Chapter 125: The Hidden Hand

"Mouse?"

Lin QiYe furrowed his brow, about to make a move when the mouse darted into a small crack in the corner.

So, even this large mansion gets mice…

Lin QiYe shook his head slightly, not thinking much of it, and stepped out the door.

"Up so early?" Wen Qimo, still lying on the couch, was awakened by the sound of the door opening and yawned lazily.

"Got used to it in the camp."

Lin QiYe descended the stairs and noticed that Hong Ying's door had already been opened. He asked in surprise:

"Where's Hong Ying?"

"She got up earlier than you. She's practicing her spear in the backyard," Wen Qimo turned over, pulling the blanket over his head, "You guys are waking up earlier than each other. Can't you let someone sleep a little? It's only five o'clock!"

Lin QiYe: ...

It wasn't that Lin QiYe liked waking up early, but after six months in the camp, it had become a habit. Every day, they were woken up by the whistle before dawn, and sometimes even dragged out for training in the middle of the night. Being able to sleep until five o'clock felt like a blessing.

Lin QiYe tiptoed to the backyard.

A young girl, dressed in a white training uniform, was holding a long spear, her black ponytail swishing as she moved swiftly across the open courtyard. Like a startled swan, her spear flashed crimson in the air, leaving long trails as the wind howled through her movements.

As if sensing Lin QiYe's arrival, Hong Ying lightly landed on the ground, swiftly retracting the spear and walking toward him with a smile.

"Awake?"

"Yeah."

"Has that pig on the couch woken up?"

"Doesn't seem like it…"

"Forget about him. Come on, I'll make you breakfast. After that, let's go to the market and buy some ingredients." Hong Ying seemed to remember something and licked her lips.

"Since you started training, I haven't had the chance to taste the captain's cooking. Tonight's going to be a feast, hehe…"

"Hong Ying, do you always wake up this early to practice the spear?" Lin QiYe asked in confusion.

"Of course." Hong Ying nodded. "My master said, if you don't practice your martial arts one day, it's like losing a hundred days of progress. Since I started learning the spear, I've been waking up early to practice every day for twelve years."

"Twelve years?" Lin QiYe raised an eyebrow. "So… how old are you?"

Hong Ying's age had always been a mystery. She looked about the same age as Lin QiYe, maybe just two or three years older. So, did that mean she started practicing the spear when she was around eight?

Hong Ying stuck out her tongue and shot him a look. "A girl's age is not something you can just ask. I'm not telling you!"

Lin QiYe helplessly followed her into the house, where she kicked Wen Qimo off the couch with a whip-like leg before heading straight to the kitchen.

About ten minutes later, a hearty breakfast was laid out on the table. Si Xiaonan, who had been sleeping in the house, was dragged out by Hong Ying, grumbling as he sat down and half-slept through breakfast.

Afterward, the three of them—Hong Ying, Lin QiYe, and Si Xiaonan—went out to buy ingredients, leaving Wen Qimo at home with a sour face, washing dishes and cleaning, fully relegated to "manual labor."

What they didn't notice was that, in the corner of the mansion's ceiling, a gray mouse was quietly observing everything…

Cangnan City.

In the complex network of sewers, a swarm of mice surged like a flood, moving with the precision of a well-trained army. They silently and swiftly passed through the tunnels, eventually arriving in a dark, expansive underground chamber.

Faint sunlight filtered through the rusted iron grid at the top of the chamber, casting long, wavering shadows from the giant, slowly turning fan. The air was thick with the smell of decay and chemicals.

In the center of the chamber stood an operating table, stained with fresh blood, surrounded by surgical tools—scalpels, axes, even a chainsaw. Nearby, two barrels of formalin preserved eerie body parts, including a massive snake head and a lizard body severed in half.

On the other side of the room, a young boy cloaked in black, wearing a hood, sat quietly. In front of him was a chessboard, black and white pieces in a complex pattern, yet the other side was empty.

Rustling sounds filled the air as dozens of mice scurried in from narrow tunnels, gathering around the stone table. They crouched quietly, as if paying homage to their king.

The boy, holding a black chess piece, gazed at the surrounding mice, murmuring to himself:

"The fourth-generation artificial Naga neurons have a much better compatibility with my psychic abilities than the third-generation. I've successfully begun developing a visual-sharing system between the Naga and snake species... but to replicate the Naga's potent infectious nature, more experiments and improvements are needed..."

He slowly placed the black piece down, stood up, and walked over to a cage filled with mice. Reaching in, he grabbed one, his fingertips glowing faintly as the energy coursed through the mouse's head. The creature instantly fainted, only to awaken moments later, its body trembling.

The mouse quickly scrambled down his hand and returned to the swarm, prostrating humbly on the ground.

"This ability comes from the Naga species. I can link other beings' consciousnesses with artificial Naga neurons and control their movements, even share their vision... Unfortunately, at the moment, I can only implant the artificial Naga neurons into mice."

With the help of over four hundred mice now implanted with these neurons, I'll be able to control every movement in Cangnan City. If something mysterious happens, I'll be able to find it before the Night Watch does..."

The boy slowly removed his hood, revealing an ordinary face. If Lin QiYe were there, he would immediately recognize him.

His name was An Qingyu.

After partnering with Lin QiYe to defeat the Naga, and after his request to join the Night Watch was rejected, An Qingyu had vanished without a trace.

An Qingyu turned away, his gaze falling back on the chessboard. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"From the vision shared by the fish species, the situation in Cangnan City is getting delicate…"

He sat back down by the chessboard, his eyes studying the black and white pieces, deep in thought.

"Hidden strong individuals from all over Daxia, more than a dozen from the Chuanjing, former Night Watch members who escaped from the Fasting Hall, the crazy scorpion mercenaries who vanished three years ago, a woman possibly connected to the Ancient Gods Church, and two deeply hidden Sea Realm experts..."

The waters in Cangnan are getting deeper and deeper.

He picked up a white piece, his expression hesitant as he looked at the corner of the board.

"These pieces are positioned too dangerously... Should I warn Lin QiYe?"

After a long pause, he seemed to make up his mind, slowly placing the white piece in the corner of the board.

"After all, we've been through so much together. This time… I'll help you."