This situation not only made Ling Zhenfei feel embarrassed, but even Han Lian, who stood beside him, also looked awkward and at a loss, not knowing how to resolve it.

"Alright, alright, Zhuo Yue, that's not a snake, it's just a vine, don't be afraid!"

In the end, Ling Zhenfei, bothered by Zhuo Yue's persistence, could only reach out to take the vine off her shoulder, comforting her with a smile.

"So it wasn't a snake! I was scared to death just now!"

After the false alarm, Zhuo Yue came back to her senses and let out a long sigh of relief. However, she hadn't seemed to notice that she was still hugging Ling Zhenfei tightly, maintaining her octopus-like pose from before.

"Hey, I say... Zhuo the beauty, since it's not a snake."

Ling Zhenfei swallowed with difficulty; Han Lian and Fengzi were watching with wide eyes right beside him!

"Ah!"

Hearing Ling Zhenfei say that, Zhuo Yue exclaimed in shock, her pretty face turning bright red as her body jerked away from Ling Zhenfei's as if electrocuted.

"Hahaha..."

It was the first time Ling Zhenfei saw Zhuo Yue showing such an embarrassed look, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter while holding his belly.

"You... you jerk, you took advantage of me, and you dare to laugh!"

Zhuo Yue's delicate face blushed, feeling utterly embarrassed, and seeing that Ling Zhenfei was laughing without a care, she immediately raised her slender arms to hit him.

Ling Zhenfei was not about to let himself be easily hit, and he quickly dodged to the side with a laugh.

Zhuo Yue, both angry and anxious, but unable to hit Ling Zhenfei, turned to Han Lian for help: "Sister Han Lian, he's bullying me, aren't you going to do something about it?"

"Alright, alright, stop making a fuss, we still have serious business to attend to!"

Han Lian looked at Fengzi, who was shackled beside her, and after giving the two an exasperated glance, she said to Ling Zhenfei, "There's a dense forest ahead. Not only is the road difficult, but the signal is also unstable. Should we wait here for Director Guo to bring people over?"

"Okay, Han Lian, you and Zhuo Yue stay here; I'll go ahead and scout out the area." Ling Zhenfei nodded, said to the two women, and set off into the forest with Fengzi in tow.

"Wait!" Just as he was about to leave, Han Lian called out to him, her face full of concern, "Zhenfei, it's dangerous ahead, you can't go on an adventure alone!"

"Right! Sister Han Lian is right. Ling Zhenfei, what is this? Getting your thrills by going alone, are you planning to leave me and Sister Han Lian here to face the cold northwest wind?"

Zhuo Yue also spoke up unsatisfied, running forward.

"Save it, girl, a vine scared you that much, and if a few wild wolves suddenly burst out of the forest, wouldn't they scare you to death?"

Ling Zhenfei glanced at Zhuo Yue and sternly said to the two women, "The situation in the mountains is unclear. You should listen to me and wait here for Director Guo to arrive, then we can enter together with the main force."

Seeing that Han Lian was still worried about him, Ling Zhenfei offered a faint smile and said, "Don't worry, I wasn't afraid of Tan Shaojie and his four top men last time. As for the Chen family's lackeys, I don't take them seriously at all."

"Then... be careful..."

Han Lian saw a confidence that looked down on everything in Ling Zhenfei's eyes. Seeing his resolve, she nodded and watched as Ling Zhenfei disappeared into the forest with Fengzi.

"Hey, Ling Zhenfei..."

Just as Ling Zhenfei really walked away, Zhuo Yue was about to shout and follow, but Han Lian pulled her back and said, "Zhuo Yue, Ling Zhenfei is skilled and brave; we might just hold him back if we go now!"

Ling Zhenfei pushed Fengzi toward the deeper parts of the mountain forest.

After walking for a while, they finally saw a row of ancient buildings in the valley ahead—it must be Hei Biao and the others' base.

As the sight of the base neared, Fengzi's expression became hesitant; he seemed afraid to approach, his eyes rolling around as if he was contemplating an escape.

"Fengzi, don't think that just because you've made it here, you have a chance to escape. Save your energy, if you dare make any rash moves, I'll let you know just how severe the consequences can be!"

Although Ling Zhenfei seemed to be leisurely walking behind, he didn't miss a single move made by Fengzi.

"No, Young Master Ling, you've misunderstood, I wasn't thinking of escaping, it's just that…"

Having his thoughts exposed by Ling Zhenfei made Fengzi look quite embarrassed, but he had to admit, "The base is just up ahead. There was a bit of trouble last night, so they must be on high alert. If we just walk in like this, we'll quickly be discovered."

"You're right, we would indeed be easily discovered if we went in that way," Ling Zhenfei admitted, looking at Fengzi closely before decisively unlocking his handcuffs.

"Young Master Ling, what are you…"

Fengzi was clearly surprised by the intention behind Ling Zhenfei unlocking his handcuffs.

"I'll impersonate one of your underlings. When we get in there and encounter your people, you just block them for a second."

Ling Zhenfei spoke as if his words were nothing but a light breeze, yet the gaze he directed at Fengzi was icy cold: "Fengzi, I'm warning you again, you'd better cooperate, and you might get some leniency from the police. But if you're thinking of playing tricks, you'll only have yourself to blame for the consequences!"

Confronted with Ling Zhenfei's chilling glare, Fengzi shuddered, daring not to be negligent, and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

So, the two set out for the valley.

Initially, according to their expectations, the valley should have been heavily guarded. However, to their surprise, as they continued deeper into the valley, they didn't encounter a single soul.

"What's going on here? Could it be that Hei Biao and Wang Changming don't usually have sentries posted here?"

Ling Zhenfei examined his surroundings and found nothing unusual, casting a puzzled glance at Fengzi.

"Of course, there are sentries. This base is Hei Biao's treasure trove, they value it greatly, how could they not have sentries?"

Fengzi also appeared surprised, helplessly shrugging before he looked around again, and then suddenly slapped his forehead, "I know why! A woman went missing last night; they must all be out looking for her, leaving the base unguarded."

"Alright, let's go in and take a look."

Fengzi was a cunning man, and Ling Zhenfei didn't entirely believe his words. After hearing this, Ling Zhenfei nodded and quickened his pace, approaching the base.

The buildings in this base clearly had seen better days; they looked like an old factory, and the scale was not small either.

Squeak!

Ling Zhenfei pushed open the rusty iron gates of the factory, quickly scanned the courtyard without spotting anyone, then turned back and gestured to Fengzi before slipping inside first.

From the outside, the entire factory looked utterly abandoned.

But once Ling Zhenfei entered and saw for himself, he realized that the dilapidation of the factory's exterior was just a facade. Inside was an entirely different scene of opulence.

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