Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 31: The Counterattack Plan

After subduing Zhong Da, Su Mu solidified his position as the boss of the Heavy Industry District. Chen Li volunteered to join him, and the two of them became Su Mu’s right-hand men. To take on the Supervision Team, he needed a few reliable allies—not many, just two or three would suffice. The people here were well aware of the conflict between Su Mu and the Supervision Team, and most were still reluctant to cross Song Dachui, so they didn’t get too close to Su Mu. Hu Fo, on the other hand, was out of luck—his daily workload had doubled, and that was more than enough to keep him busy. In the Heavy Industry Zone, each person is required to turn in a specific amount of Source Stone—they can exceed it, but they absolutely cannot fall short. As for who works more and who works less, that’s a matter of allocation. The members of the Supervision Team in charge of this area generally didn’t interfere. Since Zhong Da had previously been part of the Supervision Team and had been assigned here, he was specifically tasked with overseeing operations. Zhong Da, however, treated everyone equally, earning himself a fairly good reputation, so the people here generally respected him. Now that Su Mu had become the boss, Chen Li, Old Blackhead, and even Su Mu himself didn’t have to do any work, so naturally they shifted these tasks onto others—and Hu Fo’s crew were the unlucky ones to bear the brunt of it. Su Mu arranged it this way on purpose, and they didn’t dare say a word. “Mu Ge, let’s drink!” Black Hand bowed and scraped. After Zhong Da was taken down, he was the only one willing to join Su Mu’s camp—a move that carried immense risk, as the Supervision Team would treat the three of them as Su Mu’s accomplices. If they were going to crack down on anyone, they’d take them all down together. The four of them sat around a table, with wine and meat. Zhong Da brought out his entire personal stash. He even offered to let them use his tent—it had a bed inside, which was considered a luxury here. Su Mu declined, and didn’t even take a single one of Zhong Da’s personal belongings. As they sat together eating and drinking, they discussed what to do next. We can’t just let the Supervision Team run rampant—it’s time to fight back! “I want to transfer Lao Hei back to his original post. Is there a good way to do that?” Su Mu asked offhand. “Mu Ge, that’s easy!” Zhong Da said after a moment’s thought. “Tomorrow I’ll take him to talk to the Supervision Team. I’ll tell them he’s seriously ill—he has respiratory problems. The air in the heavy industry zone is already terrible; if he stays there too long, his health will suffer greatly.” “Will your word carry any weight? Now that you’re working for me, your relationship with the Supervision Team might be over.” “Don’t worry. They’re out to get you—Old Blackhead is of no use to them at all. If we want to go up against Song Dachui, we’ve got to take out one person first.” “Who?” “Cao Shang—the most influential figure in the Supervision Team. It was his idea for Song Dachui to transfer you to the Heavy Industry Zone. He’s not particularly strong, but when it comes to scheming and backstabbing, he’s got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. As for Song Dachui, Erhu, Sun Datou, Gou Wei, and the rest—they’re all muscle-bound simple-minded brutes who are quick to resort to violence when things get heated, so they’re not much of a threat.” Chen Li chimed in, “I agree with Brother Da one hundred percent. Taking out this man is of immense significance. If we compare the Supervision Team to a giant, then eliminating Cao Shang is like blinding the giant—this step is crucial.” “If we’re going to take him out, we can’t let Song Dachui find any grounds to make a fuss. If anything happens to Cao Shang, Song Dachui will rally everyone to fight to the death. It’s best to stage an accident.” Su Mu furrowed his brow. “There aren’t many options here. How can we get him to take the bait?” “I’ve got a plan!” Chen Li smiled mysteriously. “Tell me more!” “I’ve been holding a trump card all along, and it’s time to play it. Half a year ago, a demon beast appeared here and killed quite a few people, including a member of the Supervision Team—and yes, I was the one who killed him. We can open that big iron gate. I know of a place where there’s top-grade Source Stone. You have to understand that top-grade Source Stone is extremely rare around here; if we hand it over to the sect, we’ll receive a special reward. Don’t be fooled by how comfortable Cao Shang seems to be living here—deep down, he actually looks down on Song Dachui and his bunch of idiots. I heard he has a lover in the Inner Sect, so he’s always wanted to go back, but the mistake he made that got him sent here was too serious, and he’s been struggling to find an opportunity.” Su Mu chuckled. “For an outer-sect disciple to hook up with an inner-sect female disciple—he’s got some skills there.” “Mu Ge, you’ve got it wrong. His lover in the Inner Sect grew up in the same place as him. They were already a couple when they took the sect’s entrance exams; it’s just that Cao Shang was always unwilling to put in the hard work required for cultivation, so he couldn’t make it into the Inner Sect.” “So just how serious was the mistake he made? Tell me about it.” “That kid Cao Shang is a quick-witted fellow—always looking for shortcuts and willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. He was completely fixated on joining the Inner Sect so he could be with his sweetheart every day. So he sneaked into the sect’s restricted areas to steal secret elixirs, planning to take them to boost his cultivation and pass the Inner Sect entrance exams. Unfortunately, his luck ran out—he was caught red-handed.” “He sure is bold. Outer-sect disciples are punished just for trespassing on the various peaks, let alone approaching restricted areas. Go on.” “We’re going to take a risk—open the iron gate and go inside. I stumbled upon it by accident when I was panicking, but I immediately realized this was a trump card that could save my life in the future. So I carefully drew a map and made special markings. We’ll bring down a piece of top-grade Source Stone and secretly notify Cao Shang. As long as he sees the real thing, he’ll definitely take the bait and won’t leak a word about this.” Zhong Da slapped the table. “That’s a great plan! Ali, I really didn’t expect it—you’re full of tricks, aren’t you?” “Hehe, thanks for the compliment, Brother Da. Actually, I used this trick half a year ago. I used the same excuse to lure that member of the Supervision Team there, then ambushed him from behind when he wasn’t expecting it—that’s how I pulled it off.” Su Mu nodded repeatedly. “You just said we’d have to take a risk going in. Could it be that there are demon beasts lurking where the high-grade Source Stones are?” “Mu Ge, you’re really sharp—you caught on right away. Wherever there are high-grade Source Stones, that’s where the demon beast’s lair is. The entrance is very narrow and has already been blocked off. This demon beast doesn’t like light, so whenever it sees light seeping in, it blocks it with rocks. That’s why the Inner Sect members searched the area several times back then but never found this place.” Su Mu now fully understood his plan. Their eyes met—they’d go ahead with it! Opening the iron gate to enter would be against the rules, so they had to proceed quietly. It wouldn’t do to be seen by others here—there might even be spies planted by the Supervision Team. So, the first step was for Su Mu to divert everyone near the iron gate to another location—any excuse would do—and gather them all in one place, with Black Hand keeping watch. They could handle it in less than half a day. They’d carry out the operation at night—get there quickly and return just as fast.