39: Chapter 39 Catching the Mole

The Blood Soul Stone Mine area was deathly silent.

Although the pressure from the Demon Lord Night Radiance, which seemed capable of crushing the soul, had dissipated, its lingering aftereffects still lingered like an invisible cold current in every corner of the valley.

The players lay on the ground, panting heavily, grateful to have survived the ordeal.

On their system panels, the health bars that had been continuously dropping during those few short seconds, along with the grey [Suppression] negative status effect, clearly recorded the terror of a world-class BOSS.

The [World Channel] remained silent for a full half-minute before being ignited by the first message:

"Damn! Was that the final BOSS just now? A projection's pressure alone almost wiped us all out?"

"Wiped out my ass! Didn't you look at the combat log? That was continuous damage! If he wanted to, he could have wiped us all out with a single thought!"

"Charge to the End (Divine Wind Battalion): Awesome! That was fucking awesome! Brothers, this game has only just begun! Next time, I'm going to be the first one to rush in front of that demon!"

"Immovable as a Mountain (Pot Lid Army): Full review for everyone. The battle just now exposed three fatal weaknesses we have when facing top-tier cultivators..."

"Liver Emperor V87 (Chief Engineer): My puppets... my life's work! No, I don't agree to a review! I have to go back and draw blueprints! The second-generation machine! I must develop a second-generation self-destructing puppet that can pierce through his protective demonic energy!!"

The clamor and fanaticism fermented in the forums and channels; the humiliation of defeat was completely washed away by the excitement of challenging the ultimate BOSS.

This is the fourth calamity; in their dictionary, there is no fear, only "Where is the next BOSS?"

However, as the players returned to the family territory in a grand procession, laden with the loot from the Blood Soul Stone Mine, a strange atmosphere was quietly spreading.

Inside the territory's blacksmith shop, the new person in charge—a life-skill player named "Skillful Hands Mending"—was worrying over a pile of broken standard-issue longswords.

This batch of swords was the first produced post-battle, using the best refined steel. However, when the players were testing them at the back mountain, they had only slashed a few Tusked Wild Boars before the edges rolled, and some even snapped right in half.

"This is impossible," she frowned, unable to understand. "The blueprints were given by the Ancestor, the materials were seized from the Black Wind Stockade, and I followed the quenching steps exactly as Grandpa Li taught me. How could this happen?"

On the other side, a long line had formed at the entrance of the alchemy room.

"What's going on? Eating this batch of 'Qi Recovery Pills' is the same as not eating them at all!"

"More than that! I feel like my spiritual energy circulation has slowed down! Damn it, fake medicine! This is fake medicine!"

The player in charge of alchemy looked aggrieved: "The recipe and the heat were both correct. I followed the process exactly!"

A bigger mess occurred at the newly expanded western city wall.

A section of the wall that had just been built collapsed without any warning or external force, injuring several patrolling players.

"Shoddy construction! Where is the Infrastructure Maniac? Come out and take a beating!"

"Trap-style Master - Infrastructure Maniac" crawled out of the ruins, covered in dust. He inspected the stones at the break point and the runic mortar used for bonding, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"Something's not right... This isn't a construction error. The stones have internal damage, and the spiritual energy in the mortar has been drained by someone using a secret technique."

For a time, the territory was in a state of panic, with suspicions arising everywhere.

Were the production-class players cutting corners?

Or was there a problem with the management?

Various conspiracy theories were rampant.

Just amidst this chaos, a golden light flashed before all the players' eyes.

[Epic World Event Initiated: Eve of the Demon's Arrival - Shadowy Espionage]

[Mission Name: Catch the Mole]

[Mission Description: The despicable minions of the demonic path, fearing the divine might of my Lu family descendants, dare not attack head-on. Instead, like rats in a sewer, they engage in infiltration and sabotage. They hide among the crowd, disguised as one of us, attempting to disintegrate our great family from within. Filial Sons and Virtuous Grandchildren, sharpen your eyes, use your wisdom, and ferret out these venomous snakes hidden in the shadows one by one! Let them witness what a vast ocean of people's war is!]

[Mission Rewards: For every verified spy successfully rooted out, all players on the server will receive +500 Contribution Points, and the family security level will increase. Individuals/teams will receive additional generous rewards, with a chance to obtain the limited title [Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze].]

[Failure Penalty: Daily server resource output -10%. Successful sabotage by a spy will result in the loss of family assets.]

