Chapter 137: Professional Con Artist [Bonus Chapter 1 for Alliance Leader “A Casual Act”]

The smile on Black Panther’s face faded slightly. He tilted his head, letting his gaze sweep across the faces of Zhou Yi, Fatty, and Cheng Zhi one by one, before waving a hand toward the men surrounding them.

The men lowered their weapons and retreated a few steps, widening the circle of containment.

"Sophia, we’re old friends. When we run into each other, we should at least say hello. Why pretend we don't know one another?"

As he spoke, Black Panther strode forward, stopping just two or three meters from Sophia and Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi smiled, patted Sophia’s arm, and winked at her. "Vice-Commander, is this a friend of yours?"

Sophia let out a huff. Her expression remained unchanged; she knew that playing the fool was useless now. "We grew up in the same orphanage, though we didn't know each other then. It wasn't until our training that we realized we came from the same place. Later, we were part of a batch of cyborgs selected and dispatched directly to various bases."

At the mention of the word "cyborg," Black Panther’s expression darkened significantly; it seemed to be a subject he loathed others bringing up.

"Why be like this? Even though we are cyborgs, we are now core personnel who control our bases. We even hold higher status than the average Chosen One. There’s no need to constantly remind yourself of what we are, right?"

Sophia stayed silent. Zhou Yi quickly interjected, "Vice-Commander Black Panther, is it? I've heard Miss Sophia mention you. I hear that Base 37 wouldn't be where it is today without your absolute contribution—otherwise, Commander Avey King wouldn't have achieved the status of a Warrior in the Space-Time City."

Black Panther arched an eyebrow, looking at Zhou Yi with newfound interest. "You're a Chosen One from Base 72? Why don't I recognize you?"

Zhou Yi smiled. Lowering his posture at a time like this was no shame, especially when it meant protecting his life and assets. "I’m just a small fry, I only just joined Base 72, so naturally you wouldn't know me."

"A Chosen One?" Sophia stepped in front of Zhou Yi, staring coldly at Black Panther. "Do you have a point or not? Say what you have to say. We're busy looking for something. Why did you appear here?"

Black Panther let out a short, sharp laugh. That laugh, combined with his hulking frame, seemed somehow awkward. Zhou Yi blinked. Why was this guy acting so strangely? When he was talking to Sophia earlier, he didn't exactly have the air of a suitor, so why the change? Could he be bisexual?

"This is our mission world. I was just about to ask you the same thing."

Sophia frowned. This answer left her feeling bewildered; for a moment, she couldn't tell if it was a mistake by the base or if the system had malfunctioned. Black Panther didn't pause, continuing nonchalantly:

"It’s a coincidence. I’m looking for something too. I just set a trap to catch a muskrat, and it ducked into this mine shaft and never came out. Instead, you lot came out, laden with bags. That’s not very nice, is it? You know we’ve been chasing that muskrat for over ten days."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi realized they had been following the water-rat, clearly in search of spirit stones.

Zhou Yi widened his eyes, feigning confusion as he looked at Sophia. "What is a muskrat?"

Sophia shook her head and remained silent. Beside them, Fatty tapped away on his phone, then held it up for Zhou Yi to see, his expression of surprise perfectly acted and professional. "Boss, look, this is a muskrat. What an ugly rat!"

He quickly covered his mouth, feigning a slip of the tongue. Zhou Yi waved a hand after glancing at the screen.

"Vice-Commander Black Panther, we haven't seen a rat like that. For the past ten days, we’ve just been wandering around the surrounding mines, seeing if there was anything to scavenge. But those areas were guarded, so when we saw this place was abandoned, we went down to take a look. However, this is a derelict tunnel. The ore carts and tools were just tossed on the ground, looking like they were abandoned in a massive hurry. Everything is rusted; it looks like no one has touched it in years, so we just came back out."

Black Panther didn't speak, but one of the men in black behind him pointed at Zhou Yi and shouted, "He’s lying! We’ve been watching the whole time. The four of them were down there for four days and three nights! Otherwise, we wouldn't have notified the Vice-Commander to come here."

This statement genuinely surprised Zhou Yi. Four days and three nights? What a joke. From the moment they went down to catching the water-rat and mining the spirit stones, it had only been about four or five hours. This was an exaggeration.

The four of them exchanged looks and shook their heads, wearing expressions of total confusion. Even Sophia looked genuinely puzzled. Zhou Yi stared, wide-eyed. "What? Four days and three nights? From the time we went down to the time we came up, it was only a little over four hours. Did you get something wrong? How could there be a time difference?"

