Chapter 118: It Really Is a Half-Orc!

That night, Wang Peng was so exhilarated that Lu Yishan was practically tortured to the brink of death. Chen Long even went so far as to feed Lu Yishan a 1-star Mind-Calming Pill to rapidly replenish his mental energy levels. After a night of torment, Lu Yishan spilled everything. He confessed when he lost his virginity, when he went to the KTV to hire escorts, and even described in detail his tryst with Bai Lu in the hotel kitchen.

Zhang Xueying and Huang Lili sat to one side, their cheeks burning red as they listened. Chen Long, on the other hand, grew more excited the more he heard, even pressing, "Old Lu, how many seconds can you last in a kitchen?"

Lu Yishan’s answer was: one minute without medicine, a minute and a half with it. Hu Sanyi almost burst out laughing. For a 2-star Dual-Force Warrior to have such a short duration was simply absurd. Finally, unable to take any more, Zhang Xueying changed the subject: "Wang Peng, make him log into the Dark Web and submit the mission."

The laptop was opened, the site logged into. After entering a 38-character password, iris recognition, and voice verification, they finally entered the Dark Web interface. Zhang Chu took one look and whistled in surprise. The top three missions on the Dark Web leaderboard were all related to Binzhou:

The first-ranked mission: Assassinate Chen Tianxiang, Director of the Binzhou Martial Arts Administration, for a bounty of 100 million.
The second-ranked mission: Raid the Provost Corps and rescue Su Mingyue, for a bounty of 80 million.
The third mission concerned Zhang Chu himself: Find a martial artist under the age of 30 named Zhang Chu, for a bounty of 50 million.

All three missions were still marked as incomplete.

"Little Chu, is the sixth mission about the Demon-Suppressing Tower?" Hu Sanyi pointed to the sixth entry on the list. It was indeed a mission to recruit Spirit-Realm experts to destroy the Vajra Demon-Suppressing Stone, with a bounty of 500 million, though it was marked as failed.

This was also Zhang Xueying's first time seeing Dark Web information. She quickly took photos and sent them to Luo Zhidong and Fan Tianlei: "I didn't expect to accidentally stumble upon a channel to access the Dark Web this time. It seems the people from the Binzhou God-Fallen Alliance have been very active. As long as we can seize control of this Dark Web platform, we might be able to follow the trail and wipe out the remnants of the Binzhou God-Fallen Alliance in one fell swoop!"

Sitting in front of the computer, Lu Yishan was like a ragdoll, allowing Wang Peng to manipulate him. Before long, he uploaded the mission information. A few seconds later, Lu Yishan's phone received an anonymous text: "Tomorrow morning at 6:30, Qincheng Mountain Boundary Marker 203. Reply if received."

"Received."

Lu Yishan’s remaining value had been thoroughly squeezed out. At a single phone call from Chen Long, four Provost Corps officers entered: "Take him away. Subject him to a strict interrogation."

"Yes, sir."

The Provost Corps escorted the dazed Lu Yishan and the others into a vehicle, heading toward Binzhou. The group took a moment to rest before setting out again under the cover of darkness. They were less than 80 kilometers from the Qincheng Mountain Boundary Marker 203, but the map indicated the terrain was rugged and would require trekking through a miasma-filled forest belt that guarded the mountain. They parked the vehicle on the outskirts of Qincheng Mountain, still 30 kilometers from their destination.

There was an hour and a half left until the appointed time. Normally, this distance would be nothing for a martial artist, but the miasma forest of Qincheng Mountain was highly toxic. Anyone below the Spirit-Realm who exerted their martial power would accelerate the absorption of the toxins, so even with gas masks, they had to be extremely cautious. Furthermore, the forest was infested with highly venomous exotic beasts. The "Seven-Step Viper" was the deadliest among them; once bitten, the venom would take effect within seven steps.

"Keep your defenses up. Do not use your martial power under any circumstances." Mercenary groups always prepared thoroughly for missions, and gas masks were standard equipment. Dressed in their gear, the group moved rapidly through the miasma forest under the cover of night. They encountered many demonic beasts, but Zhang Chu didn't even need to intervene. Zhang Xueying wielded her God-Slaying Sword, slaughtering over a dozen Seven-Step Vipers with a single strike.

Just past six o'clock, Zhang Chu and his team hid behind a giant rock near Boundary Marker 203.

