Chapter 428: Traitor! There's an Ambush!

Including Xia Lan, everyone instinctively looked toward Xu Jingming.

But to their surprise, upon hearing this news, Xu Jingming's expression didn't change at all.

As if what Lu Qi had just said wasn't some seventh-rank Grandmaster, but some low-rank Esper he could kill with a casual flick.

Since the captain showed no reaction, Li Xiang continued pressing:

"Before the martial hall branch was attacked, did anything unusual happen?

For example, any conflicts with guilds or factions?"

As a top-tier faction of the Great Xia nation, Lei Ting Wu Guan had a certain influence even internationally.

No faction would strike without reason; the most likely cause was some conflict born of competing interests.

"Doing business in the Chaotic Triangle, clashes with other factions are inevitable.

But most of it was just minor friction—nothing that rose to the level of wiping out our martial hall branch."

Lu Qi said, shaking his head.

The number of backed factions stationed in the Chaotic Triangle wasn't small; just from Great Xia alone there were several.

But the fierce beast materials and rare flowers and herbs the Espers harvested from the wilderness zones were always limited in quantity.

The various factions were bound to clash over争夺 these materials.

But usually it was just minor injuries; even severe near-death cases were rare.

"I see, got it."

Li Xiang nodded, brows slightly furrowed, and said to Xu Jingming:

"Based on the current information, we can't analyze anything too useful.

We'll have to wait until we reach the temporary base and talk with the other surviving Espers to see if we can find more leads..."

No conflict found, no perpetrator found.

But that was almost impossible—after all, six seventh-rank Grandmasters wouldn't just have nothing better to do than raid a martial hall branch.

The specific reason—Lu Qi probably wasn't too clear on it.

"Mm." Xu Jingming nodded.

It was an S-rank mission after all; the leads being hard to find was normal.

Next, Lin Hui, Xia Lan, and Du Wan each took turns asking questions in turn.

But they didn't obtain much useful information.

Just like that, the off-road vehicle sped along, quickly leaving the city limits and heading toward the sparsely populated outskirts...

An hour later, not a trace of urbanization could be seen outside the window.

In its place was a stretch of very primitive shrubs and forest.

"Hiss—"

Another ten-plus minutes later, the off-road vehicle pulled over beside a cement road.

"The road ahead isn't through anymore—we'll have to go on foot."

The few of them got out of the off-road vehicle.

"There's a place to live in here?"

Looking at the overgrown area ahead, thick with shrubs and forest, Xu Jingming couldn't help feeling doubtful.

"This is a place once lived in by locals from Myanmar that we only barely found—concealment maxed out, absolutely safe!"

Lu Qi explained with a smile, then led everyone inside.

After passing through a dense stretch of jungle and walking for several more minutes, a building finally appeared in everyone's line of sight.

The building was somewhat similar to a Great Xia Sihe Academy, covering an area of roughly five or six hundred square meters.

It had two floors; the tiles on the top floor were already covered in a layer of moss.

"This is it—let me take you over." Seeing the building, Lu Qi's face lit up as well.

He hurriedly led Xu Jingming and the others toward it.

However, when they were still eighty or ninety meters from the building's gate, Xu Jingming's footsteps suddenly paused.

"Captain Xu, what's wrong?" Lu Qi looked back, eyes puzzled.

Along with him, Lin Hui, Xia Lan, and the others also looked at Xu Jingming in confusion.

"Nothing."

Xu Jingming replied with a smile, "I was just thinking this seems like a good place to kill someone and dump the body.

Even if we died here, no one would know—and it would be a real headache for headquarters to investigate afterward."

"Captain Xu, you jest—how could anyone find such a hidden place?

Let's hurry inside; the martial hall survivors are probably getting anxious waiting."

Lu Qi said with a smile, a hint of impatience showing in his expression.

"Jest? I'm not jesting with you."

Xu Jingming's face suddenly went cold, and violent golden Dou Tian Shen Lei erupted from the air.

Like a python, it bound Lu Qi tightly!!

Crackle, crackle—

Under Xu Jingming's control, the might of the Dou Tian Shen Lei wasn't especially overwhelming.

But even so, the skin Lu Qi's body that came into contact with the Lei Ting was scorched black by the electricity.

Especially the Lei Ting coiling around his neck, slowly tightening, made his face flush red, to the point that even speaking was extremely difficult:

"C-Captain Xu, wh-what are you doing? Is there some misunderstanding?"

Boom!!

While speaking, Lu Qi also activated his ability.

His entire body swelled up a size, the muscles in his arms bulging high as a powerful surge of blood and qi swept outward!

Clearly, this was an Enhancer-type ability user!

But even so, Xu Jingming's Lei Ting still bound him tightly, unable to break free at all!

How could this be?!

A tidal wave of shock surged through Lu Qi's heart.

He was a fifth-tier mid Enhancer-type ability user — how could he not even break free from a fifth-tier lower Elemental-type ability?

"This..."

Lin Hui and the others were also caught off guard by Xu Jingming's sudden strike.

But compared to Lu Qi, whom they had only just met, they naturally trusted Xu Jingming more.

So everyone picked up their weapons and watched Lu Qi warily.

"According to the intel I received, the day the martial-arts branch was raided, there was only one seventh-tier Grandmaster.

Yet you distorted it into six seventh-tier Grandmasters — from that moment on, I had already begun suspecting you."

Xu Jingming stared at Lu Qi with an icy gaze. "But I still didn't expect that you people had actually ambushed dozens of ability users in that hideout!

Tell me — who turned you? And what is the identity of the one who turned you?!"

Under the passive effect of the SS-grade combat skill 'Heart Net'.

Everything within a thousand meters around him was as clear as if he had X-ray vision!

And at that moment, in the building ahead that resembled a Sihe Academy, more than twenty ability users were lying in ambush.

Just waiting for them to enter the courtyard before launching a simultaneous attack!

"This guy's a traitor? There's an ambush inside?!"

Lin Hui and the others also knew of Xu Jingming's Heart Net combat skill, so they didn't doubt his words at all and all turned hostile looks toward Lu Qi.

And Lu Qi, bound by Lei Ting, also had his expression change drastically and immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Come out! You guys..."

Before he could finish, he was directly electrocuted unconscious by the golden lightning that suddenly blazed bright.

Boom!

And right at this moment, the courtyard's great gate was smashed open with a thunderous crash!

Immediately after, more than twenty ability users with their abilities activated rushed out from the courtyard!

"One sixth-tier peak, three sixth-tier mid ability users, and the rest are all fifth-tier?!"

Sensing the auras of this group, Lin Hui's pupils contracted, and he felt the palms of his hands sweating.

This was trouble!

Even if Xu Jingming could handle that one sixth-tier peak.

With so many remaining sixth-tier mid, plus the fifth-tier ability users — how were they supposed to deal with them?