221: Chapter 221: Breaking the Poison Fog Trap

Shen Xiaochuan stood on a rock, observing the team. Eight armored monsters formed a circle, their tail stingers raised, dripping venom onto the snow, which hissed and emitted white smoke. The green mist was only twenty meters from their defensive line. Two poisoned Believers were breathing weakly, their bodies twitching. Raen gripped his battle-axe, the veins on his hands bulging. The Woman with Goggles crouched beside the Medical Team, her voice tight: "If we don't treat them soon, they won't last ten minutes."

Shen Xiaochuan didn't move. He looked down at his palm; faith points were increasing by one per second, the number constantly rising. He knew this was the only thing he could rely on.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but it cut through the wind: "Everyone check your equipment. Wounded stay put, Medical Team retreat five meters and prepare antidotes outside. Evil God Guards maintain vigilance in place, Scouts return your poles, Azure Dragon Legion condense your formation, shields stacked three layers deep."

Orders were issued one by one, and no one objected. After his earlier words, this mixed team was truly listening to him for the first time.

He closed his eyes and opened the Faith Mall in his mind. Searching for "antidote," several items popped up: [Elementary Detoxification Powder] for fifty points, [Anti-Neurotoxin Capsule] for two hundred points, [Advanced Antidote Potion] for five hundred points. He stared at the last one and directly exchanged for two doses.

When he opened his eyes, he held two small silver bottles, each engraved with a snake coiling around a dagger. He quickly walked to the wounded, knelt, twisted open a bottle cap, and poured the light blue liquid into one person's mouth. He handed the other bottle to the gray-robed doctor: "Give this to him too, feed it slowly."

The doctor took the bottle, his hands still trembling: "This... where did this come from?"

"Don't ask," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Just do as I say."

Less than half a minute after the medicine was administered, the first person's breathing stabilized, and his complexion changed from green to normal. The other person also stopped twitching.

"It's working!" the doctor shouted, looking up. "The toxins have been neutralized!"

A low cheer erupted from the team. Raen walked over, staring at the empty bottle: "When did you get something like this?"

"Always," Shen Xiaochuan stood up. "I just didn't use it before."

He opened the mall again, found [Gas Mask Set], thirty points per set, and bought fifteen sets. As soon as the items were accounted for, they were immediately distributed. Everyone put on a black mask, and the filter started, emitting a buzzing sound.

"Now we can breathe," the Woman with Goggles adjusted her mask. "At least we don't have to smell this anymore."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and looked at the Evil Sheep Priest. The old man sat by the altar, his hands on his knees, eyes closed, as if asleep.

"Priest," he called out.

The Priest slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy gaze turning to him.

"Can you discern the trap?" Shen Xiaochuan asked. "Can you see the mechanisms beneath this ground?"

The Priest didn't answer, slowly stood up, walked to a patch of soft ground, knelt, and placed his palm on the earth. A few seconds later, he said: "Something is buried. Three bamboo spikes connected to rotten skin sacs, containing poisonous pulp. They will spray if stepped on."

"Can you see more?"

"It depends on the cost," the Priest said. "Each time I use spiritual power, my soul fire weakens a bit. But I can help you – you also helped me gather the remains."

Shen Xiaochuan thought for a moment: "How many faith points do you need?"

"I don't want your points," the Priest shook his head. "I want life. Each time I cast a spell, I might collapse. But I am willing to help you."

Shen Xiaochuan was silent for two seconds, then nodded: "Alright. I will ensure your safety. All you need to do is tell me where we can go and where we cannot."

The Priest said no more, forming hand seals and chanting an incomprehensible incantation. The ground trembled slightly, and a yellow light spread from his palms, extending outwards like ripples. Where the light passed, the underground structure became visible: bamboo spikes, poison sacs, metal triggers, conductive wires... all clearly seen.

"To the left is impassable," the Priest pointed to the edge. "Below is a collapse pit; if stepped on, the entire area will sink. The middle path, marked with stones, is a fake; after five steps, it will activate poison needles. To the right is a narrow path with solid ground underneath, bypassing all mechanisms."

Shen Xiaochuan stared at the path, then at the distant green mist: "How long is it?"

"About fifty meters," the Priest said. "After that, I can't see. My soul fire won't hold up."

"That's enough," Shen Xiaochuan turned. "Raen, take two men, use long poles to probe the way, following the direction the Priest indicated. Every step must be firmly tested before advancing. The others stay put and wait for them to mark out the safe zone."

Raen nodded, picked up an alloy pole, and set off with two Scouts. The three formed a line, their pole tips lightly tapping the ground, moving forward step by step. On the seventh step, there was a "snap" to the left, several bamboo spikes shot out, poison needles flew into the air, impaling a withered tree, whose bark immediately turned black.

"That was close..." the Woman with Goggles gasped.

"This is the decoy route," Shen Xiaochuan said coldly. "The trap-setter knows we'll probe, deliberately leaving a seemingly safe opening for us to walk into."

The three in front continued to advance, finally confirming the first safe zone on the thirteenth step. They placed white stones and waved to signal.

"Everyone advance," Shen Xiaochuan ordered. "Maintain distance, two meters between each person, Evil God Guards bring up the rear, ready to intercept any surprise attacks."

The team moved slowly, every step cautious. Halfway through, the ground suddenly vibrated, and a "crack" came from the woods to the right.

