Chapter 288: Chapter 288: Under Strict Surveince, Acting Independently


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    The old vige chief wore a furious expression, his gaze icy as he bellowed, "Everyone, shut the hell up!"


    Everyone jumped, immediately recalling the fear the old vige chief had instilled in them over the past few days. Not daring to utter another word, they fell silent.


    "Hmph!" The chief sneered dismissively. "You have two choices: either work obediently or endure a full day of mental torture."


    Terror filled their faces. A day of mental torture was more than enough to break them.


    They swallowed hard, any thoughts of resistance quickly abandoned, and reluctantlyplied.


    "Good," the chief said, "now move out immediately. If you want a break, finish today''s workload as quickly as possible!" With a wave of his hand, he activated a spatial teleportation array.


    Expressionless, everyone lined up, resigned to their fate, and entered the portal one by one. John, as usual, was at the back.


    The vige chief kept a close watch on him, and as John stepped into the array, the chief followed right behind.


    Buzz!


    Spatial energy pulsed around them, and John and the others found themselves once again at the mine.


    The atmosphere was tense; more Shadow n soldiers patrolled the area, scrutinizing everyone coldly.


    The recent incident involving the pce had rmed the Shadow n, and they were convinced that John had something to do with it.


    "Vige Chief, how''s it looking?" A Shadow n leader approached, looking at the chief and asking in a low voice.


    The chief shook his head, casting a nce toward John in the distance. "No signs of trouble. You can handle them for now."


    "Don''t worry. I''ll keep someone watching him at all times," the leader replied, nodding as he waved his hand, signaling arge number of Shadow n soldiers to descend into the mine via the lift.


    John and the others were transported down as well.


    ng! ng!


    Deep in the mine, sounds of hammering and shouting echoed around.


    The sky was barely beginning to lighten, yet work had already started.


    John suspected that some of the workers hadn''t rested at all the previous night.


    The presence of even more soldiers down here made things worse; the entire area was now heavily guarded, leaving no opportunity to ck off.


    "Sir, it seems they''re targeting you," Dumas whispered as he took in the scene.


    "No talking!" A burly, scar-faced brute strode over, ring coldly at Dumas and John. "You two, split up!"


    "Yes, sir. Yes, sir." Dumas flinched, swallowing hard as he moved a few steps away.


    John frowned slightly. He hadn''t fully grasped the workings of the Shadow n yet and didn''t want to take action prematurely. For now, he had no choice but to tolerate the situation.


    Everyone worked anxiously, hauling massive chunks of ore withborious steps.


    Then, he spotted the Behemoth, Quagmire.


    Quagmire moved with a numb expression, his gaze hollow, dragging heavy chains behind him, hunched under the weight of the ore he carried.


    There were questions John needed to ask him, but no chance to do so.


    The Shadow n had stationed a significant number of soldiers inside the mine, clearly there to keep an eye on him.


    "This is such a hassle," John muttered to himself, lifting a boulder asrge as a person and walking slowly forward, contemting his next move.


    With such strict surveince, he''d have no freedom to act at all-likely, he''d even be watched throughout the night.


    His mind shed to an idea-his avatars!


    He could only rely on his avatars in this situation.


    With a single thought, he transferred his Split Void ability and god-level disguise talent to his Beast n avatar. Tonight, he''d use it to locate Quagmire and get some answers.


    In the meantime, the work in the mine was relentless. Dumas and the old man, Quagmire, suffered most without John''s assistance, now forced to carry their loads on their own strength.


    Dumas was in a slightly better situation with a quota of just 100 cubic meters; he might manage to finish by midnight.


    But Quagmire''s burden was far greater. With a quota of 200 cubic meters and no help from John, he had no hope ofpleting it, even if he worked around the clock.


    Resigned, he dragged his weary, frail body, struggling with the ore.


    ...


    The sun finally set, yet thebor continued.


    John deliberately slowed his pace, but stillpleted his task before nightfall.


    He hauled his ore to the storage area, and while the Shadow n soldiers were distracted, his Beast n avatar appeared, using the god-level disguise talent to transform into a Shadow n demigod soldier. No one took notice.


    John took out his ID card, recorded his task asplete, and headed towards the lift.


    A few Shadow n soldiers gave him a thorough inspection, but finding no issues, they allowed him to leave.


    He was among the first to finish for the day.


    As he exited the mine, most of the soldiers departed as well. Clearly, their primary purpose was to keep an eye on him.


    With reduced guards, the miners still didn''t dare let up, pushing through exhaustion to carry


    their loads.


    Meanwhile, John''s Beast n avatar, disguised as a Shadow n soldier, roamed the mining site, maintaining his patrol without raising suspicion.


    His main body had already returned to the novice vige.


    As he expected, two Shadow n soldiers shadowed him closely, one standing guard outside


    his door and the other entering his hut directly.


    John smirked, settling down to meditate andpletely ignoring their presence.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    ...


    Meanwhile, back in the mine.


