The man entered his Superman state, gave a low shout, and placed his hand against the dirt. Without any apparent effort, as if plunging into seawater, his body pierced through into the earth.

Seeing the manner of the man's transformation, Ye Chen instantly recognized him as the Earthworm Superman, the one most adept at burrowing. As he was about to vanish completely into the soil, making pursuit nearly impossible, the distance between them was too great to intercept unless Ye Chen activated his own Superman state.

In haste, Ye Chen sprinted to the edge of the stone platform. A flash of white ceramic bottle caught his eye resting there. Without a second thought, he snatched it up and hurled it with all his might toward the back of the man's head. Precisely at the instant the man was about to burrow in and disappear, the bottle struck his skull. Unable to withstand the force, the ceramic shattered, releasing a cloud of white powder that puffed outwards.

The man let out a muffled cry. Struck by the fragile bottle, his body visibly softened for a moment, his speed decreasing. Yet, clutching the woman, he still managed to burrow into the soil and vanish without a trace.

Ye Chen reached the edge of the disturbed earth and punched down. With a dull thud, the soil recessed several inches. The man’s earth-digging skill was astonishingly refined; even while fleeing rapidly, he had managed to refill the soil behind him, preventing Ye Chen from burrowing after him—a classic case of 'the fierce dragon cannot suppress the local snake.'

Ye Chen frowned slightly, not wasting effort on further digging. He turned back and saw the middle-aged man chained to the rock. He walked over and inquired, "That pair intended to kill all the strong individuals in the Huaxia Base Cities, but their own strength isn't that high. They likely used explosives. Do you know where the explosives are buried?"

The middle-aged man was disheveled, with numerous knife scars marring his body, appearing utterly wretched. He lifted his head in a daze. Through the gap in his dark hair, he glimpsed Ye Chen’s appearance and thought inwardly, What a handsome man! This thought brought a bitter tide surging through his heart. He couldn't help but let out a long sigh and said, "The explosives are on the mountaintop. You still have time if you hurry."

Ye Chen nodded, glanced at him, and asked, "Who are you, and why are you chained here? And who are those two?"

The middle-aged man’s voice was laced with bitterness. "My name is Jing You. Those two are my daughter, Jing Yu, and my son-in-law, Fang Zhuo."

Ye Chen paused, slightly surprised. He had assumed the pair held a profound hatred for the man before him, leading to such abuse and chaining. To learn they were his daughter and son-in-law was unexpected. Judging by the tone of his voice, he was likely not lying. Ye Chen inquired, "Why would they treat you this way?" He had witnessed people eating their own kin for survival, but never someone being tied up and tortured by their own family.

Jing You sighed, a shade of melancholy crossing the cheek hidden by his dark hair. He spoke dryly, "I was the Commander-in-Chief of the Hohhot Base City. Upon hearing news of the two monsters, I brought my daughter and son-in-law, hoping to gain a share of the spoils. Who knew they had planned this all along? They ambushed me, using an enhanced anesthetic and the secret poison 'Seven Fragrance Powder,' paralyzing me and binding me here to force me to hand over control of the Base City."

Ye Chen frowned. In his previous life, Hohhot City established its own base city at the dawn of the apocalypse, declaring itself a nation and developing rapidly in the border regions. Although its power wasn't comparable to the Huaxia Base Cities, it was not to be underestimated. To think the leader of such a force was right before him now. He pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is Seven Fragrance Powder?"

Jing You sighed. "Seven Fragrance Powder is a highly potent, secretly formulated poison, created using many mutated toxic substances. Its effect is powerful: anyone poisoned by it dies in seven days. On the first day, they feel as if countless ants are biting their entire body. On the second day, their body begins to rot, and their bones itch unbearably, with the pain escalating daily—it’s terrifying. The original intent was to punish disobedient subordinates with a taste of suffering before administering the antidote. Unexpectedly, I ended up testing it myself." As he finished, his voice carried notes of self-mockery and bitterness.

Ye Chen’s expression was cold. He got what he deserved—he brought this upon himself! However, seeing the man’s miserable state, he refrained from lecturing him and asked instead, "Do you have the antidote on you?"

Jing You’s eyes brightened with unexpected joy. "You're willing to save me?"

Ye Chen replied, "If I leave you here, you’ll eventually starve to death without food. That’s no different from killing you myself. I can save you, but you must agree to one condition!"

Jing You quickly agreed, "Not just one, I'll agree to a hundred!"

Ye Chen’s gaze flickered as he looked at him. "Don't celebrate too soon. My condition is this: after you leave, you must establish a Hall of Benevolence in your base city to aid the old, weak, and women!"

Jing You agreed without hesitation. "No problem!"

Ye Chen’s eyes flashed. He looked at the man again and pulled out a Divine Dragon Pill from his (bosom/inner pocket). "This is poison. Take it first. If you disobey my orders in the future, your fate will be far worse than the Seven Fragrance Powder!"

Jing You hesitated for a moment, then resolutely stated, "Agreed! I will keep my word, I will not go back on it! If I fail to obey you, may I suffer a thousand cuts!"

