The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: He Made Me Do It

”I disagree!” Lu Jingyu finally spoke, stepping forward resolutely to meet Chen Chang’an’s gaze.

Chen Chang’an shot him a sidelong glance, ignoring him. At the same time, Shen Ling’an was brought in.

Shen Ling’an’s heart filled with confusion as he took in the assembly in the meeting hall.

The people who had brought him here hadn’t told him what was going on.

Now, with so many elders gathered, and Lu Jingyu and Xu Qingsui also present, his mind couldn’t help but race with wild thoughts.

’Could the matter between me and Qiu Fang have been exposed?’

Panic seized his heart. He furtively glanced at Qiu Fang, but seeing that the man wasn’t looking back, he began making small, surreptitious gestures to get his attention.

However, Qiu Fang was still basking in the joy of his dream coming true and had no time for him.

”Shen Ling’an, do you know why I had you brought here?” Chen Chang’an spoke, interrupting Shen Ling’an’s furtive movements.

Shen Ling’an trembled and looked cautiously at Chen Chang’an, shaking his head.

”What exactly happened with you leading the team to defeat the snake-like Mutant today?” Chen Chang’an suddenly roared, making Shen Ling’an shudder in fright.

”What do you mean? An emergency occurred, and I led my team to fight the enemy.”

Though frightened, Shen Ling’an’s mind was still clear. He kept his answer brief, offering only a simple summary.

”Are you sure? Because what my people told me wasn’t nearly so simple.”

Shen Ling’an’s heart clenched. A terrible premonition began to spread through him.

”You claim you were the one who dealt with the Mutant. Then tell me, how did you kill it?”

Shen Ling’an was speechless. The Mutant had been killed with a poisonous agent by people Qiu Fang had arranged; it had nothing to do with him at all.

Now that Chen Chang’an was demanding details, he had no idea what to say.

As Chen Chang’an’s gaze grew colder, Shen Ling’an had no choice but to bite the bullet and invent a scenario.

But the moment he finished, Chen Chang’an began to laugh.

”Is that so? My men have already inspected the Mutant’s remains. Why did they find it was killed by poison?”

”You’ve been basking in everyone’s admiration, yet you don’t even know how the Mutant was actually killed?”

At his words, Shen Ling’an’s face turned from red to purple. He stared at Chen Chang’an, utterly speechless.

”I already know all about you. People of poor character truly do resort to shameful deeds.”

”It’s no coincidence that you became a captain only a few days after joining the Alliance, is it!”

”That snake-like Mutant today wasn’t causing any trouble. You were the one who schemed to lure it out, all to build your own reputation, weren’t you?”

”Your methods were even more cunning. You even disregarded your own safety, making your team members admire you wholeheartedly, never suspecting that you were the cause of it all.”

Shen Ling’an’s eyes widened. He was, at best, a puppet—someone who knew part of the inside story but was still being manipulated, not knowing the whole truth.

’How did I suddenly become the mastermind?’

Judging by the situation, if this investigation continued, the outcome for him would surely be disastrous.

Panic began to set in. Shen Ling’an again shot a desperate look at Qiu Fang. Right now, only Qiu Fang could save him.

But he didn’t know that Qiu Fang was preoccupied with his own ambitions and had already cast him aside.

”You meticulously orchestrated this incident and even went out of your way to procure an agent to deal with the Mutant. Such a clever scheme!”

”You succeeded in becoming the captain everyone admires, but at the cost of over a hundred casualties. Our Heiyu Alliance absolutely will not tolerate someone like you, and we must avenge those members who were injured or killed.”

Shen Ling’an could already imagine what awaited him.

He dared not delay any longer and immediately shouted Qiu Fang’s name.

”Elder Qiu, say something on my behalf! How could I possibly ignore so many lives just for my own reputation!”

Qiu Fang finally snapped out of his daze, realizing that Shen Ling’an had just become a ticking time bomb.

In this situation, he knew he couldn’t protect Shen Ling’an any longer.

But that also meant Shen Ling’an could turn on him and drag him down too.

If that happened, he could forget about his ambitions; he’d likely pay a heavy price himself.

Understanding the situation clearly, Qiu Fang’s gaze turned cold and sinister.

He strode quickly to Shen Ling’an’s side. As Shen Ling’an watched with hopeful eyes, Qiu Fang sent him flying with a vicious SLAP.

Shen Ling’an clutched his mouth, his hand coming away covered in blood. A tooth had even been knocked loose.

He stared at Qiu Fang in utter disbelief, about to blurt out the truth.

But before he could speak, Qiu Fang was in front of him in a flash.

He grabbed him by the collar and clamped a hand around his throat.

As the air was cut off, Shen Ling’an found it hard even to breathe, let alone speak.

”Shen Ling’an, you have disappointed me immensely.”

”I kept you on because I saw your talent and didn’t want to see it go to waste. I never thought that after such a short time, you would do something so heinous.”

”Bringing you into the Alliance was my mistake. So today, let me correct that mistake, and then I will apologize to the members who were harmed.”

As he spoke, Qiu Fang tightened his grip.

Anyone could see he was now trying to kill him.

Just as Shen Ling’an was kicking and struggling in vain, his breathing growing fainter by the second, a figure rushed forward.

The figure clamped down on Qiu Fang’s wrist, rescuing Shen Ling’an from his grasp.

Having just been pulled back from the brink of death, Shen Ling’an gasped for air, unable to calm himself.

Xu Qingsui suddenly appeared behind him. She sent a stream of spiritual power into his body, and he immediately calmed.

Without a second thought, he immediately stood up and revealed everything—how Qiu Fang had found him and the entire series of plans they had orchestrated.

Throughout this, Qiu Fang struggled to break free from Lu Jingyu’s hold, desperate to silence Shen Ling’an for good.

But Lu Jingyu held him fast, giving him no opportunity.

When he finished speaking, the meeting hall once again fell silent.

Chen Chang’an’s gaze shifted to Qiu Fang. ”Elder Qiu,” he said in a cold voice, ”is what he said true?”

Before Qiu Fang could speak, Shen Ling’an, as if needing to prove himself, hurriedly added that he could testify. The person who used the agent to kill the Mutant was a member of Qiu Fang’s household, and he could identify them.

”Meng Donghua, take some men and bring everyone from Qiu Fang’s household here. For now, don’t let them know what this is about.”

Meng Donghua nodded and immediately left the meeting hall.

Cold sweat beaded on Qiu Fang’s forehead as he watched Meng Donghua leave.

Before long, Meng Donghua returned with the people, but they did not enter the meeting hall.

From the outside, one could only see Qiu Fang, restrained and standing helplessly in the center of the hall.

Meng Donghua entered and whispered a few words in Chen Chang’an’s ear, then went back out and brought in a servant from Qiu Fang’s household.