Just as this tranquility was shrouded in the secrets about to be revealed, a sudden tremor came from above, like the panting of an ancient beast, breaking the deathly silence.
The puppets seemed oblivious, mechanically wielding their tools and digging through the endless ore, but the aliens reacted quite differently. Their expressions changed drastically; they stopped what they were doing, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Was there an earthquake up there?" a young alien asked in a trembling voice, his tone uncertain.
“That shouldn’t be the case,” another older member of the tribe shook his head in denial. “If it were truly an earthquake, we would feel the tremors much more strongly underground.”
"What on earth is causing this? Could it be... that someone has discovered our hiding place?" The third alien asked in a fearful tone, and the air around them seemed to freeze.
An elder from another race, an old man with a weathered face and sharp eyes, slowly walked into the center of the crowd. He scanned everyone and finally stared at Xu Yuehuai for a long time.
"Someone must have been secretly tipping us off. The recent upheavals in the clan are no accident. The traitor is among us!"
These words immediately sparked fear and suspicion in everyone's hearts.
The bell in the alien elder's hand swayed gently, and the crisp, piercing sound instantly echoed in the mine. Immediately afterward, an indescribable pain surged into the minds of all the puppets, including Xu Yuehuai.
She gritted her teeth, barely managing to stay conscious thanks to the powerful force within her.
“Elder, now is not the time to investigate the traitor,” Xu Yuehuai said, enduring the pain. “We must immediately report to the chief, find out the cause of the tremor, and protect our people.”
However, the alien elder did not seem to be swayed by Xu Yuehuai's rationality. He continued to shake the bell in his hand, each shake accompanied by more intense pain, in an attempt to force out the so-called "traitor".
"Who is the traitor? Step forward!" The elder's voice echoed in the mine, carrying an unquestionable authority, but only silence and painful groans responded to him.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from another passage, and the fake ghost doctor and a group of wizards rushed over. Unaffected by the bell, they walked out of the passage with solemn expressions and headed straight for the mine exit, clearly to investigate the truth behind the tremors.
Seeing this, the elder of the alien race finally stopped ringing the bell. He looked around, and every face of the aliens was filled with pain and confusion. Finally, he slowly put down the bell in his hand and sighed deeply.
"It seems the traitor isn't here." His tone held both relief and helplessness. "But we must remain vigilant; the external threat is closing in. Everyone, prepare for battle!"
As the elder's command echoed through the mine, the aliens, though filled with doubt and unease, looked at each other with unwavering resolve and sprang into action. Like a tide drawn together by the same force, they surged toward the mine's exit, determined to jointly resist the external threats. Their figures were somewhat tragic and heroic.
Xu Yuehuai stood in the crowd and whispered to Qi Guze beside her, "Aze, you disguise yourself as me and stay here to command the puppets, just in case. I must go out and check the situation myself; I can't let things get out of control."
Qi Guze said reluctantly and worriedly, "It's too dangerous, I'll go instead."
“You don’t have as much control over them as I do. If you’re exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable. As for me, at least I have more power to protect myself.” As she spoke, she took out a piece of clothing from her bosom and handed it to Qi Guze. It was a disguise she had prepared for an emergency.
The two quickly exchanged identities inside the tent. Trust and reluctance flickered in Qi Guze's eyes, while Xu Yuehuai took a deep breath and resolutely stepped out of the tent, following the path the wizards had taken, and approached the ground step by step.
On the ground, the battle was in complete chaos. The fake ghost doctor's figure stood out conspicuously in the chaos. Although he was fighting using the ghost doctor's body, he was clearly not skilled and had several wounds on his body.
The man in black robes was locked in combat with the elders and warriors of the alien race. Spells and martial arts intertwined, and the world seemed to be torn into countless fragments.
Xu Yuehuai hid in the shadows, her heart filled with turmoil. She observed that the black-robed man's strength far exceeded her expectations; every attack was precise and deadly, causing the alien race to gradually fall into a disadvantageous position.
She wondered to herself, "Who are these people? Why have they suddenly appeared here?"
“If it were our side, they would definitely follow our orders and act accordingly, instead of acting arbitrarily like this.”
"Could it really be that the person who left disobeyed my warning?"
Just as she was deep in thought, the sounds of battle approaching nearby interrupted her.
Xu Yuehuai quickly concealed himself, and a foreign warrior stumbled towards him, his face filled with terror: "Elder! Something's wrong! The black-robed men outnumber us, we can't hold out much longer!"
Upon hearing this, the alien elder's face turned ashen, but he remained calm: "Notify everyone to hold the line. We must hold out until reinforcements arrive."
A deep, cold voice rang out: "Reinforcements? Hmph, you won't get any reinforcements."
The leader of the black-robed men slowly stepped out of the crowd, coldly staring at the alien elder.
These aliens cannot be allowed to cause trouble until the puppets are freed.
Xu Yuehuai decided to take action, but she had to ensure her safety first to avoid being recognized.
Suddenly, a sudden staggering sound broke the silence. It was the fake doctor's mistake, but it unexpectedly became the prelude to the storm.
The leader of the black-robed men suddenly turned his deep, abyss-like eyes, as if he could see through all the illusions of the world, and his gaze unexpectedly met Xu Yuehuai's in the air.
"Run!" Xu Yuehuai roared inwardly, his body reacting before his mind could process it.
By the moonlight, she moved nimbly among the trees, each step precisely placed where the foliage was sparse to minimize the noise. But the fear and unease clung to her heart like vines, impossible to shake off.
"Hmph, still trying to escape?" The black-robed leader's voice was like the whisper of death.
At his command, several men in black robes emerged from the darkness like ghosts and quickly approached Xu Yuehuai.
"Why are you running? I didn't expect you to actually come here." The fake ghost doctor's voice suddenly rang in her ears. He had caught up with Xu Yuehuai at some point, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, as if it were a natural reunion with an old friend, but it made Xu Yuehuai's hair stand on end.
"Let me go!" Xu Yuehuai struggled fiercely, but the fake ghost doctor's hand was as firm as an iron clamp.
"If you save me, I might spare your life." His words gave Xu Yuehuai a glimmer of hope.
The footsteps of the man in black robes grew closer, and Xu Yuehuai had no choice but to continue her escape with the fake ghost doctor.
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