After the two men left, Cherry Miller emerged from beneath the eaves, moving swiftly and silently. The urgency was palpable in the way she scaled the wall, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. The night air was thick, and every movement felt tense as the team pressed forward with their mission.
Cherry Miller's face was set in an unusually serious expression, her brows furrowed in concentration. Nearby, Ryan King knelt down, sifting the soil through his fingers, his gaze sharp and analytical. Yina Yin watched them both, her own nerves taut as she scanned the surroundings for any sign of danger.
It was rare to see Cherry Miller look so grave. The oppressive atmosphere of Six Saints Town weighed heavily on her. Yina Yin glanced at the twisted trees and overgrown paths, whispering, 'This place feels cursed.' The team exchanged uneasy looks, the tension growing as they pressed deeper into the shadows.
The Zhang Family's cruelty was beyond comprehension—Cherry Miller truly couldn’t bear to witness it any longer. Ryan King shook his head, lamenting, 'They’ve poisoned the land, ruined lives. It’s unforgivable.' Their words hung in the air, heavy with anger and sorrow.
'Over a hundred lives lost,' Yina Yin said urgently, her voice trembling. 'And the Zhang Family just brushed it off as if nothing happened. No search, no rescue—barely even a token gesture to clean up the mess. If we don’t act fast, more people could be at risk.'
'Human life means nothing to them,' Cherry Miller muttered. Ryan King nodded in grim agreement, his jaw clenched. 'It’s the very definition of disregard. We can’t let this go on.' The resolve in their voices was unmistakable.
'Scum like that don’t even deserve to live in this world,' Cherry Miller spat, her words sharp. Without another word, the team pressed deeper into the forest, their footsteps quickening as the darkness grew thicker around them.
Meanwhile, over in Liford Village, Ryan King and Yina Yin accelerated their search, scanning every corner for signs of alchemical workshops and the elusive gold mine. The deeper they went, the more the air thickened with smoke and the ground became treacherous.
With no equipment to aid them, all Ryan King and Yina Yin could do was rely on their eyes. The air was foul, thick with the stench of burning coal and chemicals, and a smoky haze made it difficult to see more than a few steps ahead. Their progress was slow, each step a struggle against the oppressive environment.
Fortunately, Yina Yin had built a strong reputation in the village by helping locals write letters. Whenever she had a moment, she’d chat with families whose relatives worked in the mines, picking up clues in their stories. Through these conversations, she learned that coal was crudely used for gold refining—a detail that could prove crucial.
Ryan King took advantage of the village chief's daughter's secret crush on him, skillfully steering the conversation to extract valuable information. His questions were careful, yet persistent, and bit by bit, he pieced together clues that others might have missed.
Piecing together all the rumors and tips they'd gathered, their target was clear: a dense forest behind Liford Village, where both the air and water were said to be polluted.
That day, Yina Yin and Ryan King gripped their hand-drawn map and started toward the back mountain. Just as they were about to head in, Yina Yin tugged Ryan King aside, whispering, 'Someone's coming—act natural.'
They used the excuse of going into the mountains to hunt and gather firewood, each carrying a rope and a machete to make their story believable.
When the villagers saw them, they greeted them warmly, eagerly pointing out the best spots where the firewood was driest and burned the hottest.
'Oh, that patch deeper in the back mountain,' a villager explained, 'the firewood there is easy to collect. Lots of trees have died on their own this spring, so the wood is already dry—just chop and burn, no need to leave it out to dry.'
'Great, we'll head over now,' Ryan King replied enthusiastically. 'Next time, let's dig some traps together!'
After seeing the villagers off, Ryan King lowered his voice, 'The grass and trees in that area are all withered—there has to be a reason. The villagers say that every windy season, a foul smell drifts over from the woods. I bet that's where the alchemy happens. Crude gold refining relies on burning, so the smoke is thick. The wastewater pollutes the soil, and the plants die. If my calculations are right, the refining site should be nearby.'
Yina Yin nodded. 'Those tire tracks we found earlier also head in that direction. From a cost perspective, the gold mine shouldn’t be far from the refining site.'
'I think so too. Let’s go!' Ryan King straightened up, determination in his voice. 'I have a feeling the truth is right in front of us.'
The two picked up their pace, quickly reaching the spot the villagers had pointed out.
Ryan King crouched down, running his hand over the soil with a grave expression. 'Yina, take a look at this.'
Yina Yin hurried over, crouching beside him. Her face grew serious as she inspected the ground. 'The soil here is completely contaminated. I doubt the ecosystem will recover for decades.'
'Such a beautiful place, ruined like this,' Ryan King muttered, glancing up at the dead forest surrounding them. The ground was bare, not a blade of grass in sight.
'And this is just the outer edge. I bet it’s even worse inside.' Yina Yin’s voice was heavy. 'We have to expose this soon. If we don’t, the ecological damage is one thing, but the Zhang Family’s disregard for the law will cost even more lives.'
Ryan King nodded in agreement.
They continued deeper into the woods.
Sure enough, the further they went, the worse the environment became.
The air grew thick with a pungent, acrid smell. Smoke swirled around them, making it hard to breathe and impossible to see far ahead.
Crude gold refining here was done by burning coal.
Maybe it was because the coal was impure, or maybe there was some other reason, but the stench in the air was unbearable.
Now, in addition to water pollution, air pollution had become a serious problem too.
Just as Ryan King and Yina Yin were about to investigate further, Yina Yin suddenly grabbed Ryan King’s arm and whispered, 'Someone’s coming.'
