79: Chapter 79 I Did Not Betray

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye's mouth twitched, and he helplessly retorted, "What 'three wives and four concubines'? That's all dross from the old society. It's the 21st century now; who still talks like that?"

But then, thinking about it more carefully, he mused, "Wait, am I actually about to experience that life where three beautiful, charming wives lie in bed with me without fighting? This is the dream of countless men!"

But immediately after, Chen Ye wondered how this girl had arrived here. She was clearly a woman from ancient times. "Could it be a reverse time travel?"

Complaints aside, he looked at the plea in Shangguan Lingyue's eyes and still nodded gently. "Rest assured, I promised you that I wouldn't leave you behind, so I will definitely keep my word."

"No matter what happens in the future, I will keep you safe."

Having received Chen Ye's promise, a smile finally appeared on Shangguan Lingyue's face, as moving as melting ice and snow.

Chen Ye composed himself, his tone becoming serious. "Right, there's one more thing. My trapped teammates, how are they doing now? Are they in any life-threatening danger?"

"They are all fine." Shangguan Lingyue shook her head, her tone calm. "The illusion won't kill people; it only makes them sink into their own desires, and then the boss grants them false power."

"It lets them taste what it's like to be powerful, until they are eventually willing to follow the boss and become his subordinates."

Chen Ye furrowed his brows. "Damn, it's exactly as I suspected!"

"But this Zhou Kui, he's basically running a pyramid scheme, isn't he? He really understands human nature!"

Chen Ye secretly rejoiced in his heart; fortunately, his teammates were not in life-threatening danger.

As long as he found them and woke them up, they could all leave this place together.

"I need to go to the Theater on the hillside." Chen Ye said with a firm tone. "I have something very important to retrieve there, which concerns the safety of all of us."

"Do you have a way to lead us there safely?"

Shangguan Lingyue looked at him in confusion. "The Theater? That place has already been controlled by the boss's men. Why must you go there?"

"In short, it's a very important item." Chen Ye didn't explain too much, only speaking with a firm tone. "Just tell me, is there a way?"

Shangguan Lingyue pondered for a moment and nodded. "Yes. From here to the scenic area entrance, the entire path is covered in fog. After you were knocked unconscious, the exotic beasts all withdrew, so there shouldn't be any danger along the way."

"I also know of a safe path up the mountain!"

"That's great!" A joyful smile appeared on Chen Ye's face. "There is no time to lose; let's set off now."

He turned and walked over to Liu Lingwei and Shen Jiaojiao, roughly explaining the plan to go to the Theater.

Shen Jiaojiao immediately nodded, her eyes firm. "I'll go with you. No matter how dangerous it is, I won't leave you."

Liu Lingwei hesitated for a moment. "Then what about my teammates? I need to save them first!"

Chen Ye saw her worries and replied in a deep voice, "They are currently in the illusion, so they are not in any immediate life-threatening danger for the time being. This trip up the mountain, however, is fraught with danger, and having too many people will make it harder to sneak in."

"Besides, only by getting there will we have a chance to become stronger; otherwise, we won't be able to protect anyone!"

Liu Lingwei's brows furrowed, and a flash of determination appeared in her beautiful eyes.

She then nodded as well. "Since my teammates are not in any immediate danger, we will follow you to the Theater first."

The four of them no longer delayed. Shangguan Lingyue walked in the lead, guiding the way.

The way to the scenic area entrance was basically a straight road. Although the car couldn't drive fast, it was much faster than walking and would save a lot of energy.

Along the way, the surroundings were completely silent, with only the roar of the car engine.

The car drove very slowly, carefully avoiding obstacles on the road. After about twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the scenic area entrance.

At this moment, the scenic area entrance only had a dilapidated ticket booth, which was empty.

There wasn't a single soul in sight, and that eerie cat-woman did not appear either, which was completely different from the scene seen in the previous illusion.

The four of them got out of the car and carefully passed through the entrance, not sensing any strange aura at all.

They also didn't encounter any guards or exotic beasts.

Clearly, Shangguan Lingyue was right; there really was no ambush here.

Following that, Shangguan Lingyue led the three of them along a small path on the edge of the scenic area, heading towards the commercial district.

The path was narrow and remote, overgrown with weeds on both sides, and the surroundings were silent.

Only the sound of the four people's footsteps was exceptionally clear in the night.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they arrived at the commercial district.

The shops in the commercial district had all been abandoned; the doors and windows were broken, and the ground was a mess. Moonlight shone through the broken doors and windows, casting light onto the empty street, making it look exceptionally eerie.

Chen Ye glanced at the street, his eyes narrowing slightly.

This street was exactly the same as the one he had seen in the illusion.

A chill instantly spread from the bottom of his heart. Chen Ye couldn't help but feel a bit horrified, as if he had returned to that eerie illusion.

Shangguan Lingyue seemed to see through his worries and gently tugged at his sleeve.

She comforted him softly, "Don't worry, there's no one here. The boss's men are all in another block, they won't discover us."

Chen Ye nodded, suppressing the chill in his heart, and followed Shangguan Lingyue.

They carefully made their way behind the houses in the commercial district.

They tried their best to keep their voices low, avoiding any potential ambushes. Along the way, they indeed didn't encounter any exotic beasts or mutants.

About half an hour later, a huge building appeared in front of them.

It was the Theater on the hillside.

The dome of the Theater had been smashed, leaving a huge hole.

The walls were covered in cracks, looking dilapidated and, under the moonlight, appearing exceptionally sinister.

"Finally here!" A joyful smile appeared on Chen Ye's face.

As long as they obtained the ability crystal, they would have an extra layer of security and would be able to find their teammates faster and leave this eerie mountain.

Just as they were about to enter the Theater, the Theater's main door was suddenly pushed open.

A tall figure slowly walked out from inside.

The man was wearing a black robe, his face was sinister, his eyes were cold, and a cruel smile hung on the corners of his mouth.

Chen Ye sighed and retorted, "I knew it wouldn't be that smooth!"

The man's gaze was locked tightly onto Chen Ye at this moment, and he spoke, "You brought them here? It seems your task has been completed quite well."

Shangguan Lingyue's whole body stiffened, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

She hurriedly shook her head to deny it, her voice trembling slightly. "No... it's not that. I didn't, I didn't betray you, I just..."

Before she could finish her sentence, her voice came to an abrupt halt.

Her mouth kept moving, but she couldn't make a single sound.

The man's hand was extended in front of him, his five fingers slightly curved, as if he were grabbing something.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Lingyue's expression became increasingly painful; she tightly gripped her own throat with both hands, her body twitching violently.

It was as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her throat, making it impossible for her to breathe.