Divine Oxes; they're very durable," Qin Yiyi explained, "A kerosene lamp filled with this oil can burn for three or four years."
"Good stuff."
There were seven or eight carved stone beds in the cave, and dozens of half-human-high wooden boxes were placed against the wall. Qing Chen opened one to see that it contained oilcloth-wrapped firearms, food, and some herbs that Qing Chen had never seen before.
It seemed that this was a "safe house' set up by Fire Pit. Once in danger in Forbidden Zone 008, everyone would hide here.
The Elder's face was pale. It seemed that the kick Chen Yu gave him with the subjugation Vajra had indeed severely injured him.
He slowly said: "The other clansmen are fine."
"How do you know?" Qing Chen asked.
"According to Fire Pit's usual practice, once in danger, there will be 18 cave passages to get here. Since they didn't come, it means they are safe, so they don't need to come," the Elder explained, "Unless something unexpected happens, they should have left this Forbidden Zone according to my instructions."
Qin Yiyi carefully placed him on a stone bed in the cave. The Elder pointed to a wooden box: "There's pickled and dried divine beef inside. Take it out and let everyone who is injured share it. There's enough divine beef for us to eat for seven days, enough to heal all wounds."
"Is the divine beef that magical?" Qing Chen's eyes lit up, "Do you regularly store divine beef here? What else is here? What are those herbs for?"
The Elder was startled: "What are you going to do? Don't go in alone. If you get lost here, no one can save you. This cave stretches for hundreds of kilometers; ordinary people can enter but not leave!"
Qing Chen said: "You have marks on the walls, and I see arrows indicating left and right turns."
The Elder explained: "Those are fake. Many marks are meant to mislead people. Don't think that you can get here by following the marks."
This underground is like a maze, intricate and complex. Qing Chen had also entered similar caves, when he was captured by Shendai Yunhe.
If ordinary people wander deep into this place, they may really lose their way and may not be able to find the exit even in a lifetime.
The Elder advised: "Really, don't come here casually. It took Fire Pit decades to figure this place out."
Qing Chen pondered for two seconds: "Three consecutive left turns, then the third left turn is a right turn. Two consecutive right turns, then the second right turn is straight ahead. If you see a circular mark, repeat the previous three marks' pattern. If you see a cross, all the subsequent marks are reversed until you see the next circle...right?"
Elder: "???"
Qing Chen nodded and said: "It seems the summary is correct."
The Elder looked at Chen Jiazhang: "What kind of brain does this guy have? After walking through it once, he memorized all the rules?"
Qing Chen endured the pain all over his body, sat down against the wall, and said with a smile: "Your rules aren't complicated. In the next two days, I'll make new rules for you, which will definitely be better than yours, and no one will be able to find this place after that."
The Elder was unhappy: "Then I won't be able to find it either? Stop playing word games with me!"
At this time, the Elder was already alert.
In the past, Fire Pit often dealt with Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang. Although these two were a bit of a pit, they were warriors; at most, they would beat him up.
Moreover, Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang gave him face and didn't beat him in front of the Fire Pit clansmen, which was good.
As the Elder of Fire Pit, he still had some face...
Therefore, Fire Pit was not afraid of Knights like Li Shutong and Chen Jiazhang. What they were most afraid of was Knights like Qing Chen—high combat effectiveness aside, he was also full of tricks.
This kind of Knight doesn't just beat you up; he pits you in various ways!
The Elder worriedly looked at his young ancestor, thinking that if Qin Yiyi stayed with Qing Chen, could she outsmart Qing Chen?
Together, these two have a total of a thousand tricks, Qing Chen 1200, and Qin Yiyi owes Qing Chen 200.
Qin Yiyi took herbs and beef jerky from the wooden box. She said: "Divine beef has many effects; eating it can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and promote body growth. The herbs are for external injuries, but your internal organs should also be ruptured, so just chew and swallow them."
