Chapter 25

The night was thick in the outskirts of Nangjiao Village, and by six or seven in the evening, it was almost pitch black, with only a few dim, cold stars twinkling faintly in the sky. In the distance, the refugee settlement of Nangjiao Village could be seen with bright torches, and the shadows suggested that a collective dinner was taking place.

After dinner, the torches were extinguished one by one, and the camp soon fell into a quiet and chilly stillness.

Time passed, and the night grew as dark as ink, with a large, thick cloud drifting over from afar, blocking out the stars and the moonlight. As midnight approached, the temperature dropped, and soon a cold wind began to blow. The cold wind intensified the musty smell.

This area in the outskirts of Nangjiao Village was not only quiet and cold but also filled with an unpleasant odor. Outsiders might mistake it for a mass grave.

Suddenly, on a slightly elevated slope in this "mass grave," a young voice rang out: "Brother Xiaodong, it seems we don't have enough Blue Mystic Fruits. Should I go find some more?"

The owner of this voice was Dalang, and the "Brother Xiaodong" he referred to was, of course, Xu Dong.

Xu Dong's voice followed: "No need to look for more. We'll leave after tonight's job, and the fruits are enough. Remember, although the past two nights have been calm, I suspect the self-defense team has already noticed what we're doing. So, there will likely be some trouble tonight. Once you light the Blue Mystic Fruits, run directly away, and remember not to look back."

Dalang was a bit puzzled. Although he didn't understand what Xu Dong meant by "trouble," he knew from the past two days that Xu Dong wasn't making things up. He nodded solemnly, "I understand, Brother Xiaodong. Mondo will protect us."

With that, the young boy began skillfully crushing the Blue Mystic Fruits into powder and placing them according to Xu Dong's instructions. Watching the boy's proficient movements, Xu Dong was slightly dazed.

At first, Xu Dong had just had an idea.

The villagers in Beijiao were mourning for Zhixin, and during the mourning period, they could not speak or eat due to local customs. This custom was the basis for Xu Dong's plan. After all, you could deceive people in feudal times with such superstitions, but in the 21st century, such methods might not be as effective.

With this premise, Xu Dong couldn't help but think of a passage from "The Biography of Chen She" that he had studied in school. In the story, Chen She, following the advice of a fortune-teller, wrote "Chen She is king" on a piece of silk and placed it inside a fish. A soldier who bought the fish and found the silk was naturally very surprised. At the same time, Chen She sent someone to the temple in the forest to pretend to be a ghost, making eerie fox-like howls: "The Great Chu rises, Chen She is king." As a result, the soldiers became suspicious and superstitious.

Xu Dong's plan was a copy of this, aiming to create a public opinion that it was "destined."

However, having a plan was not enough; the conditions for implementing it were also necessary. At this point, Dalang, who came from a carpenter's family and often followed his father to learn woodworking or gather wood in the mountains, entered Xu Dong's sight. Dalang quickly thought of the berries that could dye and set, as well as the fruits that could burn with a blue flame to enhance the effect.

Moreover, being a curious young boy and with Xu Dong as his savior, they quickly collaborated, leading to the strange events of the past two nights.

On the other hand, the reason Xu Dong chose to shape the automaton into a white fox was because one of Mondo's generals was the incarnation of a white fox. This form would easily gain subjective recognition and approval, making the plan more effective.

Xu Dong didn't dare to choose the same location for three consecutive nights, so he spent a lot of time selecting suitable spots. This ensured a high level of safety, at least avoiding the risk of being caught.

In fact, the villagers' reaction in Nangjiao Village was truly unexpected. They accepted the strange events so readily and casually. Xu Dong, who had been secretly observing during the day, could even hear their discussions and expectations about the white fox.

Finally, and most importantly, why did Xu Dong want to continue with one more night?

Because he deeply knew that to undermine Nangjiao Village, he had to break through its defenses head-on. The defenses were the combined authority of the village chief and the security officer. The village chief was an ordinary person, but the key was the security officer. Xu Dong's goal was to test the strength of this most powerful opponent he had encountered!

