Chapter 3253

When Yin Xiaoyang said this, everyone was instantly shocked.

They had thought Ye Chen must be a higher-up in the Anti-Qing Society.

Who could have imagined that Yin Xiaoyang would say Ye Chen had given everyone a chance to escape the Anti-Qing Society?

This huge psychological contrast left them momentarily unable to respond.

Seeing everyone frozen in place, Ye Chen spoke: "Ladies and gentlemen, I know you and your ancestors have been imprisoned and enslaved by the Anti-Qing Society generation after generation, becoming its assassins, while I have the ability to remove the deadly poison in your bodies and provide you and your families a safe haven, so you will never again suffer oppression from the Anti-Qing Society, and my condition is one and only one: you must unconditionally help me defeat the Anti-Qing Society; once I eradicate it, you, your families, and descendants will regain freedom, and you may go anywhere you wish—I will not stop you."

Everyone still wore expressions of utter disbelief.

They and their ancestors had been firmly controlled by the Anti-Qing Society for hundreds of years; during these centuries, though some had tried to resist or flee, the strange poison in their bodies was like an inescapable curse, and no one could remove it.

Now, a stranger suddenly claimed he could lift this curse, and their first reaction was disbelief.

Seeing everyone doubtful, Ye Chen said without further ado: "Commander Yin, give me the water."

"Yes sir!" Yin Xiaoyang immediately handed over the large bottle of purified water he had brought, and without waiting for Ye Chen's instruction, began distributing paper cups to the standing assassins.

Ye Chen placed some pills into the bottle; after they dissolved, he immediately walked to the assassin at the front of the line and poured him about half a cup.

He then proceeded to pour equal amounts for each assassin in turn.

The assassins were puzzled, but since Ye Chen said nothing and Commander Qianqiuwu made no move, everyone stood motionless holding their cups.

Ye Chen returned to stand before the crowd and said: "Ladies and gentlemen, time is pressing—more talk is pointless. Drink the water in your cup, and you will naturally understand everything. If you believe me, step forward; if not, step back."

Seeing Ye Chen speak so directly, Qianqiuwu did not delay and immediately said: "Thank you for your care, Mr. Ye!"

Having spoken, he tilted his head back and drank the water in the cup.

To Qianqiuwu, he had never known freedom since birth—merely a slave to be bullied and ordered about. Though he did not know Ye Chen's background, he thought no one would bother to harm a worthless slave like himself, so he had nothing to worry or guard against.

The colorless, tasteless water entered his belly, and Qianqiuwu almost immediately felt a change in his body.

The deadly poison resided in his meridians and dantian, like filthy sludge smeared across a once-white wall, constantly present and nauseating.

But after drinking this cup of water, it instantly washed away all the sludge, leaving not a trace!

At this moment, he finally realized Ye Chen had not exaggerated—he had truly given everyone a chance to escape the Anti-Qing Society and break the chains of a hundred years!

His brothers beside him now felt the same: the poison in their bodies was completely purged, filling them with wild joy, many even shedding tears uncontrollably.

Qianqiuwu was the first to come to his senses, looked at Ye Chen, strode forward a step, then dropped to one knee, clasped his hands before him, and shouted loudly: "Your subordinate wishes to lay down his life and brains for you, sir!"

Everyone immediately stepped forward, kneeling on one knee like Qianqiuwu, and shouted in unison: "Your subordinate wishes to lay down his life and brains for you, sir!"

Ye Chen nodded and said: "Since you have no other objections, I will now begin drafting the evacuation plan. You must all follow my plan exactly—no mistakes allowed!"

Qianqiuwu shouted loudly: "We will strictly obey your orders, sir!"

Ye Chen said: "Good! Here is my evacuation plan: first, starting tonight, all assassins and their families must begin evacuating in stages. This journey is nearly a hundred kilometers. To avoid detection, all assassins will begin forced marches tonight, requiring completion of this hundred kilometers within at least six hours. You are all martial artists—this march intensity should pose no problem for you, right?"

Qianqiuwu said without hesitation: "No problem! We will definitely reach the destination within six hours!"

"Good." Ye Chen nodded and said: "Among your families, those who can keep up physically will walk with you; those who cannot, do not worry—I will later arrange vehicles to transport them."

After speaking, he checked the time and continued: "It is now ten o'clock at night. Time is urgent, so I give you one hour to prepare. Go back and inform all your comrades and relatives of everything, so they can make ready to leave. Then divide yourselves into three batches: the first batch of assassins and those family members who can keep up with the forced march will depart in one hour; the second batch will depart one and a half hours later; the third batch will depart two hours later. The third batch must reach the destination before dawn, otherwise there is a risk of exposure—understood?"

Everyone replied in unison: "Your subordinate understands!"

Ye Chen added: "This evacuation is to let you completely escape the Anti-Qing Society and the life of imprisonment and enslavement you have endured, so you must inform everyone: all external possessions, unless essential, should be left behind if possible; during the march, no items may be abandoned. Each batch must have a small scout team ahead and a rear guard team to clear traces—no clues may be left, understood?"

Everyone again replied in unison: "Your subordinate understands!"

Ye Chen nodded and continued: "The evacuation of the entire base will proceed in three steps: first, complete withdrawal to the transit station within three days; second, complete withdrawal from the transit station to the seaport; third, complete withdrawal across several thousand kilometers of sea;"

"You are currently located in inland Morocco. In three days, you can only reach the transit station from here; from there, moving to a safe zone will take at least a month, twenty days of which will be at sea. If you leave traces during evacuation, the Anti-Qing Society may pursue you all the way; if they catch up, everyone will face annihilation;"

"Therefore, throughout the evacuation, you must follow the existing management structure and strictly control all your subordinates to ensure everyone adheres to discipline!"

Qianqiuwu immediately said respectfully: "Please rest assured, sir—I will strictly instruct all responsible persons to leave absolutely no traces during the evacuation!"

Having spoken, Qianqiuwu hesitated a moment, then asked: "Sir, your subordinate has a question—I dare to ask for your guidance!"

Ye Chen said: "Speak."

Qianqiuwu hurriedly asked: "May I ask, sir, when will you detoxify the other assassins and family members?"

Ye Chen said: "Do not worry about those comrades and families; after the first-stage evacuation is completed in three days, I will gather everyone at the transit station to detoxify them all."

Qianqiuwu immediately said gratefully: "Your subordinate, on behalf of all comrades and relatives, kneels to thank you for your great kindness and virtue!"

Ye Chen nodded, his expression quite stern, and said: "Hurry up and prepare—the elevator has limited capacity per trip, so let the first batch of brothers set off as soon as possible!"

Qianqiuwu hurriedly added: "Sir, your subordinate and other comrades have never consciously left the base since birth; aside from mission destinations, we know nothing of what lies outside this mine shaft. During the march, could you arrange a few people to guide us?"

Ye Chen smiled: "Don't worry about that—I will certainly arrange it."

Having spoken, he looked toward Yin Xiaoyang beside him and said: "Commander Yin, I will tell you the transit station's coordinates later; select a few agile brothers from the Jinyiwei to guide these brothers, and I will also arrange personnel there to meet you in advance."

Yin Xiaoyang said respectfully: "Mr. Ye, rest assured—I will make all arrangements properly!"