Once the mission appeared, all arguments instantly ceased.

So, it was a mole!

After a brief moment of astonishment, there was soaring anger and... ecstasy.

"Catch a mole? Holy crap, isn't this just 'Mafia'?"

"Werewolf! I love playing this the most!"

"Brothers, stop arguing. Right now, everyone is a suspect! How do we prove we aren't the mole?"

This question stumped everyone.

Everyone is a player, with IDs over their heads; how do you tell them apart?

Just then, a player with the ID "Keyboard Warrior Governing the Nation" posted a thread on the forum that was quickly pinned.

"On the Revolutionary Guiding Ideology and Practical Methods of Counter-Espionage Work — Starting from Abstract Cultural Barriers"

The content of the post was simple and crude: No matter how badass a demonic spy is, they can imitate our speech and actions, and they can learn our cultivation techniques, but they can't just magically connect to our internet, right?

They don't know what "Aoligei" is, they don't understand "Draw and Guess," and they certainly can't comprehend the profound meaning of "Chicken You Are Too Beautiful"!

[Proposal 1: Set up checkpoints and check passwords. Passwords update daily and are randomly selected by the Ancestor.]

[Proposal 2: Promote the "Draw and Guess" identity verification method. Everyone entering core areas must draw a designated item on the spot, and others must guess it. If guessed correctly, they are allowed through.]

[Proposal 3: Establish a credibility file. Anyone who can correctly answer all abstract passwords for three consecutive days will be entered into the whitelist.]

This seemingly absurd proposal received unanimous support from all players.

A vigorous "Catch the Mole" movement, in an extremely "fourth calamity" manner, began right there.

The Lu family territory, the newly built South Gate.

This had become the liveliest place.

A table was placed in front of the gate, with two players sitting like door gods.

A player wanting to enter was stopped.

The guard player on the left asked expressionlessly: "Heavenly King covers the ground tiger?"

The player entering immediately replied: "The pagoda suppresses the river demon!"

"Wrong!" The guard slammed the table. "Today's password is 'What are you doing'!"

The entering player was stunned, then suddenly realized. He made a classic basketball move while singing: "Aiyo~"

"Hmm, one of us. Go in."

A "newcomer" with an NPC face, who was waiting in line behind, watched in a daze, cold sweat faintly seeping from his forehead.

He was a member of the "Faceless Ones" Dark Hall of the Heavenly Demon Sect, codenamed "Shadow Seven." He was at the late stage of Qi Refining, proficient in infiltration and disguise, and one of the sect's top scouts.

He had infiltrated this place for three days and thought he had figured out the behavioral patterns of these "mad demons," but this scene before him was completely beyond his scope of cognition.

Finally, it was his turn.

The guard player glanced at him: "New here? Password."

Shadow Seven took a deep breath and said in a low voice: "Heavenly King covers the ground tiger." This was what he had overheard while lurking in the corner yesterday.

"Wrong!" The guard's eyes instantly sharpened. "I'll give you one chance. Draw a 'Patrick Star.' If you draw it right, I'll let you in."

With that, he handed over a piece of charcoal and a wooden board.

Patrick Star?

What kind of star is that?

Is it some kind of formation diagram?

Or some kind of powerful monster?

Shadow Seven's brain spun rapidly, filtering through all the knowledge he had learned, but he couldn't find any information related to "Patrick Star."

He looked at the increasingly suspicious gazes cast by the surrounding players and knew he had been exposed.

Can't wait any longer!

A flash of killing intent appeared in Shadow Seven's eyes. His figure exploded forward like a ghost. The soft sword at his waist let out a light hum, turning into a cold light like a venomous snake, stabbing straight at the guard player's throat.

He was confident that this sword strike was enough to instantly kill any Qi Refining stage cultivator!

However, that guard player did not dodge or evade; instead, he grinned and puffed out his chest even more.

"Pfft!"

The longsword entered flesh, and his health bar was instantly emptied.

But before the guard turned into white light, he used his last bit of strength to roar:

"Mole! There's a mole here! Brothers, get him!"

Shadow Seven had succeeded in his strike, but his heart was filled with horror.

He hadn't expected the other party to use his life to sound the alarm!

The next second, he was submerged by the vast ocean of people's war.

