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Chapter 45: Betrayal
They were all…
Li Xingyuan felt a knot tightening in his chest. He let out a sharp curse under his breath. "Damn it."
He wasn’t particularly close to Chen Yingyao, but he couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret. After all, he’d eaten one of the man’s ducks and enjoyed the most relaxing bath he’d had in months. That small kindness now weighed heavily on him.
The old mine's exit was hidden deep within a forest. Once, this might have been a bustling thoroughfare, teeming with travelers and merchants. But time had erased its former glory, leaving only overgrown weeds and tangled roots where the road used to be. Now, the ground lay buried beneath a thick blanket of snow, untouched by any footprints.
This explained why the illegal miners hadn’t entered through the original entrance of the old tunnel. Mining wasn’t a covert operation—it required manpower for sorting ore, extracting minerals, and processing materials—all part of an intricate workflow. While sneaking in from here would have been more discreet, gathering so many people in such a desolate woodland was far riskier than using the new mine’s access point.
"Mr. Li," the tall, lanky man finally managed after catching his breath. He straightened up, looking around at the barren landscape with uncertainty. "Where do we go next?"
"What about Chen Yingyao and the others?" Li Xingyuan asked. "Did you see what happened to them?"
"I only saw Chief Zhang fall behind—he got blocked by that... thing." The man’s voice trembled as he spoke. "I didn’t see Secretary Chen... I ran faster than they did."
"Do you recognize this place?"
"Yes." The lanky man nodded. "This should be the eastern edge of town."
Li Xingyuan squinted into the distance. From here, he could just make out the lights of the new mine, not too far away. They glowed brightly, casting a faint red hue into the night sky.
"You two head to the police station," Li Xingyuan instructed. "And find my friend Lin Song—the guy from the cafeteria. He has a rifle. Tell them to prepare carefully and avoid direct confrontation with the townsfolk. If things get desperate, send someone to neighboring towns for reinforcements. Make sure they know everything that’s going on here."
The lanky man listened intently. In moments like these, hearing calm, methodical instructions brought a strange sense of reassurance.
Thud.
The lanky man opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he collapsed face-first into the snow, his body twitching briefly before falling still.
Li Xingyuan raised his eyes to see a middle-aged man standing nearby, clutching a large rock. His face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with intensity. Unlike the monstrous creatures they’d encountered before, this man carried no moving supernatural locks—he was human, plain and simple.
Before Li Xingyuan could react, the man lifted the rock again, swinging it down with brutal force. There was no finesse in the attack, but none was needed; a blow like that could shatter bones and split skulls.
"What are you doing?" If this had been the Li Xingyuan from before—before all the trials and tribulations of this journey—he might have panicked and been struck dead. But experience had sharpened his reflexes. Though not yet on par with Old Liu, he was quicker than before. He rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the crushing impact.
The middle-aged man stumbled forward a few steps, then steadied himself. Sweat beaded on his forehead, betraying his lack of physical conditioning.
"Sorry, Mr. Li," the man muttered. "You know too much about the Fengyuan Old Mine. You’ll have to die here."
"You—" Li Xingyuan began, but the realization hit him mid-sentence. This man had known about the Fengyuan Old Mine all along. His earlier cries of alarm were nothing but a ruse—a thief shouting “thief” to deflect suspicion.
Illegal mining was no small matter. How could the local government remain oblivious? Chen Yingyao’s apparent ignorance meant someone must have covered it up.
Without warning, the man swung the rock again. This time, Li Xingyuan spotted an opening. He dodged the attack, seized the man’s arm, and drove him to the ground with a swift tackle.
The man roared like a cornered beast. With a knee thrust, he caught Li Xingyuan under the chin, sending stars exploding across his vision. A follow-up kick sent him sprawling onto the cold snow.
"Damn it," Li Xingyuan cursed inwardly. He hadn’t expected the man to be so strong, and the suddenness of the attack left him momentarily off-balance.
"You’re one of them… You’re working with Mine Director Shi!" Li Xingyuan’s words were meant to buy time while he caught his breath.
"That’s right. I’m from Fengyuan." The man climbed back to his feet, dusting himself off. "Mr. Li, do you know what lies beneath the Fengyuan Old Mine?"
Li Xingyuan’s mind raced with possibilities. Milk of Di Mu, treasures untold—but one question lingered: Why had the Black Tide only reached Earth in the past two months, while legends of Di Mu’s milk had existed in Fengyuan for generations?
The man smirked. "Gold."
Sometimes copper deposits came with traces of gold.
"When the old mine was dug to its deepest point, they found gold," the man continued, flexing his wrists. Confident from their brief scuffle, he saw no harm in elaborating. "It’s a secret shared by every generation of Fengyuan locals. Anyone who worked the mines back then knew there was gold in the copper. The secret has been passed down—for many, many generations."
"And what about the Milk of Di Mu?"
"How should I know?" the man shot back. "It’s just a legend. My grandfather never saw it, nor did his grandfather. But I’ve seen something else. Maybe there really is a god beneath the Fengyuan mines—a god for us Fengyuan people. When we were poor, she gave us gold. When we were starving, she provided food."
"And the monsters—"
"Too many questions, Mr. Li." The man bent down, picked up the rock, and hurled it once more.
But Li Xingyuan was ready.
He didn’t need a weapon. The man relied solely on brute strength, lacking any real combat skill. His wild swings were easy to dodge. As the rock flew past, Li Xingyuan extended his index finger, which transformed into a skeletal key. Its teeth slowly shifted and rotated until it sank into the lock embedded in the man’s knee joint.
The man didn’t scream. He toppled forward into the snow, seemingly unaware of what had happened. One leg—the one Li Xingyuan had touched—remained upright for a moment before collapsing beside him.
"What... did you do to me?" the man gasped, his breathing heavy and labored.
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