Li Cu attempted to organize his thoughts, recalling the sequence of events: first, he was attacked, then he was marked with the drawings on his back. During the time he was coerced by Wu Xie, someone began sending things to him, which were forwarded to Su Wan.

In other words, if he was an accidental participant in this matter, then the other party had started designing a way to entrap him and had begun making the video while he was mingling with Wu Xie in the desert.

To piece everything together, he hypothesized that the person orchestrating everything behind the scenes was Mr. X. Mr. X began designing everything while he and Wu Xie were in the desert. This Mr. X could manipulate people outside the desert to extract information, or at least knew what role he could play in this situation.

This meant that he must have met Mr. X—was he someone from the expedition team? Or was it Wu Xie himself, or perhaps the ever-present Black Glasses?

Or could it be…?

He thought of Liang Wan, then shook his head. No, that was impossible; this woman was likely also dragged into this situation by chance, just like him.

Since he was an accidental participant, it meant that the other party’s plans were all improvised. Huang Yan chose him, and the other side chose him because Huang Yan chose him.

Suddenly, Li Cu thought of a question and asked Su Wan and Yang Hao, “Huang Yan came back alive, but the expedition team didn’t. After Huang Yan returned, he died. Could it be that Mr. X is opposed to Huang Yan? Mr. X eliminated the expedition team first, Huang Yan escaped, but then Mr. X tracked him to the city and took him out as well. Huang Yan was gravely injured in the final moments and, before dying, carved his secret onto my back.”

If that’s the case, then Mr. X is likely part of Wu Xie’s group. Is it possible that the one orchestrating everything is Wu Xie himself?

However, Wu Xie said that Huang Yan was his subordinate, which makes sense. Wu Xie wouldn’t need to lie about such matters, as he was the one doing the coercing; a coercer has no need to deceive their hostage.

That means, aside from Wu Xie, Mr. X represents another force.

Yet, from what that person in Hangzhou said, the items sent contained hidden information. This implies that Mr. X sent these items to convey a message.

If Mr. X is a killer organization, a major antagonist, or a dark force, why would he want to convey this information to him?

Li Cu covered his face and finished his Starbucks coffee, squeezing the cup tightly in frustration.

“Do you think there’s a possibility of that?” Su Wan asked. “Have you read a novel called ‘The Lost Symbol’?”

Li Cu shook his head. He didn’t like reading novels; he would get sleepy after a few pages.

Su Wan continued, “The protagonist in it is also forced to face various puzzles. The villain gives him all sorts of riddles to solve because he believes the protagonist has the ability to unravel them. The villain kidnaps his friend to coerce him.”

Li Cu thought of that video and suddenly realized, feeling frustrated, “Where does he get the idea that I have the ability to solve puzzles?”

“When you were out with Wu Xie, did you ever show any extraordinary talent or what you might call superpowers?”

“Super what? You know my IQ!” Li Cu recalled the entire experience of going to the desert with Wu Xie. Suddenly, he felt a jolt.

“Wait.”

“What do you mean, ‘wait’?”

“Boss Wu once did something very strange in the desert. He suddenly stripped naked and jumped into the lake, then asked me to do the same and swim with him.” Su Wan and Yang Hao looked at Li Zu with a peculiar expression. Yang Hao said, “Yali, you can’t be serious.”
“Cut the crap, let’s have a serious conversation!” Li Zu exclaimed angrily. “That was the only time he did something like that during the whole process, and it was very strange. Plus, I remember he said one thing at that moment: that I was the person he trusted the most in the entire team, and that I should be wary of those with ulterior motives in the group; he wasn’t the only one. Damn it, he actually told me a long time ago! I even asked him why he had to say those few words in the water, and he said that a lengthy discourse might not be useless.”
“Remembering it so clearly, it’s true love, Yali,” Su Wan said with a smirk, and Li Zu slapped the disposable coffee cup on the table into his face.
“He brought me into the water for a reason; he didn’t intend to talk to me about these things. Was that guy trying to make others think he was telling me something?” Li Zu slapped his own face.
“He wants others to believe he shared some secret with you. Now he’s gone. You’re the only one in the world who knows this secret,” Su Wan said. “Isn’t that reasoning a bit far-fetched? Do you have any evidence?”
“If I don’t think this way, I can’t explain why he brought me into that pool and said some irrelevant things.”
Li Zu was already certain in his mind; it was very likely as he speculated. He himself was not important; it was Wu Xie who made everyone around feel important. No matter who Mr. X was, watching him, this Mr. X’s attention was completely drawn to Wu Xie.
He couldn’t speculate whether Wu Xie was playing into someone’s hands or had other purposes, but he began to feel a strong mix of insecurity and security.
The insecurity was that someone was definitely watching him. The security was that Wu Xie’s little scheme actually provided him with a powerful protective charm.
But why didn’t Mr. X threaten him? Instead, he used fake videos and sent all the evidence and clues, wanting him to solve these mysteries himself and reveal Wu Xie’s secret?
He didn’t know what role Wu Xie played in this, but he suddenly felt a growing fondness for Wu Xie.
If he was just a little kid with crucial information on his back, he might have died long ago. It seemed that Wu Xie’s threats hadn’t been used on him much; could it be that Wu Xie did all this to protect him?
In a casual manner, this man had wrapped him in a solid layer of protection, and he was still completely unaware of it.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing, but in an instant, he was startled by another thought.
“No, I have to go to Danba Jilin. I have to enter the desert,” Li Zu said to the other two. “Otherwise, things will change.”
“Why?”

“They’re just using a fake video now, hoping I will take the initiative to venture into the desert to investigate. But if I don’t go, they won’t let it go easily. They’ve put so much effort into designing all of this; they won’t just watch me sit here drinking coffee until I die of old age. If the fake video doesn’t work, they will definitely escalate things. At that point, everyone around me will be in danger— you, your parents. The only way to protect others is to make them think everything is moving forward.”

The dismembered bodies also served as a warning, illustrating Mr. X’s style of doing things.

The three of them exchanged glances, and Li Zu patted the two of them: “I’ve already wasted too much time; I need to act immediately. Their patience must be limited.”

Su Wan pressed down on Li Zu’s shoulder and said, “Wait a minute, what are you planning to do in the desert?”

“I don’t know, but I have to go first.”

Su Wan exchanged a glance with Yang Hao, and the two of them stood up: “Then let’s go. We should pack our things too.”

“Why?” Li Zu looked at the two of them in surprise.

“Buddy, you can’t go through this kind of melodrama alone. Besides, it’s not safe for us here; it’s better to face this together,” Yang Hao said. “If I let you walk into this alone, how am I supposed to face this world in the future?”