"Brother Chu, why haven't they arrived yet?" Seeing that it was past 6:30, Hu Sanyi grew impatient. "Could they have discovered something?"

"Unlikely." Zhang Chu had witnessed Wang Peng’s god-given technique, the "Hypnotic Divine Art," with his own eyes. There was no way it could have failed.

"They're here."

At that moment, a figure darted out from the nearby bushes, moving with lightning speed and leaping with the agility of a beast.

"A 7-star Dual-Force Warrior." Zhang Xueying had already set up a long-range energy detector. As soon as the tall figure appeared, the detector displayed a 7-star reading.

Just then, Hu Sanyi finally recognized the person's face and was stunned on the spot: "Gu Yue? It’s actually him... How is he still alive?"

"That shameless wretch Gu Yue is a disgrace to all Binzhou martial artists. It’s an affront to heaven that he’s still breathing!" Wang Peng was equally incensed.

Gu Yue? Zhang Chu felt the name was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"The head of the Binzhou Martial Arts Blacklist, Gu Yue?" Zhang Xueying was shocked. Ten years ago, Gu Yue’s name had been renowned throughout Binzhou. Aside from Zhang Daoyi, he had been the top talent in the Binzhou Armament Department. He awakened his martial power at 25, became a Dual-Force Warrior at 28, and ascended to the Spirit-Realm at 32. He was hailed as "Little Guan Zifang" and was even admitted to the Martial God Academy under special circumstances. However, it didn't last long. Gu Yue stole a divine weapon from the academy, killed a guard, and defected. It was rumored he had been slain by a 9-star Spirit-Realm expert sent by the academy.

Ten years had passed, and yet here was Gu Yue in Qincheng, serving the God-Fallen Alliance.

"Since the Martial God Academy didn't kill him back then, I'll bring him to justice myself today!" Chen Long took the initiative, diving down: "Gu Yue, you’ve actually defected to the God-Fallen Alliance to hunt down martial artists! Surrender now!"

Damn it! You aren't following the plan! Trying to be a hero? According to their agreement, they were supposed to track him secretly to find the God-Fallen Alliance’s stronghold. Who would have thought Chen Long would be so impatient and just start attacking? With one person exposed, there was no point in the others hiding. Fortunately, Gu Yue was currently only a 7-star Dual-Force Warrior, not the Spirit-Realm expert he once was. Working together, they could manage him.

Zhang Chu and Zhang Xueying exchanged a glance and dove down, surrounding Gu Yue in an instant. They unleashed their auras, pressing down on him. Surprisingly, Gu Yue didn't panic; instead, a playful smile spread across his weathered face.

"Brother Chu, something feels wrong. He seems to have known we were coming," Hu Sanyi whispered.

"As expected of the people from the Martial Arts Administration," Gu Yue said, his voice sounding as if it were coming from his abdomen. "Lu Yishan was tasked by my God-Fallen Alliance to hunt down a martial artist named Zhang Chu. He never replied 'received' before, but last night he did. Wouldn't you say that’s strange?"

"Teacher Little Chu, I’m afraid we’ve been exposed," Zhang Xueying realized, her God-Slaying Sword in hand, ready to fight.

"What are you afraid of? If the Martial God Academy couldn't kill you back then, you're only a 7-star Dual-Force Warrior today. Let's see where you run when we work together! If you’re smart, you’ll take us to the God-Fallen Alliance base immediately. Consider it a great merit, and you might even get leniency," Chen Long shouted, pointing his blade at Gu Yue. It was 6-on-1; as long as there were no reinforcements, they were safe.

"The people from the Martial Arts Administration are still as sanctimonious as the people from the Martial God Academy." Gu Yue wasn't angry; instead, his gaze fixed on Zhang Chu. "It seems the Alliance Leader’s method was effective. Publishing a task on the Dark Web to find someone named Zhang Chu... you must be the person the Leader is looking for."

"Looking for me? Is your Alliance Leader short on a sugar daddy?"

"You want to take me in to collect a reward? I’m afraid you don't have the ability." Zhang Chu raised his right hand, a vine of lightning erupting from his palm and hovering around him.

"To kill you all, I alone am enough." Gu Yue smiled, and suddenly, his clothes burst into shreds.

Everyone, including Zhang Chu, was left dumbfounded. Gu Yue’s bare upper body was covered in scales.

This is... Zhang Chu felt he had seen this somewhere before.

"A demi-human! The God-Fallen Alliance has actually succeeded in developing demi-humans!"