Chapter 307: The War Begins (Part 2)

Beneath the Gu Family courtyard, besides the underground corridor containing the Stone Stele and the Mural, there was an even larger underground space.

This was the Gu Family dungeon.

The entrance to the dungeon was in an inconspicuous side room.

Entering the side room and lifting the floorboards revealed a staircase leading downward.

Following the stairs down, one would enter a corridor.

At the entrance of the corridor, two drowsy Martial Artists stood guard.

Chen Che easily snapped the necks of the two guards and continued to advance.

Passing through the long corridor, Chen Che finally saw the true state of the dungeon.

The interior of the dungeon was equipped with advanced surveillance cameras, their red lights flickering and forming a stark contrast with the ancient stone walls, creating an eerie sense of technology.

Electronic display screens were embedded in the walls, constantly scrolling escape routes and warning messages, but most of the time they showed only static and noise, increasing the sense of uncertainty and panic.

Dim light filtered through the patterns of the iron windows, casting mottled shadows, like a glimmer of hope in the endless darkness.

In the corners of the dungeon, LED light strips emitted a ghostly blue glow, illuminating the damp walls and reflecting the desperate eyes of the prisoners.

The dungeon echoed with a faint electronic humming, intertwined with the sound of dripping water and the groans of prisoners, creating an oppressive and unsettling atmosphere.

Chen Che walked slowly and cautiously; there were many prison cells here, holding all sorts of people.

When they saw Chen Che, they felt neither fear nor expectation, showing not a shred of emotion; their faces held one expression from start to finish: numbness.

Even when Chen Che intentionally smashed the iron doors, the people locked inside had no intention of escaping.

In their eyes, one could not even see a trace of a desire to survive.

Chen Che could not imagine what they had experienced to become like this, nor could he figure out why the Gu Family would imprison these people.

However, as Chen Che saw more and more prisoners, he did notice a clue.

All of these imprisoned people were Martial Artists.

Every one of them had traces of True Qi on their bodies, yet they were all skin and bones; logically, since they had the nourishment of True Qi in their bodies, it should be impossible for them to be this emaciated.

These people were too strange, too eerie!

However, Chen Che could not worry about them at this moment; helping to open the cages was the only thing he could do, and as for whether they escaped or not, that was their own choice.

Chen Che continued forward and finally found Li Qingyan and the others imprisoned in a larger cell.

The cell had nothing but cold walls; Shen Qi and Jiang Kui huddled in the corner, shivering.

Jiang Lan's face was deathly pale and she did not look well, but as a mother, she still forced a smile, holding Jiang Xiaoguo, who lay on her lap, and patting her gently to lull her to sleep.

It was just that the little girl had stayed in the confined space for too long; her lips were purple, and she looked extremely weak.

Song Jinhe lay on the cold floor with Shen Qi and Jiang Kui's coats spread out beneath her, her consciousness fading.

Li Qingyan moved between Song Jinhe and Jiang Xiaoguo; it was clear she was exhausted, but she still forced herself to look after these two patients.

"Mommy, I want to drink water..."

Jiang Xiaoguo looked at Jiang Lan pitifully, her voice filled with tears.

Jiang Lan's heart twisted with pain, but she had no way to get a single drop of water for her daughter.

"Be good, Guoguo, go to sleep quickly; once you're asleep, you won't be thirsty anymore."

Jiang Lan said this cruelly, but before she could finish, her eyes turned red first.

"Mommy, don't cry, Daddy will definitely come to save us; Guoguo won't sleep, Guoguo wants to wait for Daddy."

Jiang Xiaoguo raised her little hand and wiped the tears from the corners of Jiang Lan's eyes.

"Be good, Guoguo, don't talk anymore; take a nap, and once you wake up, you'll be able to see Daddy."

Li Qingyan coaxed her in a gentle voice.

Jiang Xiaoguo nodded vigorously and closed her eyes with an expectant look.

"She's said that so many times, yet she still believes it every time."

Jiang Kui looked at Jiang Xiaoguo, his heart aching.

"The Master must have his plan; we just need to wait in peace."

Shen Qi chimed in.

Li Qingyan looked back at Song Jinhe, then toward a spot nearby; two days ago, there had been another person there with them:

"This enemy is different from the past; Chen Che is likely struggling to cope right now. And the matter with Su Xiao... it must have had a huge impact on him."

"I believe in him; he won't be defeated so easily, and he won't abandon us!"

Jiang Lan said with a determined look.

