Yama Reborn

"Demon!"

This was the word Chen Nuo uttered in Japanese.

The word made Sato Ryoko seem to shrink back in fear.

Yet, Chen Nuo paid no mind to the terrified expression on Sato Ryoko's face; instead, he said coldly, "Now, we can continue the conversation that was interrupted! Why were all of us affected by the mental interference during last night's attack, but you weren't?"

"If I give you the answer, will you let me go?" Sato Ryoko hesitated. "I really mean no harm."

"Let's hear it," Chen Nuo shook his head. "If you don't speak up, I can't continue to trust you. And... not telling everyone about your abnormal condition last night is already the greatest trust I've shown you."

Upon hearing this, Sato Ryoko suddenly sneered. "Trust in me? Forget it! The reason you didn't tell them is because among these people, you don't even know who to trust yourself! Everyone has issues!"

Chen Nuo's eyes twitched as he looked at Sato Ryoko.

The woman's panicked expression had vanished. She looked back at Chen Nuo coldly. "Including yourself, you have secrets too! The night before we set out, when we were staying in the village outside the camp, you sneaked out! I didn't report you either, did I?"

As Sato Ryoko spoke, she ferociously pulled a bag of potato chips from her pack, tore it open forcefully, grabbed a handful, and stuffed them into her mouth. Then, chewing vigorously, she sneered disrespectfully, "So, what gives you the right to interrogate me?"

Chen Nuo remained silent.

"Did you really trust me when you agreed to share a tent with me?" Sato Ryoko continued coldly. "Or were you using me as a cover? You want everyone to think you're a lecherous but easily manageable guy!"

Chen Nuo laughed. "So, you're finally dropping the act?"

"I bear no malice or hostility towards you," Sato Ryoko shook her head. "That's my answer! If I had ill intentions towards you, I could have attacked you when you were asleep during the night raid! Even during the raid, I didn't take the opportunity to do anything harmful, did I? If I were an enemy, why didn't I attack any of you?"

"That makes some sense," Chen Nuo didn't get annoyed but calmly nodded. "But you…"

"I naturally have my own secrets," Sato Ryoko shook her head. "Why I didn't fall asleep during the night attack is my own secret. My abilities are different from yours; do I have to tell you the secrets of my powers too? As for pretending to be a coward... in this camp, among the participating Ability Users, who isn't putting on an act? Even you! Aren't you putting on an act? Aren't you also using me for your disguise?"

Chen Nuo said nothing.

The Ability Users in this small team, just as Sato Ryoko said, all seemed to have secrets! The Professor hid the fact that he knew about the British explorer all along. Bonfrey knew the secret but didn't tell everyone, instead trying to secretly win Chen Nuo over. Golden Bird killed a comrade before setting out and then fabricated a lie about having a grudge against Lion Luke! For some reason, Sea Monster seemed to trust Golden Bird implicitly, coordinating all his actions with him! Now, the only one Chen Nuo hadn't found any issues with was Gray Cat Black. Ah... In a group of seven, six had their own agendas.

The conversation with Sato Ryoko had reached an impasse. They seemed to have found a sort of equilibrium; since everyone had issues, no one could cast the first stone. However, when Sato Ryoko said she bore no malice, Chen Nuo vaguely felt she wasn't lying. Although the woman was hiding something, she hadn't done anything destructive.

"Can we coexist peacefully?" Sato Ryoko looked at Chen Nuo with a sincere gaze. "I didn't take advantage of you while you were asleep. That much is true, right? And I didn't reveal that you secretly went out in the middle of the night."

Chen Nuo pondered for a moment and finally, slowly, nodded. "Alright... limited mutual trust and peaceful coexistence."

Sato Ryoko seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The tent was quiet for a moment before Sato Ryoko spoke again.

"What did you find out when you went to examine the bodies? And what did you mean by demons and all that?"

Facing Sato Ryoko's question, Chen Nuo looked at her. "Do you think there's someone problematic in our team? I'm not talking about hiding personal secrets, but... is there someone who is..."

"You mean, a real traitor?"

"Everything happened too coincidentally," Chen Nuo shook his head. "We had just arrived, and something happened at the forward station; everyone there disappeared. On our very first night, there was a night raid. With the timing so precise, of course, I'd suspect a traitor."

"So?"

"Of course, my examination of the bodies revealed something, and this discovery is quite interesting," Chen Nuo said with a cold smile. "But now, what's more interesting is something else."

"What?"

"I didn't examine the bodies in secret, so the news will soon spread throughout the camp. To others, I also appeared as if I'd found something. So, the most delicate thing now is..."

"What?" Sato Ryoko's interest was piqued. She sat up straight, chewing on chips while staring at Chen Nuo.

