What a fool, I'll go report to Zhang Kui later that he's trying to escape.

Night gradually deepened.

The night in the mining area was even more oppressive than the day.

Su Ji returned to the shack.

The miners were already fast asleep.

"Senior Brother, I feel... I seem to be able to sense something." Su Jiu's voice rang in the bottom of his heart, carrying a trace of confusion.

"What is it?" Su Ji asked.

"I can feel that under this wasteland, there seems to be something surging. It's very faint, but massive." Su Jiu hesitated for a moment.

Su Ji's heart stirred.

He remembered Zhao Tianyang's words, "Too many people have died here, but no one has been able to leave. Even if they are beaten to death, their bones must be buried here."

Su Ji suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked at the tattered roof of the shack, faintly able to see the sky shrouded by gray clouds.

Suddenly, a pair of eyes met his in the dark night.

It was actually that Golden Core genius.

Where was the expression of a shattered Dao heart in his eyes?

At this moment, those eyes were bright, carrying a hint of inquiry.

He pointed at Su Ji, then at himself, and finally at the door of the shack.

Obviously, he wanted to step outside to talk.

Su Ji looked at the sleeping coworkers around him.

He didn't respond immediately, just slightly turned his body, glancing at that genius from the corner of his eye.

The other party's expression was serious, his movements cautious, not a momentary impulse.

He didn't get up, just closed his eyes as if he had already fallen asleep.

A moment later, Su Ji felt a light sound of footsteps approaching, and then moving away.

That genius had already gone out.

Su Jiu analyzed, "Senior Brother, this person is actually acting too? Being able to deceive Zhao Tianyang and Zhang Kui shows that his acting skills are not bad."

Su Ji had an idea in his heart, "He might not have deceived them, perhaps they just couldn't be bothered to expose him."

Su Ji slowly got up, his movements gentle, not making a single sound.

Snores still echoed in the shack, no one noticed his departure.

Su Ji lifted the tattered animal skin door curtain and walked out.

Outside, a fierce wind mixed with gravel howled past. The gray clouds in the sky pressed down heavily. There was no starlight, nor moon, and visibility was extremely low.

That Golden Core genius stood not far away, with his back to the shack, his figure swallowed by the darkness.

He didn't turn around, only speaking softly after Su Ji walked out.

"Friend, your strength is not bad." His voice wasn't loud, but unexpectedly steady.

"But you are a bit too sharp and revealing."

Su Ji didn't reply, just walked to his side.

He didn't ask about the other party's background, just silently sensed the movements around him.

"My name is Qin Feng."

The Golden Core genius announced his name.

"Su Hao." Su Ji was concise.

Hearing this, Qin Feng turned his head, those eyes looking exceptionally sharp in the darkness.

"Brother Su, your performance in the mine pit today didn't look like a newcomer at all."

Su Ji chuckled lightly, a somewhat careless tone in his voice.

"Isn't Brother Qin also not someone whose Dao heart is shattered?"

Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then let out a low laugh.

He turned his body to face Su Ji.

"In the lower realm, I fancied myself a heaven-defying genius, an eighth-grade Golden Core, suppressing an entire era. But arriving here, I realized I was just a frog in a well. When Old Ghost Li struck down with one palm, I knew that in the face of absolute power, any struggle is futile."

"But I am still unwilling to accept it." Qin Feng's voice lowered.

"My Dao heart isn't truly shattered, I just wanted to see if there were any other smart people in this mining area who were as unwilling as I am."

He paused, his tone carrying a bit of emotion.

"Until I saw you."

"That first swing of your pickaxe seemed ordinary, but it contained a peculiar rhythm. If it were anyone else, that swing would probably just be a waste of effort. But you were able to condense your power to the extreme in that instant, precisely striking the weak point of the ore."

"I knew then that you were no ordinary person."

Su Ji's heart stirred. This Qin Feng's observation skills were indeed impressive.

He appeared mad, but in reality, he saw everything.

"And then?" Su Ji was noncommittal.

"And then, you put on a good show." Qin Feng shook his head.

"You actually managed to bluff both Zhang Kui and Zhao Tianyang." As Qin Feng said this, a flash of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

Listening to Qin Feng's analysis, Su Ji's evaluation of him rose a bit. This person was not only observant but also extremely meticulous in his thinking.

But it only rose a bit.

Because truly smart people generally didn't like to show off their cleverness.

"So, what does Brother Qin want from me?" Su Ji asked directly.

Qin Feng's expression turned serious.

"Brother Su, what kind of place do you think this mining area is?"

"A graveyard?" Su Ji answered.

"That's a good answer." Qin Feng agreed.

"A graveyard that buries the pride of all the geniuses from the lower realm."

He leaned in closer, his voice dropping even lower.

"Brother Su, you and I are both geniuses from the lower realm, unwilling to be confined here." Qin Feng turned his head, his gaze burning as he looked at Su Ji.

"I know you have secrets, and so do I."

"I just want to know, do you have a way to leave this place?"

"Or did you gather any intelligence today?"

"If possible, we can exchange information."

"We both want to get out."

"We won't be enemies."

Su Ji fell silent. He looked at Qin Feng's eager eyes, but in his heart, he was rapidly weighing the pros and cons.

Qin Feng was very smart and decisive.

Being able to see through his disguise in such a short time and make such a judgment meant he was no ordinary person.

But the question was, should he trust him?

"Do you think I would have a way to leave?" Su Ji asked in return.

Qin Feng smiled, that smile looking somewhat desolate in the darkness.

He didn't continue to press the issue, just gave Su Ji a deep look.

"Brother Su, I have an intuition."

"You are not truly willing to stay here and mine."

"And I am not willing to be enslaved either."

"This mining area is far more complex than we imagined. If I'm not mistaken, Zhao Tianyang and Zhang Kui also have unknown secrets on them."

"We might be able to join forces."

Qin Feng reached out a hand in the darkness towards Su Ji.

Su Ji didn't respond immediately, just quietly looked at that hand.

Su Jiu's voice sounded, "Senior Brother, are we going to cooperate with him?"

"What a dumbass, I'm going to report him to Zhang Kui for trying to break out of prison in a minute."