The courtyard garden, the small pavilion, the artificial hills, and everything else were all there, with various pavilions, towers, and beautifully decorated buildings that endowed the entire courtyard with an ancient and charming atmosphere. Coupled with the fresh air of the valley and the crisp chirping of birds, it truly made this place seem like a secluded Peach Source.

The saying goes, "With the cicadas' noise, the forest seems quieter, and with the birdsong, the mountains even more serene." The mountains are already silent, and with such a deserted environment as a contrast, the quietude becomes even more pronounced.

However, Ling Zhenfei could distinctly sense an unsettling element within this serene environment.

"Fengzi, keep up!"

After searching the courtyard, Ling Zhenfei was preparing to turn back and call for Fengzi to move forward together when he suddenly realized that Fengzi's figure was no longer behind him!

This...

This eerie scene truly startled Ling Zhenfei.

The reason he had unlocked Fengzi's handcuffs was that he was confident that with his own abilities, this guy would definitely not be able to escape his sight.

But who could have expected that in the blink of an eye, Fengzi would be gone!

Where on earth could Fengzi have gone?

Ling Zhenfei felt bewildered and apprehensively activated the Perspective Divine Eye to scan over the entire building complex, but he could not find any trace of Fengzi.

How could this be? How could Fengzi just disappear into thin air in a few minutes?

The weirdness of the situation made Ling Zhenfei's heart tighten even more.

He knew that this base, which appeared mottled and superficially luxurious yet seemingly without a ripple, was actually seething with undercurrents and filled with immense danger!

What to do?

Standing at the edge of the brewing storm, Ling Zhenfei felt some tension but was not at all panicked.

He quickly adjusted his state of mind, contemplating the mystery within while carefully moving along the deserted corridor towards the small buildings in the courtyard.

Reality once again confirmed the peculiarity of this facility. Although no one could be seen inside the base, everything Ling Zhenfei encountered was neatly arranged and free of dust, obviously maintained daily by someone.

Now, all the signs in front of Ling Zhenfei indicated that people lived here. Not just a few, but a frequent number of people came and went!

Yet why was there not a single person in sight?

Could it really be as Fengzi had said, that they had all gone out searching for someone?

But even if there were such reasons, it wouldn't make sense that they had all left, not even leaving someone to watch the place, would it?

And what about Fengzi's sudden disappearance? What was that about?

Fengzi was well aware that if he were caught by him, he wouldn't be let off lightly, yet he dared to do this. Could it be that he deliberately lured Ling Zhenfei here?

A myriad of questions flashed through Ling Zhenfei's mind, but he couldn't find any answers. He could only suppress his doubts for the time being and continue to move forward with caution and vigilance.

Ling Zhenfei made a round within the facility and still didn't discover any abnormal occurrences.

As for the evidence about Hei Biao and Wang Changming using this place for their nefarious purposes that Fengzi had mentioned earlier, he hadn't found a trace.

Could it be that this so-called base was a sham? Or was it something Fengzi had fabricated to deceive him into coming here?

Yet, if they had deliberately tricked him into coming here, what would their purpose be?

His thoughts in disarray, Ling Zhenfei suddenly had a realization, and his heart skipped a beat!

This is bad!

Boom!

Just as a troublesome thought crossed Ling Zhenfei's mind, the half-open factory gate suddenly closed on its own, producing a heavy, crashing sound.

"Hahaha..."

Following the terrifying sound of the gate slamming shut, a burst of sudden, maniacal laughter spread through the air...

There was no wind at the time, and the thick factory gate had suddenly closed on its own, a situation eerie enough in itself. But when that wild laughter unexpectedly reached Ling Zhenfei's ears, his nerves tightened even more.

It turned out he could clearly tell that the source of this wild laughter didn't seem to be fixed; it appeared to come from all directions. And it also sounded amplified, obviously transmitted through multiple loudspeakers.

"Hahaha, kid, welcome to the Valley of Death!"

Ling Zhenfei stood motionless in the vortex of sounds, intently searching for the true source of the voice.

After an extremely arrogant fit of laughter, the voice then chillingly roared, "This journey of yours will leave behind something very precious—that is your life!"

"Oh, really? Are you so confident you can take my life?"

Ling Zhenfei used his Perspective Eye to scan around the courtyard but still found nothing unusual. He could only suppress the anger in his heart and shouted sternly, "If that's the case, there's no need to hide yourself. If you have the guts, come out and let me see if you truly have the capability!"

"Hahaha, Ling Zhenfei, kid, this trap today was made especially for you. Since you're so eager to seek death, then come and accept your fate!"

Rumble! Rumble!

The voice weirdly roared, and as its words ended, a strange sound of mechanical operations could be heard in the air.

Click! Click! Click!

Immediately afterward, what reached Ling Zhenfei's ears was a series of sounds that were clearly those of gun bolts being pulled back.

What... what's going on?

At the sudden sound of gun bolts, Ling Zhenfei was immediately jolted.

When he followed the sound, he was even more horrified to discover that around the courtyard, two or three dozen gunmen, each carrying submachine guns, had appeared out of nowhere.

These gunmen, dressed in black and with indifferent faces, had all released the safeties on their guns and surrounded Ling Zhenfei from a distance, their dark muzzles uniformly aimed at him.

What… exactly is going on?

Just moments ago the courtyard had been completely silent; how could all these people suddenly pop up as if they had sprouted from the ground?

Wait… emerged from the ground?

Just as this absurd thought crossed Ling Zhenfei's mind, his heart couldn't help but shudder.

Indeed, emerged from the ground! These people had actually come out of the ground!

Because Ling Zhenfei clearly saw that each of them came out of a mechanism similar to an elevator. After carrying them, those mechanisms miraculously disappeared from the surface of the ground.

All of this was simply too incredible!

No wonder just now Ling Zhenfei, even with the power of the Perspective Eye, searched around and found no traces of anyone.

The reason was that he had only been searching on the ground, without looking below it, never expecting that these people would be hiding underground like rats!

And this, it just so happened, confirmed why Fengzi had suddenly vanished—it was clear he had taken the opportunity to hide underground while unobserved.

"Hahaha, Ling Zhenfei, you didn't expect this, did you? Aren't you very clever and capable? I'd like to see where you'll run to today?"

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