"Let's assume we definitely have a traitor among us and analyze based on that assumption..." Chen Nuo said with a smile.

"...I'm definitely not the traitor!" Sato Ryoko hurriedly declared.

"...For now, I believe you're not," Chen Nuo said indifferently. "So, assuming there's a traitor, what happens next will be very interesting. Think about it. I've examined the bodies, everyone knows about it, and they'll all be wondering if I found something! What will everyone do?"

Sato Ryoko's small eyes darted around. She was a bit excited but lowered her voice, "The traitor must be very nervous!"

"And then?"

"...And then?"

Chen Nuo sighed. "A normal person, someone with a clear conscience, would come directly to ask me what I found…"

"Right, I asked you."

"So, what about someone with a guilty conscience?"

"..."

Chen Nuo smiled. "Someone with a guilty conscience... would be terrified that I've discovered something! This person would be even more desperate to know what I found, but out of fear and guilt! Someone with a clear conscience would come directly to ask me. Someone with a guilty conscience would first want to figure out what I discovered! But they wouldn't dare to ask me directly... instead..."

Sato Ryoko's eyes lit up. "They would go check the bodies!! To see what you did! What you discovered!!"

"From now on, the first person to ask me will be the least suspicious! If someone doesn't ask me directly but secretly goes to check the bodies first, they'll be the most suspicious!"

With that, Chen Nuo added indifferently, "I left a bit of spiritual power in the pit where the bodies are buried. If anyone touches those bodies, I'll know immediately!"

Chen Nuo didn't have to wait long for people to come and ask him questions.

The first to arrive were Vanel, Sea Monster, and Golden Bird. The three of them came together.

Then, Bonfrey followed closely!

Bonfrey's prompt arrival slightly disappointed Chen Nuo.

In truth, Bonfrey was the person he suspected the most. The man acted secretively, always hiding something, and on the night of the raid, he wasn't even at the camp; instead, he brought back the severely injured Professor. No matter how one looked at it, Bonfrey was the most suspicious.

But Bonfrey arrived very quickly, almost on the heels of Vanel and the others!

The last to come was Gray Cat Black.

But Gray Cat Black was only a few minutes later.

This was tantamount to Chen Yanluo being slapped in the face. His suspicions had all fallen flat! Everyone had come to him right away; no one had sneaked off to check the bodies out of guilt.

Chen Nuo watched as everyone entered the tent, his expression unreadable, but he also sensed that the spiritual power he'd left in the burial pit had not been triggered.

"Harvey, what exactly did you find?" Vanel asked.

Alright, Chen Nuo thought, temporarily abandoning his attempt to use this situation to find the traitor. "I have indeed found some interesting things."

Sea Monster, Golden Bird, Bonfrey, and Gray Cat Black also found places to sit down in the tent.

Chen Nuo took out a small, sealed plastic bag and placed it in front of everyone.

Vanel picked it up first, frowning as he examined it carefully.

Inside the small, well-sealed plastic bag, about the size of a palm, was a small, whitish, semi-transparent lump, like some kind of solidified grease.

An extremely tiny amount.

"This is what I found on the sniper I captured, and from the bodies of those who attacked us during the night raid. I checked their ear canals and nostrils and scraped this out. It's a very small amount. It seems like some kind of grease. Of course, I don't know its exact composition; it probably needs to be analyzed."

Vanel thought for a moment, then opened the seal, brought the faintly translucent substance close to his face, and sniffed it.

"No smell," Vanel shook his head.

Then he passed it to Bonfrey beside him.

Bonfrey looked at it and handed it to the next person.

After everyone in the room had examined the substance, no one could identify it.

"How can a person have this kind of grease in their ear canals and nostrils?"

"Unless... the person was submerged in grease, and these remnants stayed in their ear canals and nostrils."

People in the tent began to converse in low voices.

Chen Nuo sat watching everyone's expressions but noticed nothing unusual.

"Do you have any other findings?" Sea Monster was the last to handle the grease. He resealed the plastic bag and placed it back on the table. "Harvey, you must have found something else, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Chen Nuo slowly said, "Mr. Vanel, may I ask you a question first?"

"Go ahead."

"We can now be certain that the people who attacked us were from the first and second exploration teams hired by your company. Whether it was Desert Fox from the first team or Black Bee from the second... why did they turn their guns on us? Were they bought off? Were they turned against us? Do these explanations make sense?"

These explanations clearly didn't make sense.

Everyone present understood this.

Both Desert Fox and Black Bee were large mercenary organizations. The first and second groups dispatched were only part of their combat personnel. After these people disappeared, not only did the Octopus Monster Company search for them, but Desert Fox and Black Bee also sent people to look.

