The Overlooked Detail: A Subtle Strike from the Side

Although it seemed almost unbelievable for someone to master the technique of "threatening the other party in reverse, by probing them," in a world full of strange and diverse shelter abilities, Mike couldn't dismiss the possibility that Liu Wenbo—or perhaps the shadowy figure behind him—might possess such a skill.

"No wonder Xiào Cí suggested I avoid Liu Wenbo last night. She must have already sensed this almost unsolvable situation," Mike murmured as he analyzed, realizing that he had likely fallen into a trap.

"No, I can't just let this go. I need to talk to Xiào Cí."

Mike, frustrated, thought to himself: he had finally acquired an S-rank probing skill—surely it couldn't go to waste?

After finding Jiāng Xiào Cí, Mike laid out the situation, seeking her advice.

"Xiào Cí, is there truly nothing I can do about Liu Wenbo?"

"If you're in a hurry, there might still be a way," Jiāng Xiào Cí replied with a gentle smile. She didn't hesitate to offer another possible route. "Do you remember Chen Xún?"

"I know him," Mike nodded. "But what does he have to do with this?"

"Do you recall, Mr. Mike, that Chen Xún once said he had followed Liu Wenbo? And that he had an A-rank shelter ability, one that lets him probe others' shelter information?"

Jiāng Xiào Cí's voice was soft but deliberate. "Given that, Chen Xún must have accessed Liu Wenbo's data."

"Chen Xún saw it... So you mean, he's also been targeted by the shadowy figure?" Mike's eyes widened as he thought it through, his brow furrowing.

"No, no... you mentioned yesterday that someone like Chen Xún isn't important enough to be targeted by them. Their schemes are much bigger than that."

Jiāng Xiào Cí nodded, her voice steady. "If there are hidden techniques at play, even if Chen Xún saw Liu Wenbo's data, he might not have been able to make sense of it."

Mike's face suddenly lit up with realization. "Wait! It's the fact that he saw it! Even if Chen Xún didn't figure it out, he must have investigated Liu Wenbo's information before!"

"If Liu Wenbo has a counterintelligence mechanism, then Chen Xún must have been affected—or even countered!"

"I just need to check Chen Xún's data to know if Liu Wenbo possesses such a mechanism!"

His eyes glinted with understanding. Jiāng Xiào Cí was right—Chen Xún was key.

"Yes, Mr. Mike," Jiāng Xiào Cí praised with a smile. "You're clever, you've figured it out."

Mike hesitated. "Wait, the more you say that, the more I feel like I've missed something. Have I missed something again?"

"Not this time," she assured him. "You can check Chen Xún's data, just be sure to inform me."

Mike wasn't quite sure what else he'd missed, but he trusted Jiāng Xiào Cí. There was no time to waste. He switched to Chen Dàfēng's perspective.

Meanwhile, Chen Dàfēng, leading a small team, had already infiltrated the heart of the New Chang resistance.

...

"Splurt!"

Chen Dàfēng squeezed, crushing the neck of the man he held in his hands. The headless body, along with the spray of blood, fell to the ground.

Unperturbed by the blood splattering across him, Chen Dàfēng smiled, relishing the warmth of the blood covering his body as he stood amid the carnage, surrounded by lifeless corpses.

"Anyone else unwilling to comply?"

Lù Niànxīn, standing nearby, shouted toward the other rooms of the villa. Holding his gun, he scanned the villa's layout, knowing the remaining armed resistance members were hiding in various rooms. This shelter housed over a hundred people—most were part of a small resistance group with little strength. But they must have underestimated the arrival of the Jinling rescue team, especially when faced with the likes of Chen Dàfēng.

The villa was originally packed with dozens of people, but Chen Dàfēng had wiped out half of them in an instant. Those who remained cowered, their guns useless against someone of his caliber.

"Still resisting?" Chen Dàfēng tilted his head, a sly smile curling on his lips. "I like brave people."

With a burst of motion, he vanished, his figure already appearing in the next room before his afterimage had faded. A series of screams followed, accompanied by the sickening sound of bodies exploding.

"Don't kill me!..."

"Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat!"

"I surrender! I... surrender!..."

Amidst the chaos of gunfire, the sounds of surrender were abruptly cut short.

"Even surrendering ends in death?" Chen Xún's brow twitched, his gaze momentarily filled with fear.

The brutal display of Chen Dàfēng's power left Chen Xún stunned. Glancing over at Lù Niànxīn, he saw the man casually sitting on a sofa, smoking a cigarette as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

"Lù, it seems like they've surrendered. If we're still killing, isn't that against the rules?"

Chen Xún carefully asked, his words cautious. Lù Niànxīn paused mid-drag, eyeing Chen Xún up and down before grinning.

"Chen Xún, do you want to know why it's just us and no soldiers with us today?"

"..."

Chen Xún's breath caught, understanding the unspoken implication in Lù Niànxīn's words. But before he could respond, Lù Niànxīn's voice echoed, dripping with menace.

"Do you intend to tell anyone about this?"

"No! I didn't mean that!" Chen Xún quickly shook his head. "I... I was just asking out of curiosity. I have the utmost respect for Captain Chen!"

Lù Niànxīn's smile widened as he flicked his cigarette. "I know. But you still think they've surrendered, don't you? Strange, I haven't seen or heard any surrendering."

"No, no, I must have misheard," Chen Xún lowered his head, deeply apologetic. "The resistance fought hard. They disregarded Captain Chen's efforts to persuade them. In the end, Captain Chen had no choice but to wipe them out to protect the people of New Chang from this potential threat."

Lù Niànxīn chuckled and extinguished his cigarette. "You'll get used to it. In most cases, we're reasonable, but Chen Dàfēng... he's an exception."

"Understood, I'll remember that," Chen Xún said, lowering his head in submission.

A few moments later, Chen Dàfēng emerged from another room, blood splattered across half his body. His boots were slick with blood, sticking to the floor with a disturbing, sticky sound.

"Done, let's rest for a bit!" Chen Dàfēng clapped his hands, signaling a nearby ability user to approach.

The rest of the group didn't move. Their eyes were fixed on him, awaiting his next command.

Mike had been watching through the perspectives of Chen Dàfēng and Lù Niànxīn for a while. After confirming his observations, he activated his probing skill on Chen Xún.

"Activating skill!"

A flash of gold appeared in Mike's eyes as the skill took effect.

[Skill successfully activated. 3000 survival points deducted.]

But then, something clicked in Mike's mind.

"Oh no..."

"Chen Xún had been so close to Liu Wenbo for so long... is it possible that he is the one behind everything?"

"If Chen Xún is the shadowy mastermind, or Liu Wenbo's second piece on the chessboard... what have I done?"

Mike's heart raced as he realized he might have walked right into a trap.

The skill had already taken effect, and a new message appeared before Mike.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. It's not bad news after all... just Chen Xún's personal data and shelter information."

Mike chuckled nervously. "I really scared myself for nothing."

The traps set by the mastermind were so intricately woven that Mike felt the pressure more than ever.

After calming himself, Mike examined the data from Chen Xún's probe.

The instant he laid eyes on it, his expression shifted from relief to shock.

He stared at the data panel, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"This kid... he definitely has something to hide!"