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Kapitel 62

He certainly didn't want that to happen to him.

Gunshots rang out as expected. Qin Ge wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by. Moreover, he knew that if he hesitated even slightly, Ma Nan, who had fallen to the ground, would be in mortal danger.

When Qin Ge arrived, the first thing he saw was a hideous man with a ferocious face beating Yang Zheng. Without thinking twice, he immediately pulled the trigger and shot Ba Qi.

Qin Ge had a backup plan before firing; the shot wasn't aimed at Ba Qi's vitals, but rather struck his lower abdomen. However, he hadn't anticipated the dramatic turn of events; the fallen Yang Zheng suddenly stepped forward and tore Ba Qi apart.

Qin Ge immediately realized that she might be wrong, and when she saw Yang Zheng chasing Ma Nan, she had no more doubts.

Ma Nan collapsed, his gun fired, and Yang Zheng fell. Peace was finally restored to the octagonal altar.

Ma Nan turned around, panting, and saw Yang Zheng lying face up on the ground, a gunshot wound to the chest. Blood gushed from his chest, but his face showed no pain except for anger. In his last moments, he continued to let out hoarse growls, as if filled with hatred for the world.

Qin Ge had already quickly descended the stairs, climbed the altar, and stood next to Ma Nan.

Qin Ge still didn't understand what had happened. Just now, in the corridor of the rooftop guest rooms, he suddenly heard a cell phone ringing. He rushed over and found a cell phone lying by a door.

He picked up his phone and answered the call, but there was no sound from the other end, and the call was quickly disconnected.

Qin Ge stared at the door in front of him, thought for a moment, and guessed that someone must have been using a cell phone to guide him. It was undeniable that someone was secretly helping them within the building. But what truly impressed him was that the person had guessed Qin Ge wouldn't be waiting at the computer in the bar, and had even anticipated that his search of the building would begin on the top floor.

This time, Qin Ge didn't hesitate and immediately kicked open the door. It was an ordinary guest room, but when Qin Ge pushed open the bathroom door, he immediately saw a small door open on the wall behind the bathtub.

This must be that person helping Qin Ge again.

Without hesitation, Qin Ge stepped through the hidden door and down the stairs, quickly finding himself in a circular corridor. Inside the corridor, a door was open. Qin Ge entered and saw a room with floors and walls made of blue bricks. A television was hanging from the ceiling in the corner, and a security camera was nearby.

Qin Ge immediately realized that this was the place where the Ba people used to imprison Ma Nan and others.

Stepping out through the opposite door, he became even more convinced of his judgment. It was another circular corridor; he walked a short distance forward and saw a door with dark red numbers beside it. Qin Ge immediately recognized the bloodstains.

Qin Ge spent a considerable amount of time in the octagonal corridor and rooms, eventually returning to the hidden door he had entered through. There, in the long outer corridor, he found a staircase. Going up to the low, circular wall, he discovered the altar below.

The situation on the altar is as follows: Yang Zheng is dead, Ba Qi is dead, two Ba people are dead, and adding to the six people who were already dead, there are now ten corpses on the altar. There are four survivors: Ma Nan, Qin Ge, and the bound police officer and Zhang Shanren.

Before Ma Nan could even speak to Qin Ge, he sensed that something was amiss again. Indeed, he quickly discovered the reason—there should still be one Ba tribesman left, but he was nowhere to be found.

He must have slipped away quietly during the chaos.

Ma Nan's questions resurfaced: why would he kill his own people? But at this moment, he had no time to dwell on it. He and Qin Ge untied the police officer and Zhang Shanren, tearing off the duct tape sealing their mouths. The police officer, panting heavily, sat limp in his chair, seemingly terrified by what had just happened. Qin Ge tried to speak to the balding Zhang Shanren, but no matter what he asked, the old man remained blankly oblivious, as if he had lost his mind.

In any case, the matter here has come to an end. The Ba tribe leader, Ba Qi, returned this time, hoping to find the sacred object of the tribe and bring Batu and the souls of the dead back to their homeland. Little did he expect that he would also end up dying far from home.

Qin Ge contacted He Lan by phone. He Lan said that the main force had arrived. Qin Ge told her his location and asked everyone to come quickly.

“The real executioner wasn’t a Ba person.” Ma Nan finally had a chance to speak with Qin Ge. “He found the Ba people, and he also planned to use ancient tortures to kill people.”

"Then who is the real executioner?" Qin Ge asked.

Ma Nan pondered for a moment and said, "All I know right now is that his name is Han Shan, and like me, he is also Ba Rong's adopted son."

Ma Nan then recounted to Qin Ge everything he had learned from his conversation with Ba Qi: "Now, I suspect that the real mastermind behind all this is Han Shan."

"So where is Han Shan? Have you seen him?" Qin Ge asked.

