Chapter 245: Dragon's Treasures, Exposing the Traitor

Chapter 245: Dragon's Treasures, Exposing the Traitor

The Infernal Wyvern lay defeated on the Blackstone Plaza, its head severed from its body.

Even a single scale from such a colossal creature was a valuable material.

After clearing out the Bloodline Demons from Blackstone City, Lu Heng returned to the plaza to gather materials from the fallen wyvern.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Charles Watertown and Park Hyun Jin's teams surrounding the Infernal Wyvern, meticulously stripping its scales.

Charles Watertown was still holding his weapon, attempting to pry out the Dragon Eye from the wyvern's eye socket.

The most precious materials from dragon-type creatures were concentrated around the head.

After finishing off the Bloodline Demons, Lu Heng flew back along the city walls and landed on the plaza. With a chilling voice, he said, "You sure know how to pick up valuable items."

The Black Iron Dwarves were searching through the hidden corners of Blackstone City, while other Metahumans were busy clearing out the fleeing Bloodline Demons.

Only Charles Watertown's team, along with two others, seemed particularly clever as they worked on the Infernal Wyvern's corpse.

Upon seeing Lu Heng's return, Charles Watertown quickly pulled his teammates back and said, "Don't get the wrong idea. I just wanted to remove the Dragon Scales first. If you want them, they're all yours."

He placed the materials he had collected back on the ground and retreated to a distance, ready to clean up the battlefield elsewhere.

Lu Heng was a bit surprised by their compliance.

With the battle over, it was indeed time to clean up the battlefield.

Lu Heng held the Aurora Blade and dug out the Dragon Eyes from the Infernal Wyvern.

[Dragon Eye: A precious material from dragon-type creatures, it can be crafted into Dragon Eye Gemstones, which enhance psychic attributes.]



There were two Dragon Eyes in total, and with the right gemstone craftsman, they could be turned into two Dragon Eye Gemstones.

Next, Lu Heng removed the wyvern's horns, another set of extremely valuable materials that could be used for forging.

When he had considered the third forging of the Aurora Blade, Guru Master had consulted the ancient texts of the Black Iron Clan and found the recipe for crafting an S-Class Divine Weapon.

According to the records, the Black Iron Clan had once forged such a weapon, and one of the required materials was the horn of a Demon Blood Wyvern.

Although the Infernal Wyvern and the Demon Blood Wyvern were not the same species, they were both of the same rank, differing only in attributes.

Thus, the horn of the Demon Blood Wyvern could be used for forging, and the same was true for the Infernal Wyvern's horns.

Lu Heng collected the two horns, intending to use them as materials for the third forging of the Aurora Blade.

At that moment, several Metahumans from Daxia approached, including Wang Zhe Han's team of four and Zhao Liwen, who possessed the Mental Interrogation skill.

"Can we... take some materials? Just some Dragon Scales would be enough," they asked timidly, mustering the courage to make their request.

These Metahumans had also participated in the siege, and they had the right to share in the spoils of war.

Lu Heng pointed at the Infernal Wyvern and said, "Help yourselves, but the more intact the scales, the higher their value. However, leave one reverse scale for me."

"Okay, okay," the Daxia Metahumans eagerly agreed, immediately drawing their weapons and joining in the task of peeling off the scales.

After a while, Wang Zhe Han pointed at the wyvern's neck and shouted, "There's a scale growing in the opposite direction here. Is that a reverse scale?"

Hearing his shout, Lu Heng quickly approached and confirmed that it was indeed a reverse scale. He then used the Aurora Blade to pry it off.

The reverse scale of a dragon was the hardest among all its scales, making it ideal for critical areas of armor, providing maximum defense.

Finally, Lu Heng took a Dragon Claw, a vial of Dragon Blood, and a large piece of Dragon Scales, leaving the rest to be divided among the other Metahumans and the Black Iron Clan.

More Metahumans joined in the task of peeling off the Dragon Scales, including Charles Watertown and Park Hyun Jin's teams.

Although the most valuable materials had already been claimed by Lu Heng, the remaining Dragon Scales, Dragon Tail, and Dragon Bones were still highly prized.

