Chapter 365: Ambush

Lin Xi's eyes narrowed slightly as he clearly saw the door number.

He silently reached behind him, gripping the handle of his oil-paper umbrella, seemingly ready to draw it at any moment.

Beside him, Old Lu also slipped a hand into his sleeve, pulling out a folding fan. Only Feng Gui, standing at the very back, remained expressionless, showing no intention of acting.

Lin Xi slowly gripped the doorknob, took a deep breath, and pushed hard!

*Screech—!*

The door burst open under Lin Xi's push. The next moment, a large amount of flour, caught by the sudden airflow, instantly surged towards his face!

At the same time, a thin needle scraped across the floor at high speed from the bottom of the door, emitting tiny sparks. Seeing this, Feng Gui's eyes sharply contracted!

"Watch out!!"

*Boom—!!!*

The sparks ignited the dust-filled air, and a violent explosion twisted the air, instantly engulfing the three figures!

A thunderous boom echoed from nearby, causing even the inn's floor and walls to tremble slightly.

All the guests awoke from their sleep, stumbled out of their rooms in confusion, and looked through windows at the blasted corridor and the thick smoke billowing out, their eyes wide with surprise.

"What happened?"

"It sounds like something exploded..."

"Heavens, is anyone hurt?"

Whispers of discussion filled the corridor. Among the crowd, four figures also joined in, peering curiously towards the direction of the explosion.

The innkeeper rushed up to the third floor, his face paling at the sight of the thick smoke.

"This... this..."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

A violent fit of coughing emerged from the dense smoke.

Three disheveled figures stumbled out of the black smoke. Lin Xi's oil-paper umbrella was charred black, and much of Old Lu's hair was burnt off. As for Feng Gui, he appeared outwardly unharmed, but the palm of his hand hidden in his sleeve was completely blackened.

Seeing the bewildered crowd in the corridor staring at them, their faces fell as if they had eaten a fly.

"Damn it... we've been tricked! He anticipated our arrival??" Lin Xi said in a low voice.

"Didn't you say that man was a hot-headed brute?" Old Lu smoothed his few remaining hairs, speaking irritably. "A brute can predict our actions and set up an explosive trap beforehand??"

"Most people, upon discovering the circle, would panic and instinctively seek a place to hide because there's nowhere to escape... But he not only didn't hide, he set up a countermeasure in such a short time. He never intended to be the prey from the start," Feng Gui's voice was ice-cold.

"I guarantee he's hiding nearby right now, watching us fall into his trap!"

Lin Xi's gaze immediately swept around, but there were over a dozen people watching them inside the inn alone, and more and more people were arriving from the alleys outside, pointing in their direction.

"This place is too easy for hiding, and if he's truly the God of Drama, he likely changed his face and blended into the crowd..."

"What should we do next? Arrest everyone?"

"That would cause too much trouble... and even if we arrested them, identifying each one would take time, not to mention we're not even sure if he's in the crowd. He might be secretly observing from somewhere else."

As they conversed in hushed tones, the surrounding crowd grew larger. The innkeeper, pale-faced, stepped forward. Seeing the charred room behind them, his hands began to tremble.

"You... what have you done? It's not easy for me to run a small business here, this..."

Seeing the owner, Lin Xi asked in a deep voice, "Tell me, did that person come out after checking in?"

"No, he never came out."

The three exchanged glances. Old Lu gave them a discreet look. "Understood, let's go."

The three, looking worse for wear, descended the stairs and, amidst the puzzled discussions of the guests, walked straight out of the inn.

Once they were outside the inn's main door, Old Lu's eyes narrowed slightly. With a subtle flick of his hand hidden in his sleeve, tiny black specks converged into a swirling stream, dropping from his sleeve onto the ground, then spreading out in all directions.

If one looked closely, they would see that these black specks were actually countless tiny black ants. The ants' bodies seemed to be outlined by extremely fine brushes, small yet precise and vividly lifelike.

As Old Lu waved his hand, most of the ant swarm disappeared into the inn, while a smaller portion radiated out into the surrounding alleys.

"Are you sure?" Lin Xi asked.

"We left under everyone's gaze; if he's among them, he should lower his guard," Old Lu turned to look at the inn's silhouette in the misty rain. "I'm monitoring this place closely. I'll pinpoint anyone acting suspiciously immediately."

"That's a convenient skill."

"It's alright. While the numbers are large, their operational range is quite limited. I can't leave them more than two hundred meters behind."

Lin Xi's gaze swept around, settling on a nearby teahouse. "In that case, let's wait there... If we locate him, we can intercept him right away."

"Alright."

The innkeeper stood at the entrance of the damaged room, peeked inside for a moment, and sighed with a pained expression.

"It seems like a dust explosion. Looks like everything inside is gone."

"Yeah, repairs will cost a lot this time. Who were those three just now?"

"No idea, but they don't look like police officers."

"Did you hear? Willow Town is now covered by a circle; you can only enter, not leave. They must be investigating something important. Could those three have been...?"

"Ah?! Don't say it, but the one carrying the oil-paper umbrella did look strange. Maybe it's true!"

"Well, we've certainly seen something today..."

"It's just pitiful for the owner, his perfectly good room got blown up. It's a disaster for no reason."

"Yeah, who's going to pay for the damages?"

Amidst the onlookers' whispers, the innkeeper dejectedly walked downstairs. After jotting down a few notes on the counter's ledger, he turned and entered the back room, as if needing some quiet time alone.

As the door closed, the despondency vanished from his eyes, replaced by a sharp, glittering gaze...

He raised a hand to his chin and tore, a human face floating in the air.

"Three people in total, all Tier 3. Without surprises, this should be their full team for my capture... No Tier 4, that's good news.

"Too bad the Umbrella Crafter opened his umbrella too quickly, protecting the other two. I couldn't test their abilities."

Chen Ling recalled everything he had just seen, seeming somewhat disappointed.