I Sent You to Keep an Eye on Someone, and It's One Thing After Another

As the elevator platform carrying Millelith and the unconscious miner slowly ascended, Xingsu stood on the ground at the bottom of the valley, his gaze quietly following the shadow of the platform, his expression thoughtful.

"Xingsu, what's wrong? You seem so engrossed in it."

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking... could the rock that hit the miner just now be the same one I threw in to test the depth earlier...? Uh, probably not?" Xingsu scratched his cheek.

"Uh... you actually knew that..."

"Ahem, just an accident. Anyway, let's explore downwards first; he's fine."

As you venture deeper into the Chasm, the surrounding light grows increasingly dim. Abandoned mine tunnels crisscross the landscape, dilapidated wooden frames lean precariously against the rock walls, and rusty picks, broken ropes, and dust-covered miners' lamps lie scattered on the ground.

A damp, cold wind swept through the earth, stirring up fine dust that rustled softly in the silent space. All around was deathly still, except for the clear echo of the three people's footsteps.

The deeper you go, the stronger the metallic scent of minerals in the air becomes. Faint, eerie blue light occasionally seeps out from the crevices in the rock walls, adding to the eerie tranquility of the deep mine tunnel.

Xingsu walked at the very back, casually observing his surroundings, seemingly curious about everything. Sometimes he would climb to a high place, and sometimes he would squat on the ground fiddling with something.

The group proceeded slowly and methodically forward, exploring the area.

Paimon stayed close to Ying, clutching the hem of her clothes with her little hand, and nervously looked around. "It's so quiet here... not even Hilichurl's voice, it's kind of scary."

"Ohhhhhhhhh!"

The piercing screams pierced through the Chasm and echoed repeatedly in the open underground, sending chills down one's spine.

Paimon froze instantly, hurriedly hiding behind Ying, his voice trembling. "Whoa! W-what happened? Is someone screaming?!"

Upon Xingsu, Xing Su's lips curled into a knowing smile. He deliberately softened his tone, adding a touch of mockery, "Perhaps it's a vengeful ghost lingering in the Chasm ~"

"You... you're scaring me!" Paimon clutched Ying's sleeve tightly, too frightened to look around.

Someone has fallen into his trap.

From the moment you step into the Chasm, numerous hidden traps have already been silently laid in the shadows and around every corner.

He raised his hand and touched the magic storage bag specially made by Lyney at his waist. His fingertips touched the small, cold iron caltrops. Taking advantage of the moment when Ying and Paimon were attracted by the screams, he subtly turned to the side to block their view, and casually scattered a few more caltrops in the shadows at his feet.

Someone was watching them from the shadows.

Xingsu sensed it as soon as he descended to the entrance of the Chasm.

Not to mention the lone miner and patrolling soldier who suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the Chasm, which had long been sealed off by Liyue and off-limits to all. The most fatal flaw was hidden in the hands of that "miner".

Xingsu had seen the hands of countless people struggling to survive at the bottom of society. The poor people of Fleuve Cendre and the fishermen of Poisson, their hands were always rough and cracked. The grime of life was embedded in their skin, and their calluses were thick and hard, all traces of years of hard work.

Normally, the working conditions of miners in the Chasm would be even harsher and dirtier than those of other people.

But when he bent down to check on the man's condition, he paid special attention to his palms.

Those hands had only a thin layer of mineral dust on the surface, making them look rough, but they were actually deliberately clean. With just a light scratch with a fingernail, the surface dust would disappear, revealing firm and smooth skin underneath, with calluses on the palms and the base of the fingers that were evenly distributed, hard, and neat.

Those are hands honed through years of wielding swords and practicing boxing, hands honed day after day—the hands of a martial artist.

"Oh."

Since the other party prefers to lurk in the shadows and spy, I'll play along and play along for a while.

In the shadows of the dimly lit side passage of the cave, several disheveled figures huddled behind Yelan, each one hanging their heads dejectedly, like children who had caused trouble, not daring to even lift their heads.

One of them had bloodshot eyes, swollen eyes that looked like a fiery chili pepper, a red nose, and was constantly sneezing quietly.

This is someone who just accidentally triggered a trap and was sprayed head-on with specially made pepper spray hidden in the mechanism.

The other person was covered in a sticky, unidentified liquid, and his skin was covered in fine, itchy red patches. He couldn't help but scratch his entire body repeatedly, his face contorted in agony. He was completely unable to move from head to toe due to the unbearable itching.

The last person was the most disheveled; the soles of their shoes were riddled with tiny iron spikes, turning what should have been a pair of boots into spiked shoes, giving them a free experience of foot acupuncture.

"Yelan... we've been tricked." The subordinate's voice was dejected, full of frustration.

"That kid sensed we were being watched from the very beginning, and secretly laid a bunch of traps along the way, just waiting for us to run into them."

The other person added, frustrated, "If I hadn't noticed something was wrong and pulled back, those two would probably still be hanging from the scaffold in the mine shaft..."

Yelan looked at her disheveled and annihilated subordinates behind her, a faint silence playing on her lips.

"... I asked you to keep an eye on someone, and it's either windy or rainy." She sighed softly. "Sigh, I'll go myself."

Yelan raised her arm and drew her bow. A blue-green elemental arrow instantly materialized and shot straight at the monster in the black mud.

Snap!

A cold gunshot rang out, exploding in my ears!

A flash of fire disappeared in the darkness, and a bullet imbued with Pyro Element pierced the air, heading straight for the three people in front of it.

At the critical moment, Xingsu's pupils contracted sharply, and his body reacted even faster than his mind.

He suddenly raised his hand, grabbed Ying, and pulled her back a step.

Call out--!

The Pyro Element bullets slammed heavily into the ground in front of them, sending waves of scorching heat crashing down, and rubble and charred dust flying in all directions.

"They are Fatui!"

Ying stopped instantly, gripped the Dull Blade tightly, and assumed a fighting stance.

Paimon clung tightly to their backs, his face deathly pale.

"This is not a hallucination; it's a person! A living person!"

Deep within the silent mine tunnels, several weary figures slowly emerged from the shadows. Their hoarse, dry voices, tinged with the joy of surviving a calamity, echoed outwards.

These Fatui soldiers all had bloodshot eyes, haggard faces, and thin, emaciated bodies due to long-term malnutrition.

Yet their hands, gripping their weapons, remained upright and resolute, without the slightest slackening.

The leader of the Wind Fist vanguard quickly raised his hands high, waving them frantically, and hurriedly explained, "To the figures ahead, we're very sorry! We meant no harm!"

At this tense moment, Ying showed no sign of letting up, gripping her longsword tightly, ready to strike first.

But Xingsu raised his hand and blocked her way, stopping her movement.

He stared directly at the remnants of the Fatui opposite him. "Soldiers of the Fatui, state the name of your unit and your names."

The leading soldier opposite him stiffened, immediately straightened up, gave a Snezhnaya salute, and solemnly replied in a loud voice, "Ninth Company! Provisional Company Commander— Anton!"