Using a Ruse to Counter a Ruse

Not long after.

A fighter jet streaked across the sky, landing steadily on the open ground before the cave entrance.

Clack, clack, clack.

A group of people stepped out of the jet. At the front was a young, handsome man in white robes, a golden badge pinned to his chest.

"Which one of you is Qin Tian?"

Su Yunyi looked at the few people standing before the cave entrance, his tone gentle as he asked.

"I'm Qin Tian."

Qin Tian stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over Su Yunyi's face, a slight ripple stirring within him.

So it was him—that Gold Family scion.

"I'm Su Yunyi, the commander of this operation."

Su Yunyi extended a hand, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth. His voice was like a spring breeze, instantly winning favor.

"Hello, sir."

Qin Tian grasped Su Yunyi's hand, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected this Gold Family disciple to be so warm and polite.

Judge by deeds, not intentions.

Whether this demeanor came from genuine sincerity or deliberate pretense, at least Qin Tian's first impression of Su Yunyi was quite favorable.

"Qin Tian, you reported earlier that you found the missing special operations personnel and that you also killed a Myriad Poison Snake Person."

Su Yunyi released his grip and asked, "I want to ask again—are you certain your report is accurate?"

"I'm certain."

Qin Tian nodded, pointing at the two unconscious people behind him, and said:

"One of them is Xue Lin, the other is Wang Tiancheng. They're members of the missing Skywind Squad."

Hearing this, the assistant beside him quickly searched for the Skywind Squad's data, comparing it to the two faces. Within seconds, the match was confirmed, and he nodded to Su Yunyi.

Su Yunyi's brow relaxed, and he asked again, "Then where is the Myriad Poison Snake Person now?"

To be honest, he still couldn't believe that this soldier of special status had actually killed a Myriad Poison Snake Person.

On the way here, he had reviewed Qin Tian's relevant files.

What surprised him was that Qin Tian was actually a Clone Soldier, and he had been out of the pod for less than a month.

A clone soldier only a month old, single-handedly killing a Fourth Order Myriad Poison Snake Person.

No matter how he heard it, it sounded like a fairy tale.

"The Myriad Poison Snake Person is at the deepest part of the cave. I can take you there," Qin Tian said.

"Alright, then I'll trouble you."

Su Yunyi first had the assistant take the unconscious Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng onto the jet. Then, with Qin Tian leading the way, the group advanced along the winding tunnel.

Along the way, they saw numerous snake person corpses. Judging by the wounds, every single one had been pierced through the back of the head—a single, fatal blow.

Seeing this, everyone's hearts tightened.

If one or two snake people had died by this method, it could be chalked up to luck.

But for dozens of snake people to all be the same—that wasn't luck. That was pure, undeniable skill.

An incredibly terrifying assassination ability.

Beside him, Xiao Yunlong, who had long since been awakened by Qin Tian, couldn't help but ask:

"Qin Tian, did you kill all these snake people?"

"Yeah."

Qin Tian nodded, then added, "Don't forget my technique, the Shadow Thunder Prison Technique."

Shadow Thunder Prison Technique

This was the technique he cultivated.

Su Yunyi's eyes flickered. He was a Light-type Psionic User and had studied Dark-type Techniques, martial skills, and spells—which mutually countered his own—quite extensively.

The Shadow Thunder Prison Technique was a Bronze-level cultivation technique, specializing in both lightning and darkness.

This technique emphasized the destructive power of the lightning element and the concealment properties of the darkness element.

Body like a shadow, movement like thunder.

However, Su Yunyi found one thing very strange.

The files showed that Qin Tian had only registered his Psionic User identity a few days ago, enjoying the exclusive special policies for Clones.

In other words, Qin Tian had been cultivating the Shadow Thunder Prison Technique for at most a few days. He might not even have condensed a Star Aperture yet.

With such a foundation, how had he managed to silently kill dozens of snake people?

Though he had his doubts, Su Yunyi did not ask.

Everyone has secrets.

As long as a secret has nothing to do with you, don't pry into it.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the Central Cold Pool.

Water droplets condensed from the hanging stalactite forest, falling one by one into the cold pool.

A bloodstained cross stood beside the pool, and a headless snake-man lay before it, its diamond-like scales glittering.

Not far away, two corpses lay flat on the ground. One was especially gruesome—an empty skull connected to a lower body, making it hard to imagine the suffering he endured before death.

The other man's death was only slightly better: a savage wound on his neck, his left hand severed, one eye seemingly gouged out, leaving only a dark red socket.

"It's him!"

Qin Dadi, Xiao Yunlong, and Liu Zhaozhao recognized the Bearded Man at a glance, their hearts shaken.

Because of various grudges, they hadn't liked the Bearded Man, but seeing him appear in such a tragic and heroic state, everyone felt deeply unsettled.

"His name is Lin Chao, and his name is Dai Jun."

Qin Tian recounted everything he had seen in full.

After hearing it, everyone stood in solemn respect. Some of the more emotional ones had reddened eyes, tears spilling uncontrollably.

Su Yunyi stood beside the two men, a trace of sorrow in his gaze:

"They were true Imperial soldiers, battle heroes. Everyone..."

Su Yunyi raised his voice, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"Salute!!!"

Slap!

Everyone immediately snapped to attention, raising their hands in the most precise Imperial Military Salute, paying tribute to the heroes.

The aircraft returned.

After arriving at the base, Qin Tian and the Earth Dragon Squad were immediately taken to the Medical Department for physical examinations.

Meanwhile, Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng were brought to the Interrogation Room, where Su Yunyi presided as the lead interrogator.

A milky white light bathed them as Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng's twisted hands and feet rapidly recovered.

"Thank you, Young Master Su."

Xue Lin said softly, clearly recognizing Su Yunyi.

"Xue Lin, Wang Tiancheng, you're both veterans. You should know the Imperial Military Law well."

Su Yunyi said slowly: "Tell me everything you know, and I'll apply for you to atone for your crimes through merit."

From the moment they woke up, Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng knew they couldn't hide the fact that they had surrendered to the snake-men.

Resisting was useless.

The Military Department had too many interrogation experts; even the toughest bones couldn't withstand their professional "questioning."

Not to mention, they were already filled with unbearable shame and pain over surrendering to the Orcs and betraying their comrades.

So when Su Yunyi offered them a chance to atone through merit, Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng immediately spilled everything they knew, holding nothing back.

"The Hujian Grand Canyon... these snake-men have no small ambitions."

Su Yunyi narrowed his eyes. Several Special Forces Teams had gone missing in recent days, and there were certainly traitors among them like Xue Lin and Wang Tiancheng.

In that case, why not turn the tables?

A bold idea quickly took shape in his mind.

Su Yunyi's lips curled upward. Maybe this time, I can directly accumulate enough military merits to complete the Academy Assessment.