"What... What are you talking about, brother Lin Mo?" Fan Niang said while sobbing.
"Lin Mo! She is still in shock. Please don’t rile her up," Jie Mei said sternly.
"Hehe. You people are so gullible," Amon said with a ridiculing tone. "She said these people are looking for something, and they thought we know where that thing is. If that’s the case, don’t you find something strange about our situation? In all the time we are here, they have never interrogated us."
Jie Mei and Lei Gun were quiet after hearing it. Now that Amon mentioned it, they did find it strange. They were very confused as to why the rebels were keeping them captive. Maybe Tutor Li Shi had some value as a captive, but not them. Their thoughts were that the rebels had captured them for entertainment purposes, like what they did in the hall where all the rebels watched and cheered.
"But... They did question us... They question me, brother Lin Mo...," Fan Niang said.
"Do they? How about I tell you what I think?" Amon said. "I think they’ve never interrogated us because they already have an interrogator among us. That’s why they rotated us in pairs so that you have the chance to spend a full day alone with each of us. Your chatty and innocent personality allows you to ask us anything without drawing suspicions. Most also find it easy to open up to you."
"Amon, what are you saying? Don’t joke like that," Jie Mei said.
"That’s right, brother Lin Mo... I have no idea what you’re saying," Fan Niang said.
"If you keep on spouting bullshit, I’m going to knock you out, boy!" Lei Gun added.
Amon ignored Jie Mei and Lei Gun. His gaze remained on Fan Niang. "I was wondering why Luan Xuan warned Luan Fo not to kill me. I understood then that it was because I might be one of the few who you are still unsure if we kept anything from you. After all, during our time in the same cell, I hardly responded to any of your attempted conversations. I bet Zong Kui and Yong Lei were those who you are sure to not know the item you are looking for. That’s why they are killed. Also, the reason Luan Fo knew about Yong Lei’s water affinity level was because of the information you provided."
"That’s it! You’ve gone too far!" Lei Gun uttered as he advanced at Amon.
Amon’s hands turned black. "Back off!!" He exclaimed.
Lei Gun stopped. The memory of Luan Fo, who had killed Yong Lei but ended up dead by Amon’s poisoned hands, came back to him.
"Please, brother Lin Mo... Why...? Why do you suspect me so...? Aren’t we both students in the Royal Academy?" Fan Niang pleaded.
Actually, Amon already suspected Fan Niang was not someone she appeared to be since the moment he laid eyes on her. The reason was that she exuded a strong scent of blood. Such a scent could only mean that she had been through a lot of life-and-death battles. Her appearance of a kind, polite, and innocent student was only a façade. Amon had known from the start that she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
"What are you saying? Are you saying she has defected to these rebels?" Jie Mei said.
"I said that she was one of them from the start. Why do you think the rebels attacked not long after the mental defense in the ruins was deactivated? I bet she is a spy planted inside the royal academy, in the hope that she might someday become one of the exceptional graduates who will be recruited by the kingdom. If that happens, the rebels will have a spy inside the kingdom."
"That is absurd. So, you are saying she joined our mission so she can relay information to the rebels?"
"I think the discovery of the ruin has something to do with the rebel. They got a clue about the ruin from somewhere else. Unfortunately, the kingdom got winds of the ruins before they could break through the mental defense formation. They know the kingdom’s standard procedure is to send tutor Li Shi as she is their chief archeologist. Hence, they contacted their spy in the academy and had her join the mission. I heard that she, who was the second rank in the third entrance exam, was picked to join this mission because the first ranker from the junior class had an accident. My guess is it was not an accident."
"Amon, I won’t forgive you if you accuse her without any proof!" Jie Mei exclaimed.
"Proof? As I said. She had exposed herself. She said that she was inside a room. Men were playing with her the entire time she was separated from us. If that is the truth, then how does she know something has happened to you in the arena hall?"
This mention stopped Jie Mei, whose anger had built up hearing Amon’s accusation. She didn’t want to believe Amon’s words. However, she also remembered Fan Niang mentioning her, even though nobody said anything after coming into this cell about her being assaulted in the hall.
She turned to the side. She wanted to ask Fan Niang to explain. She was sure there was a reasonable explanation. She wanted to listen to Fan Niang’s side of the story so that she could scold Amon for his ridiculous allegation.
But when she turned. It was not Fan Niang who looked back at her. The face was similar. However, it was not the sweet and innocent girl she knew. The eyes that looked back at her were very different. They were much colder and distant.
She then felt cold on her neck.
She heard a gasp from Lei Gun. She turned to him and saw his shocked expression. She then noticed that Fan Niang’s right arm was outstretched. In the hand of that arm was a knife. The knife was coated with blood. The blood was still fresh. It was dripping to the floor.
She then realized the blood was hers. She touched her neck. It was open. Warm blood was gushing out of it.
She felt weak. Very weak.