Chapter 1144

After breakfast, Ning Chen conducted an interrogation.

Lin Yi and Facing Huo Jinglin sat upright on the sofa like elementary school students, their eyes fixed steadily on Ning Chen.

If only Lin Yi had done this, it would've been normal—but with Facing Huo Jinglin added, the scene looked utterly bizarre.

It was as if Lin Yi were the kind of student every class had—the one in the back row, lazy and uninterested, whose misbehavior and scolding were routine.

Facing Huo Jinglin, however, was the top student in every class, the model student.

And now, the model student had been corrupted by the delinquent, and both were being reprimanded by the teacher together.

In such a situation, the teacher's feelings were hard to describe—like a parent felt when their own well-raised pig had been stolen.

"What did you feel yesterday?"

Lin Yi's sluggish mind turned slowly: "Actually, I felt nothing—I just slept the whole time."

Facing Huo Jinglin nodded in agreement: "Same here. We didn't feel any discomfort at all. Overall, we're fine."

Hearing their words, Ning Chen guessed the truth and stopped asking further.

Ning Chen and Xiao Han walked to the edge of the lake; its azure waters reflected the sky, beautiful beyond words.

But only those who had experienced it knew how terrifying this area truly was.

It was like a giant poppy, luring people into addiction.

Time finally arrived; Ning Chen and Xiao Han stood there for a very, very long time.

They exchanged glances and saw mutual certainty in each other's eyes.

It was about to begin.

Ning Chen returned to the RV first and bound Lin Yi and Facing Huo Jinglin again—this time, he tied them completely.

Perhaps because the environment was mild, neither struggled much; they accepted being bound with calm expressions.

"Ning Ge, why are you tying them up?" Gu Yanqi asked softly, her heart aching as she watched her two companions, their faces blank, seemingly unaware of what was happening.

"I'm afraid they'll lose control later. Yanqi, no matter what they do, don't untie them. If they get too violent, knock them out."

Ning Chen picked up the baseball bat Lin Yi had secretly kept and handed it to Gu Yanqi for self-defense.

"No matter what happens outside, don't get out of the RV. Understood?"

Gu Yanqi nodded seriously—she understood that if she went out, she'd be useless at best and a liability at worst.

Seeing how obedient Gu Yanqi was, Ning Chen couldn't resist pulling her into his arms.

He stroked her long, glossy black hair twice, then whispered softly as he pulled away: "Wait for me."

Outside the RV, Xiao Han had already been taken by Little Qiongqi to the center of the lake; he now faced Ning Chen, waiting.

After Ning Chen nodded to Xiao Han, Xiao Han extended his hand and launched an attack toward the center.

Second time's the charm—this time, Xiao Han didn't bother with testing; he went straight for the core.

The surroundings immediately began to tremble; just like yesterday, a puppet vaguely appeared.

Ning Chen's hand turned into a blade, slashing three puppets down to one, then, as before, severed their limbs until they lay helpless on the ground.

This would buy them plenty of time.

This time, Ning Chen stayed alert; after sensing the puppet's regeneration take about a minute, he struck its occiput and destroyed it.

Roughly ten seconds later, faint human shadows began to emerge again—twice as many puppets as before.

Inside the RV, Gu Yanqi watched in horror, her heart pounding; though the puppets weren't as strong as Ning Chen, each batch killed only brought more—this was a human wave tactic.

Ning Chen stared at the dense, emerging figures before him and felt a slight headache.

Four hours had passed; the puppets had multiplied beyond count, and Ning Chen noticed they were growing stronger.

As if realizing they couldn't defeat him, they increased their strength with each wave.

Ning Chen panted, a faint smile tugging at his lips—truly, a nuisance.

He was now mechanically slashing through the puppets around him; even Little Qiongqi had joined the fight, or he'd never have managed alone.

Now there were so many that for every one he killed, another appeared—and as time passed, the puppets yet to appear grew even stronger.

After cutting down the last puppet before him, Ning Chen caught his breath—it had been a long time since he'd exercised this hard.

"How long has it been?" Ning Chen asked Little Qiongqi.

Little Qiongqi immediately flew into the RV to check the time.

"Fifty minutes left!"

The time wasn't much—but for them, it was a good thing.

Without giving Ning Chen time to rest, faint glimmers began to flicker again around him, forming puppet shapes.

Meanwhile, inside the RV, Lin Yi and Facing Huo Jinglin suddenly grew agitated.

Their eyes were closed, but guttural roars came from their throats, and they began thrashing wildly.

The ropes sank into their flesh, leaving deep grooves—Lin Yi's wrists were even bleeding from the friction.

Clearly, they were willing to risk everything to break free.

If they continued like this, their hands might be severed.

Gu Yanqi approached them with the baseball bat.

She finally understood why Ning Ge had given her this bat.

Gu Yanqi swallowed hard, whispered an apology in her mind, then swung the bat down onto the back of their heads.

After the blow, they stopped moving—evidently unconscious.

Gu Yanqi exhaled in relief; she knew Ning Chen had placed a protective barrier on them, ensuring they wouldn't face mortal danger—that's why she dared strike.

Seconds ticked by; Ning Chen grew increasingly strained, barely dodging a puppet's attack.

His strength and stamina were now pushed beyond their limits—he was nearing his breaking point.