"Thank you," Qing Chen smiled, "Fire Pit's family background is really substantial."
The Elder was sulking; Qin Yiyi gave the divine beef and herbs to Qing Chen first, not to himself...
He said angrily: "Rest here and wait until everyone's injuries are healed before going out. At most seven days."
"No," Qing Chen looked at the Elder, "If Chen Yu doesn't search for us in Forbidden Zone 008 but directly passes through Forbidden Zone 008 and goes straight to Fire Pit, will Fire Pit have the strength to resist him?"
The Elder was stunned: "Bad!"
He knew that Qing Chen wasn't deliberately arguing with him; once Chen Yu did this, Fire Pit would be defenseless without him, and all the clansmen would die!
Qing Chen said: "While recuperating is important, we absolutely cannot completely hide ourselves. We must occasionally create some trouble for the Chen Family army to delay them. Let them understand that if they don't kill us, even if they pass through Forbidden Zone 008, the rear will not be stable."
"What if Chen Yu insists on going through?" the Elder said, "Anyway, we are just insignificant ants and don't dare to provoke this Demi-god."
"Then I'll go find my master and completely cut off Chen Family's supply lines near Forbidden Zone 002," Qing Chen said slowly, "The southwest is Qing Family's territory. The Chen Family is now only relying on the fact that the Qing Family is being held back in the north and has no time to deal with them. But once the Chen Family's supply lines are cut off, the Qing Family will certainly not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Of course, the cost is that no one from Fire Pit will survive and will definitely die at the hands of the Chen Family."
If Qing Chen were the commander of the Qing Family, the optimal solution would be to abandon Fire Pit and kill Chen Yu directly in the southwest. In this way, the Chen Family would inevitably be in chaos, and the Qing Family and Li Clan would have no worries.
But from his personal point of view, he didn't want to abandon Fire Pit, where there were thousands of lives.
He was not the commander of the Qing Family.
The Elder stood up, the intense pain making him grimace, his beard trembling: "We cannot let the Chen Family just pass through."
Qing Chen couldn't help but smile: "But we can't rush this. Patiently recover from our injuries, I have my plan."
When the Elder heard Qing Chen say this, he immediately decided to listen to Qing Chen.
He also knew his limitations; let professionals handle tricks.
Qing Chen said: "Before we go out to harass the Chen Family, I need to familiarize myself with the terrain of this cave. You have to take me through it once. Also, you have to ensure that we won't be killed by the Forbidden Zone."
This means that the Elder has to demonstrate how to avoid the rules here, essentially handing over Forbidden Zone 008 to the Knight...
After careful consideration, the Elder finally gritted his teeth: "Okay!"
On one hand was the lives of the Fire Pit clansmen, and on the other hand was the authority to freely enter and exit Forbidden Zone 008. He knew how to choose.
But the painful part was that the Elder wasn't sure if Qing Chen would be as sinister as his predecessors and secretly plant a person here to form new rules...
The Knight's character, it's really like a panda ordering takeout—amazing!
So, in a few decades, Forbidden Zone 008 will probably become the Knight's private land...
Bad luck!
At this moment, Chen Jiazhang suddenly looked at Dayu: "Why did you paint my junior brother Li Shutong?"
Dayu turned his face away without speaking.
Chen Jiazhang relentlessly asked again: "Who is your mother? Is it Chen Ningzhi?"
Dayu sneered: "Old man, you're no longer a member of the Chen Family, so don't inquire about Chen Family matters."
Chen Jiazhang said: "Are you Chen Ningzhi's son?"
Dayu sneered and didn't answer.
Qing Chen was stunned.
The attitude of not answering was itself an answer.
He knew that Chen Jiazhang must have a reason for asking. He also found it strange that Dayu was a member of the Chen Family, and the Chen Family liked to paint gods and Buddhas, but Dayu painted Li Shutong, which was absurd.
If he, Qing Chen, had obtained the Chen Family inheritance, it would make sense to paint Li Shutong, because he was the master he most admired.
