Chapter Sixty-Five: The Threat from the Darkness

"I don't know!" Zhou Hongye said. "But the ones who interrogated me weren't those black-robed warriors—it was a terrorist group from another country. Their methods were tolerable, and, surprisingly, I managed to withstand them!" As he spoke, Zhou Hongye chuckled, clearly amused that the enemy's torture techniques paled in comparison to what he had been trained to endure.

"Are you some kind of masochist?" Chen Cao smacked Zhou Hongye on the head.

"Heh, of course not. I thought I'd fall into the hands of those black-robed warriors—at the very least, I'd be drained of blood." Sensing that Chen Cao's tone toward him was no longer that of an enemy, Zhou Hongye grinned and, with his right wrist whose tendons had been severed, rubbed the spot where Chen Cao had struck him.

After their brief banter, both men felt noticeably lighter, no longer as oppressed as moments before.

"Alright, let's get moving," said Chen Cao, helping Zhou Hongye up. Though he still harbored many questions—such as why Yu Hongxiu had betrayed them, or where Huang Tianyu might be—he reasoned that if Zhou Hongye was telling the truth, he wouldn't know these answers either. The key was to find Yu Hongxiu; then everything would become clear.

Weak and drained, Zhou Hongye let Chen Cao support him. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Brother Chen, don't you want to retrieve that chip from my stomach? There might be more on that memory chip."

Chen Cao helped Zhou Hongye along, gripping his curved blade while keeping close to the wall. "Save your strength, will you? Even though you haven't eaten for days, you're still heavy. Sure, I want to dig out that chip from your stomach—not just to see if it contains important intel, but to check if you're lying. Still, that's not my job. My orders are to get you out, not to hunt down traitors." He sighed, "Oh, for heaven's sake, talking this much is exhausting!"

"Brother Chen..." Zhou Hongye was deeply moved, left speechless.

"Whether or not you're a traitor, at least during that time in the little secret room, I couldn't bring myself to harm you. Some things, I'd rather believe in their innocence than suspect guilt." Chen Cao patted Zhou Hongye's head. "That's just who I am, haha."

I... Zhou Hongye was about to speak when Chen Cao suddenly covered his mouth, pressed against the wall, raised his curved blade, and whispered, "Quiet—'the eaters' are coming!"

Zhou Hongye immediately fell silent. In the darkness, he couldn't see a path and could only listen intently.

The surroundings remained eerily quiet, the air so stifling it drove one mad.

Chen Cao tapped Zhou Hongye's arm, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly.

Zhou Hongye, trained as an elite in the Intelligence Division, knew this was Morse code.

Chen Cao: "Did you hear anything?"

Zhou Hongye twitched his ears in response: "Yes, faint footsteps. They're carrying weapons."

Chen Cao: "How many?"

Zhou Hongye: "It should be one person. And this one is quite skilled."

Chen Cao: "Same as my feeling."

Zhou Hongye: "Taking them down would be difficult. Better to avoid confrontation. We're too weak now."

Chen Cao: "No, they might have food, weapons, or other supplies. Whatever happens, we have to win this fight—otherwise, we may not survive long enough to get out."

With that, Chen Cao readied his curved blade, gently propped Zhou Hongye against the wall, and crouched, preparing to strike.

At that moment, the transmitter on his back began to pulse faintly instead of remaining silent. For the sake of survival, Chen Cao ignored the signal, focusing instead on the enemy, who was now close by. He held his breath, listening for footsteps, calculating the distance.

It wasn't just a matter of food—it was a matter of not getting killed.

Judging by the footsteps, the enemy was less than twenty meters away. Zhou Hongye felt his heart about to leap out of his chest. Chen Cao was poised to spring, but just then, the footsteps halted, followed by the sound of a gun being cocked.

In the pitch-black space, the sound was loud and chilling. Neither Chen Cao nor Zhou Hongye had firearms—if the enemy started shooting from this distance, whatever weapon it was, they'd be killed with precision. Chen Cao abandoned tactical moves and prepared to charge.

"Mosika, Mosika!" the enemy called softly in Kokola, making no move to shoot.

Chen Cao instantly froze, pressed against the cold wall, maintaining his battle stance. His mind, previously consumed by bloodlust, became clear at the mention of that name.

He understood Kokola.

The enemy made no further move, instead repeating, "Mosika, Mosika..."

Chen Cao shifted along the wall, altering his tone and voice so the enemy wouldn't sense any action, then replied in Kokola, "Who are you?"

"I am Mosika's comrade. To be brief, I was passing through the tunnel and happened to encounter you," the person said softly.

"Comrade?" Chen Cao was far from convinced, continuing to move and changing his tone. "Why should I believe you?" As he spoke, he caught a whiff of dead rat—a nauseating stench.

The enemy replied with confidence, "If I'd wanted to act, why bother with so much talk? I would have just cocked my gun and fired!"

Suddenly, as the person spoke, their gun wavered, and their neck was seized—a sharp blade pressed against their throat. Their legs were kicked out from under them, forcing them to kneel.

Behind, Chen Cao held his curved blade, his voice cold in the darkness: "Your confidence cost you your life. But honestly, you stink. I can't believe you're one of Mosika's people."

The person showed no fear. "Naturally. I haven't left this place for twenty years, so the smell is inevitable. You get used to it."

"Twenty years—a prisoner!" Chen Cao recalled the former Kokola warrior he had met upon entering the secret chamber, who also reeked of dead rats.

At that moment, the transmitter on his back kept pulsing, but the code had changed to something familiar.

Mosika was sending a signal.

While Chen Cao was ready for any counterattack, he quietly received the signal. "Did Mosika send you a signal?"

The man in the darkness relaxed further, saying little.

After receiving the signal, Chen Cao released the man he had seized and began fiddling with his own transmitter, sending a signal.

During this time, the man remained still, avoiding any action that might trigger violence during this tense moment.

After some time, Chen Cao asked, "How did you get out? Isn't this the headquarters of the Holy War Organization? The defenses are tight. How could you escape from the secret chamber? You were imprisoned for twenty years with no chance to escape, and now you suddenly have weapons and a transmitter. It doesn't add up."

Indeed, this man, once a prisoner forced into labor by terrorists for twenty years, now appeared armed and equipped—something Chen Cao couldn't comprehend.

The man was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly, "In truth, I volunteered to go undercover twenty years ago. But believe me, we're all in the same boat now. It's a long story, but for now, you need food and water."

With that, he carefully set down his gun, making sure Chen Cao could hear the sound. When Chen Cao showed no objection, he handed over a wrapped bundle.

Chen Cao frowned; the smell of dead rat was unpleasant, but since the man showed no hostility, the bundle was likely food. Driven by survival, Chen Cao took it, opened it, and amidst the stench, the aroma of dried beef filled his nose.

"You'd better not try anything, or you know the consequences," Chen Cao warned, holding the bundle. In the darkness, he picked up the man's gun, finding it light enough to be handled with one hand—likely a Jack-type submachine gun or similar weapon. He aimed the gun into the darkness, holding his curved blade and the food bundle, then retreated slowly toward Zhou Hongye.

"Don't you need a flashlight? Otherwise, how will you know what you're eating?" the man asked in Kokola, rolling an object across the floor. He knew Chen Cao wouldn't let him turn on the flashlight—the sudden light would damage his retinas, causing temporary blindness, and Chen Cao would gun him down. At this distance, even a poor weapon could kill with precision, and the man knew it well.

Flame King 65_Flame King Free Full Text_Chapter Sixty-Five: The Threat from the Darkness updated!

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