Li Qingyan looked at Jiang Lan and suddenly teased with a sly smile: "The way you look right now, you really are like Chen Che's wife."

Jiang Lan did not expect Li Qingyan to suddenly say such a thing; her face flushed red, and she muttered softly: "I am..."

"Yo, at a time like this, you're still asserting your status to me? I didn't say I didn't acknowledge you."

Li Qingyan looked at Jiang Kui and continued to tease, "Look at your sister, she's old enough, yet she still doesn't know how to be shy."

Jiang Lan was annoyed: "Who doesn't know how to be shy?!"

"Still have the energy to bicker, it seems you're doing alright; my worry was unnecessary."

Suddenly, a voice, familiar beyond measure, came through.

All of them shuddered, looking in unison toward the prison door.

The mechanical door opened slowly, breaking the silence of the dungeon, and a tall, upright figure appeared outside the door; it was none other than Chen Che.

"Master!"

"Chen Che!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Junior Brother!"

Seeing Chen Che, everyone exclaimed in surprise; the torment and pain they had suffered over the past few days dissipated in this moment, simply because Chen Che had come!

"Dad... Daddy?!"

Jiang Xiaoguo was woken by the noise, and the moment she saw Chen Che, her large eyes widened into perfect circles.

The little girl rolled off Jiang Lan's lap, scurried over on her short legs toward Chen Che, and threw her arms around his lower leg.

"Daddy... Daddy! Daddy!"

The little girl wept with joy, calling out "Daddy" over and over again as tears streamed from her eyes.

Chen Che bent down to scoop Jiang Xiaoguo into his arms, comforting her in a warm voice: "Daddy is here, don't cry, Xiao Guo!"

Jiang Xiaoguo was already physically weak, and with such intense emotional fluctuations, she fainted after crying for a few moments.

Chen Che channeled a wisp of True Qi into her body, then looked at the others: "Follow me!"

Jiang Lan stood up and took Jiang Xiaoguo from Chen Che's arms, while Chen Che went with Li Qingyan to help support Song Jinhe.

Perhaps because of the sudden movement, Song Jinhe woke up in a daze.

"Junior Brother... you..."

"Senior Sister, don't speak, I am taking you all away."

Chen Che interrupted Song Jinhe; the injuries caused by the backlash of the Array on Moon Shadow Island could not be recovered from in a short time, let alone here.

Chen Che carried Song Jinhe on his back and led the group as they sprinted toward the dungeon exit.

But before they had gone very far, Chen Che noticed something unusual about Song Jinhe on his back.

"Stop..."

"Senior Sister, what is it?"

Chen Che came to a halt and asked.

"This place must be destroyed..."

Song Jinhe shifted her body and leaned close to Chen Che's ear, "The arrangement of the floor tiles here follows a specific pattern; this pattern forms an Array diagram, and the prisoners locked here are the sacrifices."

"If I am not mistaken, this place is part of an Array used by the Martial Arts Alliance, or rather the Gu Family, to refine Pills."

"There must be another area storing medicinal herbs and other items; once this Array is activated, the True Qi within the prisoners held here will be absorbed by the Array and mixed with the substances extracted from the herbs to complete the refinement of the Pills."

"Afterward, they make these prisoners test the medicine, draining their life force, and then the cycle repeats..."

Listening to Song Jinhe's words, Chen Che looked up in astonishment; he looked at the withered, gaunt prisoners and finally understood why it had felt so strange and eerie.

"That's not all..."

Song Jinhe continued: "This Array is not that simple; refining pills is likely only a part of it."

"There is a massive Array beneath the entire Gu Family; I suspect this is a contingency plan of Gu Yuanzong. Once the Ritual on Moon Shadow Island fails, he will restart the Gu Family's Array at the appropriate time."

"He will reenact the Ritual that could not be completed on Moon Shadow Island all over again!"

"When that time comes, everyone in the Gu Family will become his sacrifice, and not a single person will be spared."

Song Jinhe finished speaking with her last breath, her head slumped, and she fell into a deep faint.

"Senior Sister!"

Chen Che cried out in alarm, but received no response.

"Her body is too weak and needs medical treatment quickly; we must leave here immediately!"

Li Qingyan checked Song Jinhe's pale complexion and said urgently.

Chen Che looked around; the prisoners were watching them, and in their eyes, which had been like stagnant water, a ripple of hope began to stir.

Chen Che took a deep breath and gritted his teeth: "Let's go!"

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