Chapter 427: You Are the Traitor

Liao Youzhi still wore his signature outfit—a black mask covering his face, leaving only a pair of piercing eyes exposed.

His ears were sharp; he had heard Li Zongkai's words on the stairs, and now, approaching with a half-smile, he said, "Old Li, you're the slowest today. Why so unenthusiastic?"

In the dim light, over twenty well-equipped combatants fanned out—some from Liao Youzhi's personal guard, others from Vanguard Team One—these men represented the strongest fighting force of the Survivors' Alliance.

To Liu Yao and the others, this display held no special meaning, but Li Zongkai felt uneasy—he had already been unsettled by a string of recent events.

"How could I not be enthusiastic? I wasn't feeling well. It's too cold outside, and I couldn't handle the shock right away. I took a moment to recover after getting up—ha, but I didn't delay anything. Let's go?"

Li Zongkai pointed toward the mall's main entrance.

"Not yet."

Liao Youzhi waved his hand.

Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi had already begun to step forward, but seeing Liao Youzhi standing motionless, their eyes, shadowed in the dim light, filled with curiosity.

"Old Liao, what are you playing at? You woke us up this early, then won't even leave now—why not let us sleep a little longer?"

Yang Xinqi pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a strange expression—he'd gone to Beihe District that morning, rushed back for the banquet in the evening, stayed up half the night with a few women, and had only slept five hours—he was exhausted.

But Liao Youzhi's next words jolted Yang Xinqi fully awake.

"I'm not rushing because there's a reason. You may not know yet—there's a traitor among us."

Liao Youzhi clasped his hands behind his back, lowered his eyelids, and let his gaze slip through the slits, sweeping across their faces.

"What does that mean? Commander Liao, stop speaking in riddles. I'm a simple man—I can't guess. Be clear: who's the traitor? What did they betray?"

Liu Yao took a deep breath and instinctively touched the submachine gun in his chest.

Yang Xinqi's lit lighter illuminated his face, revealing shock—he hadn't even lit his cigarette yet, which now dangled between his fingers. He extinguished the lighter and asked, "Commander Liao, stop playing games. What's really going on?"

Gong Chengming, standing behind Liao Youzhi, was startled—had his composure not been strong, he might have instinctively stepped back half a pace. His face remained calm; he subtly turned his head to meet the gaze of Xiao Xuejian, captain of Vanguard Team One, exchanging silent signals.

In the room, Gong Chengming might not have been the most tense—out of sight, Li Zongkai's temples were already slick with sweat.

Thump, thump, thump—Li Zongkai could hear his own heartbeat. The environment was unnervingly silent; the armed combatants standing around sent chills down his spine. He regretted entering the mall alone—but then again, he'd already gathered his men. Whether he entered the mall or not now seemed irrelevant.

"A traitor? Commander Liao, have you received any information?"

Forcing calm, Li Zongkai asked with feigned confusion.

"First, I must inform you of a tragic piece of news."

Liao Youzhi didn't answer directly. He turned and began pacing; his thick soles struck the mall's tiles with solid thuds. His voice grew heavy: "Last night, the eighteen brothers we sent out were all captured by Tianma Yu."

"What?!"

Liu Yao shouted, eyes wide.

"Your Eagle Clan only sent three useless scraps—why are you yelling?" Yang Xinqi, startled by Liu Yao's outburst, pointed at his nose and cursed.

"My three elite troops are a hundred times better than your five cowards—idiot!"

"F*** you, say that again—"

"Enough!" Liao Youzhi's booming voice cut through the argument. In the dim light, his gaze moved across their faces, finally settling on Li Zongkai's. He probed, "Director Li, you don't seem worried about your men being captured?"

No one present was foolish. At Liao Youzhi's question, every eye turned to Li Zongkai.

Li Zongkai had faced major situations before—his pre-disaster status wasn't ordinary—and now, he finally showed his mettle. Frowning, he said firmly, "I'm worried about my men, but panic won't help. Panic only dulls my thinking."

This statement held no fault anywhere—it might have subtly implied Liu Yao was just shouting, but it was undeniably true.

Liao Youzhi nodded slowly, then stopped pacing. "Director Li is indeed Director Li—your calmness is worth learning from. But suppose I told you that among those captured, a group wasn't mistreated—they were treated as honored guests. How would you interpret that?"

This time, Liu Yao didn't shout. He sensed something odd: how did Liao Youzhi know so much, so precisely? It was too unusual. Now was the time to speak little and observe more.

Yang Xinqi, ever sharp, his eyes darted as his mind raced through countless events—too many mysteries obscured the truth, so he chose silence.

Li Zongkai's back was soaked in sweat. He was certain: either Liao Youzhi had planted a spy in Tianma Yu, or there was a mole among his own people. Either way, it was disastrous for him.

The situation was turning sour…

"The Four Tigers of Beicheng may not be bound by absolute trust, but we don't stab each other in the back. Admit it now—it's better than all of us turning against each other."

Liao Youzhi turned his back, refusing to look at Li Zongkai and the other two.

"What are you talking about, Liao Youzhi? Do you have concrete evidence? Stop playing cryptic games!"

Liu Yao felt increasingly uneasy about the situation.

Yang Xinqi was utterly confused—glancing between Liu Yao and Li Zongkai—he lit his cigarette with a snap, trying to steady his nerves with chemicals.

Li Zongkai said nothing, his mind racing for a way out—but before he could act, the worst scenario unfolded.

"Since you won't confess voluntarily, don't blame me."

Liao Youzhi turned around, extended two fingers toward Li Zongkai, and spoke low but solemnly: "Li Zongkai has conspired with Tianma Yu. Arrest him."

The sudden order stunned everyone. Gong Chengming's eyes widened in disbelief—but when he snapped back to reality, he saw Liao Youzhi's personal guard rushing forward. He quickly signaled to the members of Vanguard Team One.

In a rush, seventeen or eighteen men surged forward. Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi scrambled back in alarm. The group swiftly pinned Li Zongkai to the ground, immobilizing him.

Since they were about to depart, none of the leaders had brought their men into the mall—leaving Li Zongkai with no means of resistance.

"Liao Youzhi, you're making baseless accusations! What's your motive? Treating an ally like this—how will Commander Liu and Captain Yang view you?"

Li Zongkai, pinned to the ground, strained to lift his head. Panic surged within him, but his thoughts remained clear—he knew his priority now was survival.

As Li Zongkai was pinned, Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi had already raised their weapons, watching Liao Youzhi with extreme caution. What they cared about most wasn't whether Li Zongkai had truly betrayed them—but whether they themselves were now in danger.

They had never considered this was the Survivors' Alliance headquarters—where they were entirely under Liao Youzhi's control.

"Old Liao, Li's right. Show us real proof—or we walk out right now."

Liu Yao retreated steadily toward the entrance.

Yang Xinqi mirrored him, stepping back in lockstep, eyes fixed nervously on the fully armed combatants.

(End of Chapter)