...



The scales from a single Infernal Wyvern could forge numerous sets of Dragon Scale Armor for the Black Iron Clan, the finest defensive gear.

Lu Heng watched the Metahumans peeling scales with a hint of a smile on his lips.

This was the time when the most summoned individuals were present.

The battle to reclaim Blackstone City had concluded, and there were only two days left before the fifteen-day limit.

The Black Iron Clan had successfully retaken Blackstone City, and the Infernal Wyvern had been slain.

For now, there were no other threats in this world, and no dangerous battles were expected in the remaining two days.

After tonight, these summoned Metahumans would likely disperse, finding places to hide for the final two days, waiting for the time of return to the main world.

The reason for hiding was simple.

Among the human Metahumans, there was a traitor.

Lu Heng had just checked the status of the challenge tasks, and the second and third challenges were marked as completed.

Only one challenge task remained unfinished, and the first one was to find and eliminate the Fallen Traitor.

With the traitor still at large, the danger had not been completely eliminated.

The traitor could strike at any moment, assassinating other Metahumans.

Alternatively, the traitor might choose to hide, fearing exposure.

In any case, this chain of suspicion would lead to all the summoned individuals hiding, enduring the final two days.

As for what the traitor might do, it was unpredictable.

Lu Heng had no idea what tasks the Abyss would assign to the traitor.

As he watched the Metahumans peeling scales, Lu Heng contemplated the question of who the traitor could be.

When the materials from the Infernal Wyvern were almost completely stripped, some Metahumans wanted to leave.

At that moment, Lu Heng waved his hand, and a group of Black Iron Dwarf Warriors brandished their weapons and stepped forward, blocking the path of those who wanted to leave.

"What's the meaning of this?"

Lu Heng spoke up, addressing their confusion, "You haven't forgotten about the first challenge task, have you? Now is when we have the most people, and almost everyone who's still alive is here, which means the traitor is among us."

Wang Zhe Han frowned and asked, "You still suspect us?"

Lu Heng shook his finger, correcting him, "I suspect everyone, except for my team members."

"So, you also only trust your own team and doubt everyone else, right?"

The chain of suspicion was subtle, with each team only trusting their own companions.

In fact, even within a team, there was no guarantee that a member wouldn't be assigned the betrayer task.

Of course, even if such a situation arose, the team would still maintain trust internally.

After all, only those with a strong bond could form a team.

As for being betrayed by a teammate later on, that was another matter entirely.

The few metahumans who were still removing the dragon scales paused at Lu Heng's words, their guards up.

"Then what do you want to do?" Wang Zhe Han asked, frowning.

"

The council hall had been cleared.

Outside, bloodstains and broken bricks and stones from the battle were everywhere, but inside, the hall was spotless, with food and drinks even laid out on the long table.

After reclaiming Blackstone City, the Black Iron Clan would thrive once more.

And Lu Heng, representing humanity, was the Black Iron Clan's greatest benefactor and ally.

The Black Iron Clan would not skimp on providing water and food.

The metahumans present had mixed thoughts upon hearing Lu Heng's proposal.

After all, staying meant potentially facing danger.

If Lu Heng was like Charles Water before, wanting to kill everyone one by one until the betrayer task was complete, then survival would purely be a matter of luck.

The metahumans here had already completed three main tasks and two challenge tasks, with only the first challenge task of clearing the betrayer remaining.

In this situation, enduring the last two days would allow them to return to the main world.

The loss of the first challenge task's divine energy reward was a small price to pay compared to the risk of staying and the low reward.

Therefore, most of the summoned chose to leave: "Forget it, we're only missing one task. We don't want to take this risk."

"What risk is there to take? The bloodline demons have already been cleared, and the only threat left is the betrayer. Only the betrayer would be afraid and want to leave quickly." Lu Heng's gaze swept over the few who wanted to leave.

These people met his gaze, their hearts trembling, and they dared not speak further.

Lu Heng continued, "I assure you that I won't wrongfully accuse the innocent. After confirming the betrayer's identity, I will take action. So, those with a clear conscience, stay. For those with something to hide... you can try to escape."

