Chapter 133

"This dungeon's location is truly hidden!"

Bound hand and foot with iron chains by others inside the dungeon, the arm-thick chains were enough to trap the vast majority of people; furthermore, even the main gate of this dungeon was made of refined steel, and the surrounding area was thick blue rock—to describe it as a fortress of bronze and iron would be no exaggeration.

This scene left Shen Yu feeling quite helpless; he had originally intended to infiltrate the military camp, but as soon as he entered, he was locked in a dungeon. He might be the most miserable spy to ever infiltrate a place.

However, what surprised him somewhat was that the dungeon was located beneath Ye Tinghai's residence, at least several dozen meters underground; such a project must have required a great deal of effort. Even for a Master of Mechanisms like Shen Yu, it would take several years of work to build this place.

Moreover, he had already secretly observed it when he arrived; the entire dungeon had only one passageway, and it was filled with all sorts of mechanisms and traps. For an ordinary person to try to escape from here, it would undoubtedly be like walking through a path of thorns, as difficult as ascending to heaven.

The environment in the dungeon was damp, and a foul, rotten, and putrid smell permeated everywhere. The occasional moans and the clinking sounds of chains colliding were particularly piercing in the silent environment, making one feel an inexplicable sense of terror.

If a person with a weak disposition were to end up here, they would likely collapse before anyone even started the interrogation.

"But it is merely a dungeon; do you really think you can trap me?"

After observing the surrounding environment with great interest, Shen Yu gave a disdainful smile. With just a light movement of his hands, the iron chains that had been tightly binding his hands and feet snapped at the sound.

He casually pulled out a piece of wire and picked at the lock on the iron gate for a moment. After a dull creaking sound, the gate made of refined steel was opened bit by bit, and he walked out quite openly.

The entire dungeon was very large, and the dim candlelight could not illuminate every corner, which provided Shen Yu with natural cover, allowing him to successfully dodge one group of guards after another.

There were not many guards here, but they all seemed to be experts. It was hard to imagine that so many experts would gather in such a place. If he were the slightest bit careless, he would risk being discovered.

However, Shen Yu soon discovered a problem: although these people's auras were fierce, they seemed to be subtly unstable; most of them had likely been forcibly elevated using quick-succession Cultivation Methods or special pills.

Such experts had no stable foundation, and their combat power was not as formidable as one might imagine. Therefore, even if he were discovered, so what? At worst, he would just fight his way out. Although there were many experts here, Shen Yu felt that not a single one of them was worth fighting.

After wandering around the dungeon for a large circle and observing the rooms through the gaps in the refined steel doors, he saw that most of those imprisoned were martial arts experts. However, they were in a listless state, looking withered and haggard.

Judging by their appearance, they had either been drugged or had their cultivation and essence forcibly plundered by someone using a special Cultivation Method. In Shen Yu's view, the latter possibility was much greater.

Besides these people, there was a small group of tough-looking individuals imprisoned in the dungeon. Judging by the Blood Evil Qi radiating from their bodies, they were likely military men, and their status within the army should not be low.

This Ye Tinghai has such audacity, daring to imprison veteran generals of the army!

"Wait!" As he walked past the rows of cells, Shen Yu suddenly froze. A familiar face appeared in his eyes—no, to be precise, a person exactly identical to the face he currently wore.

The original Colonel Shi Ning had already been killed by him at the Prefecture Office, so who was this person before him? And who were these people imprisoned in this dungeon?

At this moment, Shen Yu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. There were at least a dozen people in the entire dungeon who clearly carried the fierce aura of the military; if they were all high-ranking officers of the Dongning Army, then how many people in the current Dongning Army were still real?

Carrying these uneasy thoughts, he continued walking and stopped outside the deepest cell. The defense here was particularly strict, with four experts guarding the place without leaving for a single moment. It was as if the person imprisoned inside was some top-tier expert they feared.

"There's a secret here!" Hiding at a corner, Shen Yu secretly pulled the stopper off a medicine bottle, and a wisp of blue smoke drifted out from the mouth of the bottle. With a light push of his palm, the blue smoke drifted toward the nearby guards.

"Three, two, one, fall!" Counting the numbers silently with his eyes closed, Shen Yu opened his eyes abruptly as soon as the last number was finished, and four sounds of bodies hitting the ground rang out simultaneously.

"Nothing special!" He stepped over the bodies, casually fiddled with the iron gate, and the heavy door was immediately opened. A foul, urine-reeking, and rotten smell rushed toward him.

"Damn, what is this situation!" The situation inside was completely different from what he had imagined; it was like entering a public toilet, with indescribable things everywhere, and the stench surged into his nostrils in waves.

In the corner, a person was curled up. This person was disheveled and filthy, and with the dim light, it was impossible to see them clearly. However, upon seeing Shen Yu arrive, this person first felt a wave of terror, shrinking back desperately into the corner, clutching their head with both hands as if fearing something.

Before long, Shen Yu smelled a strange odor, and looking in the direction of the source, he saw that the person's crotch had become wet at some point. Clearly, the person had become incontinent in their terror.

This is an expert? You've got to be kidding me!

Afterward, seeing that the person before them did not approach or show any intention of hitting them, this person quietly moved their arms away to reveal a face and kept grinning foolishly at Shen Yu. That look was as foolish as could be, yet it made Shen Yu's heart skip a beat.

"This, this is..."

Only then did he see the other person's appearance clearly. Although he had been mentally prepared at first, after truly seeing this person's face, Shen Yu could no longer control the shock in his heart.

Although he had never met this face, he had flipped through the portrait of this person countless times and had long since memorized it by heart.

"Commander of the Dongning Army, Martial Guard General Ye Jing!"

"Is this... madness?" To be honest, Shen Yu found it hard to imagine that the person before him was the once-majestic Martial Guard General Ye Jing; how could he have become like this?

Grabbing the person's arm, he placed two fingers on their pulse. In just an instant, Shen Yu's brows furrowed tightly. The person's physical condition was far worse than he had imagined.

Their meridians were in chaos, their True Qi was flowing in reverse, and their dantian was nearly shattered. The injuries accumulated over years of a military career were also constantly eroding every function of their body.

It was also at this moment that Shen Yu was truly able to confirm the person's identity. Aside from those veteran generals who had fought on the battlefield, who else could have so many old injuries accumulated over the years?

And this was only a portion of the injuries; the person's pitch-black, filth-covered arms were also covered in scars of all sizes. A careful observation would reveal that there did not seem to be a single patch of healthy skin on their entire body, and many places were festering.

If it weren't for the person's formidable physical constitution forcibly supporting them, they would likely have collapsed long ago.

The old Marquis of the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion was likely right; Ye Jing had most likely been replaced. What kind of person, what kind of force, could have such a grand scheme? This was clearly an attempt to wipe out the entire Dongning Army.

"General Ye? General Ye!" While carefully using his True Qi to soothe the person's body, Shen Yu said in a low voice, "I am the newly appointed Prefect of Songnan Prefecture; can you understand me?"

In Shen Yu's expectant gaze, the only response he received was a foolish grin, nothing more. This general, who had once traversed the battlefield, had likely truly gone mad.

Chapter 133: A Shocking Discovery