Chapter 676: You Are a Ghost! Gray Industry!

In the long‑dark, deep environment that had been without light for a long time, the sudden brightness made the woman's eyes feel uncomfortable.

She raised her hand to block the light, and through the gap between her fingertips she saw that the newcomer was not that familiar face.

Moreover, the scent on his body was also rather unfamiliar.

"You... who are you?" the woman asked a second time.

But this time her voice carried a few more notes of timidity and shrinkage.

Su Yang, suspecting something, hung the Kerosene Lamp on the Hook at the upper right corner of the cage, then slowly crouched down.

The best way to communicate with a captive is to meet their gaze level, so that body language can tell them you have no ill intent.

However, before Su Yang could speak, the woman, as if she had seen a mouse to a cat, screamed in terror and curled into the rear corner.

"No, don't kill me, I will obey... I will obey!"

Su Yang:?

Seeing this stance, he couldn't help but subconsciously touch his face, thinking how could it be so frightening?

It was still his first time seeing a woman become fearful upon seeing his face.

He knew well the benefits and troubles that modeling brings in daily life.

Therefore Su Yang never deliberately tended his appearance, precisely to avoid giving others a sense of alienation.

But he hadn't expected that at this very moment such a reaction would appear.

Thus, he couldn't help but glance over the state of each cage, already forming a rough conjecture and understanding in his mind.

"Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person, I came according to Lady Diana's instructions," Su Yang said softly to soothe.

She had previously mentioned Diana, and her tone was filled with hope and friendliness.

It's not hard to imagine the two must have countless intertwined connections.

Su Yang immediately thought that invoking her banner might allow him to act cheaply.

Sure enough, after hearing these words, the woman's emotions in the cage calmed a bit.

But her eyes still revealed a trace of doubt and terror.

"Lady Diana sent you?" the woman asked softly.

"Yes, she returned to her hometown today and specifically asked me to come down," Su Yang nodded slightly.

In the Maid's letter it mentioned that the three were childhood friends, all from the same village.

Su Yang deliberately noted this information.

"She went back home?" the woman showed no hint of doubt, but expressed a heavy sense of loss.

It seemed to still be entangled with a hint of...

Self‑blame?

"Yes, it is said a close family member fell gravely ill, so she had to return," Su Yang nodded.

"Lady Diana is kind‑hearted, good people will surely receive good rewards, hmm... definitely!" the woman clasped her hands, Mouth continuously muttering something.

It seemed she was praying for her.

Good people get good rewards?

Su Yang chuckled inwardly, daring not to agree.

He had seen countless good people, and he himself had once been a good person.

But those 'good people' all died.

Only 'bad people' have survived to now.

Diana was the same; Sikeite, a Nobility, could be enamored, and besides beauty the other must surely possess other attractive qualities.

The Count was the same.

As a person of distinguished status among Nobility, whenever he desired, a slight gesture would draw countless gorgeous women flocking to him.

Yet he maintained an improper relationship with Diana for quite a while.

Objectively, Diana might be a good person in ordinary people's eyes.

But in Su Yang's view, she was merely a relatively hateful, pitiful person.

That's all.

After she finished praying and slowly opened her eyes, Pupil already adapted to the Kerosene Lamp's brightness.

By the light she finally saw Su Yang's facial features.

It was only the First Place glance, and she screamed again as if seeing a ghost in daylight, "Ghost... you are a ghost!"

Accustomed to blond hair and blue eyes, this was her first time seeing a human with black hair and brown pupils.

Moreover, the overall facial features also seemed different from those of people in this world.

While she examined Su Yang, Su Yang also examined her face.

Although her looks could not be called stunning, her naturally large frame and voluptuous figure added considerable charm.

But now her facial expression was terrified, the startled look rather unsettling.

If he hadn't intended to extract information from her mouth, Su Yang would have taken his sword and cut her down.

Suppressing his inner impatience, Su Yang's mouth curled a gentle smile, "I am human, not a ghost."

"According to your words, I am an Outsider, so my appearance differs slightly from yours."

"But don't worry, I don't eat people, nor do I kill people."

Su Yang's voice seemed to contain magic, and in an instant it calmed her panic.

"Then are you here to rescue us out?" the woman asked.

"You... them?" Su Yang raised an eyebrow.

"We were all forcibly taken in a week ago, the Count is a Demon, a devil!"

"Please, please rescue us all, or the Count will sell us," the woman grabbed the railing sharply and begged bitterly.

Su Yang stood up, took the Kerosene Lamp off the Hook, and turned to walk inside.

As the Radiance's illumination range shifted, the scenes of the cages on both sides suddenly came into sight.

"These are…" Su Yang's heart trembled violently.

Inside the cages were packed with men and women, all about twenty years old.

They wore identical clothing, and on their backs bore Seal Marks of countless, varying numbers of whip scars.

Some even had pallid faces, dry Mouths, and lifeless eyes.

At this rate, death is not far away.

The feeding bowls inside the cages were spotless, gleaming like new; it was clear that these captured people had gone without food for a considerable time.

They were each as skinny as sticks, their bodies largely exposed to the air.

The instant manifestation of the Radiance was no different from that of the woman.

The deeper Su Yang walked, the more shocking the sights became.

The stench was overwhelming; countless had died of hunger.

Some even treated the dead as food; when Su Yang approached them, they were still gnawing on a blood‑stained Bone Stick.

Those numb, indifferent eyes that stared back conveyed an indescribable desolation.

It seems the ancient practice of child‑swapping and cannibalism was not fictional, Su Yang sighed.

Driven by the instinct to survive, in the endless darkness they acted with a desperate will to cling to life.

If they didn't do this, they would certainly die!

After walking another two hundred meters, Su Yang finally reached the end.

Before him, a massive Stone Gate suddenly stood.

On either side of the gap were two circular recesses.

Su Yang examined the size carefully; it seemed to match the Silver Coin he had found.

"Could the ultimate secret be hidden behind this door?"

At this thought, Su Yang took out the Silver Coin from his pocket, aligned it with the recess, and pressed slowly.

A tight seam sealed!

Sight this, Su Yang's face turned more solemn than ever.

It turns out…

This was the direction Diana gave before she died.

The Silver Coin in her pocket… must have been intended to make this secret public.

But before she could succeed, she was brutally whipped to death.

All the people here are slaves the Count intends to sell.

Diana discovered this secret.

So she had to die!