Fatty nudged Zhou Yi and pointed at the dust on the vehicle. "Boss, remember? When we came up, we were wondering why there were traces of rain on the cart, and there was sand, dirt, and leaves in the back seat. You even asked if some animal had been messing around. Could there be something wrong with this mine shaft?"

Zhou Yi nodded and turned to Cheng Zhi. "Hey, Cheng Zhi, aren't you a geological expert? Why would this happen? Can you explain it?"

Cheng Zhi paused for a moment. Seeing Fatty signaling him, he understood immediately. After a moment of contemplation, he said with a serious face:

"There are many geological phenomena that science cannot explain. I won't even mention the Bermuda Triangle or the Olmec statues. I once went to investigate the 'Soul-Confusing Canyon' in Mount Wawu, Sichuan. There was no cell signal, compasses failed, and satellite phones were useless. There was miasma and strange rock formations everywhere. We were inside for thirteen days, but when we came out, a whole month had passed. Of course, many people were vomiting and suffering from diarrhea at the time, so no one paid attention to the discrepancy.

"After I returned, I checked the records. There were expeditions in 1972, 1977, and 1999. Either the entire team vanished, or only one or two survived, and their accounts were never very clear. Based on satellite imagery and the orientation of the mineral veins, I suspect there are massive rare mineral deposits there that create a huge magnetic field, causing all equipment to fail. The terrain there is very similar to this—a valley filled with small, identical-looking hillocks covered in trees, like a natural maze. I wonder if this place is similar?"

Cheng Zhi’s argument was entirely pseudo-scientific. It was all a bit hazy, and while it sounded reasonable, a closer look revealed he hadn't actually said anything at all. Zhou Yi nodded as if having a sudden epiphany. "So that's how it is!"

Black Panther stared at Zhou Yi and Cheng Zhi, his gaze scrutinizing, before finally settling on Sophia.

"Since you are hiding in this world, to avoid running into hunters, we should move together. We have more people, and I want to go down into this tunnel myself. Even if the muskrat is fast, I’ve set up an illusion array outside, so it can't escape. As for what’s down there, or whether you’re telling the truth, a single look will tell. Let’s go!"

Sophia glared at Black Panther. Resistance was meaningless now, but going back down with them was genuinely dangerous, especially since they were armed.

"Fine. But I have one condition: leave the guns outside. How do I know you aren't using this as an excuse to kill us? Even if we don't have anything worth taking, I still don't want to die."

Black Panther burst into laughter, throwing his head back as if Sophia had said something hilarious. "Hahaha! Sophia, you’re still as bad at small talk as ever. No wonder Waldner always complains that you aren't like a woman. Don't worry, given the relationship between Base 72 and Base 37, I won't do anything to you. I just want to find the muskrat and see if it can lead me to the spirit stones. You’ve ruined my plans and made my ten days of effort go to waste; let me at least verify whether or not you’re lying."

Sophia remained silent. Zhou Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Logically, the area below was sealed tight, so it shouldn't be an issue. Seeing that Sophia didn't argue further, Zhou Yi stepped forward. To the outside world, he was the weakest Chosen One of Base 72, and he had to play the part of a lackey.

"Whatever Vice-Commander Black Panther requests, we shall do. It’s just a trip down, no problem. Let’s go!"

Seeing Zhou Yi’s straightforward attitude, Black Panther’s guard dropped slightly. After all, he had confidence in his own abilities. He glanced at the sullen-faced Sophia; he knew she was holding back her rage, but he also knew that if this woman were pushed too far, she would be a difficult opponent to handle, so he restrained himself a little.

"You six stay outside and keep track of the time. Don't leave. Just guard this spot. If you see the muskrat pop up nearby, call me immediately using the control panel!"

One of the masked men in black nodded quickly. At the mention of the "control panel," Zhou Yi instinctively glanced at Sophia. Clearly, Sophia was just as surprised. They had suffered immensely since arriving in this world, yet Black Panther’s people had perfectly functional control panels. Had they not been attacked?

Both of them remained calm, sneaking a glance at the control panels on the wrists of the black-clad men and Black Panther. Sure enough, the man who had spoken tapped his control panel, and it was working perfectly.

Sophia’s brows locked together. Zhou Yi poked her in the waist and gave her a look. Sophia let out a breath and softened her attitude toward Black Panther.

"Did you choose this world to hide in, or were you deployed here directly?"