The implied coercion was clear.

The metahumans present all felt a chill.

They had just witnessed Lu Heng's strength during the fight with the Infernal Wyvern and Saleyne.

At that time, not a single metahuman dared to approach the Infernal Wyvern, but Lu Heng had single-handedly charged in twice, killing Saleyne and then the Infernal Wyvern.

With such terrifying power, anyone who dared to run now was simply asking for death.

The summoned began whispering among themselves, discussing what to do.

Lu Heng added, "If none of you are willing to stay and catch the betrayer, then I'll have to consider you all as betrayers. It's quite interesting to be the only good person here."

Wang Zhe Han took a deep breath, raised his hand, and said, "I'm willing to cooperate with you as long as you promise not to kill the innocent. Those with a clear conscience, stay with me."

"But Lu Heng, I want to make something clear. If you kill anyone before confirming the betrayer's identity, we will unite against you."

Lu Heng was very satisfied with his words and nodded in agreement, "Agreed."

With someone taking the lead, those who originally wanted to leave had no choice but to stay.

Charles Water, Park Hyun Jin, and their teams had intended to leave, especially since their relationship with Lu Heng was strained, and they might become targets.

Now, seeing that Wang Zhe Han and the other summoned had agreed to stay, they dared not leave forcibly.

Charles Water scanned the room and suddenly pointed at someone floating in mid-air, saying, "What about that person? He's the one hiding the deepest!"

The person he pointed at was none other than Xie Shi En.

Xie Shi En had been floating in mid-air, arms crossed, watching the scene below with interest, never expecting to be singled out.

Lu Heng looked up and shouted at him, "I'm going after the betrayer, what will you do?"

Xie Shi En considered for a moment, a smile appearing on his face, "What if I don't participate?"

Lu Heng smiled back, "Then we'll see if you can escape from me."

The meaning was clear.

Lu Heng was determined to expose the betrayer, and no summoned individual could be let go, including Xie Shi En, regardless of his past actions.

If Xie Shi En was the betrayer and was allowed to leave, it would be a waste of time for the remaining individuals to conduct an internal investigation.

Xie Shi En glanced at Charles Water, who had pointed him out, and leaned forward, slowly descending, "We still have time, let's play a bit."

All the summoned arrived at the council hall of Blackstone City, with Black Iron Clan warriors standing guard at the entrance.

Lu Heng gestured for them to enter, saying, "This might take some time. If you get hungry or thirsty, feel free to eat the food on the table.

"If you feel tired, you can sleep on the table or lie down on the floor. If you need to use the bathroom, I'll assign someone to accompany you."

Zhao Liwen frowned and asked, "What about us girls? We can't..."

Lu Heng gestured towards Su Mu Yu and said, "My team has girls too. I can also call two female Black Iron Clan warriors to accompany you."

Zhao Liwen nodded, not raising any further objections.

Wang Zhe Han raised his hand and asked, "What if there's no betrayer among us? What then?"

Lu Heng smiled and nodded, "First, let me share some key information. One, the betrayer is connected to the bloodline demons and has provided them with intelligence.

"How can you be so sure?" Most of the summoned individuals present wore puzzled expressions, unsure of how Lu Heng had obtained this information.

Lu Heng stood up and paced around the long table, slowly walking behind the group.

"It's quite simple. At the beginning of this battle, everyone witnessed the lava flooding into the mine tunnel.

"However, I'm sure many of you are wondering why there were so many Bloodline Demons in the mine tunnel. It's because they received a piece of intelligence—a tip that the Black Iron Clan would dig through the western foothills of the mountain and enter Blackstone City via the mine tunnel."

"

"However, none of you here know about this plan because it was never made public. The attack strategy we announced was to focus on the side gate of Blackstone City and simultaneously deploy a team of warriors with flight capabilities to air-drop into the city and open the gates.

"In other words, the mine tunnel strategy was a secret plan.

"Since it was a secret plan, why was it leaked? The reason is simple—one of the traitors present here eavesdropped on this secret plan and passed it on to the Bloodline Demons.

