67: Make a feint to the east and attack in the west, and make you suffer in silence!

The night was as dark as ink, and Li Dong, like a ghost, silently approached the perimeter of the Lin family's secret warehouse, located on the southern outskirts of the city.

Rather than a warehouse, it was more like a small fortress, with jagged, dark green high walls. Faintly visible on the wall tops were glinting runic patterns, and Cultivator teams patrolled back and forth, their Aura steady, clearly indicating they were skilled.

"Tsk, it's defended like an iron barrel." Mu Feng, huddled in the shadow of a corner, pouted. He had been loitering around the perimeter for days, and not even a rat could squeeze in.

At this moment, inside the main building of the warehouse, the lights were bright.

Lin Yunzhi sat in the main seat, his face gloomy, his fingers tapping the table repeatedly.

The destruction of the mine outpost had made him extremely irritable these past few days, and now he was personally overseeing this most important secret warehouse.

"All of you, stay sharp! Report any disturbance immediately!" Lin Yunzhi's voice carried suppressed anger. "I want to see which fool dares to provoke my Lin family!"

A steward below him bowed and said, "Young Master, rest assured, both overt and covert sentries have been tripled. Not even a mosquito can fly in."

Lin Yunzhi snorted coldly: "It better be. That damned 'Mu Feng,' have you still not uncovered his background?"

"Reporting, Young Master, the General Affairs Hall only said he's an ordinary Loose Cultivator. The tasks he's recently taken have indeed been in the southern outskirts of the city, but his cultivation is not high, so he doesn't seem capable of causing any trouble..."

"Useless!" Lin Yunzhi cursed, but he also felt a bit suspicious.

Why would a Loose Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase keep coming to this area to join in the fun? A coincidence? Or... he dared not be careless.

In the inn room, Li Dong frowned as he looked at the map he had taken from the Lin family's dead Cultivator.

"System, scan this map again carefully, especially for weak defensive points."

"Beep! Based on existing map data and surrounding energy readings, a potential weak point has been discovered: the abandoned underground drainage System in the northwest corner of the warehouse. This System has not been used for a long time, and its defenses are relatively lax."

Li Dong's eyes lit up: "Drainage System? Can you be more specific?"

"Warning: The internal structure of this drainage System is complex, with severe blockages. High concentrations of unknown poisonous miasma have been detected, along with multiple low-Rank modified biological energy reactions. Overall assessment: direct infiltration carries extremely high risk."

"Poisonous miasma? Modified creatures?" Li Dong stroked his chin. "These dogs of the Lin family really dare to do anything. However, it's still better than forcing my way through that iron barrel formation."

Thoughts raced through his mind: "If I go straight in, I'll probably be chopped into mincemeat by Lin Yunzhi's men as soon as I show my head. No, I need to give him something to do, make him flustered first."

Feint?

Li Dong's lips curved slightly upward.

He recalled the intricate web of interests within the [core experimental data chip]; the Lin family had more than one business in the Prefecture, and quite a few overt rivals.

"The Wang family, yes, the Wang family that's competing with the Lin family for medicinal herb business. And Inspector Zhou of the Demon Suppression Division, hasn't he always wanted to find fault with the Lin family?" Li Dong chuckled. "I'll send them a 'big gift' and let them take a few bites first."

He retrieved some vague records from the chip about the Lin family's secret smuggling of contraband goods and tax evasion at a "legitimate" silk shop in the west of the city. Although not core evidence, it was enough to disgust the Lin family and give the Wang family and Inspector Zhou a legitimate reason to act.

"System, help me process this information, make it seem plausible, don't let anyone see that I did it."

"Information processing... Anonymization complete."

Several carefully fabricated " Report Letter" (whistleblower letters) and " Accounting evidence" (accounting evidence), through several unrelated channels, were silently delivered to the desks of the Wang family patriarch in the Prefecture and Inspector Zhou.

The Wang family patriarch looked at the "secret report" in his hand and slammed the table: "Good heavens, Lin family! How dare they act so boldly! Do they really think our Wang family is easy to bully? Men, gather our forces and go 'take a look' at their silk shop in the west of the city!"

On the other side, Inspector Zhou's face was ashen as he looked at the "detailed" accounts: "Outrageous! How dare they be so rampant in broad daylight! This Lin family is truly rotten to the core! Notify everyone, immediately organize forces and raid the Lin Silk Shop!"

For a time, the west of the Prefecture was abuzz with rumors.

The Wang family's forces and the Demon Suppression Division's team arrived at the Lin Silk Shop almost simultaneously. Both sides held "evidence" and were full of Aura. The Lin family's steward had never seen such a scene; he tried to stop them, but was directly knocked to the ground by a hot-tempered Wang family retainer.

"Rebellion! Rebellion! How dare you attack my Lin family's property!"

"Hmph! Your Lin family is smuggling contraband, the evidence is conclusive, yet you still dare to quibble!"

Without another word, the two sides began to shove each other at the entrance of the silk shop, quickly escalating into a small-scale armed brawl, with loud crashes and shouts, attracting crowds of onlookers three layers deep.

The news was relayed back to the secret warehouse on the southern outskirts of the city at the fastest possible speed.

"Young Master! This is bad! The Wang family and Inspector Zhou of the Demon Suppression Division brought people and... raided our silk shop in the west of the city! They're still fighting!" A subordinate reported breathlessly.

Lin Yunzhi suddenly stood up: "The Wang family? Inspector Zhou? How did they get involved together? And at this time?" A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. "Could it be... a feint?"

He looked out the window; the night was deep, and the area around the warehouse was silent, not appearing to have an ambush.

"Although the silk shop isn't core, we can't just let them trash the place!" Lin Yunzhi gritted his teeth. "Pass on my order, dispatch half of the elite over there to stabilize the situation! As for the Prefecture side, double all covert sentries and keep a close eye! Any unusual movement, kill without mercy!"

Although he found it strange, he couldn't ignore the property in the west of the city; after all, it was one of the Lin family's important sources of wealth.

Watching the movements of troops being dispatched from the Lin family warehouse, Li Dong smiled.

"The fish have taken the bait. Lin Yunzhi, oh Lin Yunzhi, you're still a bit too green."

He no longer hesitated and said to the System: "Redeem three 'Hundred Herbs Detoxification Pills,' and charge the [Black Scale Armor]!"

"Ding! Consumed 300 merit points, redemption successful. Black Scale Armor energy has been replenished to 100%."

Holding the detoxification pill in his mouth and feeling the security brought by the [Black Scale Armor] covering his entire body, Mu Feng took a deep breath, his figure flashed, and he disappeared into the pitch-black, foul-smelling entrance of the underground drainage System.

"The show is about to begin!"

Inside the drainage passage, a pungent, fishy odor assaulted his nostrils, and slimy filth almost reached his ankles. Mu Feng held his breath, circulating his spiritual power, trying his best not to touch the grime.

"Warning! Fifty meters ahead, a high concentration of 'demon-attracting incense' emanations detected!"

"Warning! Three 'Rotten Marsh Lurkers' (modified experimental subjects) detected, energy Rank: Qi Refining - Late Stage!"

"Warning! 'Poison Fireflies' cluster detected, be careful!"

System prompts came one after another.

"demon-attracting incense? That cursed thing again!" Li Dong's eyes turned cold. "It seems this time I've really hit the Lin family where it hurts. These beasts really treat this place as their own garbage dump and laboratory!"

He tightened his grip on the [Mystic Iron Demon Suppressing Ruler] in his hand. In the darkness ahead, there seemed to be rustling sounds and flickering green light spots.