Without hesitation, the two spun around and darted behind a large tree. In a flash, they scrambled up the trunk and hid among the branches.
They barely had time to settle before two men emerged from the woods.
The men picked a spot and began to splash water on themselves, loosening their clothes to cool off.
'Hey, William Wang, do you think since we handed in so much gold this month and finished our quota early, they’ll let us go home for a visit?' one man asked the other.
William Wang replied, 'You wish. How many of us ever get to go home and see our families?'
'We’re here to work, not to sell ourselves to them.'
William Wang leaned in, lowering his voice, 'David Liu, let me be real with you—we’re not much different from slaves here. I heard that last month, two people from Zhang Family Village tried to go home and were dragged off immediately.'
'Dragged off?'
'Yeah, knocked out and taken away. They never came back.'
David Liu shivered, his voice trembling, 'What are they—'
'Probably dead,' William Wang said, shaking his head. 'We’re so close to the gold mine, the Zhang Family won’t let us leave and talk. If I’d known we’d be trapped here, I’d never have come. The pay is good, but what’s the point if you can’t live to spend it?'
David Liu grew desperate. 'No way, I came here to earn money so I could get married! If I don’t go back, how am I supposed to find a wife?'
'Keep your voice down, or we’re done for,' William Wang hissed. 'The temple’s opening this year—they’ll pick new people for the god’s blessing. Maybe we’ll get out then. At least the food and lodging are good, and our wages go home to our families. They’re better off, even if we’re stuck here.'
David Liu wanted to protest further, but William Wang grabbed his arm and led him away.
Once the two men were gone, Yina Yin and Ryan King slowly climbed down from the tree, exchanging a heavy, knowing look.
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The Zhang Family’s crimes went beyond disregard for human life—this was lawlessness.
'One day, we’ll wipe out their whole nest,' Ryan King said through gritted teeth.
'Let’s keep searching, see if we can find the gold mine’s exact location,' Yina Yin replied gravely. 'Don’t worry, they won’t get away with this.'
The two crept deeper into the woods, finally locating the site where the gold was being refined.
Hidden among a jumble of rocks, they watched a group of shirtless men working feverishly at the smelting site.
Nearby, a few men with whips stalked back and forth, supervising and keeping everyone in line.
No one dared slack off.
Anyone caught slacking faced harsh consequences.
After confirming the location of the refining site, Ryan King and Yina Yin began searching for the entrance to the gold mine.
Before they could find it themselves, Yuan Shisan and his team beat them to it.
Following Yuan Shisan’s directions, Ryan King and Yina Yin found the hidden gold mine entrance deep in the mountains.
Security was even tighter here.
Guards were posted every few steps, watching everyone closely.
Every worker was monitored, and those heading into the mine carried large baskets on their backs to haul ore up to hand-pushed carts.
Then someone would wheel the ore over to the smelting site for refining.
At last, Yina Yin and Ryan King had uncovered Six Saints Town’s greatest secret.
Only one objective remained: find the satellite jammer’s location.
They returned to Liford Village, and to keep up appearances, actually carried back a huge bundle of dry firewood.
As soon as they entered the village, they saw the streets bustling with activity.
Ryan King spotted Li Xiaomeng standing on tiptoe at the village entrance, looking eagerly down the road. He waved and called out, 'Xiaomeng, why is the village so busy today?'
Li Xiaomeng’s face lit up with a big smile as she replied without hesitation, 'Yeah, the Zhang Family is picking a batch of people to work. They even came to my house, waiting for my dad to sign the contract! Brother Gu, you’re just in time—you can write, so come help us fill out the paperwork!'
Yina Yin quickly agreed, 'Sure, I’ll be right there after I put this down.'
After exchanging a meaningful glance, the two quickly looked away and went home as if nothing had happened.
They stacked the firewood and washed their hands clean.
Yina Yin and Ryan King then headed to the village chief’s house together.
Sure enough, the chief’s house was already crowded with people.
'I hear the Zhang Family pays a lot for labor.'
'But none of those who went have ever come back. Who knows what happened to them.'
'So what? There’s food, drink, clothes, a place to sleep, and the wages go home every month. Who cares if you come back?'
'Why is the Zhang Family hiring so many people this month? Last month when I asked if they needed help, they said no.'
'Maybe there’s more work suddenly? Or maybe the last batch died and now they need new workers from our village! Hahaha.'
Ryan King and Yina Yin overheard all this, feeling a heavy weight in their hearts.
These villagers were really optimistic.
They probably didn’t realize that once you left, you were never coming back.
Just then, the village chief returned. Seeing Ryan King and Yina Yin, he smiled, 'You two are just in time—come help us fill out the contracts. The Zhang Family rarely hires so many at once. Villages all around are fighting for spots. We need to hurry, or we’ll miss our chance.'
'Coming!' Ryan King and Yina Yin hurried over.
As Yina Yin sat down, she saw a contract already written out—just fill in the name and stamp a fingerprint, and you’d get two thousand yuan for the first month in advance.
This kind of advance payment was especially attractive.
No wonder everyone was desperate to get the job.
With mixed feelings, Yina Yin looked at the first person ready to sign. 'Li Dayu, are you sure you want to do this? What about your family if you leave?'
Li Dayu shrugged. 'My family’s big—they’ll be fine. I’m strong, and farming’s a waste of it. Scholar Gu, are you jealous because you can’t go, so you won’t write my contract?'