Inside the enormous cave.

The chaos had subsided.

The pungent smell of blood mixed with a burnt «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» odor permeated the cave.

The re-lit crystals above clearly illuminated the hellish scene below.

Hundreds of corpses lay scattered on the ground.

There were enslaved professionals, and also members of the Radiant Alliance specifically tasked with guarding.

Warm blood gathered into streams, slowly flowing across the uneven ground.

The remaining thousands of survivors were driven into a corner of the cave.

They all squatted on the ground, clutching their heads, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Almost everyone was injured, their eyes filled with numbness and despair.

Zhou Feng stood on a high vantage point, overlooking everything before him.

His face was ashen, his chest heaved violently, and the fury in his eyes threatened to erupt.

"Who can tell me what exactly happened here?!"

His roar echoed through the silent cave.

A Radiant Alliance steward nervously stepped out from the crowd.

He kept his head down, not daring to meet Zhou Feng's eyes, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Ch-Chairman..."

"Because the magic crystals were stolen, we... we gathered everyone to find the person who stole them."

The steward swallowed, his voice growing softer.

"But we didn't expect that among these people, there were... there were also people from the military hidden, and they... they seized the opportunity to create chaos."

"Someone, I don't know who, dug a tunnel leading outside from the corridor above."

"That person... took advantage of the chaos and escaped through the tunnel!"

After hearing this, Zhou Feng exploded like a lit powder keg.

"Useless! Useless! All of you are goddamn useless!"

He lunged forward, appearing before the steward in an instant, and delivered a resounding slap.

"Crack!"

The steward's cheek instantly swelled up, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, yet he dared not even whimper.

Zhou Feng grabbed his collar, his spittle almost spraying onto his face.

"I told you to screen them rigorously! Rigorously!"

"Yet you still let people from the military sneak in!"

"Do none of you want to live?!"

"If you want to die, I can grant your wish right now!"

The surrounding Radiant Alliance members lowered their heads upon hearing this, silent as cicadas in winter.

Liu Zi'ang leisurely walked over from the side, a playful smile on his face.

He gently patted Zhou Feng's shoulder.

"Chairman Zhou, calm down."

"Getting angry won't solve anything."

"Haven't two level-50 experts already been sent to pursue them? Perhaps they'll catch that person soon."

However.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

One hour.

Two hours.

The two who were sent to pursue had not returned.

Zhou Feng's heart sank little by little.

Just then, a disheveled figure stumbled out from the entrance of the corridor above.

It was one of the two who had been sent to pursue.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Feng's brows furrowed into a knot, and his ominous premonition grew stronger.

"Why are you the only one back?!"

"Did you catch the person from the military? Where's the other one?"

The man fell to his knees with a thud, his face filled with the terror of having narrowly escaped death.

He shook his head, a sob in his voice.

"Ch-Chairman... we fought him and only then realized..."

"The opponent was... it was Li Gang, known as 'Swift as a Thousand Miles'!"

"Li Gang?!"

At these words, not only Zhou Feng, but even the usually composed Liu Zi'ang, changed his expression slightly.

A famous expert from the Dongning Province Military.

That former Prodigy.

The man continued to speak with a trembling voice.

"The two of us combined were no match for him alone."

"Old Qian... Old Qian, he... was killed by Li Gang!"

"I was lucky to survive and return to report!"

"Bang!"

Zhou Feng kicked the man to the ground, completely frantic.

"Useless trash! What a bunch of useless trash!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He pointed at the man's nose and cursed loudly.

"If the opponent was Li Gang, you absolutely shouldn't have let him go!"

"Once he returns to the military, not only me, but all of you will be finished!"

At this moment, Zhou Feng's mind was completely in turmoil upon hearing Li Gang's name.

He paced back and forth anxiously, like a beast trapped in a cage.

Compared to his loss of composure.

Liu Zi'ang, on the other hand, quickly regained his calm.

After all, the Secret Realm matter was something their Liu Family only secretly participated in.

On the surface, everything was led by the Zhou Family.

Even if the military pursued accountability later, their Liu Family could claim complete ignorance and push all responsibility onto the Zhou Family.

Liu Zi'ang walked to Zhou Feng's side, his tone calm.

"Chairman Zhou, there's no use in being anxious; it's better to think about a solution."

"Once that Li Gang reports to the military, your Zhou Family will likely be in trouble."

He glanced at the messy cave, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"I think the exploration of the ruins should stop here for now."

"I'll take my people back to the hotel to rest first."

"Once your Zhou Family has dealt with the trouble, let me know, and our cooperation can still continue."

At this point, Liu Zi'ang seemed to remember something and added.

"Oh, and if Old Fu comes out of the Secret Realm, remember to have him find me."

"I wonder what he found; he's been gone so long without any news."

Zhou Feng's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

He understood that Liu Zi'ang was preparing to extricate himself and become an outsider.

But he didn't dare to harbor any resentment.

He could only force out a smile uglier than crying.

"Young Master Liu is right, please take your time."

...

Half an hour later.

Zhou Family old residence, study.

Zhou Ting listened to Zhou Feng's report, but his face was surprisingly calm.

He picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating tea leaves, and even sighed with emotion.

"This Li Gang is quite a person."

"Not only did he steal so many magic crystals right under everyone's noses, but he also managed to escape completely unscathed."

"He truly lives up to his reputation as the former Prodigy of Dongning Province."

Seeing his old father so composed, Zhou Feng's hanging heart also settled by half.

He quickly took a step forward, asking eagerly.

"Father, what should we do next?"

"Once this Li Gang returns to Jiangning City, I'm afraid it won't be long before people from the military come to arrest us!"

Zhou Ting put down his teacup and gently tapped the table with his finger, making soft "thump-thump" sounds.

"What are you panicking about?"

"The military needs evidence to target our Zhou Family."

"They can't just listen to Li Gang's one-sided story."

He lifted his eyelids, and a shrewd glint flashed in his seemingly cloudy eyes.

"You go back immediately and seal all passages leading to the Secret Realm, including the one Li Gang escaped through!"

"Don't leave a single trace!"

"As long as the military doesn't know the exact location of the Secret Realm, they can't do anything to us."

He paused, then continued.

"The biggest flaw here might be the tens of thousands of magic crystals in Li Gang's hands."

"We can only firmly deny it."

"It doesn't matter if the magic crystals are lost; as long as the Secret Realm is still in our hands, everything else is insignificant."

"This period is not suitable for continuing to explore the ruins."

"Arrange for all Radiant Alliance personnel who know about the Secret Realm to be hidden away somewhere."

"Wait until things calm down after a while, then secretly resume exploration."

Zhou Feng's heart was greatly relieved upon hearing this, and he nodded repeatedly.

But he still hesitated and asked.

"Then... what about the thousands of people we captured?"

A chilling glint pierced through Zhou Ting's calm gaze.

He picked up his teacup and took a gentle sip.

"What else can be done?"

"Should we keep them, waiting for them to expose us later?"

Zhou Feng's body trembled violently, a chill running from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He looked at his father's unperturbed face and finally understood his father's meaning.

He bowed his head deeply, hiding the fear in his eyes.

"Understood."