The night was as dark as ink, and a shadow so thick that it seemed impossible to dissolve covered the entire alliance camp.
The bonfire crackled and the flames flickered, illuminating Mou Xuan's stern face.
He stood at the edge of the camp like a sculpture, seemingly playing with a dagger nonchalantly, but in fact he was keeping his eyes and ears open, taking in every movement around him.
His seemingly casual actions actually conceal a mystery.
He would suddenly stop and glance sharply at a busy member; or when talking to someone, he would seemingly casually mention information about the water source, but in fact he was carefully observing the other person's reaction.
This silent investigation, like an invisible giant net, spread quietly and enveloped the entire alliance.
A strange atmosphere of tension began to spread within the alliance.
Spy Zou, the venomous snake lurking within the alliance, had already smelled the danger.
Like a cunning fox, he began to move around, trying to muddy the waters.
"Hey, have you heard? There seems to be some problems with the defense of the water source recently..." Spy Zou said mysteriously to the Ji transport worker who was moving supplies.
Ji, the transport worker, was a straightforward person. When he heard this, his eyes widened immediately: "What? What's the problem? How come I don't know?"
"Hush... keep your voice down!" Spy Zou looked around like a thief with a guilty conscience and said in a low voice, "I heard that someone secretly leaked the map of the water source..."
"Holy shit! Is this true? Who is so bold? Are they tired of living?!" Ji the transport worker exclaimed.
Spy Zou smiled sinisterly and continued to fan the flames: "Who knows? Anyway, everyone should be careful recently and don't let certain people sell you out!"
Spy Zou spread similar words countless times within the alliance.
Sometimes he hinted that Tao, the water conservancy expert, was old and might have a bad memory, and accidentally leaked the secrets; sometimes he pretended to accidentally reveal that Qi, a member of the defense team, had frequent contact with outsiders recently and his behavior was suspicious...
Under his deliberate guidance, members of the alliance began to be suspicious of each other, and cracks appeared in their originally united teams.
"Old Tao, have you been a little absent-minded lately? You have to pay more attention to the water source!" Defense team member Qi couldn't help but complain to water conservancy expert Tao.
"Bullshit! I'm working diligently, stop slandering me!" Water conservancy expert Tao was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
"Humph, who knows? People's hearts are hidden..." Defense team member Qi snorted coldly and turned away.
Arguments like this continued to occur within the alliance, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense, like a taut string that could break at any time.
Mou Xuan saw all of this and a playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He walked up to Spy Zou and suddenly said, "Old Zou, who do you think is the most suspicious in our alliance?"
Mou Xuan patted Spy Zou's shoulder with a half-smile, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "I heard that the boss of the Xiang faction offered a reward of a box of top-grade compressed biscuits for the defense map of our water source..."
Spy Zou's heart was shaken, his eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "Brother Xuan, what are you talking about? I don't understand..."
"Really?" Mou Xuan's smile deepened. "I also heard that someone has already contacted the Xiang faction and is waiting to take action tonight..."
Spy Zou's breathing became noticeably faster, and a greedy look flashed across his eyes.
"Brother Xuan, please don't talk nonsense, this is slander!"
Mou Xuan no longer paid attention to Spy Zou's sophistry, turned around and walked to the center of the camp, clapped his hands, and attracted everyone's attention.
"Everyone, there's going to be a good show tonight!" He deliberately raised his voice, "There's a traitor in our alliance!"
The crowd suddenly exploded with discussions and glances of confusion at each other.
"Who was it? Who betrayed us?"
"Damn it, if we catch him, I'm going to skin him alive!"
Mou Xuan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his eyes fixed on Spy Zou.
"Old Zou, do you remember what I told you? A box of top-quality compressed biscuits..."
Spy Zou's face changed drastically and he subconsciously took a step back, but was grabbed by Mou Xuan by the wrist.
"We've caught the perpetrator red-handed, what else is there to say?" Mou Xuan searched Spy Zou's body and found a neatly folded map of the water source's defenses. It was the one mentioned in the fake news he had deliberately released.
"You...you framed me!" Spy Zou roared at the top of his lungs.
Mou Xuan sneered and pushed him to the ground mercilessly.
"Framed? Do you think I'm as stupid as you? I made a few marks on this map. Only those who have actually seen the defense map of the water source will know!"
The alliance members suddenly realized what was going on and looked at Spy Zou with anger and contempt.
"How dare you, Old Zou, betray us!"
"Kill him! The traitor!"
Mou Xuan did not stop the anger of the crowd, but said calmly: "Tie him up and hand him over to the leader of the Xiang faction tomorrow, and let them deal with it themselves."
The crowd burst into cheers, and the atmosphere of excitement reached a climax within the alliance.
"Brother Xuan is so awesome!"
"Brother Xuan is wise!"
Mou Xuan looked at the tied-up spy Zou and sneered.
"The good show has just begun..." He turned to look at Chen Yao, a hint of imperceptible tenderness flashed in his eyes, "We..."
There was a gleam of admiration in Chen Yao's eyes, and she held Mou Xuan's hand tightly, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.
"Brother Xuan, you are so awesome!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, like a frightened little bird that finally found a safe harbor.
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