Lu Ye felt a powerful force suddenly grip him, and his body involuntarily moved forward. Despite the intense pain in his chest, he forced himself to speak, “Manager Yang, where are we going?”
“Less talking!” Manager Yang replied coldly, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ye’s mine basket. “Drop it.”
Without hesitation, Lu Ye unstrapped the mine basket from his back and dropped it on the ground, but he didn’t let go of his mining pick. Manager Yang glanced at him but didn’t say anything further. As they continued deeper into the tunnel, the light behind them faded, and the surrounding darkness grew thicker.
The deeper they went, the darker the mine tunnel became. The light from the torches was like a distant star, barely illuminating the way ahead. Most mine tunnels were in perpetual darkness, and without torches, it was easy to lose one’s way. In this place, if you got lost, the outcome was almost certain. The mine slaves often said, “The main roads have light, but the dark passages are always dark. Those who get lost will never be buried.”
But Lu Ye noticed something strange—Manager Yang kept glancing back with a tense expression, as though worried about something. This made Lu Ye more vigilant.
“Lu Ye, do you know any secret passages?” Manager Yang suddenly asked, his voice tinged with a barely perceptible urgency.
Lu Ye nodded and answered truthfully, “Yes.” In fact, not only did he know several secret passages, but many of the stronger mine slaves also had secret routes as escape options. The main roads were safer, but the mined ores were becoming increasingly scarce. It was in these dangerous secret passages that they often found rich resources. That was why Lu Ye had been able to gather enough contribution points every day to exchange for Blood Qi Pills.
“Does Manager Yang want to use one of these secret passages?” Lu Ye couldn’t help but ask, suspicion rising in his heart.
Manager Yang nodded. “Take me to one, the most hidden one.”
“Alright!” Lu Ye agreed. But just a few steps later, a sharp pain made him grunt, the injury in his chest flaring up. He couldn’t help but clutch his chest.
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Manager Yang turned to look at him with a frown. After a moment, he took out a pill from his waist pouch and handed it to Lu Ye. “Take this.”
Lu Ye took the pill. Though he didn’t recognize it, in this situation, he assumed Manager Yang had no reason to harm him. So, he popped the pill into his mouth and chewed, but immediately, he was hit with a bitter taste so strong it nearly made him gag.
“Why chew it? Just swallow it, it’s a healing pill,” Manager Yang said impatiently.
“Thank you, Manager Yang,” Lu Ye said, forcing a smile even though the taste left him grimacing.
As the effects of the pill gradually took effect, Lu Ye felt the pain in his chest begin to subside. A warm energy spread from his lower abdomen to the rest of his body, gradually alleviating the pain and leaving a pleasant tingling sensation.
The two of them continued through the winding mine passages. Occasionally, they encountered other mine slaves returning, but Manager Yang showed no mercy, striking them down with a palm. Lu Ye’s suspicions deepened, clearly, things were not as simple as Manager Yang had claimed.
An hour later, the two arrived at a hidden secret passage. Lu Ye inserted a torch into a rock spike on the wall and said, “Manager Yang, this is the most hidden passage. After we enter, take the first left at the intersection, and then…”
Before he could finish, Manager Yang kicked him into the passage. “Lead the way!”
Lu Ye’s heart sank immediately. He had already figured out Manager Yang’s intentions. The reason he was being led into this secret passage was to give Manager Yang a chance to avoid pursuers and, at the same time, eliminate any witnesses. Manager Yang had no intention of treating him kindly.
Despite this, Lu Ye gritted his teeth and continued moving forward, realizing that for now, it was better to cooperate than resist. He led Manager Yang through the maze of passages, winding for over an hour, until they finally reached the end of a tunnel.
Lu Ye inserted the torch into a rock spike, and Manager Yang let out a sigh of relief, smiling lightly. “You really have some skill, bringing me to a place like this.”
Lu Ye forced a smile. “I’m just lucky.”
Manager Yang didn’t say much else but turned to face Lu Ye, strolling toward him. “Lu Ye, you’re a smart person. Smart people should do smart things.”
Before he could finish speaking, Manager Yang’s shadow flickered in the torchlight, exuding an oppressive aura. Lu Ye’s heart tightened. “What do you mean?”
Manager Yang sighed. “I’ll be blunt with you. The Haotian Alliance’s people are here. This mine is probably doomed. I came to avoid the disaster. Although I appreciate you bringing me here, I can’t let you leave.”
Lu Ye’s face changed drastically in an instant. He had already realized what was going on. As they had walked, Manager Yang’s actions had already revealed his true intentions—he wanted to eliminate all witnesses to ensure that no information would leak.