"Stop!" Shen Xiaochuan whispered.

Everyone immediately halted. The next second, the ground three meters ahead split open, revealing a deep pit filled with rusted iron spikes. If they had moved faster, the first person to rush forward would have surely died.

"It's a linked mechanism," the Priest said, panting. "Someone is controlling an electric field from afar; it triggers when it senses group movement."

"Then we'll go one by one," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Ten seconds apart for each person."

The order was passed down, and the team switched to single-file movement. Each person passed through the danger zone ten seconds apart. After the last Evil God Guard landed, everyone safely reached the new position.

The Priest knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat, his lips purple.

"Are you alright?" Shen Xiaochuan asked.

"One more time... I can," the Priest gritted his teeth. "But after that, I need to rest."

"Last time," Shen Xiaochuan said. "Are there any more deadly traps ahead?"

The Priest again placed his hands on the ground, casting a spell. The yellow light spread again, but it was much dimmer than before. His fingers trembled as he pointed forward: "Twenty meters further, there are three consecutive traps—first, a poison mist vent, then a ground electric net, and finally, a cable strangler. Beyond these... is an open area."

"Can we bypass them?"

"No," the Priest shook his head. "This is the only way."

Shen Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes. Twenty meters wasn't far, but with three deadly traps stacked, a slight misstep would mean annihilation.

"Let's regroup first," he said. "Everyone check the masks' seal, count supplies, and load weapons. Wounded to the center, Medical Team continue observation. Evil God Guards rotate shifts, changing sentries every half hour."

The team moved quickly. Some drank water, some cleaned their weapons, some spoke in low voices. The tension was still there, but it wasn't as close to breaking as before.

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the front, knelt, and took out a detector to scan ahead. The screen showed high toxin concentration in the air and frequent electric field fluctuations, indicating that the traps could activate at any moment.

He looked at his faith points again; the number was still rising, one point per second, steadily. He unconsciously touched the copper gear pendant inside his collar.

He searched the mall for useful items. [Insulated Combat Boots] for sixty points a pair, he bought three pairs; [Portable Electromagnetic Jammer] for one hundred eighty points a unit, he bought one for backup; he also exchanged for five [Potent Antidote Serums] just in case.

"You're spending so many points, don't you feel bad?" Raen walked over, watching him operate.

"What's the point of hoarding points? To use them as souvenirs when you die?" Shen Xiaochuan didn't even look up. "I'm gaining three points per second now; it would be foolish to be stingy."

Raen was stunned for a moment: "Your talent has upgraded?"

"Mm," Shen Xiaochuan closed the mall interface. "Just upgraded. So now I need to use them even more."

Raen said nothing more and quietly walked away.

Half an hour later, the Priest recovered. He pointed ahead: "I can see the trigger points for the three traps. The poison mist vent is on the third stone slab to the lower left, the electric net connects to the base of the fourth tree stump, and the strangler mechanism is hidden in the hollow of the crooked-neck tree above. As long as we avoid these, we can pass."

"Good," Shen Xiaochuan stood up. "Next, we'll move one meter at a time. Still single-file, and I'll lead."

"Are you crazy?" the Woman with Goggles immediately objected. "You're the commander, you can't take risks!"

"Precisely because I'm the commander, I must walk in front," Shen Xiaochuan patted his chest. "Besides, I'm wearing an anti-cut layer under my clothes; it won't be easy to die even if something happens."

No one stopped him again.

He picked up the alloy pole and walked towards the first trap area. His steps were very slow, each one probed with the pole tip first. On the seventh step, he stopped, staring at a smooth stone slab to the lower left.

"This is it," he said. "Everyone look carefully—don't step on this one."

He bypassed the stone slab and continued walking. The second spot was a tree stump; he gently tapped its base with the pole, heard a hollow sound, and immediately waved: "This one can't be touched either."

The third spot was the tree hollow above. He looked up and found an almost invisible thin wire hanging down, connected to a branch above.

"Cut it," he told the Scout behind him.

The man pulled out a tactical knife, hooked the thin wire, and with a pull and a cut, it snapped. The moment the wire broke, there was a "clatter" above, and a large iron net crashed down, landing exactly where they had just been standing.

"That was close..." Raen whispered.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't look back and continued forward. The twenty-meter distance took a full forty minutes, but finally, the entire team passed through.

The view ahead suddenly opened up. A poisonous mist zone about a hundred meters wide blocked their path, the thick green mist swirling, with no end or depth visible. As soon as the detector was extended into it, the screen immediately flickered wildly, then went black.

"We can't go through," the Woman with Goggles said. "All instruments are useless."

The Priest sat on the ground, shaking his head: "My spiritual power has reached its limit. I can't see anything further."

Shen Xiaochuan stood at the edge of the poisonous mist and reached out to probe it. It was wet, cold, and sticky, like touching a mass of rotten cotton. He withdrew his hand, his fingertips glowing with an eerie green.

"We can only stop here," he said.

The team fell silent. Everyone stared at the thick mist, unsure of what lay beyond.

Shen Xiaochuan knelt, turned on the last bit of power in his detector, which barely emitted a faint glow. He stared at the screen, his fingers unconsciously touching the copper gear pendant inside his collar.

faith points were still increasing.

One point.

Two points.

Three points.

He said nothing, just looked into the depths of the mist, as if waiting for something.