Chapter 57: Rescuing the Damsel

After completing all this, Fang Tianlun immediately collapsed to the ground, unable to stand up any longer.

The excised flesh and severed limbs quickly turned into a pool of black water, vanishing without a trace.

Fang Tianlun’s decisiveness and ruthlessness made Qian Ye look at him with new respect. This way, he would never be able to return to his former glory as a War General, but at least he could survive. With prosthetic limbs, he could manage his daily life.

Qian Ye remained in the shadows of the trees, now facing the direction outside the forest. Then, the sound of a sniper rifle rang out, followed by two brief, agonizing screams.

Fang Tianlun’s earlier shouting and the subsequent grenade explosion had attracted several Ghost Chain guards. They dared not approach the force storm, but now that it had calmed down, some decided to investigate. To their misfortune, two of them met their end under Qian Ye’s gunfire, while the rest fled in terror.

Only then did Qian Ye emerge from the darkness. He glanced at Fang Tianlun, who lay weakly on the ground, and called out Lu Yalan, giving her a simple order: “Watch over him, but don’t get too close.”

Despite his injuries, Fang Tianlun was still a War General. If he had any secret techniques, he could potentially take a Level 6 Warrior down with him.

Qian Ye once again concealed his presence and disappeared into the darkness.

Moments later, another series of explosions echoed from the center of the estate, occasionally interspersed with the crack of a sniper rifle. Buildings crumbled, and bodies were flung into the air, engulfed in flames.

In comparison, the forest, a mix of charred earth and broken trees, was deathly silent. Only the occasional crackling of the remaining embers broke the silence.

In the flickering light of the fire, Fang Tianlun’s face was ashen, and his lips twitched. Suddenly, he shot a glance at the woman huddled in the shadows and said with a sinister tone, “Good, good! All my efforts of a lifetime have been destroyed by you, woman! You should know better than I what the consequences are for betraying the Ghost Chain.”

Lu Yalan sat leaning against a tree about ten meters away, silent. If one looked closely, they would see her pale face, beaded with sweat, and trembling hands. She had been under Fang Tianlun for many years and knew well his cruel and violent nature. Even though he was now heavily injured, and it took him three or four breaths to utter these words, the accumulated fear still gripped her.

The intense battle in the estate was coming to an end, or rather, it was a one-sided slaughter in the face of Qian Ye’s dark vision, speed, and sniper skills. In no time, more than half of the Ghost Chain guards were dead or wounded, and the survivors fled the estate.

Qian Ye did not pursue them. This was the regional headquarters of the Ghost Chain, and there was no stronger force within the province. Escaping through the wilderness at night to the neighboring province would be a long and perilous journey. By the time the Ghost Chain could gather reinforcements, Qian Ye would have finished his business.

The estate was once again quiet. Qian Ye only cleared the outside area, avoiding the buildings, and returned to the forest first.

Fang Tianlun’s spirit was even more depleted, and a faint black aura enveloped his face. Although he had cut off his own arms, a small amount of black titanium still remained in his body, resistant to all attempts to expel it. Now, with his prime energy nearly depleted, the black titanium was slowly eroding his body, causing him to suffer in agony as his flesh rotted inch by inch.

Qian Ye held a vial of healing potion in front of Fang Tianlun, “Answer my questions, and this is yours.”

Fang Tianlun’s dim eyes suddenly sparked with life, staring intently at the vial. His voice was hoarse and trembling, “You won’t kill me?”

Qian Ye narrowed his eyes, looking at Fang Tianlun, and said calmly, “Not necessarily. Whether I kill you or not isn’t very important.”

A glimmer of hope ignited in Fang Tianlun’s eyes, and he nodded, “I am already this badly injured, and there is no chance of recovery. I am no longer a threat to you. Just let me go, and I will tell you everything I know!”

“Where is the consignee? Who hired you?”

Fang Tianlun answered almost without hesitation. Qian Ye was not surprised by his cooperation. Someone who could cut off their own arms to survive would not seek death.

The intermediary for this job was an elder from the Ghost Chain headquarters. Fang Tianlun did not know the details of the employer, only that the person was someone of high status, possibly from a great family or a powerful clan.

Originally, the employer’s agent was stationed here, but he died during the attack on the consignee’s base. Therefore, the consignees, including Chen Lu, had not yet been moved and were still locked in the dungeon, waiting for the employer to send someone to collect them.

Qian Ye gave Fang Tianlun another glance and tossed him the healing potion, saying, “Drink it, then take me there.” He did not fully trust Fang Tianlun. Most of what he said was likely true, but Fang Tianlun might not be entirely ignorant of the employer’s identity.

When Fang Tianlun mentioned that the employer might come from a great family or a powerful clan, his eyes flickered, and he secretly examined Qian Ye’s weapons and clothes, trying to guess his identity. This confirmed Qian Ye’s suspicion that Fang Tianlun had heard something.

