Qin Ming's excited emotions were like a ball of fire, burning in his chest.

He had been worried.

The Radiant Alliance was hidden so deeply that it would probably take his Lord a lot of effort to find him.

He hadn't expected it.

His Lord had arrived so quickly.

As expected of his Lord, he possessed vast Divine Abilities.

He used the act of wiping sweat with his sleeve to cover his subtly moving lips.

"Lord, how did you..."

In the shadows, Moria's deep, hoarse voice sounded again, interrupting him.

"Have you investigated clearly these past few days?"

"What exactly is this place?"

Qin Ming immediately composed himself, lowered his voice, and reported with the fastest possible speed.

"Lord, there is a Secret Realm within this place."

As soon as these words came out, even Zhou Huai, hidden in the shadows, skipped a heartbeat.

Indeed.

Just as he had thought.

The Zhou Family really did secretly control a brand new Secret Realm!

Qin Ming's voice continued, carrying a hint of resentment.

"The Radiant Alliance's current external recruitment is all a facade."

"Their goal is to trick those unsuspecting professionals into becoming tools for their exploration of the Secret Realm."

"From my observation, there are at least three thousand people who have been captured and brought here by them."

Three thousand!

When Zhou Huai heard this number, his pupils suddenly constricted.

What a grand scheme.

The Zhou Family was truly deranged!

A question immediately arose in his mind.

"With so many people missing, has there been no word from the outside world?"

"Haven't their families gone to cause trouble for the Radiant Alliance?"

Qin Ming lowered his voice, his tone tinged with sadness.

"Lord, you don't know."

"We professionals who frequent guilds already live a life on the edge."

"Death and disappearance are commonplace."

"Even if family members go to the Radiant Alliance to make a fuss, they can easily be appeased with a few tens of thousands of great xia currency."

"What's more..."

Qin Ming paused, his voice even lower.

"Most of the people here are not from our Donghai City."

"They were recruited from several neighboring cities under the guise of high salaries and good benefits."

"Even if the families of those people wanted to make a fuss, they wouldn't know where to go."

After listening, Zhou Huai had only one thought.

Good heavens.

Isn't this just the Myanmar-Burma of another world?

Just then, a cold voice came from not far away.

"Hey, you!"

A man in a black uniform walked over, looking down at Qin Ming with disdain.

His eyes were scornful, as if he were looking at an ant that could be crushed at will.

"I think you've rested long enough."

"Now, get to work!"

Qin Ming immediately put on a fawning and fearful expression, pointing to the wound on his chest.

The wound was deep enough to expose bone and was still oozing blood.

"Sir, I... I'm a bit injured."

"Could you please give me a healing potion?"

"Or... or having a Healer treat me would also be fine."

The uniformed man heard this, as if he had heard a huge joke, and sneered.

"What do you think this place is?"

"A resort?"

He kicked a rock next to Qin Ming, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) sending shattered stones flying.

"If you're injured, just bear it, you bastard!"

"If you can't bear it, then die!"

"Still want a healing potion? Do you deserve it?"

He pointed his finger into the depths of the mine tunnel and shouted sharply.

"Now, immediately, get to work!"

"Yes, yes..."

Qin Ming feigned a terrified appearance, scrambling to his feet and staggering towards the depths of the cave.

After the uniformed man walked away, Zhou Huai's voice only sounded again from the shadows, with a hint of concern.

"How are your injuries?"

Qin Ming walked and responded in a voice only he could hear, his face devoid of any fear, instead showing a hint of complacency.

"Don't worry, Lord, they are all superficial wounds, nothing serious."

"I got injured on purpose."

He lowered his voice and quickly explained.

"Here, those who are not injured have to rush to the front and fight the exotic beasts in the Secret Realm."

"The mortality rate is extremely high."

"Being injured, on the other hand, means being assigned to do some heavy labor like transporting Materials, which is much safer."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huai's evaluation of Qin Ming rose a few points.

This young man is a talent.

He is brave and resourceful, with a steady Heart-Nature.

It would be a great pity if he were to die here.

His thoughts raced, and another question arose.

"You said there are at least three thousand professionals here."

"Haven't they thought of resisting? Or escaping?"

Qin Ming's face showed a bitter smile.

He subtly rolled up his sleeve, revealing the intricate and eerie black runes on his arm.

"Lord, look at this."

"On the first day we were brought in, the Formation Masters in the Radiant Alliance would engrave this kind of Formation pattern on everyone."

"This Formation pattern resonates with the large Formation of the entire cave."

"Once we make any move to resist or escape, the Formation crystals at the top of the cave will launch precise strikes against us."

His voice carried a hint of lingering fear.

"Yesterday, I personally saw a guy who tried to escape, and before he could even speak, he was shot into charcoal by a red light."

"Not even a speck of dust remained."

Zhou Huai's gaze became solemn.

This method was truly ruthless.

Qin Ming's voice continued, growing heavier.

"Not just the Formation."

"Among the administrators here, there are at least two professionals above Level 50."

"I heard that one of them is even an S-rank expert."

"I have personally seen at least fifteen professionals above Level 40."

"So, there's no way to run."

"Let alone resist."

Zhou Huai fell completely silent after hearing this.

The Zhou Family had been outwardly low-key and patient in Donghai City these past few years.

Behind the scenes, following the Liu Family, they had silently developed to such an extent.

Gathering so many experts.

This, he feared, would be somewhat difficult to handle.

It would definitely not be a simple matter to rescue Qin Ming from here.

As they spoke, Qin Ming had already reached the deepest part of the cave.

The sight before him once again left Zhou Huai in shock.

Ahead was an even larger circular platform.

In the center of the platform, a huge vortex, more than twenty meters in diameter, was slowly rotating.

The vortex appeared a strange grayish-white, as if countless stars were being born and dying within it, emitting heart-pounding spatial fluctuations.

This was the entrance to the Secret Realm.

Around the entrance stood dozens of powerful black-clad guards.

They were like statues, their sharp eyes scanning every person who approached.

Teams constantly emerged from the passages around the platform, entering the Secret Realm.

And people, covered in blood, missing limbs, were constantly carried out of the Secret Realm and thrown aside to fend for themselves.

Zhou Huai controlled Moria, quietly lurking at Qin Ming's feet.

He blended into a team responsible for transporting supplies, approaching the huge vortex without hindrance.

As he stepped into the vortex.

Zhou Huai only felt a blur before his eyes, and a strong spatial pulling sensation.

The next second.

The scene suddenly changed.

It was no longer the dull, oppressive underground cave.

But an incomparably vast and desolate world.

The sky was gray, without sun or clouds.

All around, it was enveloped by a thick, impenetrable white mist, with extremely low visibility, making it impossible to clearly see the surroundings.

Only a narrow path, artificially cleared and paved with gravel, snaked from beneath his feet into the depths of the mist, leading to an unknown destination.

On the path, many professionals were passing through.

They either carried Ore or dragged the corpses of exotic beasts, walking silently forward.

Qin Ming lowered his voice, which echoed in Zhou Huai's consciousness.

"Lord, this is the new Secret Realm discovered by the Zhou Family."

"They call it..."

"Abyss of Mist."