CH 153

The patrolling person carefully observed the stranger for a while but couldn’t find any flaws in his expression. Moreover, the man’s appearance did bear some resemblance to Qing Mengxing from the base, and the more he looked, the more familiar he seemed.

The person outside the protective array, noticing the hesitation, made another suggestion, “If you’re not sure, you can go find someone. I’ll stay nearby and won’t leave. However, time is running out. Zones A and S have been attacking for a while without success, and they show no other signs of action. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

Finally, the patrolling person began to waver. Indeed, what the man said made sense. Zones A and S’ attacks had been futile, yet they continued to waste quantum cannon energy without stopping. It appeared as if they were just putting on a show, or perhaps waiting for something. “Alright, I’ll let you in.”

The person outside the protective array gave a subtle smile. “Thank you. The entire Cangyu Mountain Range will be grateful to you.”

The patrolling person scratched their head with a grin. “You don’t need to thank me. This is my home, my sanctuary. I absolutely won’t allow anyone to harm it.”

As they spoke, the patrolling person handed over a coil of rope. Thanks to the jade pendant they wore for access, their actions were unhindered.

The person outside the protective array picked up the rope and noticed that it had a complex loop on one end. All they needed to do was put their hands through it and pulling the other end would secure the binding.

Without hesitation, “Qing Mengxing” placed his hands inside the loop.

The patrolling team member held the other end of the rope and immediately tightened it, binding “Qing Mengxing’s” hands securely. To ensure it was tight enough, they tugged on it once more and explained, “This locking clasp is commonly used for securing cargo during sea voyages. The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. It has weathered storms at sea, so you can trust that it won’t come undone.”

The person outside the array smiled wryly. “That’s quite a unique reassurance, but is the rope a bit thin? Are you sure you trust it?”

The patrolling team member grinned confidently. “Absolutely sure. I exchanged this rope with energy stones and planting points. It’s a creation of Shu Shuishui. Do you know Shu Shuishui? He’s the miracle of our Shui Jing Gong, even Gu Langu has to bow to him!”

As they explained, the patrolling team member guided the person outside the array in, showing them the way to enter. Fortunately, they had learned how to enter and exit this area from the guidance of gray rats, or else they would have had difficulty coming in.

At the moment “Qing Mengxing” stepped into the protective array, the patrolling team member’s explanation happened to reach the point where they said, “Don’t be deceived by the thinness of this rope. We used it to drag ships, and it’s said to be reinforced with spirit silkworm silk. It’s not only incredibly resilient but also quite sharp. Hey, hey, hey! Don’t exert force, look, your wrists are already cut and bleeding. But it’s alright, as long as you don’t struggle, your hands won’t be severed.”

There was a momentary stiffness in the smile on Qing Mengxing’s face, and indeed, he relaxed his grip, allowing a few drops of blood to trickle down his hand, eventually dripping onto the ground beneath his feet. “A very useful rope.”

The patrolling team member grinned and still appeared somewhat naive. “Yeah, I use this rope for hunting usually. When the prey gets caught in it and panics, struggling only tightens the noose. Sometimes, the prey’s heads get cut off, hahaha. Don’t you think these prey are cute when they’re so foolish?”

Qing Mengxing’s smile on his face didn’t disappear, but his eyes darkened slightly.

Just then, other patrolling team members approached, slightly surprised by the scene. “Captain Hu, who is this person?”

Captain Hu, lifting the rope in his hand, replied, “An unexpected surprise. Is Shu Shuishui at the base?”

The patrolling team member nodded. “He was there when I left. Today’s situation is special, so not many people have gone outside.”

“I’ll head back to the base first. You continue patrolling.” Hu Sichen took a few steps but seemed to remember something. “Oh, by the way, if you encounter any newcomers during your patrol, just ignore them. Anyone who can come to seek refuge today probably isn’t thinking very clearly.”

The patrolling team member scratched his head. “Got it.”

The not-so-clear-thinking “Qing Mengxing” didn’t resist and obediently followed behind Hu Sichen, his face still wearing a constant smile, though it now had a slightly sinister undertone. He didn’t appear to be entirely under someone’s control.

Hu Sichen, who usually had little patience for dealing with such people, still trusted in his own abilities and the spirit silkworm silk rope. This rope could be controlled with a user’s spiritual energy and was, as Shu Shuishui had put it, a low-grade spiritual artifact.

Whether it was a spiritual artifact or not, Hu Sichen didn’t know, but as someone who had long crossed the threshold of cultivation, he could easily use his spiritual power to sever “Qing Mengxing’s” hands in an instant. Moreover, if his speculation was correct, this person likely had a significant background, but it was a pity that he had underestimated the strength of the Shui Jing Gong.

During the dry season, countless people sought refuge in the Cangyu Mountains, and the Shui Jing Gong certainly had screening mechanisms in place. With Xie Feng around, creating a simple lie detector was a matter of minutes. Qing Mengxing had been severely injured and taken in, living in the base for quite some time. Naturally, he had already passed the lie detector test. So, the person Hu Sichen had captured was undoubtedly a fake.

