Chapter 52 Tracking

From their conversation, Lin Xing was thrilled to discover they might be connected to the earlier incident! Moreover, judging by their tone, this was no simple matter!

Immediately, Lin Xing took no action, only taking his time eating. When the two young men left, Lin Xing also paid and left, pretending to coincidentally follow them!

Lin Xing planned to follow these two directly to find the murderers, or at least track them back to their lair, where he could wreak havoc!

Although these two youths from Bage Country were also cautious, occasionally checking if anyone was following them, under Lin Xing's stealth skills, they were unable to detect his tail. Lin Xing's ability to remain undetected was truly remarkable, aided by his movement-concealing cultivation technique. It would be extremely difficult for anyone to spot him, let alone the two ahead!

Immediately, Lin Xing shadowed them, keeping a variable distance. The two youths were very careful, winding through the city, even doubling back on the same street several times!

Lin Xing kept his patience, in no hurry, and simply followed them steadily. He intended to use them as guides. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the patience to waste time with them—he would have just dealt with them on the spot!

However, the people of this country were treacherous and merciless, even to their own. If Lin Xing captured them, they might rather die than submit, which would be troublesome. Moreover, tipping them off would only make things worse.

Finally, the two youths, confident any pursuer would have been shaken off, entered a nondescript little house in the southern part of the city.

Lin Xing carefully slipped around to the back of the house, found a corner, hid there, held his breath, and watched coldly from the shadows!

Inside, there were five other people. When the lanky youth entered, all five stood up and bowed to him: "Squad Leader."

The lanky youth nodded coldly, glanced around, and said, "Today, Ito and I went out to scout and found nothing unusual here! But we still need to be cautious. We must execute the Chief Guardian's orders properly! Since the Chief Guardian personally commanded this, it must be very important! No mistakes are allowed! If anyone ruins this, you know the Chief Guardian's methods."

"Yes!" everyone replied.

After finishing, the Squad Leader shot them a cold glance! Upon hearing about the Chief Guardian's methods, they all couldn't help but shudder! The Chief Guardian's methods were extremely cruel and merciless! If you fell into his hands, death might be a mercy you wouldn't get!

Watching their expressions, Lin Xing mused. It seemed this Chief Guardian was no ordinary person. Judging by their reactions, he must be far more cruel and ruthless than they were. Otherwise, these already cruel and ruthless individuals wouldn't look so fearful.

Lin Xing couldn't help but feel some interest in this Chief Guardian, but what filled his heart even more was killing intent! Although he still didn't know what kind of person he was, Lin Xing understood he must also be a villain—a cruel and ruthless one. Based on their words, this operation was personally ordered by the Chief Guardian! Thinking of the tragedy in the small village, Lin Xing's killing intent grew even stronger!

The Squad Leader, observing their expressions...

"Squad Leader, what should we do now?" a gaunt youth asked.

"Wait a moment. We'll still split into groups. The five of you will be one group, and Ito and I will be another. We'll meet at Pingnan before dusk! Be careful! Iga, you'll be their group leader!"

"Yes, Squad Leader!" the gaunt youth replied.

"Remember to be cautious and don't slip up! Otherwise, you know the consequences!" the Squad Leader said sinisterly!

"Yes, Squad Leader!" the five replied in unison!

"Be careful. Don't run openly on the main roads, and don't act so arrogantly! This mission is very important! If you ruin this major task by being as arrogant as before!..." The Squad Leader gave them a fierce glare, his meaning clear.

"Alright, make your preparations and go!"

"Pingnan?" Lin Xing searched his memory. It was a small town not far to the southeast. They planned to meet there, and likely others would gather there too. Lin Xing immediately made a decision. He left these people behind, no longer following them, and instead headed directly to Pingnan to lie in wait!

Sure enough, as dusk approached, the two groups arrived one after another. Lin Xing began trailing them again!

"Squad Leader, where are we going now?" Iga asked. Only the Squad Leader knew the destination.

"Just follow me and don't ask too many questions!" the Squad Leader clearly didn't want to tell them, only instructing them to follow him. As Lin Xing followed them, he also paid attention to the surroundings. They were heading toward the mountains! Lin Xing was puzzled. Were they going to their lair? That couldn't be—they had come from their lair. Could there be some secret? Lin Xing speculated!

Lin Xing followed them over several mountains. These people were still quite cautious, constantly taking detours to prevent anyone from tailing them. But how could they know that Lin Xing had been following them from the very beginning!

Suddenly, Lin Xing noticed that all of them had disappeared. He was shocked—how could he have lost them? Had they entered some secret passage? Lin Xing quietly searched the surrounding area but found no trace of their footprints!

Lin Xing wasn't discouraged; instead, he felt a surge of excitement! He had finally found one of their hideouts! This made Lin Xing very happy!

Holding his breath, Lin Xing carefully searched the area where they had disappeared for any possible secret passages. After a long while, there was still no trace!

Lin Xing didn't lose heart. He carefully thought about how they had vanished—it seemed they had suddenly disappeared behind this large tree. The secret must be here! Lin Xing wasn't afraid of being discovered now. He also knew there was no one nearby. He had been monitoring the surroundings with his spiritual sense, but nothing unusual had appeared.

This was a very ancient tree, with its center hollowed out, forming a large tree hole big enough for two people to enter and exit at the same time! Lin Xing noticed that the outside of the tree hole was relatively smooth and bright, indicating that people must frequently come and go!

Lin Xing entered the tree hole. Although the light inside was dimmer, it didn't affect Lin Xing's vision! To him, it was still as bright as daylight!

There was nothing special inside the tree hole. Lin Xing felt around the surroundings but found nothing unusual. Stomping his feet, the sound was solid, and the ground below didn't seem hollow.

However, this setup was definitely the entrance to a secret passage, Lin Xing was sure of it, but he couldn't find the way to enter! At this moment, Lin Xing hoped someone inside would come out. That way, he wouldn't have to search for the mechanism himself.

Unwilling to give up, Lin Xing carefully examined the area again and finally noticed something different! On the right side of the entrance, there was a very smooth, slightly protruding object that was almost indistinguishable from the surroundings unless one looked very closely!

Everything in the tree hole was irregular but natural. Only that protrusion didn't seem naturally formed—it was likely man-made.

This must be the switch!

Lin Xing felt a surge of excitement but didn't act recklessly! He circulated his Zhen Qi throughout his body, forming an invisible protective shield around himself! He rotated the protrusion to the left, but nothing happened. He then rotated it to the right, but still no movement. Could this not be the switch? Lin Xing pressed down on it forcefully!

Suddenly, after a rumbling sound, Lin Xing felt the ground beneath him give way, and he fell downward! Lin Xing didn't panic, allowing himself to fall freely!

"Who's there?" As soon as Lin Xing landed, a cold shout rang out! At the same time, footsteps approached!