Chapter 985: Troublesome Opponent

"With a playing card stuck in him? What suit?" Fang Liangye's attention was completely diverted by the mention of the playing card, and he immediately asked.

Chen Ling pretended to think for a moment. "It seemed to be... the Queen of Diamonds."

"Queen of Diamonds..." Fang Liangye fell into contemplation.

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Fang Liangye's mind. Chen Ling's statement might sound far-fetched to others, but to Fang Liangye, it suddenly became believable. He had been abducted to the Boundless Domain by the King of Silver; if Zou Wei had reported the situation to the higher-ups in time, the Twilight Society would certainly send people to rescue him! This also explained why "Jia Chen" said the person seemed to hold a grudge against the Torch-Lighters, and the Queen of Hearts was very likely the Twilight Society's advance team, specifically sent to rescue him! At this point, most of Fang Liangye's doubts had vanished. He didn't believe a Rat Party member could conjure up a Queen of Diamonds out of thin air.

"Playing cards... could it be the Twilight Society?" The other Rat Party members realized belatedly, "Has Mr. Fu come to help?"

Mr. Fu was likely the Eight of Spades hiding in the private hospital, as he had mentioned helping the Rat Party on multiple occasions.

"Who is Mr. Fu?"

"He's a Twilight Society member who's close to us, and he's also in the Boundless Domain."

Chen Ling observed Fang Liangye's expression as he asked questions, and a hint of doubt arose in his mind. For some reason, this ordinary person seemed very interested in the Twilight Society.

*Rumble—*

A rumbling sound echoed from a distant passage, and dust trickled down from above.

"No matter what, let's get out of here first!" Wu Duo knew they couldn't delay any longer and immediately said, "The 'door' is very close; let's hurry."

Everyone quickly moved down a flight of stairs.

Chen Ling blended into the crowd, observing their route, and clicked his tongue internally.

The Rat Party's escape route was no different from what he had initially guessed: within the intricate passages, there must be a hidden path known only to them, leading deeper underground. This wasn't hard to deduce, as any enemy attack would come from the surface downwards. However, their route would be more clandestine; while it might deceive others, it couldn't fool a powerhouse of Hong Xiu's caliber. According to the original plan, once they went deep underground, they would inevitably run into Hong Xiu and be caught in one sweep. It was fortunate that he had intervened in the roundup, and equally fortunate that Hong Xiu was now on their side.

"Wait!"

Just as everyone was about to go deeper underground, Fang Liangye suddenly stopped.

Everyone turned to look at him simultaneously, confusion flashing in their eyes.

"What's wrong, Fang Liangye?" someone asked.

"...Don't you think everything is too simple?" Fang Liangye frowned deeply. "This time, the Silver Government deployed more than one Saint Thief, along with a large number of Torch-Lighters. It's clear they are determined to annihilate the Rat Party. Can we really escape so easily from underground?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Torch-Lighters are too spread out; it doesn't look like a blockade or an encirclement at all. Instead, it seems they want to drive us and force us to gather in one place. I keep feeling they've held something back, intending to catch us all at the last moment."

Hidden in the crowd, Chen Ling's eyebrows raised slightly. This Fang Liangye is quite something. To be able to see the essence of such a chaotic situation and even guess his original plan... Is this guy truly an ordinary person?

"Are you saying... they might have set up an ambush near the 'door'?" A Rat Party member frowned and asked, "But how would they know where our 'door' is?"

"They don't need to know where the 'door' is. They just need to know we'll definitely head underground. The underground is different from the surface; there are only a few ways to escape. As long as we go down, they'll find a way to block us."

"Then... what should we do?"

"..." Fang Liangye thought for a moment. "Let's do the opposite: we run to the surface."

"What?!"

What? Chen Ling grew even more surprised.

"But we're almost surrounded by Torch-Lighters. Running to the surface, wouldn't that be a death wish?" Wu Duo couldn't help but ask.

"As I just said, the Torch-Lighters are too spread out. While they occupy all directions, each direction is weak. If so many of us combine our strength to charge one spot, we might very well rip open a path..." Fang Liangye stated seriously, "And we have the Queen of Diamonds operating in the shadows; she will definitely tie up the Torch-Lighters' high-level combatants. Our chances of escaping from the surface are high."

Chen Ling's gaze towards Fang Liangye had changed. For some reason, he felt like he was looking into a mirror. If he were in Fang Liangye's position, all of Fang Liangye's current strategies for breaking out of the situation were precisely what Chen Ling himself would choose: thinking in reverse, seeking stability amidst danger, logical yet unexpected.

Just who exactly is this Fang Liangye?

"What Fang Liangye said makes a lot of sense." Several Rat Party members thought for a moment, then nodded. "But this method is still a bit risky. Should we follow the original plan and use the 'door,' or charge directly to the surface? Jia Chen, what do you think?"

Everyone's gaze turned to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling: "..."

"I think... he might be overthinking it?" Chen Ling said hesitantly. "Perhaps it's not as dangerous underground as he imagines."

Chen Ling had considered revealing his identity and leading them directly underground to leave the area, as he knew very well that the place was currently unguarded. However, after careful consideration, he abandoned this idea. Not everyone was Hong Xiu, and Chen Ling didn't have absolute trust in the Rat Party members before him. There was another point: Torch-Lighters could also "steal faces," and Chen Ling couldn't be sure if any Torch-Lighters had infiltrated the Rat Party among them. Chen Ling often did this himself, so he was particularly wary in this regard.

Fang Liangye looked into Chen Ling's eyes, then suddenly thought of something and turned to the Rat Party member who had just spoken. "Were you all together just now?"

The Rat Party member was startled, then instinctively replied, "The few of us have been running together since the beginning... except for Jia Chen. He was found by us alone."

"...Oh?" Fang Liangye's eyes narrowed slightly.

Hearing that familiar tone and the habit of narrowing eyes, Chen Ling suddenly had a bad feeling.

"So, only Mr. Jia Chen was alone and then came here," Fang Liangye said in a deep voice. "I want to remind everyone that Torch-Lighters also have the ability to 'steal faces' and can disguise themselves as others... Furthermore, he's the only one who vaguely rejected my suggestion without offering any alternative viewpoint."

Fang Liangye drew a short dagger from his waist and slowly pointed it at the oddly expressioned Chen Ling. "'Mr. Jia Chen'... I think you need to prove your identity to us."

Chen Ling: "..."

Audience expectation value: 3