The demands were truly too harsh, and Haliyanfu found it impossible to agree to his terms. This was the first time he had ever heard such overbearing conditions.

Seeing his silence, Zhong Shenxiu spoke again: "You need to think clearly. Only we can safely take you out of here. Whether you agree or not is up to you to decide; we won't force you!"

And this wasn't forcing them?

Haliyanfu was utterly speechless, feeling deeply aggrieved. If he yielded to Zhong Shenxiu's demands, then his entire trip to this ancient tomb would have been for nothing—not only would he gain nothing, but he would also have suffered for so many days in vain!

The treasures in his magic ring were hard-won; some had cost him dearly, taken at the risk of his life. How could he possibly discard such items so easily?

The other mercenaries were equally stunned. Although Zhong Shenxiu had been speaking only to Haliyanfu, they heard every word clearly. No one had expected Zhong Shenxiu to make such demands. This wasn't just restricting their personal freedom; it was stripping them of significant rights. Most unacceptable was the demand to seize their spoils—this was simply bullying!

Was this truly bullying?

At least Zhong Shenxiu wasn't using force to compel them to hand over their possessions. Given Zhong Shenxiu's strength, he could certainly have killed them all instantly; clearly, he had no inclination toward murder and robbery!

While his requirements were harsh, he wasn't forcing anyone to accept them. This was a matter of free will, a choice between valuing their possessions more or valuing their lives more!

"My time is limited, so don't waste it!" Zhong Shenxiu urged. "Give me an answer quickly!"

Yet, Haliyanfu remained silent, the choice truly agonizing for him.

People often fall into the trap of wanting the best of both worlds, knowing it's impossible but stubbornly clinging to a slim hope!

"Um, isn't your mission to bring me back? Won't you get paid once the mission is complete? Why do you still need..." Haliyanfu tried to reason with Zhong Shenxiu.

But Zhong Shenxiu had no patience for further nonsense and walked straight toward the passage ahead. Seeing Zhong Shenxiu move, Charlotte and the others naturally followed closely.

"Wait—wait a moment!" Just then, Frank, who had been silent until now, suddenly called out.

Zhong Shenxiu stopped abruptly and turned to look at him. The Frank of this moment hurried over with a short jog.

"I agree to all your preceding demands. Can you take me with you?" Having spoken, Frank actually brought out the other treasures from his magic ring.

Zhong Shenxiu looked at the middle-aged man carefully for a few seconds. He sensed this man was extraordinary, recognizing the situation clearly and knowing when to let go of things. He was undeniably a capable individual!

"Yes!" Zhong Shenxiu replied.

As Zhong Shenxiu finished speaking, Robin immediately collected the treasures and inspected Frank's magic ring to ensure he hadn't secreted anything else away!

Frank watched Robin’s actions with a wry smile. He hadn't expected this small girl to be so meticulous. If only he could have such a follower! Of course, he knew this was just an unattainable fantasy.

And so, Frank joined Zhong Shenxiu's party, walking in the middle with Reese and the others!

The other mercenaries secretly mocked Frank for his apparent foolishness. Why be so stupid, volunteering to hand over your goods? We can just follow where they go, why agree to those terms? So dumb!

Most of the mercenaries harbored such thoughts, so when they saw Zhong Shenxiu moving forward, they too started to follow, keeping a respectful distance behind.

Zhong Shenxiu didn't stop the mercenaries' movements; instead, he smiled faintly. If things were as simple as these mercenaries imagined, he wouldn't have survived long in this world!

"Hey, see those faint lights? Don't touch them later, and don't ask why. Just do exactly as you're told," Zhong Shenxiu stated calmly.

Frank was momentarily stunned and quickly looked toward the small lights that had suddenly appeared. After watching them for just a short while, he understood the pattern: these tiny dots must indicate the locations of traps and mechanisms. He hadn't expected there would be so many!

Now, he finally understood how Zhong Shenxiu's group had navigated that passage safely—it was thanks to the guidance of these small lights. He had wondered how their luck could possibly be so good!

However, a new puzzle arose: what were these little lights, how did they appear, and how did they know where the traps were?

Though intensely curious, because Zhong Shenxiu had laid down the law, he forced himself to remain silent, and instead began to worry for the mercenaries trailing behind them!

