Chapter 0010: The Mole

Ning Fan had already gripped the Black Sword in his hand.

Something was off about this Cheng Bin.

He'd noticed it a while ago.

What surprised him, though, was that he wasn't the only one who had caught on.

In fact, everyone in the vehicle had noticed.

Every single person from the Hound Shelter was sharp enough.

Including Huizi, whom Ning Fan had previously thought was a bit careless.

"Those two Gall Crystals."

Qiao Fei spoke coldly. "You said you were going to sell them at the Black Market in Zone F27."

Cheng Bin froze.

He'd said that offhandedly — what was wrong with that?

But then, his expression finally shifted.

"Ha! Talk too much and you'll slip up!"

Cheng Bin understood now.

From the moment he'd been rescued, the people from the Hound Shelter had never once mentioned their destination.

Yet he had volunteered Zone F27 on his own.

That could only mean one thing — he had already known where they were headed.

Which made his sudden appearance all the more suspicious.

"Bro, what's this about? You robbing us?" Lin Chuan asked calmly, blade in hand.

Cheng Bin scratched his head. "Any chance you'll let me walk?"

"You know the rules. I saved your life, and you turn around and try to stab me in the back — that's not how it works."

Lin Chuan shook his head. "Tell me who sent you, and I'll make it quick."

Cheng Bin chuckled. "Just now, you deliberately put on that little show with this kid — you made sure everyone got off the vehicle first. You were worried that if a fight broke out inside, the car would get wrecked, right?"

Ning Fan stared at Lin Chuan in surprise.

So when Lin Chuan had confronted him and told everyone to get out... it had been for that reason?

Lin Chuan clicked his tongue. "That car breaks, I'm out five thousand bucks."

"Fair enough. Didn't think someone as rough around the edges as you could be so calculating. My fault for being careless."

Cheng Bin spread his hands open. "You've got too many people right now. Next time, let's have a proper fight."

"Spirit Servant: Butcher!"

Lin Chuan's blade flushed a deep crimson red.

"You think there's going to be a next time?"

"I can't beat you lot, sure — but running? I can still manage that."

The gun in Cheng Bin's hand suddenly began to glow.

Lin Chuan roared, "Old Duan! Pin him down!"

"Spirit Servant: Spark!"

Old Duan raised his long staff, and a dense web of crackling electricity erupted through the air around them.

The sharp snapping and popping sounds rang out without pause.

But Cheng Bin let out a cold laugh.

"Spirit Servant: Earthstride!"

The soil beneath his feet churned and rippled. Like a man diving into water, Cheng Bin sank into the ground in an instant.

"The hell I said you're not going anywhere — you deaf or something?"

Lin Chuan didn't move.

But Wang Ye did.

Wang Ye twitched his nose sharply, then shot off in one direction like a wildcat.

"Spirit Servant: Lynx!"

The pair of blade-knuckles on his hands erupted and grew, forming razor-sharp cat claws.

He leapt high into the air and came crashing down onto a patch of muddy ground.

He broke through!

In an instant, blood sprayed into the air.

A scream of agony followed.

Huizi's silhouette flickered.

"Spirit Servant: Shadow."

The moment Wang Ye dragged Cheng Bin out of the earth, Huizi raised his dagger and drove it down hard.

The dagger didn't pierce Cheng Bin — it struck his shadow beneath him.

"AAAH!!!"

Cheng Bin screamed in agony.

Lin Chuan walked toward him, blade in hand.

"Who sent you?"

Lin Chuan tilted his head. "You're about to lose your life — there's no point keeping someone else's secret."

Ning Fan watched with wide eyes.

He thought back to the so-called "sparring matches" he'd had back at the Academy. Compared to this, those felt like children playing house.

This...

This was what it meant to be a Walker in a real fight.

When Cheng Bin had sunk into the ground, Ning Fan had genuinely thought he'd escaped.

But Wang Ye and Huizi's teamwork had been seamless — they'd dug him out like a mole, dragging him up from underground by force.

Now Cheng Bin lay crumpled on the ground, three bloody gashes torn across his back, the flesh peeled open and splayed outward.

"Give me a way out."

Fear finally flashed across Cheng Bin's eyes. "I'm just doing a job. Killing me won't get you anywhere."

"A way out? Not happening."

Lin Chuan crouched down and looked at him from above. "I told you — you give me answers, I give you a clean end. Fair deal."

Seeing Cheng Bin's eyes dart around, Lin Chuan continued, "You're in this line of work. You know how it goes. No mercy for enemies. Let's keep it simple — when you lose, you lose like a man. Leave your life behind and don't make a fuss."

"If I'm dying anyway, why would I tell you anything?"

Cheng Bin's eyes darkened.

Lin Chuan smiled pleasantly. "Because you can suffer a little less."

With that, he gave Huizi a look.

Huizi's expression remained cold as he drove the dagger into Cheng Bin's shadow again.

"AAAH!!!"

Cheng Bin's face contorted in pain, his eyes bloodshot.

Ning Fan looked on with intense focus.

This kind of attack caused no physical damage to Cheng Bin's body whatsoever.

Meaning as long as Huizi didn't want him dead, he could put him through this torment an infinite number of times.

This was true suffering — unable to live, unable to die.

It was hard to believe that someone as laid-back as Huizi had a Spirit Servant this brutal.

"You... aren't you afraid... my screaming will... attract Aberrant Beasts?"

Cheng Bin was pale with pain, yet still tried to threaten Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan's smile only deepened.

"The road from Zone F32 to Zone F27 is like the way home to me!"

Lin Chuan let out a light snort. "I'm on first-name terms with practically every Aberrant Beast on this route. Go ahead and scream — I'm curious if any new neighbors have moved in!"

Cheng Bin's face fell.

Truth be told, the moment Lin Chuan had told Huizi to pull over and confront him here, he'd already realized — Lin Chuan simply didn't care about the Aberrant Beasts in the area.

And besides, the combat strength this team had already shown made it clear they had the confidence to back that up.

Thwack!

Without waiting for him to speak, Huizi drove the dagger down once more.

"AAAH!!! Fine, I'll talk!!"

Cheng Bin knew there was no way out for him.

Just like Lin Chuan had said — there was no point playing tough now.

"I'm a Walker from Zone F27! No team of my own! The War Bear squad from our zone found me last night. They told me to wait on this road — the only route you'd take — and blend into your group. What they planned to do after that, they didn't say!"

Cheng Bin trembled as he explained. "That's honestly all I know! Oh — right. They also told me to bring plenty of Sola. If you picked up anything along the way that could boost your strength or heal injuries, I was supposed to buy it off you on the spot. They'd reimburse me later!"

Lin Chuan's eyes slowly narrowed as he listened.

By his count, they'd collected three Gall Crystals so far.

All of them had gone through Cheng Bin.

He'd eaten one. The other two should still be on him.

Lin Chuan patted Cheng Bin down and retrieved the remaining two Gall Crystals, along with the six thousand or so Sola left in his pockets.

"Zone F27 is getting out of line."

Lin Chuan's voice dropped low. He turned and held the blade out to Ning Fan.

"And this War Bear bunch — what a waste of a good life, picking a fight with a pack of mad dogs like us."

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Proofreader & Editor: Fat Goose 🪶