However, the waters involving the powerful clans were always deep. Qian Ye, not being a War General, had managed to single-handedly bring down the entire regional headquarters of the Ghost Chain, indicating that his background was not ordinary. Fang Tianlun, with his life in Qian Ye’s hands, did not dare to reveal too much.

Fang Tianlun bit into the vial and drank the potion. As the medicine took effect, he regained some strength and struggled to stand.

The dungeon was located in the largest building in the central area. With Fang Tianlun leading the way, everything went smoothly. Qian Ye easily killed the remaining four or five guards in the main building, while the servants and cooks were ordinary, unarmed people.

Qian Ye had Lu Yalan gather these people in a room and watch over them, while he followed Fang Tianlun down to the dungeon.

The entrance was behind a spiral staircase, descending about a dozen steps before turning a corner, where a steel door appeared. On the wall beside the door, there were four handles, each with a number above it.

Qian Ye was slightly surprised, “A steam mechanism? What is the password?” Without waiting for Fang Tianlun to speak, he casually pointed at the steel door and said, “Stand in front of the door first.”

Fang Tianlun’s expression changed, and his eyes flickered, but he eventually walked to the door and said, “The password is 0704.”

Qian Ye looked at him with a half-smile, pulled the handle, and in the sound of creaking gears, the numbers began to turn, quickly landing on 0.

Next, Qian Ye pulled the other three handles in sequence. When the numbers showed 0704, a large amount of steam immediately poured out from the gap in the door. The massive gears slowly turned, moving the heavy door to the sides.

Qian Ye looked up, noticing a small amount of steam leaking from the ceiling. If the password had been incorrect, the narrow passage would have filled with scalding steam, capable of burning even a Dark War General.

Fang Tianlun obediently led the way. The dungeon was spacious, with dozens of cells of various sizes. Most of the cells were empty, but the nearly black, old bloodstains on the walls and torture devices silently told the story of what had happened here.

Qian Ye followed Fang Tianlun to the end of the dungeon, where a solitary cell held a naked woman, her body covered in wounds from various tortures. Four thin chains pierced through her wrists and ankles, connected to the walls.

Hearing the footsteps, the woman slowly raised her head, revealing a delicate face. Her face was smeared with blood, and her matted hair obscured her vision, making it difficult to see the newcomers.

She let out a hum, her voice weak but full of unmasked mockery, “Did that bastard Song Ziqi finally send someone again? Haha, be careful this time, or you might end up like Liu He. Ah, I advise you to just kill me and save your resources.”

Upon hearing the name Song Ziqi, Qian Ye’s pupils contracted slightly, and he glanced at Fang Tianlun, whose face was somewhat embarrassed. The latter whispered, “Liu He was the employer’s agent.”

That was not what Qian Ye wanted to ask, but it was pointless to press further. He smiled slightly and said louder, “You seem quite tough. If I were Song Ziqi, I might just follow your advice.”

Qian Ye directly broke the lock on the cell door, opened it, and walked in. He picked up a bucket of clear water and poured it over the woman.

The woman groaned and immediately lifted her head, greedily swallowing the water, clearly extremely thirsty.

Qian Ye poured two more buckets of water over her, washing away most of the stains and blood, before drawing his dagger and cutting the chains. The four thin, high-quality steel chains easily snapped into pieces.

“Bear with it,” Qian Ye said, holding her down and yanking out a chain from her shoulder, causing a stream of blood.

The woman was incredibly tough, not even making a sound, and even Qian Ye felt a bit impressed. He took out a healing potion, injecting half into her arm and pouring the rest directly onto the wound.

The woman lay there, her chest rising and falling. After a while, a faint flush returned to her face. She turned her head and looked deeply at Qian Ye, asking, “I am Chen Lu. Who are you?”

Qian Ye reached out and helped Chen Lu up, saying, “It doesn’t matter who I am. I am here to deliver you.”

Chen Lu’s eyes lit up, and she looked Qian Ye up and down, smiling brightly, “You are the delivery person? Good! Get me out of here first, and we can talk later. There is a man named Fang Tianlun guarding here, and he is strong!”

“Are you talking about him?” Qian Ye asked.

Chen Lu followed his gaze and saw Fang Tianlun standing outside the door, looking shocked. Fang Tianlun’s breath was weak, and both his arms were gone, with a terrifying, bone-deep wound on his chest.

Chen Lu was speechless for a moment, then asked in surprise, “Did you do this?”

Qian Ye threw his cloak from his backpack to Chen Lu, saying, “Let’s go first, then talk.”

Fang Tianlun forced a smile, “You have found her, and I have told you everything I know. Now I am completely useless. Can I leave?”

Qian Ye glanced at Chen Lu and said, “Turn around.”

Chen Lu complied, and seeing this, Fang Tianlun’s face changed dramatically, shouting, “You are breaking your word!”