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A hint of unease flashed in Xiao Yunjie's eyes. Song Xiaozhu was different from them; she was an excellent "Engineer" who could easily enter the Fortress.

Knowing that this is a certain death trap, will Song Xiaozhu really stay?

Liu Xuangang initially advised Xiao Yunjie not to reveal everything, but after a week of observation, Xiao Yunjie knew she couldn't hide it from Song Xiaozhu.

Rather than hiding things and making Song Xiaozhu suspicious and alienating them, it's better to be honest with each other.

If she really leaves...

Xiao Yunjie said nothing, Song

Xiaozhu sensed her worry and said gently, "I won't leave Liu Family Village. Since I chose to open a shop here, I will keep it open until the very end."

Xiao Yunjie's thin lips trembled slightly, her expression revealing genuine gratitude. "... Thank you."

Song Xiaozhu: "Let's not talk about that. Right now, we need to hurry... If the isolation barrier was deliberately damaged, then the timeframe is impossible to estimate, maybe..."

Upon hearing her words, both Liu Xuangang and Xiao Yunjie tensed up, and Qiu Shuyu couldn't help but ask, "Deliberate sabotage?"

Xiao Yunjie explained, "Since they're going to dig up the Earth Temple, Fan Cang will definitely deliberately damage the safety barrier."

Qiu Shuyu: "Why... what is he trying to do?"

Song Xiaozhu's mind flashed back to Fan Cang's young, arrogant face, and then she recalled his words to her—"Kid, what would you do if the isolation barrier disappeared?"

This guy planned this all along!

Isn't he a disciple of the Fan Clan?

What good would it do him to remove the isolation zone?

Song Xiaozhu couldn't figure it out either, and there was no use in figuring it out now. She was "small and insignificant," and even if she met Fan Cang through Mu Qing, it wouldn't make a difference.

Fan Cang wouldn't listen to her at all; he might even kill her to silence her.

"Let's go," Song Xiaozhu said to the couple, "Take me to see the iron ore."

Xiao Yunjie: "Okay."

As soon as they stepped out of the house, they saw a village guard running towards them, covered in sweat.

Song Xiaozhu recognized him at a glance. His name was Liu Huli, the captain of the village's Guard Team, and also Chen Quanquan's husband— Old Chen's son-in-law.

Liu Huli was on duty today, and he was patrolling around the village when he spotted his haggard father-in-law. Old Chen was lucky; he had rushed over, covered in dust, and just happened to run into Liu Huli. If it were anyone else, he would have had to wait outside for half a day.

Song Xiaozhu had just told Xiao Yunjie about the Old Chen's situation, but Xiao Yunjie hadn't had time to give any instructions yet. Liu Family Village was heavily guarded, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

Liu Huli didn't dare bring Old Chen in, but as Old Chen's son-in-law, it was only natural for him to inform her, and Xiao Yunjie wouldn't blame him for it.

After listening to Liu Huli's explanation, Xiao Yunjie looked at Song Xiaozhu.

Song Xiaozhu: "I'm going to see him."

Let's deal with this first, then we'll check on the iron ore situation.

Xiao Yunjie nodded and said, "In that case, Xuangang will take some men to dig first, and Miss Song and I will go over there. When we get there, we'll have some ready-made ore."

She was older than Liu Xuangang, and that was how she had always addressed him.

Liu Xuangang: "Okay!"

Song Xiaozhu said to Qiu Shuyu, "Sister Shuyu, why don't you go with Village Chief Liu first?"

Qiu Shuyu paused, worried about Song Xiaozhu's safety.

Song Xiaozhu patted her waist, where the "Quantum Arrow" was tucked. "Don't worry."

Qiu Shuyu nodded and followed Liu Xuangang toward the direction of the Earth Temple.

On the way, Song Xiaozhu asked in a low voice, "Madam Xiao, is there really no possibility of cooperation with District Chief Hu?"

She had no intention of prying into the other person's privacy; it was just that, given the current situation, if Liu Family Village could receive support from the Scavenger Community, they would at least have a buffer zone when the isolation zone broke down.

Xiao Yunjie shook her head. "Absolutely impossible. Hu Yuan hates Liu Family Village. The reason I married into this family was to assassinate Liu Xuangang."

Song Xiaozhu: "..."

A single, understated sentence is enough to foreshadow a bloody and violent conflict.

Song Xiaozhu didn't ask, but Xiao Yunjie explained to her, "Hu Yuan had a son who awakened as a ' Hunter,' was taken into the Fortress, and became the captain of an exploration team. Later, he went on a mission and never came back."

Song Xiaozhu frowned. "What does this have to do with Liu Family Village?"

Xiao Yunjie: "At that time, Xuangang's father was also conscripted into the exploration team, and was in the same team as Hu Wengen... Later, Hu Yuan somehow heard that Liu Xuangang's father had refused to help Hu Wengen in his time of need..."

Therefore, Hu Yuan hated Liu Jintian to the core.

Liu Jintian was already quite old at the time, and had long since passed the position of village chief to Liu Xuangang. His trips to the quarantine zone were also on behalf of his son.

After this accident, Liu Jintian soon passed away, but this did not quell Hu Yuan's anger. She insisted that Liu Xuangang pay with his life.

Later, she married her adopted daughter, Xiao Yunjie, to Liu Family Village, hoping that after gaining Liu Xuangang's trust, she could kill him.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yunjie, who was raised by Hu Yuan as a cold weapon since childhood, betrayed her.

Xiao Yunjie not only failed to kill Liu Xuangang, but also gave birth to his son.

As time went on, the feud between Hu Yuan and Liu Family Village deepened and became increasingly difficult to resolve.

Song Xiaozhu's mind was filled with ellipses.

this...

What a melodramatic soap opera of love, hate, and revenge!

What is certain is that it is impossible for Old Madam Hu to reconcile with Liu Family Village.

Alright.

If she really found out about the "human sacrifice" at the Earth Temple, she'd probably party all night.

Xiao Yunjie asked, "Miss Song, how do you plan to help the Old Chen?"

She knew that Song Xiaozhu would definitely rescue the Old Chen.

However, Hu Yuan has always been ruthless, and coupled with her hatred for Liu Family Village, it will probably not be easy for Song Xiaozhu to get her out.

Song Xiaozhu used four words: "Coercion and inducement."

Xiao Yunjie hesitated for a moment, then looked down at the special arrow tucked into her waistband.