Xu Xinghe stood still, her brows furrowed. "Explain yourself clearly. What exactly is this danger? Why can't I stay nearby? In this situation, I can go back and tell the military, and they can send a large force to wipe this place out, right? As long as they come fast enough, we can strike at midnight, breaking down doors at the same time, and we can definitely take them all down. Then not only you, but also the villagers in the dungeon outside will be safe, won't they?"

Jiang Linchuan shook his head slightly. "It's not as simple as you think. Although this is a stronghold, they have far more people than just the spies disguised as villagers. There are definitely sentries and liaisons hidden along the only road to Shiwa Village. Once the main military force moves, they will be alerted in advance."

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. "These people are all desperate criminals. Once they sense something is wrong, the village spies will immediately kill them to cover their tracks in order to protect themselves! None of the villagers in the dungeon, nor me or the other captured soldiers, will survive."

Xu Xinghe bit her lip, feeling extremely distressed. "Since you knew there was this risk all along, why did you still walk into the trap? Why did you insist on coming in? Was it to cooperate with the people outside?"

“Yes.” Jiang Linchuan reached out and placed his hand next to Xu Xinghe’s cheek, gently stroking it. “I made arrangements around the village in advance, just waiting for the right opportunity. Before long, they will be in chaos. Only when they are in chaos will they be unable to attend to everything and will not have time to take care of the hostages. This will be the best time for the military to wipe them out in one fell swoop.”

"But this chaos will affect the entire village, and the situation will become very complicated and unpredictable. If you stay nearby, you are likely to be caught up in it and meet with misfortune. Listen to me, leave immediately, and get as far away as possible."

Xu Xinghe looked up at him, "What exactly did you arrange?"

Jiang Linchuan said no more, only shook his head, "This is confidential, I can't tell you. Just trust me and the organization, and do as I say."

Looking into his eyes, Xu Xinghe knew that she wouldn't get any more information from him.

Since he was so confident and had made thorough preparations in advance, he must have been able to ensure the safety of himself and the other prisoners.

The only thing she can do now is not to hold him back.

After a moment of silence, Xu Xinghe nodded. "Okay, I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

As she spoke, she pulled the military pistol from her waist and shoved it into Jiang Linchuan's hand, saying, "This is for your self-defense. In case of any emergency, you'll have something to do."

Jiang Linchuan pushed the gun back, saying, "You take it; you need it more. If we encounter danger, I'll feel more at ease having a gun with me."

“I have more.” Xu Xinghe stubbornly shoved the gun into his hands, pointing to her waist where a short knife was hidden. There was also a pistol in her storage space, but she couldn’t say that. “I can walk fast, I’ll be fine. You need a weapon more right now, I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Jiang Linchuan finally stopped refusing, gripping his pistol tightly. "Be careful, and wait for me to come back."

"Hmm." Xu Xinghe responded without saying anything more, put her black mask back on, and turned to walk out of the passage.

Return to the entrance.

The wolfhounds were still engrossed in their food.

Xu Xinghe had deliberately thrown away a few bones with meat on them in order to buy time.

Dogs are naturally fond of gnawing on bones, and they were all eating with great relish, making crunching noises, completely unaware of her presence.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, she quickly passed through the stone chamber and successfully returned to the dungeon area she had been in before.

As she passed the cells, she stopped and whispered again, "You must keep this a secret. No one must know I was here. If word gets out, none of us will survive. Understand?"

The villagers in the cage nodded in agreement, and no one dared to utter another word.

Xu Xinghe didn't linger, quickened her pace, and left along the passage she had come from.

The darkness remained thick.

Her figure quickly blended into the crowd.

Upon reaching the cubicle area, Xu Xinghe stopped, and after confirming that no one was around, quickly entered and opened the water-tight tank.

This time, she focused on reviewing the latest log and a few scattered notes.

It records recent updates to communication codes and the time of material transfers.

Xu Xinghe memorized all this information, checked everything carefully to make sure it was back to normal, then closed the box, quietly left the compartment, and walked quickly toward the cave entrance.

The journey was smooth and without any unexpected incidents.

The village remained quiet, save for the occasional bark of a dog, which quickly subsided.

Using the shadows as cover, Xu Xinghe quickly ran back to the courtyard, first going around to Yi An's door and gently knocking on the door panel, "It's me."

Yi An immediately opened the door, "How did it go? Did it go smoothly?"

"All's fine, we'll leave first thing tomorrow morning." Xu Xinghe lowered her voice, "You should also get some sleep and get plenty of rest."

Yi An nodded, "I know, you too."

Xu Xinghe didn't say anything more. She turned around and went back to her room. She quickly wiped the dust off her body, then went into her spatial dimension to redraw the birthmark on her face before coming out.

She needs to maintain her disguise to be ready for any unexpected situations.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Xu Xinghe woke up.

Without hesitation, she got up immediately, deliberately making a louder noise as she opened the door, and even coughed lightly twice.

Sure enough, the man in the next room heard the noise and quickly came out. He had clearly just woken up, his eyes still sleepy. "Girl, why are you up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"No, brother." Xu Xinghe's face showed just the right amount of urgency. "I've been away from home for several days now. If I don't go back soon, my family will definitely worry. I only said I was going to chop firewood when I left, but I've been gone for so long. What if they think something happened to me? They might call the police."

The moment the words "call the police" were uttered, the man instantly sobered up, his pupils contracted, and a fleeting, almost imperceptible panic flashed in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and chuckled, "That's right! Your family must be worried sick about you being out for so long. Well then, I'll go and prepare some water and dry food for you and me to take with you on the road, so you can stave off hunger."