But Dayu doing this didn't make sense.
There's only one explanation: Chen Ningzhi was probably the woman who fell in love with Li Shutong back then, and after Li Shutong's battle with Chen Chuanzhi, Chen Ningzhi, under family pressure, cut ties with Li Shutong, but she was already pregnant. Later, without Li Shutong's knowledge, she secretly gave birth to Dayu using an artificial womb!
So, Dayu is the biological son of Master Li Shutong, and Dayu himself knows this, so he painted his father!
A teenager admiring his father is a normal thing.
Especially...his father is one of the most famous Demi-gods in the Federation, a Demi-god whose character, appearance, and conduct are all praised.
If Dayu knew that his father was such a person and understood the grievances of the past, he would naturally have some longing for his father.
Moreover, Chen Ningzhi is a core figure in the Chen Family's main branch, and her position also fits.
Dayu is really the master's son...
Besides, Qing Chen couldn't think of any other possibilities.
Qing Chen looked at Dayu, his heart suddenly complicated...Does Master know about this?
Dayu coldly glanced at Qing Chen: "Don't use your brains on me, go to sleep."
Saying this, he swaggered onto the stone bed and fell asleep after a while.
Since Dayu met Qing Chen, his body has been in a state of overspending his mental and physical strength. The battles never stopped, he was really unlucky.
Qing Chen slowly stood up: "The rest of you rest. Yiyi, you carry the Elder; we'll go to recognize the path now. Within 12 hours, I want to confirm all the paths here."
Chen Jiazhang was stunned: "Your injuries are much more serious than ours. Don't you need to rest? We only took one hit from Chen Yu; you took several."
"No," Qing Chen shook his head, "I'm used to it."
The pain in his limbs and body invaded his will, but Qing Chen was already used to this. He had been through this in the A02 base.
Qin Yiyi looked at Qing Chen silently, feeling that Qing Chen hadn't changed, but also seemed to have changed a lot.
She suddenly said: "Then I'll carry you; the Elder can walk by himself."
Elder: "???"
Qing Chen smiled and said: "No need."
Saying this, he turned and left the shelter.
Zard shouted from the side: "I'm going too, I'm going too!"
Only Chen Jiazhang and Dayu were left in the cave. After everyone left, Dayu suddenly sat up and stared straight at Chen Jiazhang: "Don't guess anymore. Your past grievances and hatreds have nothing to do with me."
Chen Jiazhang was silent; Dayu seemed to still have unresolved feelings...
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Countdown 08:00:00.
There are tens of thousands of branches of the cave underground, but only 18 roads lead to the surface.
Qing Chen stood at a fork in the road and asked: "Which one leads to the surface?"
"The middle one," the Elder said weakly on Qin Yiyi's back.
"Where do the three side roads lead?"
The Elder looked carefully at the markings: "At the end of the first one is an underground river, but I don't know where this underground river leads. The second one is a dead end; there's no road after walking a few hundred meters. The third one is a cliff. The strange thing is that there are traces of human excavation on the cliff, as if someone was buried beneath the cliff. There's also a bug nest there; they don't attack people, but they look disgusting."
Qing Chen suddenly had a feeling of watching Ghost Blows Out the Lamp...but he wasn't interested in tomb raiding; there's nothing but gold and silver jewelry.
At this time, Qing Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he wiped it off as if nothing had happened and continued to record the terrain.
The Elder frowned: "Are you okay?"
"It's okay; it's just the stagnant blood in my body," Qing Chen said. He then turned to Zard: "I hear the sound of military boots stepping on the ground above. Prepare for battle; let's give the Chen Family a surprise first."
Qing Chen was going to rely on the complex terrain here to fight an entire Chen Family army, preventing them from smoothly passing through the Forbidden Zone.
After speaking, he quickly ran in another direction without even looking at the marks.
The Elder's scalp went numb; he felt that this place was already Qing Chen's territory...
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