F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

call out--!

A shard of ice pierced the air.

Solid, slender, and carrying a chilling aura, it pierced the face of the man in black.

The man in black's expression changed drastically, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

He could feel the terrifying chill contained in that small icicle; if it hit him, his entire arm would be frozen solid instantly!

He leaned back abruptly, quickly avoiding the fatal blow.

The icicles grazed his nose and embedded themselves deep in the mud behind him.

Click—!

Centered on the point where the icicles fell, a chilling blue aura exploded outwards.

The black swamp solidified instantly, and the ice spread wildly at a visible speed, quickly becoming a ten-meter-wide ice zone!

This terrifying freezing power caused all the men in black to change color.

They looked up sharply in the direction from which the sound came.

Several figures were rapidly approaching.

Leading the group was a girl dressed in an ice-blue battle robe and wielding an ice crystal staff.

Her pretty face was filled with murderous intent, her brows brimming with undisguised killing intent, and her icy blue eyes were fixed on the man in black who had just made his move.

"Su Qingxue!"

When Wang Fugui saw who it was, the overwhelming joy of surviving the ordeal welled up in his heart, and he almost burst into tears on the spot.

saved!

The four men in black from the Black Gold Merchant Guild instantly turned extremely ugly.

People from the military!

And that number one genius in Jiangcheng with S-level talent!

Su Qingxue...

The leader of the men in black had an uncertain look in his eyes, and finally slowly withdrew his hand, his voice hoarse.

"It was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstand?"

A sudden inspiration struck Wang Fugui, as if he had grasped at a straw.

The next second, he pointed at the three men in black and roared with all his might, filled with grief and indignation.

"It's the genius from Suzhou University! The military officer! It's them!"

"They killed Luo Tianyou! We saw it with our own eyes!"

"They were just trying to kill us to silence us! If you hadn't arrived quickly, Xiaoyu and I would be dead!"

That shout was earth-shattering.

Luo Tianyou is dead?

The young master of the [Tianxing] guild?

Everyone was completely stunned.

The military major behind Su Qingxue's face changed, and he immediately stepped forward, his sharp gaze sweeping over the chaotic battlefield.

Soon, he spotted Luo Tianyou's signature white hunting outfit among a pile of mangled corpses.

He strode forward and bent down to investigate.

He was completely lifeless.

My body is cold.

A fatal penetrating wound to the back of the heart.

Dead beyond dead.

The major's face darkened completely.

The young master of the [Tianxing] guild died in an official pioneering operation.

This is absolutely a major event that could cause a huge uproar!

"fart!"

The men in black, led by the Black Gold Merchant Guild, finally realized what was happening and flew into a rage.

He never dreamed that this seemingly simple-minded fat man would turn the tables on him!

"You were the ones who killed him..."

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling killing intent locked onto him.

Su Qingxue walked over step by step, her ice crystal staff swirling with cold air.

Say it again.

Her voice was devoid of any warmth.

"My classmate killed Luo Tianyou?"

The man in black felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze and was speechless for a moment.

A level 17 shield warrior.

A herbalist who looks weaker.

How could someone kill a level 22 Luo Tianyou, who was surrounded by elite guards, on this battlefield littered with corpses?

Nobody would believe such a thing!

Ke Ren... they really did kill him!

The man in black hadn't even had time to organize his thoughts.

Wang Fugui had already taken the lead and started acting with tears streaming down his face.

"Sir! It's them! They're assassins hired by the Blood Wolf Guild to steal Luo Tianyou's treasure, but they got into internal strife!"

"They outnumbered us, we couldn't fight them, so we could only hide and watch them kill Luo Tianyou, and then they tried to throw the dirty water on us!"

"My brother, Chen Yifan, was swept away by them using a strange teleportation scroll while protecting us! His fate is unknown!"

These words, though one part true and nine parts false, perfectly string together a logical chain.

The bodies at the scene included those of the Blood Wolf Guild and those of Luo Tianyou.

Three members of the Black Gold Merchant Guild appeared mysteriously, exuding powerful auras, their motives unknown.

In contrast, Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu, these two "weak, pitiful and helpless" students, became the least likely murderers.

The military major's eyes instantly sharpened.

He slowly stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife, and fell on the three members of the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce.

"Gentlemen, please come with us and we'd like to explain."

With a wave of his hand, several military professionals behind him immediately stepped forward, subtly forming an encirclement.

The leader of the men in black was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode.

He looked at Wang Fugui, who was acting with such sincerity, then at the several military experts who were eyeing him menacingly, and at Su Qingxue, who was ready to make a move at any moment.

He knew that they were destined to take the blame today!

"Let's go!"

He gave a low shout, deciding to find the young lady as soon as possible.

The four showed no intention of lingering in the fight. With a swift movement, they attempted to break through from four different directions.

"Trying to leave?"

Su Qingxue snorted coldly.

"The Frozen Throne!"

Her staff slammed heavily onto the ground.

A burst of icy energy erupted! A phantom throne, constructed entirely of pure ice, suddenly rose up behind her!

