A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

The battle is over.

The valley was a mess, with demon corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, and the stench of blood mixed with the smell of burning flesh assaulting the nostrils.

Good heavens, it was absolutely brutal.

If that scene were outside, it would make the staff of the Monster Protection Association cry themselves to sleep in the bathroom.

But none of the investigators present had red eyes; they were all utterly green with envy.

One by one, they rolled up their sleeves, squatted down, and started working.

He cut off the thigh, he removed the ribs; with swift and skillful movements, he did it all.

It was bustling with activity, like distributing pork during the Lunar New Year.

Ji Zuodao mingled in the crowd, comfortably rummaging through several fresh demon corpses, muttering to himself:

"Hmm, the breast meat of this red-feathered chicken is tender and suitable for poaching."

"The three-layered fat and lean meat of this iron-backed wild boar is absolutely delicious when braised."

"This blue-scaled python... tsk, it looks tough. Let's make soup with lots of mushrooms."

Professional, meticulous, just like a seasoned gourmet picking out vegetables at the market.

Doggy, Liu Ming, Li Shuwen, Qi Qi and a few others were scattered around, seemingly busy with their own things, but in fact they were not far from Ji Zuodao and could look after each other.

Just then.

"Ouch!"

A Xiliang branch investigator, who was struggling to chop up a bear paw, suddenly turned around and shouted at Ji Zuodao:

"This bear paw is quite thick! Ji Zuodao, do you want some?"

Upon hearing the words "bear paw," Ji Zuodao's ears perked up instantly, and without a second thought, he grinned broadly.

"Bear paw? I want it! Where is it? Where is it?"

That smile was as radiant as a blooming chrysanthemum, revealing a pure longing for delicious food.

But that smile froze on his face the moment he turned his head and saw who was speaking.

The man was holding a bloody bear paw and staring at him with a half-smile.

Ji Zuodao recognized him.

Xiang Yun from the Xiliang branch, nicknamed "Little Tyrant," is said to be a fierce person who dares to challenge a Dharma Aspect Realm cultivator even when he is only at the Spirit Palace Realm. He was the most aggressive one in the fight just now.

Ji Zuodao's heart skipped a beat.

It's all over.

They've been exposed.

Damn it, are they testing cadres with this?

Which cadre could withstand such a test?!

"hey-hey……"

Ji Zuodao chuckled twice, scratched his head, and the stiffness on his face instantly disappeared, returning to his usual carefree and lazy demeanor. He tilted his head to look at Xiang Yun, "Brother, you have a sharp eye. How did you figure that out?"

Xiang Yun casually tossed the bear paw in his hand aside, patted the blood and foam off his hands, and smirked:

"How did you figure that out? You figured it out using this!"

He pointed to his head.

"I knew something was wrong the moment you guys charged forward with your ordinary-looking faces, only to be followed by a bunch of monsters!"

"We'll plunder the monsters' resources, then let them run all over the island, finally shifting the blame to them, making them fight us to the death while we sit back and watch the show and reap the benefits..."

Xiang Yun counted on his fingers, one by one, his face growing darker with each count.

"This is a fucking despicable, selfish, and utterly malicious scheme. In the entire 749 Bureau, besides you bunch of scoundrels from Jinghai, is there any other branch that would do something like this?!"

Xiang Yun continued his attack, his spittle nearly spraying Ji Zuodao's face:

"Besides! I thought it was weird earlier, so I asked everyone one by one! Good heavens, not a single one of you recognized which branch you were from! Your faces are as unfamiliar as if they popped out of a rock!"

"There's no way there's nothing wrong with this!"

"I wasn't entirely sure myself, but I was thinking of bluffing you."

He stared at Ji Zuodao, chuckled, revealing two rows of white teeth:

"I never expected this, Ji Zuodao! You're such a glutton! The moment you heard 'bear paw,' you forgot even your own name and slurped it down so crisply!"

"Okay, that confirms it."

The surroundings were eerily quiet.

The only sounds were the whooshing of the wind through the valley and the faint groans of some unknown beast that was still breathing in the distance.

As Ji Zuodao listened to Xiang Yun's ramblings, the smile on his face gradually faded, leaving only a helpless expression that said, "I'm fucking impressed."

He shook his head and sighed:

"Sigh, I was careless, I was careless."

"If I had known you were so clever, Brother Xiang, I wouldn't have bothered with the trouble and just drawn a few random faces to fool you."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and gently peeled away the skin from the side of his face—

"Sizzle."

A soft sound, like the sound of a cicada's wing being peeled away.

He casually tore off that ordinary, unremarkable face that he could easily spot in a crowd, crumpled it up, and stuffed it into his pocket.

