I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

The night was as dark as ink, the moon was hidden and the stars were few.

Black Stone Village lies nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains, like a lurking beast. A few dim lights flicker within the village, casting indistinct outlines of the walls and faintly discernible figures on the watchtowers.

On the back of the ridge a mile from the village, five dark shadows clung to the ground, blending into the shadows of the rocks.

Lin Chen slowly raised his hand and made a few simple gestures.

Behind him, Zhao Tiegu, Li Quezi, Zhou Dahe, and Wang Chuan nodded silently, indicating that they understood.

This was the elite squad personally selected by Lin Chen, making a total of five people including him. The remaining six, led by Wu Laosi, were to provide support at a pre-arranged location further out, and were equipped with smoke grenades and signal arrows to create chaos.

Infiltrating Blackstone Manor at night is extremely risky. Lin Chen decided to take only his four most capable men.

He took a deep breath of the icy air, activating the "Breath Concealment Technique" to its maximum, his aura instantly becoming so weak as to be almost imperceptible, like a lifeless stone. He gestured to Zhao Tiegu, signaling to proceed according to plan.

Zhao Tiegu nodded, and leading Li Quezi, like two experienced old cats, they stealthily made their way to the west side of the village. Their mission was to eliminate or bypass the sentries outside the west wall and establish the first rendezvous point there.

Lin Chen then led the two young men, Zhou Dahe and Wang Chuan, toward the east side of the manor.

Beyond the eastern wall lies a rocky slope formed by years of quarrying, its jagged rocks casting deep shadows. According to Zhao Tiegu's previous reconnaissance, there are blind spots in the visible sentries' line of sight, but there is a high probability of hidden spies.

The three of them moved through the rocks, their footsteps as light as if they were walking on cotton. Lin Chen led the way, his eyes scanning the darkness with keen awareness, his ears catching every unusual sound.

Suddenly, he stopped and raised his arm horizontally.

Zhou Dahe and Wang Chuan immediately crouched down and held their breath.

About seven or eight steps ahead, behind a boulder about half a person's height, came the very faint sound of clothes rubbing together, along with a suppressed yawn.

Hidden sentry.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gestured to the two people behind him to "wait and be on guard." He himself, like a weightless leaf, moved slowly towards the source of the sound, clinging to the ground and using the shadow of the stone as a cover.

The Wolf's Gaze Step demonstrated its advantages in confined spaces and stealth. His body seemed to contort against all reason, squeezing through narrow crevices and avoiding loose stones that might make a sound.

The distance is getting closer and closer.

Three zhang. Two zhang. One zhang.

He could even hear the sentry's heavy breathing and smell the mixture of cheap tobacco and sweat on him.

Lin Chen did not choose to take action.

While knocking out or killing sentries would clear the way, it might alert them during the changing of the guard. Their objective was infiltration and reconnaissance, not a direct assault.

He waited patiently.

After a dozen or so breaths, the sentry seemed to have gotten tired of sitting. He shifted his body slightly and turned his head to look in the direction of the lights inside the manor.

In that instant when I turned my head, my vision went blank for a brief moment.

Lin Chen made a move!

He exerted force with his feet, his body shooting out like an arrow, but instead of rushing towards the sentry, he swept past him through a gap of less than three feet to his side! So fast that only a blurry black shadow and the almost inaudible sound of clothes tearing through the wind were left behind.

The sentry seemed to feel a slight breeze brush against his neck, and turned around in confusion to look at the rocky slope behind him. It was pitch black; there was nothing there. He scratched his head, muttered something, and then shrank back behind the rocks.

Lin Chen had successfully crossed the first line of defense and was now pressed against the east wall of the manor.

The wall was built of black stones, rough and uneven, making it easy to climb. He waited a moment, and Zhou Dahe and Wang Chuan followed the path and method he had demonstrated, sneaking over without any danger.

The three exchanged glances, and Lin Chen pointed to the top of the wall.

Wang Chuan squatted down, Zhou Dahe stepped on his shoulders, and Lin Chen was the last to fall. The three of them formed a human pyramid and silently climbed over the wall, which was only about ten feet high, and landed inside the manor.

Inside the wall was a narrow alleyway, piled with miscellaneous items and emitting a musty smell. In the distance, from the main road, came the sounds of patrolling footsteps and whispers.

Lin Chen gestured for the two to follow, and they made their way along the shadows of the alley towards the center of the manor.

The estate was small, but its layout was chaotic. They avoided the main passageways with lights and voices, choosing instead to travel through dark and secluded areas. Occasionally, they would encounter patrols, in which case they would conceal themselves and wait for the patrols to pass before making their move.

According to Zhao Tiegu's intelligence, the convoy loading and unloading goods and the suspicious mine entrance were both located deep in the northern part of the village.

The further in he went, the tighter the guard became. Not only were there more visible sentries, but he could also sense the spying from the shadows from time to time. Lin Chen pushed the faint energy perception ability of the divine jade to its limit and could vaguely detect some blood and qi fluctuations hidden in the darkness.

They had to be more careful and their pace slowed down.

Finally, after passing through an open area piled with abandoned minecarts, a row of relatively tall stone houses came into view. The largest of them had its doors tightly shut, but two guards with knives stood at the door, looking wary.

A faint light shone from behind the house, and the sounds of metal clanging and muffled rumbling could be faintly heard.

"It looks like a warehouse, or... a workshop?" Zhou Dahe said in a very low voice.

Lin Chen nodded and pointed to the shadows on the side of the large house. There were some wooden crates and sacks piled up there, which could be used for hiding and to hear what was happening behind the house.

The three of them slid silently behind the pile of clutter like fish, holding their breath and focusing intently.

The sounds from behind the house became clearer. It was indeed the sound of metal clanging, the dull rumble of some kind of machinery turning, and... indistinct human voices.

Lin Chen pressed his ear close to the cold stone wall, concentrating all his hearing.

"...This batch is of worse quality than the last batch..."

"...There's no other way...the deeper the vein, the more impurities there are...and the more laborious the refining process..."

"...The Gray Wolf Division...is pressing hard...Lord Chen has also sent word...by tomorrow night at the latest..."

"...Don't worry...everything is ready...twenty 'goods'...plus ten baskets of concentrate...midnight...the usual place..."

The sound was intermittent, mixed with mechanical noise, but the key information was still captured.

Tomorrow night at midnight. Transaction. Gray Wolf Tribe. Lord Chen (Chen Hong?). Twenty "goods" (people?). Ten baskets of concentrate ore.

Lin Chen's eyes were icy cold.

As expected, Chen Hong colluded with the Fierce Tiger Gang and the demon race to traffic people and minerals. Tomorrow night at midnight is the time for their transaction.

We need to get more concrete evidence, or... sabotage this deal.

As he pondered his next move, suddenly, his ears twitched.

From the distant alleyway came a series of slightly hurried footsteps, heading in this direction. At the same time, a guard at the warehouse entrance seemed to have heard something, turned his head to look towards the pile of junk where they were hiding, and placed his hand on the hilt of his knife.

Not right.

Alarm bells rang in Lin Chen's mind.

Almost at the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something reflecting an extremely faint metallic gleam in the shadow of the eaves above him.

It was a small, copper bell, almost the same color as the roof tiles, connected by a nearly invisible thin line, lying across the alleyway they had just sneaked into.

When they came over, they may have accidentally bumped into a warning line, which triggered this dark bell that was almost blending into the environment!

"We've been exposed!" Lin Chen shouted in a low voice, making a decisive decision, "Retreat!"