In the extremely cold regions, it swept in like a tidal wave!

Her voice, filled with unprecedented anger and chill, echoed throughout the swamp.

"explain!"

"Where did you take Chen Yifan?!"

……

After a dizzying, pulling sensation, my feet finally touched solid ground.

In that one ten-thousandth of a second.

Chen Yifan moved.

Those eyes, which remained absolutely clear even amidst the spatial turbulence, didn't even bother to observe their surroundings.

His body, like a fully drawn bow, instantly tensed up!

At the moment when the woman who called herself "Fox" was still stiff from the aftereffects of the "Disorderly Leap".

His left hand, like an iron clamp, precisely gripped the woman's slender neck.

He showed no mercy or pity whatsoever.

The other person was slammed hard against the slippery rock wall!

boom!

A muffled thud.

The woman let out a painful groan, and her fox mask tilted to one side from the violent impact.

Before she could react.

A cold dagger was already pressed against her throat beneath her mask.

fast!

ruthless!

quasi!

From landing to getting dressed, the whole process was smooth and quick, taking less than a second!

This man's grasp of timing in battle is practically animalistic instinct!

"Cough...cough cough..."

The woman coughed violently; the suffocating feeling of impending death and the excruciating pain in the back of her head turned her pretty face, hidden behind the mask, deathly pale.

All her trump cards, which she was so proud of, became a joke in the face of her opponent's unreasonable and absolute speed and power.

Chen Yifan remained silent.

Those eyes, hidden beneath the hood, were cold and devoid of any emotion.

His spiritual power had transformed into an invisible tentacle, silently probing into the other's soul.

[Secret Investigation]

[Target: Mu Wanqing]

[Class: Rare Class - Trickster Contract Master]

【Spirit: 258】

[List of items that can be stolen:]

【1. Talent: A-grade - Value Balance】

[2. Skill: Rank B - Deception Orb]

[3. Skill: C-rank - Phantom Step]

4. Item: Spatial Bracelet (containing...)

……

A rare profession?

No ranking?

Mu Wanqing.

So this is your real name.

"The response is good."

However, at that moment, Mu Wanqing, who was being pressed firmly against the wall, suddenly laughed again.

The laughter carried a hint of self-deprecation and a touch of amazement.

"It seems I'll have to raise the risk rating of this investment report again."

She seemed to have accepted her status as a prisoner, and there was not a trace of panic in her tone.

"Your information is very valuable."

Chen Yifan finally spoke, his voice hoarse and cold.

"However, information about the dead is worthless."

"So, you want to talk?" Mu Wanqing's eyes lit up. "I knew it, we're on the same wavelength."

"No."

Chen Yifan shook his head, and the dagger pressed against her throat went in another inch.

"I never negotiate with people who can't see the situation clearly."

His voice was very low, like the whisper of a devil.

"Mu, Wan, Qing".

When those three words were clearly uttered from his mouth.

All the smiles on Mu Wanqing's face froze instantly.

Those eyes that had been looking through the mask, always playful and teasing, were now completely filled with an emotion called "horrified" for the first time!

How...how did he know my real name?!

Apart from a few core members of the chamber of commerce, no one knew this name!

Chen Yifan was very satisfied with her reaction.

What he wanted was this effect of completely breaking down the opponent's psychological defenses.

He was preparing to force him to reveal everything about Li Jianhong.

But just then...

hiss--

Hiss--

A dense, chilling friction sound rang out from all directions.

Chen Yifan's eyes sharpened; this was the first time he had truly taken a look at their surroundings.

This is a huge cave system buried deep underground.

The cave walls were covered with countless strange fungi that emitted a faint green glow, making the entire space look like a ghostly realm.

The ground beneath their feet was not rock.

Instead, it was... a thick "carpet" woven from white mycelium and skeletons.

The nauseating rubbing sound came from beneath this fungal carpet.

next second.

puff!puff!puff!

The fungal carpet was torn apart by countless sharp claws!

Monsters, as big as hunting dogs, covered in pale carapaces, with insect-like compound eyes and sharp mouthparts, burst out of the ground!

【Fungal Reptile (Elite) - Lv.20】

One, ten, a hundred...

In the blink of an eye, countless white monsters, like a tidal wave, completely submerged the entire cave!

Their scarlet compound eyes locked onto the only two living creatures in the cave.

They've stumbled into the lair of an elite monster!

"Damn it!"

Mu Wanqing's expression changed drastically. She never expected that [Disorderly Leap] would teleport them to such a place.

However, Chen Yifan, who was choking her, was calmer than she was.

The moment the monster emerged, his grip on her neck didn't loosen in the slightest.

The dagger pressed against his throat went even deeper.

"I'm giving you a chance to prove your worth."

A cold voice whispered in her ear, like the murmur of a demon.

"Live on."

Before he could finish speaking...

Chen Yifan's figure faded rapidly before her eyes, blending into the surrounding fungal rock walls.

[Mimicry and camouflage].

He disappeared.

"you……!"