Gu Tingzhi looked at the incense in his hand, a gentle smile curving his lips.

Of course he has it. It was developed by that little girl in his past life, who once proudly told him that she could even knock out tigers.

Because the drug was so potent, she later processed it, classifying it into three levels.

However, this thing couldn't be mass-produced, so only a small amount was made for our own use.

Gu Tingzhi was reluctant to waste too much of the sleeping incense, so he only lit the most potent one and led Fu Chaosheng and Xu Jing to fight their way in.

The people inside were still asleep, and with the help of the sleeping gas, it would be much easier. However, it startled the dog, and the dog's barking woke the people inside.

Gu Tingzhi looked inside and said to Xu Jing, "There should be experts in there. I'll go deal with them. You guys take care of these people outside. Be careful, they might have weapons."

After Gu Tingzhi finished speaking, he didn't give Xu Jing any time to react and rushed straight to the innermost room. Before he even got there, a large black dog rushed out and pounced on him. Without hesitation, Gu Tingzhi killed the dog with a single slash.

Before he could even draw his knife, the men behind him rushed out and fired three shots in quick succession.

This startled the entire cave awake.

The man in front of Gu Tingzhi was shirtless, tall, and covered in wounds. He was holding a gun and wasn't even wearing shoes. This was a key figure. Gu Tingzhi's lips curled up. He had come here today not only to rescue those who had been trafficked and to give his brothers a great achievement, but his most important purpose was to take care of this leader. He absolutely couldn't let him be captured alive.

Otherwise, if he leaks the information, the credit for the subsequent achievements won't go to him.

The two sides exchanged fire, and fierce gunfire erupted in the cave. For a moment, gunshots, men's screams, and women's shrieks echoed throughout the cave.

However, it didn't last long. When Xu Jing and Fu Chaosheng finished dealing with the people outside and came to support Gu Tingzhi, they only found a mess and a corpse lying on the ground.

The leader was dead, and two disheveled women were about to run out when Gu Tingzhi emerged from the secret room. "Grab them!"

Xu Jing and Fu Chaosheng immediately pinned the two of them down.

"Boss, what's going on?"

Gu Tingzhi said speechlessly, "What else could it be? These two women are living a very comfortable life. After I killed that leader, their eyes were darting around. They don't seem like ordinary women who were forced into anything. It's just because they weren't wearing any clothes, and I was too lazy to tie them up."

Xu Jing: "..."

Fu Chaosheng: "..."

So, you feel disgusted and don't want to touch them because they're not wearing clothes, so you call them over to tie them up?

"Where are the people outside?" Gu Tingzhi asked.

"Several people died, and the rest were all tied up and drugged. Their weapons were confiscated. There are still twenty-three people left, not including the ones outside the cave."

Gu Tingzhi nodded, "Yes, it's good that they're all under control. Let's go out and make arrangements for those people."

The laborers all lived outside, in groups, all together. They were mostly middle-aged and young men, but there were also quite a few women. Some of the younger women lived in caves, and it goes without saying what became of them.

Those on the periphery actually suffer the same fate, except that they not only have to endure humiliation, but also have to continue working.

All the people were gathered together, a total of 206. In addition, there were more than 30 boys and young girls hidden in the cellar. These were all recently trafficked from outside.

These civilians were unaware of what had happened; they had only heard gunshots. Now, they were all gathered together in fear, some even too afraid to look up at Gu Tingzhi.

They were all emaciated and covered in wounds.

Just like Gu Tingzhi said, it's impossible to feed them enough. If they're full, they'll have the strength to escape. If they're hungry, they won't have the strength to escape, let alone resist.

It's winter now, the off-season for farming, and all they can do is barely keep alive by getting enough to eat.

Gu Tingzhi said to them, "Don't be afraid, we're here to rescue you. Those bad guys have been brought under control, and you're safe now. But don't run around. This is deep in the mountains, and there are many wild animals. You won't be able to escape on your own. I'll send someone to notify the police to come and rescue you."

These people had long since become numb, and none of them dared to speak.

Gu Tingzhi didn't care. "Don't just stand there like idiots. If a few of you know how to cook, go to the kitchen and make more breakfast so that everyone can have a full meal. Otherwise, when the police come, you won't have the strength to walk out. At your speed, it will probably take you two days and two nights to get out of here."

Fu Chaosheng and Xu Jing had already carried the grain out. They picked out a few of the stronger-looking men and said, "You guys, go to the kitchen and make breakfast. Where are the people who were in charge of cooking before? They can come along too."

What was taken out was rice, cornmeal, and sweet potatoes.

Although they were already numb from being beaten, they still showed longing in their eyes when they saw food, and the few who were called out began to move.

"I...I...I'm a cook."

"Me too!"

When faced with food, these people were no longer afraid. Their hearts, already numb, felt that they had nothing better to do than live a worthless life. If they could have a hearty meal, even if they were beaten in the future, it would be worth it. Even if they were beaten to death, at least they would die with a full stomach.

As a result, everyone showed great enthusiasm for cooking, and many people went to the kitchen to help.

Xu Jing felt heartbroken. "It's so tragic, so tragic. If we hadn't stumbled upon them by chance, who knows how long these people would have lived! They won't answer when we ask them. They're all like rotten wood, without a trace of humanity."

Gu Tingzhi said helplessly, "They must have been beaten too badly and become numb. They might feel better after they've eaten their fill. There seems to be a secret room in the cave. Let's go in and take a look."

The two followed Gu Tingzhi inside. The first room they went into was the leader's room, the one Gu Tingzhi had come out of earlier.

Before going inside, Gu Tingzhi suddenly laughed and said, "Don't be too surprised when you see it inside!"

Xu Jing became interested. "What is it?"

He led the way and rushed in, and Fu Chaosheng, curious, quickly followed.

They hadn't walked more than a few steps when they heard Xu Jing's strange cry, "Holy crap! My eyes are blind!"

Fu Chaosheng, who was usually expressionless and rarely expressed his opinions, showed an expression of utter shock after seeing the scene before him.

"This... gold???"

Can anyone tell him that all of this is gold?

He had never seen so much gold in his life.

The gold bricks neatly stacked on the ground in front of me were as tall as a person, with a wooden shelf underneath, only about 20 centimeters high. The rest of the shelf was made of gold bricks.

The dazzling light almost blinded Xu Jing.