What was revealed was that devilishly handsome face, whose smile could steal souls, yet at this moment it carried a hint of helplessness and languor.

At the same time, his body returned to its original shape as the mask was removed.

Seeing that Ji Zuodao had taken off his mask, Liu Ming, Li Shuwen and the others had nothing left to hide. They looked at each other, shrugged, and wiped their faces as well.

Good guy.

The truth came out.

"Fuck..."

An investigator watched as the five members of the Jinghai group suddenly changed their expressions. The half wolf leg in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud." He opened his mouth, but it took him a long time to utter two words.

"Jinghai... those troublemakers from Jinghai... they really weren't eliminated?"

"Didn't that grandson of Lu Jian wipe them all out? We all saw the five-kill beam!"

"What the hell! So it was all a lie from beginning to end?!"

"Damn it! I've been tricked again! I've been made a fool of!"

"It's all that son of a bitch Lu Jian's fault! If it wasn't you, why are you acting all high and mighty? Why are you taking the blame?!"

After a brief silence, an uproar and angry shouts erupted.

The way everyone looked at Ji Zuodao and his companions instantly changed from "comrades-in-arms fighting side by side" to "despicable enemies with gritted teeth".

Ji Zuodao grinned and laughed.

One of the reasons he chose Lü Jian to take the blame was because he had a good grasp of the guy's personality—

He loves to show off, is obsessed with saving face, and has a terminal case of "showing off in front of others."

Even if it's a black pot, as long as Lü Jian discovers that "carrying this pot will make me look awesome," he will definitely take the initiative to weld the pot to his back and even paint it twice himself to make the pot look shinier, rounder, and more in line with him.

And sure enough, he predicted it all correctly.

Xiang Yun looked at Dog Master, who had reverted to his dog-like form, and his lips twitched violently as he pointed at it:

"I knew it! I was wondering why that wolf that was leaping around in the monster horde, stirring up trouble, looked so familiar! Its tail was wagging like a propeller! It was you, you old dog!"

Even when the dog was being scolded to its nose, it didn't get angry. Instead, it stood up on its hind legs, hugged itself with its two front paws, and even showed a smug "thank you" expression on its face.

"What a clever escape, Ji Zuodao."

Xiang Yun withdrew his gaze and looked at Ji Zuodao again, his eyes filled with complex emotions—anger, resentment, and even a hint of admiration.

"First, fake your death to escape, making everyone on the island think that you were eliminated by Lü Jian, so they will lower their guard."

"Then they changed their appearance, secretly caused trouble, stirred up trouble, and made all the monsters and investigators on the island run wild."

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant."

He gave Ji Zuodao a thumbs-up, then slowly lowered it:

"But things went too far, Ji Zuodao."

"Now, what do you have to say?"

As his words fell—

The investigators who had realized what was happening gathered around slowly and in perfect unison, without anyone having to tell them to.

Over a hundred people, having just experienced a fierce battle, still exuded a murderous aura and had unfriendly eyes, subtly surrounded the five-man group from Jinghai.

The lively "meat-sharing scene" just moments ago instantly transformed into a menacing encirclement.

There's no escaping it.

Xiang Yun frowned as he looked at Ji Zuodao, who remained calm despite being surrounded.

"Ji Zuodao, the outcome is already decided."

"This time, you're not running away?"

He was a little unsure.

Given the usual behavior of the Jinghai group, shouldn't they be making a run for it at this point?

Why are you still standing here like nothing's wrong?

Upon hearing this, Ji Zuodao finally took action.

He first stretched out a big yawn, his joints cracking and popping, like a ferocious beast that had been sleeping for a long time slowly stretching out its body.

Then, under everyone's wary gaze, he slowly opened his arms.

It's not surrender.

That posture was more like embracing everything before her.

He grinned, and a smile gradually spread across his face.

That smile was no longer the feigned sincerity or the helplessness after being exposed.

Instead, it was a wild, unrestrained, arrogant laugh filled with mockery and provocation.

"run?"

He repeated Xiang Yun's words, his voice trembling slightly with laughter.

"Why are you running?"

He glanced around at the faces around him, some angry, some resentful, and some wary, before finally fixing his gaze on Xiang Yun. His mouth stretched almost to his ears, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"Just like you said—"

The outcome is decided.

"So, there's no need to run anymore."

He twisted his neck and moved his wrists and ankles, his smile growing even brighter, but his eyes were frighteningly bright, like two burning will-o'-the-wisps.

"Perfect."

"I ate too many elixirs just now; I overdid it."

"I feel so restless."

"Come on, guys—"

He beckoned to the surroundings with his finger, his tone as casual as if inviting an old friend to a restaurant.

"Accompany me, Daoist Master..."

"To aid digestion."