As for the mercenaries following, they were still congratulating themselves on their cleverness. Not only did they not have to hand over anything, but they could also use Zhong Shenxiu's group to scout the dangerous path ahead—what a bargain!

"Hey, look! What are those little lights?" At first, because of the torchlight, the gleam wasn't very obvious, but as soon as they entered the passage, the tiny dots became quite distinct.

"Curious. Why do they have those little lights around them, but we don't?"

"I want to know what those little lights are for?"

Haliyanfu heard the commotion and strained to look ahead. Because of his age, he was the last to see the small lights, and they appeared very blurry to him!

Heavens! Haliyanfu gasped internally. He had recognized the function of those tiny dots and froze as if struck by lightning!

"Everyone, be careful! Do not touch any place where those small lights have flashed!" Haliyanfu roared. Though his shout wasn't deafening, the echo in the narrow passage amplified it, making everyone jump.

"What's wrong with those lights? Why can't we touch where they've been?"

"Yeah, if you don't explain clearly, how will we know!"

"Right, how can we avoid them if we don't know!"

Haliyanfu now truly admired Haliyan's foresight and finally understood Zhong Shenxiu's earlier words: in such a perilous place, only Zhong Shenxiu's group could truly guide them out safely!

The small lights flashed and quickly disappeared. Even with the best memory, no one could recall every location where they had appeared, and even if they did, the positioning wouldn't be precise!

Having understood the function of the lights, Haliyanfu didn't take another step forward, knowing he was entering a "minefield." Stepping forward blindly would only lead to certain death!

Sure enough, while he was contemplating this, several screams echoed from ahead, followed by the sight of several mercenaries collapsing into pools of blood.

This sight instantly dumbfounded the remaining mercenaries. They hadn't expected that following Zhong Shenxiu's group would still lead to mortal danger! Was there truly no way out for them?

As these mercenaries halted, Zhong Shenxiu's group also paused.

All the mercenaries stared blankly at Zhong Shenxiu's party, their expressions a complex mix beyond words!

While they stood there unsure what to do, they suddenly witnessed something terrifying!

The mercenaries who had just died began to move. At first, the movement was slight, but gradually, the magnitude increased, accompanied by a grating, creaking sound!

All the surviving mercenaries held their breath, eyes wide, staring at the corpses in the blood puddles!

In a short time, several gleaming 'Skeleton Warriors' stood before them.

These were their comrades just moments ago, now skeletons that were actually moving! For anyone, witnessing this would cause the heart to race and breathing to become shallow!

Few of these mercenaries were worldly-wise; this was the first time they had ever seen the entire process of a 'Skeleton Warrior' being born—it was utterly nerve-wracking!

The Skeleton Warriors flexed their limbs slightly, then began to rummage through the pile of debris.

What were they looking for?

Many people harbored this question, and the answer came quickly!

Each of the Skeleton Warriors held a magic ring clenched in its claws—the very rings they had worn in life!

Subsequently, these Skeleton Warriors walked toward Zhong Shenxiu's party, navigating past all the traps without triggering any, until they reached the group and handed over the magic rings they had just retrieved.

At this point, everyone understood: this whole affair was the work of the 'Ethereal Mercenary Group'!

But knowing this didn't help; it only deepened their terror!

While the others were frozen in shock, Zhong Shenxiu's party resumed moving forward.

"Wait—wait a moment!" Just then, Haliyanfu's voice rang out. "I agree to your terms!"

It was less a concession than a final realization.

Certainly, their treasures were valuable, but if they died, those items would become ownerless, and just as they had seen, the people from the 'Ethereal Mercenary Group' would claim them! It was better to hand them over willingly now and at least preserve their lives!

"We agree to your demands too!" the other mercenaries shouted, their voices ragged.

At this moment, they viewed everything other than life as mere dust. The bloody lesson they had just witnessed had taught them never to gamble with their lives—people actually died!

Hearing their words, Zhong Shenxiu finally smiled again.

He had told them long ago: without them, you people are nothing!

Zhong Shenxiu was relatively humane; just as despair struck them, he extended a helping hand again—agreeing to their terms!

However, he added several new clauses to the original agreement, including that these men would serve as free labor and must obey all orders without question, and so on!

With this settled, Zhong Shenxiu finally decided to proceed toward the creature that had piqued his interest. For the rest of the story, please log on to [Website Name], for more chapters, support the author, and read legitimate versions!