Hearing that Chen Yu seemed to believe his explanation, Old Zhao felt a sense of relief.

Then, he led Chen Yu and Yang Yue into the stone chamber.

The interior of the stone chamber was dark and complex, with flickering candlelight illuminating the mottled walls and deep corridors.

Old Zhao walked at the front, glancing back at Chen Yu and Yang Yue every now and then, his heart filled with mixed feelings. He was both afraid that these two strangers might suddenly turn on him, and relieved that he might be able to use this opportunity to escape punishment.

Before long, the group arrived at another, more spacious stone house.

Several women and children were huddled in a corner, their eyes filled with despair and helplessness, and the wounds on their bodies were clearly visible.

The three children, in particular, were beaten to the point of near death.

"What are you playing at?" Chen Yu asked, feigning confusion.

"This..." Old Zhao was speechless.

"Haha! Look how nervous you are," Chen Yu laughed. "As accomplices of the thieves, they profited from human suffering, so they naturally deserve to be punished!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Old Zhao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“Continue leading the way,” Chen Yu said.

Old Zhao nodded upon hearing this and continued leading the way.

"Yueyue, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and catch up." Chen Yu reminded Yang Yue when he saw her staring blankly at the women and children.

"But……"

Yang Yue had just opened her mouth when Chen Yu stopped her with a look.

Finding a way out is the most important thing now; he doesn't want anything else to go wrong.

Seeing this, Yang Yue understood Chen Yu's meaning, so she had no choice but to silently follow.

Soon, led by Lao Zhao, the two arrived at a grotto, where it was filled with all kinds of grains, estimated to be about 2,000 tons. In addition, there were all kinds of frozen meat and piles of timber.

This left Chen Yu speechless. With so many supplies, even if the Zhao group didn't have any internal strife, it would be enough for them to live on for dozens of generations.

These people are far too greedy!

"You guys are really something, managing to bring in so much stuff with just a few of you," Yang Yue said sarcastically.

"This used to be a mine, with cranes on it," Old Zhao explained.

As he spoke, he pushed open an iron gate and led Chen Yu and the other man to a spacious area next to him. It turned out to be a vertical shaft, and when they looked up, a faint light shone down.

Right next to the cliff face of the shaft, there was an iron cage, which was their tool for transporting supplies and getting in and out.

In addition, there is a staircase next to it, made of thick iron pipes welded together, winding up the rock wall of the shaft to the wellhead. Although it looks old, it is still sturdy. This was obviously designed to allow personnel to safely go up and down when the crane is not available.

Chen Yu and Yang Yue were slightly moved upon seeing this; they were finally able to escape their predicament completely.

"Gentlemen, with so much stuff, it would be very difficult for just a few of us to carry it. I suggest we hurry out and find someone to help us. After all, the villagers are hungry, and we can't afford to delay!" Old Zhao said with a furrowed brow, seemingly a good official who truly cared for the people.

“That makes sense. So who do you think is better suited to go out and find someone?” Chen Yu’s lips curled into a playful smile, his eyes flashing with scrutiny.

“Well… I’m the town’s head of Dongshi Town, so in theory it would be more convenient for me to organize manpower, but…” Old Zhao looked troubled as he said this, “As you know, there are some misunderstandings between me and the villagers…”

"You mean you want me to go out and call for help?" Chen Yu asked.

"This is the only way, my lord. The villagers can't wait any longer!" Old Zhao said solemnly.

He then opened the elevator's iron cage and said to Chen Yu and Yang Yue, "Thank you both for your trouble."

Chen Yu nodded slightly, then walked towards the iron cage. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly turned back and said to Old Zhao, "This isn't a trap you set for us, is it? Once we're in the air, you cut off the elevator's power, leaving us unable to go up or down?"

Old Zhao's expression changed, but he quickly regained his composure. He feigned grievance and said, "Hero, what are you saying? I am a town official, how could I do such a despicable thing?"

"What are you incapable of doing?" Chen Yu sneered. "Alright, I'm not in the mood to tease you anymore."

Before Old Zhao could finish speaking, a bullet pierced his forehead.

"Killing him like this is far too lenient," Yang Yue said coldly, her eyes revealing deep disgust and anger.

Chen Yu put away his pistol and glanced expressionlessly at Old Zhao lying on the ground.

"Alright, he's just a beast. There's no need to waste our time on him," Chen Yu said calmly. "Let's hurry up and leave here."

"Wait a minute," Yang Yue stopped Chen Yu. "I'll go and call the others too."

As she spoke, she prepared to run into the stone house, but she had only taken two steps when a deafening roar came from the entire underground mine.

The ground trembled slightly, and dust and gravel fell from the top of the cave, filling the air with an ominous atmosphere.

Chen Yu and Yang Yue quickly exchanged a wary glance, realizing that this sudden turn of events was by no means accidental.

Suddenly, Chen Yu noticed that Lao Zhao seemed to be holding something that looked like a remote control in his hand, and at that moment, his fingers were tightly gripping a red button.

"That bastard, he was shot through the head and he's still not completely dead!" Chen Yu was speechless.

However, now is not the time to let our minds wander. This guy surnamed Zhao has detonated the explosives. If we don't run away now, he and Yang Yue will probably be buried underground.

Chen Yu reacted quickly, grabbing Yang Yue's hand and rushing into the iron cage. He then pressed the start button for the elevator, and the cage began to rise rapidly with a roar, as if racing against time to escape this sudden disaster.

Seeing some rubble hurtling towards them, Chen Yu immediately activated his alternate dimension, absorbing all the rubble and dust within, creating a temporary protective shield to protect them from harm inside the iron cage.

Yang Yue gripped Chen Yu's arm tightly, her face pale and her heart pounding; she was clearly terrified.

As the iron cage continued to rise, they finally broke through the smoke and rubble from the explosion and saw the somewhat dim sunlight outside again.

The iron cage came to a steady stop at the wellhead. Chen Yu and Yang Yue quickly jumped out of the cage and stood on solid ground.

"We're out!" Yang Yue shouted excitedly. She looked around to make sure she had really left the underground mine that was full of danger and despair.

Chen Yu also breathed a long sigh of relief.

"It's just a pity we couldn't save them..."

Chen Yu raised his hand to interrupt Yang Yue: "Don't think about it anymore. They may not be innocent either. This is their fate."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yue remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

She naturally understood what Chen Yu meant, so she didn't dwell on the matter any longer.