    John''s Beast n avatar, disguised as a Shadow n soldier, continued his vignt patrol, staying close to Dumas as he made his way deeper into the mine.


    In the mine, a few workers were cking off, but the moment they saw him appear, they jumped in fright, quickly lifting the nearby ore and trudging away with difficulty. Dumas noticed that this Shadow n soldier was following him, so he nervously picked up a massive chunk of ore.


    Just then, a surge of energy entered his body, lightening the weight of the ore on his back. He looked up warily at John, unsure of what was happening. Was this Shadow n soldier


    helping him?


    "It''s me, Godyer," John exined in a low voice.


    "Sir?" Dumas was shocked and surprised. He immediately set down the ore, scrutinizing him


    in curiosity. "Sir, how did you turn into a Shadow n soldier?"


    "The Shadow n''s surveince is too tight, so I had to do this. In a bit, get Quagmire and bring him here—I have some questions for both of you," John instructed briefly.


    Dumas nodded, hoisting up the ore once again, and continued hauling it.


    With John''s help, the load felt much lighter.


    Before long, the sound of chains echoed, and the enormous figure of Quagmire emerged.


    Dumas had already passed on the message.


    Quagmire looked at the Shadow n soldier that John had transformed into with suspicion.


    Without saying a word, he slowly approached arge boulder.


    "Sir," Dumas whispered in greeting, leading Quagmire closer.


    "Hold on. How do we know it''s really you?" Quagmire asked, his face cautious. He knew all


    too well the Shadow n''s treachery.


    He was wary that the Shadow n might impersonate John to achieve their own ends.


    Boom!


    With a loud thud, Quagmire dropped the massive boulder he''d been carrying, blocking the entrance to the tunnel, and watched John coldly with a doubtful gaze.


    Without much exnation, John raised his hand, channeling two streams of the power of the


    Life Laws into both men.


    "That should be proof enough. The Shadow n''s dark power could neverprehend the Laws of Life," he said calmly.


    Quagmire and Dumas exchanged nces, finally letting down their guard.


    "Sir, it''s strange to see you disguised as a Shadow n soldier," Quagmire remarked, still


    uneasy. He had endured so much suffering under the Shadow n that his fear ran bone-deep. John didn''t borate and instead got straight to the point. "Time is short, so I''ll keep this brief. Do either of you know where the Spirit Stone Mine or the Immortal Herb Garden are


    located?"


    Both shook their heads.


    Quagmlier spoke up, "Sir, I''ve only ever moved between the main mines and the novice


    vige. I''ve never been anywhere else."


    Quagmire added, "Same here. However, in my novice vige, there''s someone who works in


    the Immortal Herb Garden. Maybe he''d have some information."


    "Oh?" John''s interest was piqued.


    Quagmire looked worried. "But, sir, this guy is a traitor from the Windling Tribe, the Shadow


    n''s most loyalpdog. He won''t help you."


    Unfazed, John replied coldly, "Simple. I''ll just kill him and take on his appearance."


    "That could work," the group said, eyes lighting up at the idea.


    John''s current disguise as a Shadow n soldier was wless, and if he transformed into the


    Windling Tribe traitor, he would certainly be able to deceive the Shadow n soldiers.


    "Do you know anyone who works in the Spirit Stone Mine?" he continued. Quagmire shook his head, exining, "I''ve heard that the Spirit Stone veins are highly


    specialized; only peak upper-tier gods are allowed entry. We''re far too weak toe into


    contact with those powerhouses."


    "Peak upper-tier gods?" John frowned, his curiosity piqued. What was so unique about the


    Spirit Stone Mine that only peak upper-tier gods could mine there? Quagmire borated, "It seems it''s because the mine is filled with Undying me, and only peak upper-tier gods can withstand it."


    "Undying me?" John''s surprise grew. Tony had once mentioned that only The Immortals possessed such a thing.


    Could the Spirit Stone Mine be connected to The Immortals?


    Unfortunately, neither of them knew more about the Spirit Stone Mine, nor did they have any


    contacts with ess to it.


    It seemed that rescuing Cand-Dragon and the others would be more challenging than


    anticipated.


    "By the way," he added, turning to Quagmire, "you mentioned you''ve worked at several mines. Do you remember their coordinates?"


    These ores were unique, and John was intent on collecting all of them if possible. With his World-in-Hand ability, he could store any quantity of ores or veins, no matter the


    amount.


    "Yes, I remember." Quagmire thought for a moment before giving him several coordinates. These were from mines he''d worked in, though some had been fully depleted.


    "I have a few more mine coordinates as well," Dumas added. He didn''t know John''s exact


    purpose but was willing to support anything aimed against the Shadow n.


    John carefully noted each location, then channeled a bit of the power of the Life Laws into the


    three of them, healing their injuries and easing their fatigue.


    "I have other matters to attend to. You''ll have to work a bit harder today," he said before


    activating his Split Void talent. A spatial passage opened, and with a swift step, he vanished into thin air.