The Enemy's Plot

Chapter 22: The Enemy's Plot. Smoke hung over the battlefield after the Black-Robed People withdrew, the smell of blood mingling with the aura of spiritual energy. Although the family members felt some relief at having repelled the enemy, everyone knew that this war was far from over. Pain and exhaustion were etched deeply into their faces. Mu Chen stood amid the ruins with the secret weapon in hand, his brows tightly knitted as he scrutinized every detail of the battlefield with a grave gaze. An ominous premonition rose within him. During the fierce clash, Mu Chen had noticed several unusual things. The Black-Robed People's attacks had seemed ferocious and chaotic, yet at certain crucial moments, their movements had shown a subtle coordination, as though they were following an established plan—and that plan involved far more than simply attacking the family. Mu Chen began carefully recalling every detail of the battle. He remembered how, at the height of the fighting, some of the Black-Robed People had seemingly charged blindly toward the family's most heavily fortified position. Although their attacks had been successfully blocked, they had drawn a large portion of the family's defensive forces there. Meanwhile, another small group of Black-Robed People had quietly moved toward the rear of the family's territory. Their movements had been extremely covert. Had Mu Chen not maintained his spiritual energy perception across the entire battlefield throughout the fight, he might well have overlooked them. "Were they looking for something? Or setting something up?" Mu Chen murmured to himself, his doubts growing heavier. He decided to investigate the true purpose behind the Black-Robed People's operation. Mu Chen summoned Tan Qingshan, Tang Qian'er, and several of the family's strategist elders for an emergency meeting in the family council hall. He told them in detail about his discoveries