The word "traitor" seemed to be too distant from the students. Enough that Liu Dezhu couldn't even believe what he heard.
Qing Chen got a chair and sat down in front of him, "Please remember exactly what I say next because it will be a matter of life and death for you."
"My men told me that the five escaping thugs are surrounding Yunshang Inn. They are carrying guns and will probably hold everyone hostage. They are only observing from a distance, so they aren't sure if you're in there yet."
Liu Dezhu was shocked. A second ago, he was still relaxed and prepared to deal with Qing Chen, testing if his boss realized that he got two gold bars instead of one.
But a second later, he realized that he and his classmates might be in danger at any moment.
Liu Dezhu jumped up from his bed and was about to cry, "Boss, are your men nearby? Please save me! Those from Kun Lun said these people are ruthless!"
Qing Chen looked at him with a sense of disgust, "Calm down. You can live for at least two more days, and they are kidnapping you for your status in the Inner World, not to just kill you."
Liu Dezhu said, "But that won't do either. Being a mule for these people is also very dangerous, and Kun Lun said they kill anyone who isn't a time traveler. We have 40 classmates here. That's 40 lives!"
Qing Chen was stunned.
They kill ordinary people?
Nan Gengchen is in danger!
No one knew that Nan Gengchen was a time traveler yet.
After being silent for a while, Qing Chen said, "I need you to do two things for me when you get back."
"Please tell me, boss," Liu Dezhu sat up straight.
Qing Chen said, "First, I want you to tell all the classmates to scatter. That way, at least the thugs won't catch all of you at once. Don't ask other tourists for help, because that will only bring innocent people into this. The thugs have guns with them, and their target is time travelers, not ordinary people."
Liu Dezhu asked sternly, "Boss, will we be able to escape?"
Qing Chen said, "You can only bet that they haven't fully surrounded the place. There's nothing else you can do about it."
Liu Dezhu remembered this.
Qing Chen continued, "Second, in case you weren't able to escape, you'll probably be gathered together in one place. At that time, I want you to find the students from Hai City and ask each of them separately if anyone was left alone after being kidnapped that night. Also, you have to think about if anyone left after you arrived at the mountain or if anyone was on the phone messaging the whole time."
Liu Dezhu said, "Are you thinking that a traitor would be one of them?"
"Although it might sound outrageous, that's the most reasonable guess I can think of," answered Qing Chen.
Because the thugs only came in contact with four people recently.
Although the thugs that came in contact with them directly were already arrested, who knew what happened after that.
"Of course, other students can't be completely ruled out. You don't have to do anything for the next two days, just think about how you can save yourself."
After saying all this, Qing Chen turned and left the confinement room.
Two more days until the next transmigration. He had to think about what he had to do.
But just as he was about to step out the door, he suddenly turned and stared at Liu Dezhu dead in the eyes.
Qing Chen felt like he was missing something.
The most important information!
Instantly, Qing Chen's pupils changed, and his blood seemed to be boiling.
He strolled across his memories.
There must be a clue.
Footsteps, explosions, gunshots… fragmented but action-packed.
Qing Chen seemed to have returned to Jiang Xue's destroyed apartment. He looked around calmly and thought, After the thugs came to Luo City, they kidnapped three time travelers already, and Jiang Xue was the fourth.
The thugs never wanted to kidnap Liu Dezhu!
They didn’t dare to, nor was it worth it.
That was because they thought Liu Dezhu was Li Shutong's student.
If they caught Liu Dezhu, they had to bet that Liu Dezhu wouldn't find them in the Inner World and kill them while they were transmigrating.
If they lost, they would lose their lives.
These thugs would always control the mules in the Inner World so they could be used to carry valuables, but since Liu Dezhu was in the prison, they had no way of controlling him.
So, their target wasn't Liu Dezhu. It was Hu Xiaoniu and his friends!
These students from Hai City could not only be used as mules but also be used to get ransom from their rich families.
They didn't take action before midnight probably because they wanted to keep Liu Dezhu in the dark during the transmigration to the Inner World.
This way, they would have at least two whole days to deal with the situation.
Liu Dezhu would be the first to be killed.
Qing Chen asked Liu Dezhu, "Who proposed to change this trip?"
Liu Dezhu said weakly, "A student named Bai Waner from the class next door."
Qing Chen was surprised, Bai Waner?
This doesn't make sense.
He didn't ask anything else and left the confinement room.
Walking inside the dim corridor, Ye Wan said curiously, "Looks like a lot has happened during the two days."
"Yeah," Qing Chen nodded, "Someone wants to kidnap the time travelers and use them to carry items. Only four of the nine ruthless criminals have been arrested so far. The last five are all at the B&B Liu Dezhu is in."
"What's B&B?" Lin Xiaoxiao asked.
"Just a place to live near a tourist attraction," explained Qing Chen.
"Will you be in danger?" asked Ye Wan.
"I'm not sure if it will affect me yet," said Qing Chen, removing his cat face mask, "And I don't care if Liu Dezhu ends up dead or alive."
He looked at the gold bars in his hand. Now that Liu Dezhu finally has set up a steady source of income for him, all the efforts might perish again.
But none of these mattered.
He was just worried that Nan Gengchen might die.
"Let's go," said Qing Chen to Ye Wan.
"Where to?" asked Ye Wan, confused.
"Training, of course," answered Qing Chen as if it was obvious.
Ye Wan and Lin Xiaoxiao looked at each other. None of them expected that Qing Chen's will was that strong.
A moment ago, he was still dealing with a life-threatening crisis…
Now, he was back to his usual training just like a normal day.
Qing Chen looked at their astonished expression and said calmly, “There's nothing else I can do before I return. It's better to use this time to become stronger so that when I do face this kind of situation in the future, I will no longer be so powerless."
Lin Xiaoxiao was deeply moved. This teenager was indeed the most suitable person to inherit the boss's position.
Qing Chen never saw many life and death moments yet but was still able to calmly suppress his inert sense of panic and choose the best path at a complicated crossroad.