Chapter Seventy-Two: Lies

Qin Yu remained silent throughout the journey, lost in her own world. Zhao Mo watched her from the side, feeling both heartbroken and helpless.

It was nearly dusk on the second day when the three finally arrived at Kaiyuan Town. The once peaceful settlement was now nothing like before—fragments of all sorts littered the streets, giving the place a chaotic appearance. It was clear that numerous adventurer teams had been through, and with limited resources, the town had surely been drained dry.

Zhao Mo looked around in confusion and asked, “Xiao Yu, why did we come here?”

Qin Yu pushed open a door and walked inside, waiting until Zhao Mo and Xia Cheng followed before she spoke. “Xiao Mo, do you know why I made them rush to complete those tasks?”

Zhao Mo thought for a moment. “Is it because you were afraid others would finish those tasks first, and we’d lose out on the rewards?”

Qin Yu smiled. “No, Xiao Mo, try again.”

Zhao Mo frowned, glanced at Xia Cheng—who avoided her gaze—rolled her eyes at him, then turned back to Qin Yu. “I can’t figure it out! Just tell me.”

Qin Yu tapped Zhao Mo’s head. “When will you start using your brain? Sigh.”

Zhao Mo clung to Qin Yu, smiling sweetly. “Why bother thinking when I have you? Hehe.”

Qin Yu sighed, resigned. “The people in Falcon Squad might try to pin Qian Ying’s death on me. After all, he came looking for me before he died. At first, I thought they’d choose an internal scapegoat, but when I saw Tian Jian yesterday, the ambition in his eyes was impossible to ignore.”

Zhao Mo replied, “If we leave like this, aren’t we indirectly admitting we had a hand in Qian Ying’s death?”

Qin Yu curled her lips into a wicked smile. “Tian Jian wants to use public opinion to eliminate us. If we insisted on arguing with them, we might avoid harm, but our reputation would suffer. After all, Falcon Squad is well known. Most people will choose to trust what they’re familiar with, even if that familiarity is misplaced.”

Seeing Zhao Mo still confused, Qin Yu continued, “But by rushing out to do tasks, we make them think we really did it, so they’ll come after us. I suspect Tian Jian actually wants to recruit us, so his orders should be to capture us alive. My instruction was to help others complete their tasks, which quietly boosts our reputation. Besides, Wang Bing and the other two aren’t fools; they’ll expose Tian Jian’s lies. Most people who’ve survived this apocalypse aren’t stupid, though some might be blinded. When the truth comes out, Falcon Squad’s reputation will take a major hit, and ours will rise accordingly. Of course, there are those who genuinely want us gone, which is why I kept reminding them to be careful.”

Zhao Mo nodded in understanding. Qin Yu added, “Tian Jian’s ambition far surpasses Qian Ying’s.”

“I think so too! Did you see the look in his eyes? Tsk tsk,” Zhao Mo agreed enthusiastically.

“Oh, right! Xiao Yu, do you know who killed Qian Ying?”

Qin Yu shook her head. “No, I have no clue. There were hardly any wounds on his body, and his expression was striking—his face seemed to reflect utter disbelief, his eyes full of fear and despair.”

Zhao Mo sighed. “If we don’t find the real killer, will anyone believe us?”

Qin Yu patted Zhao Mo’s shoulder. “That’s why, over the next half month, we need to seek out the truth!”

“What? Find the truth? Then why come here? There’s nothing here!” Zhao Mo exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, there’s nothing here now. But I found out from Qian Ying’s room that their last mission site was here! I’ve heard that task was extremely dangerous. Doesn’t that strike you as odd? I already dealt with that Tier Three zombie, so there shouldn’t have been any great threat. Why did such a strange mission crop up?”

“You think they died because of that mission? But Tian Jian and the others did it too!” Zhao Mo pressed.

“Yes, exactly. I was curious about that, so I went to ask the other members of Falcon Squad. They said Qian Ying and Feng Mei’er weren’t with them for a while when they entered the town, and both returned in terrible shape! So I wondered if they encountered something—or saw something they shouldn’t have seen,” Qin Yu replied.

“In that case, why wait until they returned to base to kill them? And why take so long?” Zhao Mo couldn’t fathom the killer’s motives.

“Feng Mei’er and Qian Ying are both quite strong, and Feng Mei’er has special psychic abilities—creating illusions or confusion isn’t hard for her. I bet she never imagined someone could break through her powers. So, I thought we should come and see what’s really going on,” Qin Yu continued.

“Oh,” Zhao Mo said, nodding and falling silent.

Xia Cheng and Qin Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of worry in each other’s eyes. Would this story convince Zhao Mo? She must never learn about that note—if she fainted again like last time, neither of them could bear another blow.

“So, Xiao Yu, where do we go now?” Zhao Mo suddenly looked up and asked.

“Let’s find a place to rest first. We’ve been traveling for so long!” Qin Yu replied with a smile.

“Alright! Let’s hurry!” Zhao Mo grabbed Xia Cheng with her left hand and Qin Yu with her right, happily leading them onward.

The three wandered the town, rejecting one place after another, until they finally found a house that satisfied them all.

Inside, Zhao Mo used the ingredients Qin Yu had provided to cook a meal, while Xia Cheng and Qin Yu discussed matters in the spacious living room.

After dinner and tidying up their temporary home, night had fallen. Exhausted from their day’s journey, they retired early.

In the middle of the night, Qin Yu suddenly opened her eyes, staring toward the door. Her voice was sharp: “Who’s there?”

The shadow emerging from the darkness made Qin Yu’s heart skip a beat.