Volume 1, Chapter 22: The King of Fish Attacks

"Understood!" A flash of ferocity crossed Zhang Nan’s eyes. "Whoever has the audacity to stir up trouble for me at a time like this, I’ll make sure they learn exactly how many eyes a demon has!"

Li Hexuan nodded slightly, a cold smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. Chen Hao, thinking he could use such low-handed tactics? He was severely underestimating Li Hexuan. He immediately adjusted the defensive layout at several points on the mountaintop, seemingly offhandedly, yet leaving behind a few deliberate "flaws" in critical positions.

Within the thick fog, the activity beneath the water grew increasingly violent. The forbidden waters that Zhou Yong had previously scouted now seemed like a boiling cauldron; low, savage roars erupted one after another, piercing through the mist and striking straight at the heart. It appeared as though an invisible force was beckoning the mutated water monsters to gather toward Falling Leaf Mountain. That immense, soul-chilling pressure was becoming clearer by the second.

"Brother Chen said that as long as we can destroy the electric fence on the mountaintop, once his men arrive, we will all be heroes!" Wang Rui whispered to a gaunt man named Zhao Si, who had already been bewitched. Zhao Si was usually responsible for odd jobs and knew a thing or two about electrical facilities.

Zhao Si’s eyes were unfocused, yet his face held a trace of greed and excitement. Clouded by Yin Jiu’s mental suggestion and Wang Rui’s cajoling, he nodded. "I know how to do it. The controller for that wire fence is in an inconspicuous iron box beneath the watchtower!"

The night deepened. Under the cover of the thick fog, Zhao Si crept stealthily toward the watchtower. He thought he was moving undetected, unaware that not far behind him, Zhang Nan’s tower-like figure had been trailing him like a phantom, a cruel sneer playing on his lips.

Zhao Si reached the bottom of the watchtower and, sure enough, found the inconspicuous iron box. He pulled a pair of pliers, obtained from who knows where, from his coat, and with trembling hands, reached out to cut the wires inside.

"Hey, kid, you’ve got nimble hands!"

A roar like a thunderclap exploded in his ears.

Terrified out of his wits, Zhao Si’s hand shook, and the pliers clattered to the ground. He whipped around to see Zhang Nan and two core members blocking all his paths of retreat.

"Brother... Brother Zhang..." Zhao Si’s face turned deathly pale. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, his trousers instantly soaking through.

Zhang Nan hoisted him up as if he were a mere chick.

"Speak! Who told you to do this?" Zhang Nan’s eyes were wide as brass bells, looking utterly menacing.

Zhao Si dared not hide anything and spilled everything, pouring out the details of Wang Rui’s instigation like beans from a bamboo tube.

Li Hexuan emerged slowly from the shadows. He looked at the restrained Zhao Si, the pale-faced Wang Rui who had been brought over upon hearing the news, and the other uneasy survivors. His gaze was cold enough to scrape off ice shards.

"Chen Hao’s schemes don't amount to much," he said. His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone clearly. "If you want to play the mole, you’d better weigh your own worth first."

He looked at Wang Rui with the eyes one would use for a dead man.

"String him up. At daybreak, let everyone see the consequences of betraying the Thunder God Base."

As for Zhao Si, Li Hexuan didn't even have the interest to spare him another glance. Such a fool, used as a mere pawn by others, wasn't worth wasting his breath on.

Chen Hao’s initial infiltration plan was crushed by Li Hexuan with effortless ease.

***

But Li Hexuan knew this was only the beginning. With the mole captured, Chen Hao would inevitably be enraged by his own humiliation.

He looked up toward the fog-shrouded western waters. The increasingly close, terrifying roars signaled that a true, bloody battle was imminent.

And what new sinister tricks would Chen Hao resort to next?

The dawn had not yet broken, and the thick fog still held Falling Leaf Mountain in a death grip.

The cold morning breeze, laced with moisture, chilled one to the bone. On the temporary clearing atop the Thunder God Base, several torches crackled, their light barely dispelling the mist but failing to suppress the almost frozen, murderous atmosphere.

Wang Rui and Zhao Si were bound tightly with ropes, kneeling on the ground like two dead dogs, their faces long since drained of color.

Li Hexuan stood before them with his hands behind his back. Behind him stood Zhang Nan and Zhou Yong, and further back, a row of core members armed with weapons, all of them expressionless.

The other survivors were herded far to the side, not daring to draw a full breath, as a suffocating panic permeated the crowd.

"The Thunder God Base does not feed idlers, and it certainly does not feed traitors." Li Hexuan’s voice was flat and calm, yet it made everyone’s heart tighten.

"Last night, someone wanted to collude with the enemy, working from the inside out to smash our rice bowl and destroy the roof over our heads."

He didn't even look at the two on the ground, though his words were directed at them.

"There is only one outcome."

Wang Rui suddenly struggled, the veins on his neck bulging as he roared at Li Hexuan.

"Li Hexuan! You won't have a good death! Lord Chen’s army will be here any moment! When they arrive, they will hack you into a thousand pieces!"

Li Hexuan pulled at the corner of his mouth—an expression that could be called either mocking or dismissive—and gave Zhang Nan a look.

Zhang Nan strode forward, his thick fingers gripping Wang Rui’s throat, and gave a slight twist.

*Snap!*

The faint sound of bone fracturing echoed.

Wang Rui’s cursing was cut off instantly in his throat; his head lolled limply, and he was silent forever.

***

A few gasps of horror echoed through the crowd, and the timid ones covered their mouths.

Jia Shuwen, cowering at the very back of the crowd, watched as Wang Rui breathed his last. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the cold, muddy ground, an acrid smell of urine uncontrollably spreading from beneath her.

It's over!

That was the only thought left in her mind.

If Li Hexuan wouldn't even give Chen Hao the time of day, how could he possibly remember who she was?

Zhao Si, the bewitched man, was already trembling uncontrollably, his crotch soaked and warm. He kowtowed frantically, his forehead hitting the hard ground with a dull "thud, thud" sound.

"Leader Li, have mercy! Leader Li, have mercy! I... I was just confused for a moment! It was all that damned Wang Rui forcing me!"

Li Hexuan didn't even lift an eyelid and ordered Liu Zhong nearby.

"Dispose of him according to the rules. Trash like this is a waste of rations."

Liu Zhong bowed in acknowledgment and immediately signaled two men to drag the limp, jelly-like Zhao Si away.

What awaited him would be a torment longer than death itself.

Only then did Li Hexuan turn to the terrified survivors.

"Is there anyone else with ulterior motives? You can step forward now."

"I, Li Hexuan, am in a good mood today. I’ll grant you a swift end."

No one responded.

Everyone kept their heads bowed low, wishing they could bury them into their own chests, fearful of catching Li Hexuan’s attention.

These thunderous methods completely crushed any rebellious thoughts stirring within the base.

Just then!