"Damn it, how dare you touch my brother!" A "Pot Lid Army" player holding a door-sized shield roared and charged over. It was the vice-tank "Shield Mountain," who had shone brilliantly in the Battle of the Blood Soul Stone Mine.

Shadow Seven's movement technique was agile. With a tap of his toes, he narrowly avoided the attack and backhanded his sword toward Shield Mountain's back.

But behind him, several fireballs and ice cones were already whistling toward him.

He could only turn around and block in a disheveled manner, the black light flowing on his sword knocking the talismans away one by one.

"Watch out for his poison! Healing team, use Purification!"

"Don't let him run! Trap-style players, block his movement!"

"Brothers of the Divine Wind Battalion, follow me! Chop him up!" "Charge to the End," who had just revived, wielded his blade and took the lead.

Shadow Seven fell into complete despair.

These people didn't follow the rules of single combat at all.

Tank, healer, DPS, crowd control... clear division of labor, tacit cooperation, and fearless of death.

Every fierce counterattack of his could at most take out one or two people, and the other side would immediately replenish from the respawn point in the back, as if they were endless.

His spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, and he began to sustain injuries.

Eventually, after being pinned down by "Shield Mountain" with his shield, he was instantly submerged by dozens of swords and hundreds of spells.

The moment before turning into dust, only one thought remained in Shadow Seven's mind:

What kind of monsters are these?

On the watchtower not far away, "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet" put down the long-distance observation artifact in her hand, while Chen Kang beside her still wore a grave expression.

"It's the methods of the 'Faceless Ones'," Chen Kang said in a low voice, watching the place where Shadow Seven had dissipated. "Their swordsmanship is vicious, targeting vital points, and they always carry lethal poison. You... really killed him?"

"Of course," Little Trumpet nodded as a matter of course, then posted the combat footage she had just recorded to the forum, with the title already planned — "Shocking! Perverted passwords fish out a demonic spy, players stage a hundred-man slaughter!"

Chen Kang was silent.

He had thought that although these "mad demons" who destroyed his Chen family were powerful, they were ultimately just a mob without any foundation.

But today, he witnessed them use an inconceivable method to precisely ferret out the "Faceless Ones," whom even the righteous immortal sects found troublesome, and surround and kill them in a nearly crushing manner.

This feeling was complicated.

There was the unwillingness regarding the destruction of his family, but also a hint of... relief.

Relief that he was now on their side.

He looked at the girl beside him who was excitedly editing the post and said in a low voice: "Thank you... for believing in me before."

In the early stages of the "Catch the Mole" movement, he, as a "surrendered general," was undoubtedly the biggest suspect.

It was Little Trumpet who withstood the pressure of public opinion and vouched for him with her own reputation, sparing him from endless scrutiny.

Little Trumpet replied without looking up: "No need to thank me. Your information is very useful; this is a transaction. Moreover, I believe you don't want to see another 'home' disappear before your eyes, right?"

Chen Kang's heart trembled violently. He looked at the girl's profile, his Adam's apple bobbing, and in the end, he only gave a soft "Mm."

Perhaps, this abnormal "home" was his true destination.

Meanwhile.

In the distant Heavenly Demon Sect hall, the Demon Lord Night Radiance, sitting on the throne, slowly opened his eyes.

The moon soul stone beside him dimmed by a fraction.

Just now, he sensed that a mark he had left in "Shadow Seven's" soul had shattered.

"Exposed so quickly..." he muttered to himself, his tone devoid of anger, instead carrying a hint of inquisitive interest. "Did that old thing make a move? No... that aura, chaotic, fanatical, full of... mockery."

He could not understand why his most elite scout would be so easily lost in the hands of a newly started family.

He did not know that what defeated Shadow Seven was not some divine technique, but a dimensional-reduction-like... cultural barrier from another world.

Night Radiance slowly raised his hand, and a pitch-black jade slip appeared in his hand.

That was the report from the leader of the "Faceless Ones" regarding those "abstract passwords" within the player territory.

Looking at the content on the jade slip, even this demonic giant fell into a long silence.

"Palace Jade Liquid Wine... one hundred and eighty a cup?"

"Chicken You Are Too Beautiful?"

What... are these things?

For the first time, he felt that what he was facing might not be a group of cultivators, but a brand-new law of heaven that he could not understand at all.

"Interesting..." A cold arc curled at the corners of Night Radiance's mouth.

"It seems that if I want to get that key, I must first learn... how to dance with a group of lunatics."