Chapter Thirty-Eight: Betrayal from Within

"Die, you wretch!"
"Don't think you'll get away with it!"
A massive impact surged from He Jing's chest throughout her body. She spat blood, flying backward, and in that moment, slashed Li Hao's thigh with her hairpin, tearing open a half-meter-long wound.
Having done all this, He Jing was hurled from the stone wall, crashing through layers of branches embedded in the rock, until finally she hung upside down from a crooked tree still three meters above the ground, unconscious.

"Jing!"
"Sister! Damn it!"
The female prisoners erupted in fury, throwing themselves wildly upon the male prisoners, biting and clawing with all their strength in a frenzied bid for vengeance.
One woman stabbed her hairpin deep into a man's neck. As he died, he tried to crush her skull in his hands, but two others stabbed him in the neck just as fiercely. Finally, a fourth woman straddled his neck and twisted hard—there was a sharp crack, and the man's body went limp.
Scenes like this played out again and again, though gradually, the male prisoners began to gain the upper hand.

"Well, looks like they're turning on each other," Zun Ye observed He Jing's plight with a smile, asking Hu Lei, "Is this your handiwork?"
Hu Lei's lips curled into a cruel arc as he glanced at Zun Ye, saying nothing, instead smashing his fist against the stone wall again.

"Impressive! Nicely done," Zun Ye praised, though a flicker of caution passed deep within his eyes.

Meanwhile, the battle atop the rock formation had reached a fever pitch. With nearly a fifth of the prisoners lost, the barrage of stones diminished. During this chaos, Zun Ye unleashed another human bomb, revealing the cave's interior more clearly. One more strike would likely break open the entrance, letting them all pour inside.
At that point, it would be the end for those above.

"Damn, it's gotten out of hand. Not only are they refusing to help, now they're betraying us and attacking women! Brothers, let's teach him a lesson!"
"Shit, I can't stand traitors!"
Seeing Li Hao and his lot not only surrendering but also inciting violence against the women, the remaining male prisoners' rage was ignited. They swarmed over Li Hao, and amid screams, he scrambled away, rolling and crawling.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled violently, followed by cheers from prisoners on the sixth and twelfth floors. Alarmed, the others threw the battered remnants of Zuo Ba's faction over the wall and grabbed their makeshift weapons, preparing for a desperate defense.

Hu Lei and Zun Ye, breathing heavily but regaining composure, gazed at the widened entrance and the prisoners visible through the dust on the thirteenth floor. Their eyes brimmed with mockery and murderous intent.

These people have served as accomplices for far too long. Let’s see how you’re dealt with now. Like throwing things? Fine, soon enough I’ll throw you all down myself!

Through the swirling dust, a limping figure appeared. Hu Lei and Zun Ye remained calm—they were now the strongest here.

"Cough, cough..."
Li Hao, filthy from head to toe, stepped out. He looked at Hu Lei, forcing a strained smile, and stood cautiously beside him, bowing respectfully. "Brother Lei, as promised, I've sabotaged things at the crucial moment. Now that it's done, I hope you’ll fulfill your promise to me."

Hu Lei listened, initially nodding in satisfaction, but gradually furrowed his brow, perplexed. "Did I promise you anything?"

Li Hao panicked: "Brother Lei, please don’t trick me! Didn’t you say that as long as Mu You was driven out and you took control of the thirteenth floor, you’d help me become the new dangerous prisoner?"

Before Hu Lei could reply, Zun Ye burst out laughing.

"Ha! Kid, do you really think becoming a dangerous prisoner is that easy?"

"What's so hard about it? Isn't it just surviving the transformation? I can do that!"

"Surviving the transformation? Ha! You can't even mutate, let alone qualify for reconstruction!"

With that, Zun Ye's gaze toward Li Hao lost all interest. Dangerous prisoner on the thirteenth floor? Hu Lei had long ago reserved that position for his own daughter.

Who are you, to dare bargain with him?

"Brother Lei, say something!" Li Hao pressed, seeing Hu Lei remain silent.

"Well..."
Hu Lei rubbed his nose, thoughtfully recalling, "You did propose these conditions to me—I remember..."

Li Hao’s face lit up with joy.

"...But I just smiled at you. I never nodded or agreed, and you rushed off so excited."

Li Hao's expression froze.

Hu Lei smiled, stepping forward and resting his hand on Li Hao's left shoulder, speaking with the grave tone one uses to a younger generation: "Even if I had agreed, didn't you say everyone would obey me and let me decide their fate?"

Hu Lei's sudden closeness unsettled Li Hao, who took half a step back in fear, but nodded despite himself.

"That’s right. So tell me, how should I deal with someone who betrays their own?"

Zun Ye, hearing this, thought to curry favor and stepped forward, placing his hefty palm on Li Hao's right shoulder.

Both men wore smiling faces; suddenly, Li Hao sensed imminent disaster.

"Fine, I’ll grant your wish. But first, I’ll deal with traitors like you. Then, perhaps I’ll let a corpse become a dangerous prisoner for a few seconds..."

With that, Hu Lei and Zun Ye began to pull Li Hao apart, slowly tearing him in opposite directions.
Before Li Hao could react, immense, irresistible force tore at his arms. His skin split, revealing the white flesh beneath; blood seeped out, staining the flesh red.

"No... please... no!"
Overwhelming pain wracked Li Hao, forcing a scream of utter agony.

In that moment, he deeply regretted his choices. Had he not been so greedy, had he sided with Mu You, how different might things be now?

He thought of He Jing and Xu Chen, and managed a bitter smile—those two were hardly better off than himself.

As that last bitter smile flickered, the sound of bones and tendons shattering echoed from within him, freezing his expression in that grimace.

Zun Ye, finished, tossed aside the 'garbage' in his hands without a glance. Seeing that He Jing was not yet dead, he stepped forward to deliver the final blow.

Standing beneath He Jing, gripping her shoulders, he was about to exert force when Hu Lei suddenly warned, "Careful!"

Before he could react, a boulder two meters across crashed down, smashing Zun Ye into the stone wall with overwhelming force, nearly breaking through it.

"If you want to kill traitorous dogs, so be it—I won’t mourn. But who gave you permission to touch my people?"

That calm, steady voice drifted from behind the prisoners. All turned in shock, especially the surviving prisoners of the twelfth floor, who recoiled in panic, clearing a path.

The newcomer was neither tall nor muscular, bare-chested, with his bloodstained prison uniform slung over his shoulder, walking at an unhurried pace.

He was bald, with jagged brows and a roguish air.

The dangerous prisoner—Mu You.