Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 37: Falling into a Trap

The Heavy Industry Zone is no exception. It’s just that very few newcomers ever make it there; most are long-timers. Zhong Da, for one, is considered a relatively upright person who wouldn’t stoop to such despicable behavior. When Su Mugang first arrived, he too faced harassment from Hu Fo’s gang; if you weren’t skilled enough, you’d get bullied. This place was clearly more direct and brutal than the Outer Gate. Su Mu followed the sound and walked over. From a distance, he saw three men standing under a tree, kicking and punching a person curled up on the ground. A man with a crew cut wouldn’t let up. He bent down, grabbed the victim’s hair, and yanked hard. “Lift your head up, you bastard! Do you really think Tang Kuan’s got your back? Even if you grovel your way up there, they wouldn’t want a useless little lackey like you!” The man on the ground had his hair yanked, forcing him to lift his head—just in time to lock eyes with Su Mu, who was walking straight toward him. Those three thugs were truly brazen—they didn’t even bother to acknowledge someone approaching; they were utterly arrogant. “Let him go!” Su Mu barked. “Who the hell do you think you are? Mind your own business and get the hell out of here!” the man with the crew cut cursed. “Such a foul mouth—take that!” Su Mu flashed forward and slapped the man across the face. Smack! The man with the crew cut tried to strike back, but he was too slow—Su Mu’s blow was infused with the power of the “Falling Sand Palm.” The slap sent him tumbling head over heels. “Su Mu, what are you doing here?” The man lying on the ground was none other than Guo Yan. His cultivation had just entered the Posthuman Realm, so he wasn’t exactly weak, but all three of these men were also in the Posthuman Realm—and the one Su Mu had sent flying with a single slap was merely an Outer Sect disciple at the Eye-Opening Stage. “Y-you’re… Su Mu?” The two men—one tall, one short—immediately grew fearful. “I’m Su Mu. Don’t stand in my way here. Get lost!” The two exchanged a glance, helped the man with the crew cut to his feet, and slunk away. Guo Yan had been beaten pretty badly—his face was bruised and swollen. He scrambled to his feet and spat out several mouthfuls of dirt and sand. “Things haven’t been going too well for you lately, have they?” Su Mu was actually quite surprised—this kid was usually pretty smooth in his dealings, so how had he ended up in such a mess? “Not so great—you saw it yourself. Damn it, they’re walking all over me, making me do every menial job, and they just can’t get enough of taking advantage of me. If I put up with this any longer, these guys are only going to get worse!” “Haven’t you been getting along well with the Supervision Team?” “That son of a bitch Tang Kuan—he plays favorites and treats people differently. He’s a real scumbag! By the way, I heard you got transferred to the Heavy Industry Zone. How’s it going over there?” “It’s great. I don’t even have to do any work—I just supervise the guys inside.” “No way! I heard the Supervision Team was going to make your life a living hell—how could things be this easy for you?” “Oh, there’s a big shot in the Heavy Industry Zone—you’ll never guess who it is. It’s Zhong Qiang’s own older brother, and he’s on my side now.” “What? You—you… that’s unbelievable.” “So, what do you say? Come join the Heavy Industry Zone. If you’re brave enough to follow me and stand up to the Supervision Team, then come on over. If you’re not up for it, forget it—just keep suffering through this.” “Let me think it over.” “Alright. If you’re interested, just submit a transfer request—it’s easy. I’ve got other business to attend to, so I’ll be heading out.” “This time… thanks a lot!” “Don’t mention it—it was just a small favor.” With that, Su Mu strode off. When he returned to the Heavy Industry Zone, Zhong Da was indeed gone—he’d probably been summoned by He Jin for a private conversation in a secluded spot. After waiting for over an hour, Zhong Da returned. He walked over quickly and whispered, “It worked! He’ll be back tomorrow night—along with He Jin. Just the two of them—to check out just how big the top-grade Source Stone vein really is.” “Great! I actually have something I’ve been meaning to ask that ‘mastermind’ of the Supervision Team.” “What do you want to ask Mu Ge?” “Old Hei is dead,” Su Mu sneered. “The Supervision Team says he died suddenly from a sudden worsening of his consumption. Ha ha, just listen to that—I kindly sent him back from the heavy labor zone, but it ended up being his undoing.” “No way!” Chen Li cursed. “Damn it, it was definitely those bastards from the Supervision Team who did it. Killing someone from the Outer Sect would be a hassle—they’d have to report it to the sect. But for an ordinary miner, if he dies, they just call it an accident or a sudden illness. At most, they’ll pay the family a little compensation to settle the matter. It’s the same old trick!” “Just hold on a little longer. The time for revenge will come soon enough.” Finally, they made it through to the following evening. Su Mu pretended to be asleep, hogging Zhong Da’s spot, and snored loudly from inside the tent. Plenty of food and drink were laid out on the table, but they’d take a few bites and toss the rest aside, creating the impression that the two were at odds despite appearing to get along. Cao Shang and He Jin arrived. Zhong Da had been waiting for quite some time; to throw them off, he even had a clear handprint on his face. “What happened to your face?” Cao Shang couldn’t help but ask. “Brother Shang, you’re far too clever—you’re asking a question you already know the answer to. Naturally, it’s the handiwork of that little brat Su Mu.” “Haven’t you already submitted to him on the surface? You’ve given yourself away.” “It’s all because of that guy Chen Li. Su Mu went out for a stroll today, and when he came back and couldn’t find me, Chen Li snitched behind my back, saying I’ve been in close contact with the Supervision Team lately and am plotting something underhanded. So he came straight over to ask me what I was talking about with Brother Jin. I barely managed to make up an excuse to get out of it, but he was still suspicious. That’s why he slapped me—as a warning.” He Jin snorted, “No offense, but how did you turn into such a doormat? You’re worse off than those laborers.” “That’s exactly why I’m in such a hurry to get back to the Supervision Team! This godforsaken place—I’m not going to stick around here and take this crap!” “All right, I understand your situation. As long as you have enough top-grade Source Stones, it won’t be a problem for you to return to the Supervision Team—or even back to your sect. I, Cao Shang, am not the kind of person to forget a favor. Before I leave this place, I’ll make sure your affairs are handled perfectly.” “Thank you, Brother Shang. Your promise is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold!” “Stop just buttering me up. Let’s head over now. Now that the survey is done, it’s time to start digging. Are you sure that shadowy area isn’t dangerous?” He Jin cautioned. “A demon beast ran amok there a little over half a year ago.” “You two can rest easy. I’ve snuck in there dozens of times already. It took me a lot of effort to find that top-grade Source Stone—if there really were demon beasts, would I still be alive?” “That’s true. Lead the way,” Cao Shang urged. “Please wait a moment, you two.” Zhong Da clapped his hands, and Hei walked over carrying his digging tools. Cao Shang frowned. “Didn’t we agree not to bring anyone else? The fewer people who know, the better. Who is he?” “Oh, he’s my absolute confidant. He’s been through the iron gate with me before, and he already knows about this.” “I see. All right, then.” “Oh, right—my brother here would also like Brother Shang to lend a hand before you leave.” “What does he want? Don’t tell me he wants to join the Supervision Team just like you?” “Not exactly. Once we’ve dealt with Su Mu, he hopes to take my place in the Heavy Industry Zone and become the boss there.” “Is that all? It’s really no big deal—I’ll do it!” Zhong Da was very satisfied and led the two men toward the iron gate.