"But what this traitor didn't know was that this secret plan was actually a trap. The goal was to lure the Bloodline Demons into the mine tunnel and then detonate the lava river, drowning all the Bloodline Demons in the tunnel."

Everyone took a sharp breath after hearing this narrative.

This strategy was indeed risky, as any single misstep could have led to failure.

Of course, even if one step didn't go as expected, it wouldn't have been a significant loss for the Black Iron Clan. It would have only meant that the lava attack failed, making the subsequent siege more challenging.

The plan to retake Blackstone City was already a desperate attempt to find a glimmer of hope in a dire situation.

This ultimately led to the current plan's success.

As Lu Heng narrated, his eyes scanned the faces of all the summoned individuals present.

For those in the room, this was all new information, while for the traitor, it was a known fact.

In theory, the traitor's expression should have given them away upon hearing this.

However, after a quick scan of the room, Lu Heng didn't notice anyone with a peculiar reaction.

This indicated that the traitor had exceptional mental fortitude.

Time slowly ticked by.

The atmosphere of catching a traitor was tense.

Everyone was worried about being suspected, and if everyone doubted them, they might die unjustly without a chance to defend themselves.

Charles Watertown spoke up, "Enough storytelling. Your strategy is indeed impressive, but we're here to catch the traitor. Let's get to the point. How do you plan to expose the traitor?"

Lu Heng smiled and replied, "The method is quite simple. We've done it before. Everyone will undergo Zhao Liwen's mental interrogation. Her skill has virtually no side effects, and that's a certainty."

Upon hearing this proposal, Charles Watertown immediately agreed, "I approve of this method. We've already undergone her mental interrogation once, proving we're not traitors. So, it's your turn now."

He pointed at the Daxia Metahuman team present.

Previously, there had been a conflict between them and the Daxia Metahumans, and Lu Heng had forced them to undergo Zhao Liwen's mental interrogation.

Lu Heng corrected him, "What happened last time is in the past. This time is different. What if someone here accepted the traitor task in the Abyss Battlefield?"

Charles Watertown's expression darkened, "Fine, we can do another mental interrogation. But we've already done it once. Surely we shouldn't be the first ones again? Mental interrogation is also mentally taxing. Let's start with those who are more suspicious."

The summoned individuals began arguing about who should be the first to undergo the mental interrogation.

"I think we should draw lots. It's the only fair way to decide."

"Drawing lots isn't necessarily fair either."

Lu Heng watched the argument unfold with a hint of a smile and took out a stack of paper, distributing it to the group. "If drawing lots isn't fair, I suggest we arrange the order based on today's combat enthusiasm.

"The traitor has a connection with the Bloodline Demons, so they'll likely have different thoughts during combat. This method is the fairest."

"How do we determine who has the lowest combat enthusiasm? By voting?" someone asked.

Lu Heng waved a Black Iron Clan warrior inside and said, "There's no need. I've already asked the Black Iron Clan to keep records. Since there are no traitors among them, their evaluations are the most objective."

A Black Iron Clan warrior entered with records in hand and said, "The teams with the lowest combat enthusiasm are these two..."

He pointed at Charles Watertown and Park Hyun Jin.

Charles Watertown and Park Hyun Jin immediately jumped up in protest, "You're targeting me on purpose! You have a good relationship with the Black Iron Clan, so you must have arranged this!"

Lu Heng ignored him and turned to the others, "Do you have any objections to starting the mental interrogation with these two teams?"

The others couldn't possibly object; in such a situation, they would agree as long as it didn't fall on them.

Moreover, Charles Watertown had previously tried to force several Daxia Metahumans to prove their innocence, so they had a grudge.

"It's up to you," Lu Heng said, looking at Charles Watertown and Park Hyun Jin. "Will you agree to the mental interrogation?"

Charles Watertown's expression turned sour, but he eventually relented, "Fine, I'll endure it once more. Ellen Bella, you go first and undergo her mental interrogation."

He signaled to Ellen Bella, the psychic ability user on his team, to go first.

At this moment, Lu Heng suddenly raised his hand to stop them, "Wait, it's not her turn first. It's your turn."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end