Chapter 679 Danger in the Secret Passage
Outside the cave, Shen Li waited for a short while before his men arrived.
They were dressed differently, but they all wore hats and masks and kept their heads down.
Shen Li felt something was off and subconsciously stepped forward to the leader, saying, "Old Sun, those kids have already told you about this mission, right? It's dangerous, everyone be careful."
The leader coughed lightly and said in a low voice, "Brother Li, don't worry, we will protect you and the sect leader with our lives."
Although he tried his best to lower his voice, Shen Li still sensed something was wrong and immediately said, "Wait, lift your head up and take off your mask and hat."
The person on the other side didn't move.
Shen Li hissed: "Forcing me to take action?"
He said he would help him pick it.
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, the person on the other end had no choice but to take off his hat and mask, and looked up with a smile, saying, "Brother Cat, why are you being so fierce?"
Upon seeing Hou Kai standing there, Shen Li gritted his teeth and said, "As expected of you, kid. The rest of you, take off your masks and hats too!"
Seeing that Hou Kai had been exposed, the others knew that hiding was no use, so they all took off their hats and masks and said in unison, "Brother Cat."
Shen Li: "..."
Without saying a word, he turned and kicked Hou Kai: "What's wrong with you? I told you to gather the sect's elites, and you brought them all out here?!"
There were nine people standing in the crowd.
Hou Kai led the way, followed by Lao Qi, Han Xu, A Yan, and other young men from the Shadow Clan who had come here for various reasons.
They all looked eager to try, which made Shen Li's head buzz.
These immature kids, who haven't even gone on many missions, actually came to join in the fun?!
Hou Kai scratched his head: "Brother Cat, it's not that I don't want to recruit people for you, it's just that there really aren't that many people in the sect right now. Brother Sun and Brother Zhao live far away, so there's simply not enough time."
"Yeah, Cat Bro, the boss is in such a hurry, we definitely have to step up without hesitation!" Old Qi chimed in.
Han Xu said calmly, "Don't look down on me. If you're so capable, let's have a match. You might not be able to beat me."
Ayan followed behind, blinking and nodding.
The people behind him immediately chimed in, "Yeah, Brother Cat, don't look down on us!"
"We can help the boss just the same!"
"We are not afraid of danger!"
Shen Li: "..."
What should I do? My head is hurting even more.
He intended to send these greenhorns back to where they came from.
But now that Brother Feng and the others had already entered the secret passage, it would be too late to summon more people. Helpless, he had no choice but to compromise, looking at the group of eager young men: "Remember this, everyone. Today's mission is extremely dangerous. See this cave entrance? Once we go in, we will face not only unknown risks, but also enemies as powerful as our Shadow Gate! Once inside, you must follow orders and commands. Do not act on your own. Protect yourselves, do you understand?!"
"I heard you, Cat Bro!"
"We can not only protect ourselves, but also protect our leader!"
"Alright, enough chit-chat, grab your gear and follow me down into the cave!"
At Shen Li's command, he led everyone down into the cave like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Meanwhile, deep inside the cave...
The depth and narrowness of this place far exceeded everyone's imagination.
Qin Feng and Kong Wange followed Wen Luoyun forward.
The secret passage was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. Because it was underground, it was filled with a cold and damp atmosphere.
It was pitch black all around, but fortunately Qin Feng's flashlight was very strong, illuminating the way they were walking. Otherwise, the obstructed vision in such an environment would have made them feel very unsafe.
As they walked, Kong Wange said, "Ruoyun, since you haven't gotten the map of the secret passage yet, do you know which way to go if there's a fork in the road later?"
Wen Luoyun turned to Kong Wange and gave her a reassuring look: "Wange, although I didn't get the map, I tampered with Tang Zhi's clothes beforehand. Did you see this?"
She pointed to the ground.
Kong Wange and Qin Feng looked in the direction he pointed, and after a while they noticed something—there was a faint glowing green light emanating from the ground.
Because Qin Feng's flashlight was quite bright, they didn't notice it for a moment.
"Did you use fluorescent powder on him?" Kong Wange asked.
Wen Luoyun nodded: "It's been modified. You can't see it in sunlight. It only reacts in the dark and when it's attached to the soil. Tang Zhi definitely won't notice."
“Miss Xu is very smart,” Qin Feng said from the side.
What was clearly a compliment sounded to Wen Luoyun as, if it were just her imagination, somewhat sarcastic.
She chuckled awkwardly, "Being by Tang Zhi's side is like walking on thin ice; I can't help but have to come up with some tricks."
Kong Wange sensed her embarrassment and said, "I understand, it is indeed a good method."
Wen Luoyun smiled faintly and didn't reply.
After walking for a while, the group arrived at a fork in the road, where they could go either way.
The map was already in Wen Luoyun's mind. She had been recalling it repeatedly these past few days, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she knew it by heart.
But to avoid arousing suspicion from the two people beside him, he squatted down and studied the situation for a while before standing up and saying, "To the left."
Kong Wange and Qin Feng nodded.
Qin Feng took out his phone and said, "I'll leave a message for Shen Li and the others."
However, when I took out my phone, I found that the signal was very weak, with only one bar remaining and flickering intermittently.
Qin Feng frowned and sent a message, but it kept spinning.
Seeing this, Kong Wange took out her own phone: "Want to try mine?"
I opened the screen, only to find that mine wasn't much better.
Wen Luoyun said, "This is underground, so the signal is definitely not as good as it is up here. We haven't gone very deep yet. If we go any further in, I'm afraid we won't have any signal at all."
Qin Feng put away his phone: "It's alright, I'll leave a mark, and they'll be able to tell."
He stepped forward, picked up a piece of gravel, and quickly drew a plum blossom on the wall: "Done."
Kong Wange nodded and said to Wen Luoyun, "Let's go."
"Okay." Wen Luoyun responded, and the three of them immediately turned to the left.
Perhaps we chose the right path, because things have been going quite smoothly.
However, despite the smooth progress, the road was surprisingly long.
The darkness ahead grew thicker and thicker. Even though Qin Feng's flashlight had a high wattage, it could only illuminate about three meters ahead. Beyond that, the light from the flashlight seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness.
Kong Wange walked beside Qin Feng, her breathing becoming heavier than usual—the surroundings were too quiet, so quiet it was unsettling.
Wen Luoyun also felt a chill run down her spine. After all, it was dark and damp here, and she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt like there were eyes staring at her from above.
In this atmosphere, the group unconsciously slowed their pace.
Suddenly, there was a "crack" under Wen Luoyun's feet.
Qin Feng immediately gestured for the group to stop.
Wen Luoyun froze, instinctively lowering her voice: "Master Qin, it should be 'withered wood'..."
"I know, the reason I made you stop wasn't because of that, but because the air smelled wrong," Qin Feng said in a deep voice.
"Taste? What taste?" Wen Luoyun asked, puzzled.
"The smell of blood." Kong Wange suddenly spoke, her tone tense: "There's a smell of blood in the air."
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Luoyun was startled.
Just as she was about to speak, a sharp cry suddenly came from not far away, followed by a flapping sound that grew closer!
"Get down!" Qin Feng shouted sternly.
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