For this, he had to take a risk.

Dalang had already placed the crushed Blue Mystic Fruits. The boy seemed to have a unique talent, and even on his first try, the effect after lighting them exceeded Xu Dong's expectations.

Dalang turned to look at him, excitedly saying, "Brother Xiaodong, I'm done. Are you going to start luring people now?"

Xu Dong snapped out of his daze, looked up at the sky, and saw the heavy, dark clouds. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded, "Alright, I'll go now."

He patted the automaton, which was sleeping soundly with a new hairstyle and hair color, signaling it to get up and prepare. Then, he took a few large steps and ran quickly toward the refugee camp in the mud. The distance between the high slope and the camp was about two or three kilometers, and it took him half an hour to get there.

Since he had already prepared, Xu Dong easily avoided the self-defense team's night watchmen and came to a tent. This tent was old and torn, with a hole about a meter above the ground. Through this hole, Xu Dong could easily see the sleeping people inside.

It was a family of four. The man was sleeping near the entrance, while his wife and children were on the inside. Soft snoring sounds indicated that they were sleeping soundly.

The man was chosen by Xu Dong for two reasons: his curiosity about the white fox event made him seem easier to manipulate, and he was relatively brave.

Xu Dong used the Insight skill relentlessly on the man. Although the Insight skill was generally hard to detect when used in the dark, if used repeatedly on the same target, it would make the target feel intensely watched.

If the man was asleep, this intense feeling would make him feel as if he was being stared at by the dead. Under Xu Dong's efforts, the man suddenly mumbled, turned over, and then abruptly sat up, wide-eyed.

The man instinctively looked toward the hole, and a cold wind blew in through it. The cold wind made his arms break out in goosebumps. He frowned in suspicion, then, as if remembering something, quickly put on his coat and walked out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the cold wind blew, and he wrapped his coat tightly around himself. He looked around and quickly walked to another tent, calling out softly, "Dashu, Dashu!"

The tent flap was lifted, and a furry head appeared. It was a simple face. Seeing the man outside, Dashu grumbled, "Shugen, what are you doing? We have to work tomorrow."

Shugen looked around, making sure no one was around, and then lowered his voice, "I feel something, someone is calling me!"

Dashu frowned, "Someone is calling you...?" He suddenly widened his eyes, "You mean...?"

Shugen nodded firmly, "It must be. I heard they felt the same strange sensation before it appeared. Quickly, call a few more people, let's go see."

Thus, under Xu Dong's manipulation, one by one, men and women emerged from their tents, totaling about twenty to thirty people. They quietly and stealthily followed each other, guided by Xu Dong's Insight skill, step by step toward the predetermined destination. Soon, they reached a high slope.

At that moment, a cluster of blue flames suddenly appeared on the high slope, flickering in the wind like a flower blooming on the other side of the River Styx. Then another flame lit up, followed by a third, a fourth... In an instant, blue flames bloomed around the high slope, illuminating the faces of the people below, who were both shocked and inexplicably excited.

Someone was the first to kneel in the mud, exclaiming, "Mondo has appeared, Mondo has appeared!"

With the first person leading the way, the others, still in shock, also knelt down, regardless of the mud. Some even began to prostrate themselves. This showed how much of an impact Xu Dong's actions over the past two days had on the villagers of Nangjiao Village. It also revealed their deep hatred for the village chief's tyranny.

At that moment, a small white fox suddenly appeared at one end of the high slope, its body enveloped in blue flames, giving it a blurry, indistinct appearance. Moreover, the white fox itself represented something to be worshipped, not just observed. The supernatural atmosphere created over the past two days made the villagers focus on kneeling and worshipping, with few daring to look directly.

The automaton's agility once again changed Dalang's perception of it. This puppy, having consumed the divine fruit, had the intelligence of a normal human. It stomped the ground and let out a skyward howl, immediately giving the impression of a compassionate and benevolent being.

In the next moment, a warm, deep male voice came from the automaton, its first words striking straight to the heart: "I see your sorrow and anger. It is all because of the wicked ones who rule you..."