"That is to say, neither the Desert Fox nor Black Bee companies were turned. Yet, the people they sent into this rainforest were turned. And the same thing happened twice. Gentlemen, does this make sense?"

"It doesn't make sense," Vanel shook his head. "I don't believe the two large mercenary organizations, Desert Fox and Black Bee, betrayed us. I've already reported last night's attack, and the company has contacted both Desert Fox and Black Bee. Both have assured us they are not behind it and would absolutely not become our enemies! We are very confident about this!"

"Then, why would over two hundred experienced and highly capable mercenaries, who presumably have served their respective organizations for a long time, all defect the moment they entered this jungle?"

"Controlled by someone?" Bonfrey said with a laugh.

"Bonfrey, you're from the Mentality Series. For a Telekinesis expert, what level of power is required to control two hundred people as puppets?"

"It depends on the degree of control," Bonfrey pondered, explaining seriously. "If it's just knocking out two hundred ordinary people, it's not very difficult. A Spiritual Storm could make two hundred people lose consciousness. If it's to turn them into puppets... it depends on the extent. If you control one person to perform simple actions, like walking slowly—the most basic mechanical movements—that's possible... But complex actions, like jumping and leaping, or performing precise and complex tactical maneuvers, shooting, dodging, all the actions on a battlefield... then the difficulty is immense. To simultaneously control two hundred fully armed soldiers, turning them into your puppets with such precision that each one can respond to different battlefield situations, execute precise tactical moves, and engage in combat... Forget me, even our leader, the Wizard, couldn't do that!"

Chen Nuo nodded.

Back in the northwest, he had managed to control the Guo Clan's ancestor with his abilities, making him perform various precise movements. But that was just one person. If there were two hundred, Chen Nuo definitely couldn't do it! Even if he were given two hundred people to control with his spiritual power, he could, at best, make them slow zombies, lumbering around, performing only the simplest actions. As for making two hundred people fight in the ever-changing chaos of a battlefield, braving a hail of bullets? Such a complex task. Chen Nuo couldn't do it! No Ability User could achieve this—at least, none of the current Ability Users could. Not even a Controller could do it! Unless... The Mother?

"But these people were definitely controlled by some force. They lost their original consciousness, yet they attacked us. The attack was organized and planned, and their combat skills were of a high standard. Although it seems impossible, I still maintain my view... these people were controlled by some force. It's absolutely not betrayal, defection, or being turned! They were made into puppets by some power! Puppets without self-awareness, yet able to attack us as if they were alive."

"You're saying... as if they were alive?" Sea Monster was the first to catch the oddity in Chen Nuo's words.

"Yes, gentlemen," Chen Nuo said with a wry smile. "What I'm about to tell you is my second finding. I... I autopsied at least four bodies and examined their digestive systems."

At this point, Chen Nuo said with a wry smile, "I didn't find anything."

"You found nothing?"

"No, it's literal! I found nothing at all! I found nothing in their digestive systems! Empty! Their stomachs had no food residue whatsoever!"

The tent fell silent. Everyone's expression grew strange.

"After a person eats, food residue passes through the stomach and then enters the small intestine for digestion and absorption. Forensic pathologists usually examine the food residue in a corpse's stomach to narrow down the time of death. But when I examined the stomachs of these corpses... I'm sorry, their stomachs were empty!! That means they hadn't eaten for a long time!"

Everyone seated was a veteran of the Underground World! They all understood what Chen Nuo was saying!

Typically, after a person eats, food remains in the stomach for about four to six hours at most. That is to say, if a pathologist finds food residue in a deceased person's stomach, they can deduce that the person's time of death was no more than four to six hours prior because the person must have eaten within that timeframe!

Then there are the intestines. After a person ingests food, and it's digested, the food residue remains in the intestines for a maximum of... 19 to 36 hours! Until excretion!

Theoretically, if a person eats something and then stops eating, after no more than two days, their body will have no food residue left, as the digestion, absorption, and excretion processes would be complete.

"The stomachs and intestines of these people were all empty," Chen Nuo shook his head and said, "So... these people haven't eaten for a long time. Then everyone can understand. A group of armed warriors, before launching a sneak attack on us... starved themselves for two days?"

The group exchanged glances.

Indeed, that made no sense!

Chen Nuo continued, "These people wouldn't lack food. Even if they were short on supplies, these experienced soldiers wouldn't run out of food in the jungle! Wilderness survival should have been a required course for them."

At this point, Chen Nuo continued with a wry smile, "Gentlemen, so I arrived at one possibility. After all other possibilities had been ruled out, it's the only one—absurd as it may sound—but one that I have to acknowledge. The people who attacked us, those soldiers from the first two dispatched exploration teams... They were all undead! Or to put it another way, they were all dead! They hadn't eaten for a long time, yet they could still jump around and fight us—living dead!"