The quantum cannons overhead still sporadically exploded, and over time, everyone became accustomed to the deafening decibels.

When Hu Sichen returned to the Shui Jing Gong base with “Qing Mengxing,” Shu Shuishui had just finished counting the earned energy stones. Meanwhile, Gu Langu had already planned to expand the business scope of the Gray Rats Company, adding Gray Rat Express and Gray Rat Takeout services.

Most of the people in the base didn’t go out that day, and the greenery was well-maintained.

Cheng Que had had enough of it and had driven out Liu Du, Yu Jin, and Nan Fang. Xie Feng was still within his tolerance range because achieving mass production of contract devices required Xie Feng’s help.

The people who had come over out of curiosity quickly gathered around. It seemed that they understood that something was about to happen.

Soon, the leadership of the Shui Jing Gong gathered. Nan Ge, Liu Po, Shu Shuishui, and Gu Langu were all somewhat surprised when they saw the person brought by Hu Sichen.

Hu Sichen didn’t untie the rope. “This person claims to be the real Qing Mengxing and says that the one in our base is an impostor named Mang Ya. When I was on patrol…”

Hu Sichen briefly explained what had happened. The people around them were impressed, joking that Hu Sichen had become smarter after spending time with the Gray Rat.

Curious, the Gray Rat let out two squeaks as if it knew people were praising it.

“But if we follow this reasoning, isn’t this imposter Qing Mengxing highly likely to be Mang Ya himself? The leader of Zone S!”

“It’s a possibility!”

“Unbelievable! The Gray Rat only managed to trick an owl.”

“Is the leader of Zone S really that stupid?”

“He might be a bit dim, but maybe it’s not Mang Ya after all.”

The discussions from the crowd reached the ears of “Qing Mengxing,” but his expression remained unchanged. Instead, he was more interested in observing the people from the Shui Jing Gong. After a moment, he was the first to speak. “So, you all believe I’m fake?”

“We’ve conducted secret lie detector tests on all newcomers to our base,” Nan Ge calmly stated while keeping his eyes on “Qing Mengxing.” Unfortunately, he only saw indifference in “Qing Mengxing.”

“Well, in that case, where’s the real one? Won’t he come out to see me?” Qing Mengxing shrugged.

There was no need for anyone to inform him; the commotion quickly attracted Qing Mengxing’s attention. Qing Mengxing moved through the crowd and froze when he saw “Qing Mengxing” with his hands bound. For a moment, his gaze seemed bewildered, as if he couldn’t understand how someone who looked so similar to him had appeared.

The daze only lasted for a moment, and Qing Mengxing quickly snapped out of it. He was interested and circled around “Qing Mengxing” twice, realizing that it wasn’t just in appearance; this person’s height and body shape were also very similar to his.

Nan Ge explained, “This person claims to be Qing Mengxing but is suspected to be Mang Ya, the leader of Zone S. Their attacks have been blocked, so they might be looking for a new breakthrough. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Hu Sichen, who’s playing a clever game, and he brought this person back tied up.”

“Mang Ya? The one who initiated the assassination order!” Qing Mengxing’s eyes filled with murderous intent upon hearing this. Fortunately, Liu Po beside him promptly restrained him.

“Qing Mengxing” smirked nonchalantly, lifting his gaze. “I’m not Mang Ya, but this base is quite interesting. No wonder…”

His cryptic words left everyone puzzled, but his identity was clearly hostile, so they needed to decide how to handle him. If this person truly was Mang Ya, could they use him to demand that Zone A and Zone S cease their attacks? People pondered the possibilities. However, it seemed that whether Zone A and Zone S stopped their attacks didn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, at most, it would end the disturbance.

“Just kill him outright to prevent any further trouble,” Nan Ge decisively declared.

Everyone raised their heads, and then they understood. This person couldn’t be allowed to live, especially in the Cangyu Mountains. Although the Shui Jing Gong hadn’t experienced the assassinations, most of the bases in the Cangyu Mountains were on the verge of destruction, just like the Qing Mengxing. He harbored a deep hatred for Mang Ya.

“Qing Mengxing” didn’t show any signs of excitement after hearing this. Instead, he calmly made a request with a smile. “Can I ask Qing Mengxing himself to do it? Perhaps one day, you’ll realize that you made the wrong choice today, killing the real Qing Mengxing and sparing Mang Ya. That would be quite interesting!”

The hearts of everyone jumped, but they became even more convinced of this person’s identity as Mang Ya. According to rumors, Mang Ya was a madman, and the person before them was casually smiling as if he saw through everyone’s hearts, a madman who used his life for entertainment.

Qing Mengxing angrily broke free from Liu Po’s restraint, and Liu Po naturally understood Nan Ge’s words. He let go of Qing Mengxing and no longer interfered.