Ye Chen ignored the oath, tossing the Divine Dragon Pill into his mouth. Seeing that he swallowed it, Ye Chen stepped forward and pulled apart the iron chains, lowering him down. Jing You, still weakened by the enhanced anesthetic, felt limp and powerless. Once freed from the chains, he immediately slid off the rock, collapsing onto the ground. After a while, he managed to stand unsteadily, his legs trembling as if burdened by a massive mountain.

After standing, Jing You reached into the back pocket of his trousers. As Ye Chen frowned, he pulled out a small yellow paper packet. His hand trembled slightly as he slowly opened it, as if this simple action required all his remaining strength.

Inside the yellow packet was a pinch of green powder. Jing You stuck out his tongue and licked a bit, then let out a sigh of relief. He carefully rewrapped the rest, intending to tuck it back between his buttocks. But remembering Ye Chen was watching, the action felt too indelicate, so he gave an awkward smile and held the packet in his hand, chuckling sheepishly to Ye Chen, "If the antidote is hidden in a shoe or a bag, it’s easy for someone to plant it there. Only that spot is truly safe."

Ye Chen couldn't help but look at him more closely. He hadn't expected this man to be so cunning, hiding the antidote right between his buttocks—surely no one would think to look in such a private location, even if they killed him.

Just then, a loud "Roar!" echoed from the stone wall. The sound was deep, powerful, and deafening, much like a lion's roar. Ye Chen was slightly startled, feeling as if the sound erupted right next to his ear, as if the monster’s mouth was pressed against him. He instinctively shifted sideways and turned to look, but there was no monster beside him.

At this moment, Jing You seemed to have recovered some strength; his body was less shaky. He smiled lightly at Ye Chen. "My daughter is the Earthworm Superman; she excels at burrowing. There’s a narrow path, the thickness of an arm, leading directly to a cave from here. Those two monsters have been on this mountain for two days and are tired from fighting, so they haven't been running around. That roar just now was likely the Overlord Lion’s bellow."

Ye Chen nodded, confirming that one of the creatures was indeed the Overlord Lion. He walked to the edge of the rock, placed his hand on the dirt, and pressed his ear against the back of his hand to listen to the activity above. Thanks to his powerful physique, he immediately detected many footsteps—like pinecones dropping intermittently, yet rhythmic.

Suddenly, with a loud bang, a massive sound erupted, as if a celestial object had crashed down, deafeningly loud. Ye Chen hastily pulled his hand away, stepping back a foot, his expression full of alarm. That loud noise was clearly the Overlord Lion stomping its foot, and combined with the numerous faint footsteps, it must have spotted humans and engaged in combat.

"Eh? So many snakes!" Jing You suddenly exclaimed in terror.

Ye Chen instinctively looked to the side. Beside him was only dirt—no snakes whatsoever. He snapped back to reality, realizing with a jolt that things were bad. He spun around and saw the lamp from the stone platform had fallen into a nearby recess. Jing You, however, was no longer showing any sign of weakness. He moved with surprising swiftness; he had activated his Superman state and was, in fact, the Earthworm Superman—his body supple as if boneless, instantly burrowing into the soil.

A flash of anger lit Ye Chen's eyes. He took a step, causing the ground to crack explosively. His figure was like the wind as he rushed to the edge of the rock, his hand gripping the dirt like an eagle's talon, plunging halfway up his arm into the earth. He managed to grab a wrist and pulled with all his might.

Jing You, deep in the soil, was startled by Ye Chen’s astonishing agility. He quickly fumbled in his robes, pulled out a small knife, and sliced backward, severing his own arm. He then dropped the knife, clutched his severed limb, and fled.

Ye Chen, exerting maximum force in the tug-of-war, felt the wrist suddenly go slack, as if the opposing side in a rope pull had suddenly let go. His body involuntarily lurched backward. Fortunately, his control was superb; he stabilized after only one step back. He then saw that what he held was merely a severed wrist, bleeding profusely, but there was no sign of Jing You.

"Sss-sss…"

At that moment, a faint sound reached his ear. Ye Chen startled slightly and followed the sound. He saw the fallen lamp appeared to have ignited something. He froze, and then he remembered the explosives Jing You had mentioned earlier. A chill ran down his spine. No wonder he prepared a lamp here, along with matches and a lighter. He must have connected the fuse for the explosives here, allowing him to detonate them on the mountaintop just by lighting this!

Realizing this, he rushed over, but the "sss-sss" sound was coming from deep within the soil, moving rapidly. Given his digging speed, he feared he wouldn't catch up. He thought quickly, There's still a long way from here to the mountaintop; I probably can't make it in time. His thoughts raced, and suddenly his eyes lit up. He activated his communicator, dialed Bai Long’s number, and spoke quickly, "Where are you? Hurry and get everyone off Nine Dragon Mountain!"

"We haven't arrived yet," Bai Long replied curiously. "What happened?"

Ye Chen paused, then sighed inwardly. "Nothing. Don't go to the mountaintop." He closed the communicator, knowing that even if Bai Long and the others went to warn the people on the peak, they likely wouldn't be believed and would only face scorn.

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