Chapter 222: Planning a New Route
“Taotie is right. We need to leave immediately and find another route to bypass this minefield,” Tom said in a deep voice.
Fang Xiaocao nodded.
Taotie and Tom’s reasoning made sense.
At this moment, their enemies were in the shadows while they were exposed.
The best course of action was to carve out a new path rather than stubbornly confronting the minefield.
That was clearly not a wise choice.
Even though Fang Xiaocao didn’t understand much about minefields, Tom hadn’t mentioned whether this heavily mined area was a relic from an old war or newly planted by someone in secret.
However, the fact that Wan Xiaozhou had marked this minefield as a “safe route” with no danger was undoubtedly suspicious.
Fang Xiaocao trusted her hypnosis skills. She was certain that Wan Xiaozhou had been hypnotized—there was no doubt about that.
At the same time, she was confident that no one could silently undo her hypnosis. Even if they could, Wan Xiaozhou would have been rendered useless afterward.
This meant there was another force in the forest besides them.
They had to be strong—capable of capturing or assassinating Wan Xiaozhou without making a sound.
Not only that, but they also managed to manipulate the navigation device Wan Xiaozhou had, feeding false safe-route information to lure their group into the minefield.
Had Tom not been cautious and extremely sensitive to explosives, they might have already been blown to pieces.
Even if they hadn’t all died, at least one of them would have been lost—either Tom or Taotie.
Their hidden enemies were truly sinister.
Now that Fang Xiaocao had agreed to take another route, Tom and Taotie both sighed in relief.
They had feared that Fang Xiaocao would insist on crossing the minefield.
Her willingness to listen and accept their suggestion saved them from a lot of trouble.
Tom and Taotie led Fang Xiaocao to a concealed location to regroup.
Tom pulled out a map and started planning their new route.
Looking at the map, he noticed that the minefield was actually three kilometers off their original treasure map path.
But now, returning to that original route didn’t seem like a safe choice either.
Who knew if the hidden enemies had also set up an ambush along that path?
If Tom were in their enemy’s position, he would definitely set up an ambush along the original route.
The minefield was just an appetizer.
It might unexpectedly take out one or two of them, but it wouldn’t eliminate their entire team.
Anyone with experience knew better than to rely on just one scout like Wan Xiaozhou.
Even if their team was small, there should have been at least two scouts.
After all, in the world of darkness, no one was completely trustworthy.
Accidents and betrayals happened all the time.
Those who weren’t cautious or vigilant enough had already been wiped out—without leaving a trace.
Tom shared his findings and thoughts with the group.
Fang Xiaocao found his reasoning convincing, while Taotie remained silent.
As someone who had climbed the ranks of the dark world, just like Tom, he had already considered the same points.
Taotie might be impulsive and brutish, but he wasn’t brainless.
If he were, he would have been tricked and killed long ago, no matter how strong he was.
Even Lü Bu, the legendary warrior, had fallen into a trap and died.
Pure strength was never an absolute safety net in the dark world.
If you lacked power, you’d be treated as an expendable pawn—easily eliminated.
But if you only had power and no intelligence?
Then you’d die an even more miserable death.
“Tom, you handle the route planning,” Fang Xiaocao said, fully aware that she was not as skilled as Tom and Taotie in this area. She simply left it all to Tom.
Tom nodded. “Alright.”
Meanwhile, Fang Xiaocao sat on the ground, contemplating when exactly Wan Xiaozhou had been captured.
It must have happened after they last met up.
The fake route leading to the minefield had also been sent to Tom’s terminal after that meeting.
Tom studied the map, frowning in concentration.
Taotie stood guard, one hand gripping his knife, the other holding his gun.
His sharp eyes scanned their surroundings vigilantly, ready to react at the first sign of movement.
Since an enemy was lurking in the dark, he had to stay alert.
The moment he noticed anything suspicious, he would strike first—no hesitation.
In the dark world, hesitation meant death.
Every lapse in caution, every act of mercy, could cost a life.
Five minutes later—
Tom finalized a new route.
“Your Highness, here’s my proposed path.”
“We’ll retrace our steps back to where we fought the wolves. Then, we’ll head west through this untouched forest, completely bypassing both the minefield and our original route. It’s about ten kilometers longer, but it’s much safer.”
Tom pointed to the newly plotted course on the map, explaining the details to Fang Xiaocao.
Fang Xiaocao didn’t fully grasp everything, but she understood enough.
“Alright, we’ll follow your plan!” she said.
“Taotie, you take the lead.”
“I’ll cover the rear,” Tom added, sending the new route data to Taotie’s terminal.
“Got it.”
“Leave scouting to me.”
Taotie nodded, accepting the task without hesitation.
Between him and Tom, their combat skills were equal.
Taotie was slightly stronger in raw physical power, but when it came to tactics and unconventional strategies, he knew Tom had the upper hand.
So, he was more than happy to follow Tom’s lead.
At least with Her Highness here, Tom was completely trustworthy.
That was good enough for him.
Taotie took his knife and gun and moved ahead, following Tom’s newly mapped route.
Fang Xiaocao blinked and turned to look at Tom.
Noticing her gaze, Tom, who was fiddling with a small device, smiled slightly.
“Your Highness, just follow Taotie. Don’t worry about me—I’m making a little gadget to mess with the enemy’s heads.”
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao nodded.
She glanced at the strange, wire-filled object in Tom’s hands before turning to catch up with Taotie.
Once Fang Xiaocao was gone, Tom quickly finished assembling the device.
He tossed it in his hand a few times before hurling it towards the minefield.
The small device, which now looked like some kind of “Poké Ball,” rolled a few times before stopping, its digital countdown lighting up.
Tom clapped his hands, satisfied with his handiwork.
Then, he turned and chased after Fang Xiaocao.
With his long strides, he caught up to her quickly and positioned himself at her side to guard her.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse.
After about an hour of walking, Fang Xiaocao was already panting from exhaustion.
But at least—so far—everything was still safe.
(End of Chapter 222)