Ma Nan shook his head: "I'm worried because I don't know who Han Shan really is. Han Shan took the initiative to find the Ba people, brought them to this city, meticulously planned the executioner's murder, and helped Ba Qi hold a ceremony to summon the souls of the dead Ba people. Moreover, I have a feeling that he has already deciphered the clues left by Ba Rong regarding the chrysanthemum painting with flames. But he still left the chrysanthemum painting to me, told me to find the Star Platform, and then took me to the corridor and room built according to the Bagua orientation. He didn't have to go through all this trouble. Why did he make something so simple so complicated? I've thought about it and I can only find one explanation."

"We'll put on a show for the Ba people," Qin Ge immediately thought.

“That’s right. He used this to cover up the fact that he had already cracked the chrysanthemum picture clue. However, he brought Ba Rong’s biological son, Yang Zheng, here beforehand so that when I discovered Ba Rong’s will, Ba Qi could immediately verify the authenticity of its contents.”

"That suicide note was left by Ba Rong. You should recognize his handwriting. Could it be that, like the trap in the Peach Blossom Mountain maze, it was all a trap designed by Ba Rong?" Qin Ge shook his head in confusion.

“Barong is dead, so he has no need to oppose the Ba people anymore. You see, he plotted to kill Batu because he wanted to get rid of the threat the Ba people posed to him. Now that he's dead, those threats no longer exist.”

"Ba Rong's will clearly stated that as long as the demon in Yang Zheng's heart was released, the whereabouts of the Ba tribe's sacred object would be known. But in fact, the released demon did not tell the Ba people anything at all, but instead went berserk."

“That’s the crux of the problem,” Ma Nan sighed. “Either the will is fake, someone deciphered the clues left by Ba Rong beforehand, found out the whereabouts of the Ba tribe’s sacred object, and then forged Ba Rong’s will to lure Ba Qi into the trap. But I still can’t figure out what the purpose of setting up such a trap is. If the goal was simply to kill the Ba people, there must have been a much simpler way than this.”

"Perhaps the answer to all of this can be found by finding Han Shan," Qin Ge said.

Finding Han Shan might not be difficult. This building belongs to Ba Rong, who has always relied on Han Shan in his business dealings. Therefore, he must have left many records when handling each business transaction.

“And that Ba man who escaped, he’s also the key to the problem,” Manan said. “After thinking it over, the only explanation for why he killed his own people is that he is the second Ba Rong.”

Qin Ge was taken aback, but then he understood what Ma Nan meant: "You mean that Ba tribesman wants to keep the Ba tribe's sacred object for himself?"

“He certainly couldn’t have swallowed it all by himself. He must have been tempted to do the killing of his own people. And the best way to tempt someone who has lived outside the mortal world for a long time is to tell him about the value of the sacred objects of the Ba tribe in the outside world.”

For many Ba people who have never experienced worldly affairs, sacred objects are merely a form of spiritual sustenance. To make them understand the actual value of these objects is tantamount to instilling a completely new way of thinking into their minds. The implications of that wealth are self-evident. Since the Ba people have someone like Ba Rong, they will certainly have another.

"You mean, all these things that have happened are related to the sacred objects of the Ba people?"

"Greed has been the most difficult human trait to overcome since ancient times. Although we cannot yet understand all the details of these things, I think the only fundamental driving force that made Han Shan plan all this was his enormous wealth."

As Ma Nan and Qin Ge talked, Ma Nan found that their thoughts had become much clearer.

“Helan and the others have already sealed off this building. It shouldn’t be so easy for the Ba people to escape,” Qin Ge said after thinking for a moment.

“I also suspect he’s still in this building,” Ma Nan said. “He killed his people and betrayed the tribe; the only thing he could rely on was the person who seduced him. If Han Shan really orchestrated all of this, then why would someone as cunning as him be willing to share that treasure with others?”

"You mean the Naba people are in a very dangerous situation right now?" Qin Ge asked with a serious expression.

Ma Nan nodded: "Han Shan meticulously planned all of this, even more so than the deceased Ba Rong. A person with such a meticulous mind would never leave any future trouble for himself. I'm afraid that Ba person is now in grave danger."

Qin Ge's expression grew increasingly solemn. He thought for a moment and said, "From the moment we entered the bar downstairs, I felt like someone was secretly helping us. First, they showed me this altar through the computer, and then they used their cell phone to give me directions from the top floor of the building. Now it seems that person might be Han Shan. He doesn't really want to help us; he has other motives."

Ma Nan remained silent, lost in thought. In fact, it was Qin Ge's timely arrival and injury to Ba Qi that gave Yang Zheng the opportunity to kill him. And it was Qin Ge who, witnessing Yang Zheng chasing Ma Nan, shot him dead.