Start with push-ups to gain experience

Chapter 246 Hesitation leads to defeat
Inside the library, the dome hangs high.

The soft light from the crystal chandelier embedded in it shines down like starlight between the rows of tall bookshelves and the open ground.

The organ singing and the interweaving of light and shadow create a quiet, solemn and sacred atmosphere.

The breathing of the crowd could be heard clearly, and they were all staring intently at the slowly emerging figure.

A circle of white light burst out, causing them to squint subconsciously.

It was not until the figure came closer and the light faded that I could see the other person's face clearly.

This is an ordinary man. He looks very young, but inexplicably gives people a sense of having experienced many vicissitudes of life.

He was wearing black clothes, made of ordinary material and style, but very clean and tidy.

He has a plain and ordinary face, one that is easily forgotten, and it can be said that there is no memorable feature of him.

Only those eyes seemed extremely deep, as if they contained the accumulation of years.

Occasionally, a gleam of brilliance flashes by, making people instantly feel a momentum that cannot be underestimated.

The man was not the only one who appeared at the same time.

Behind him, there was a slender figure with light steps.

She was a young woman with an ordinary face. However, her eyes were extremely lively, like two black pearls, spinning around.

It seemed as if it was sizing up every partygoer, or searching for some secret.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes moving back and forth between the two people, trying to capture some useful information from them.

For a moment, the entire library seemed to be cast under a silencing spell.

The light from the crystal chandelier above their heads illuminated the slightly solemn faces.

The owner of this secret place seemed to have created this eye-catching effect intentionally or unintentionally.

Fang Cheng stood in the crowd, staring with sharp eyes.

The man was seen walking steadily to the center of the library, then stopped and slowly scanned the scene.

Then he opened his lips and spoke:
"Sorry to keep you waiting for so long."

Hearing this voice, everyone's heart trembled, knowing that he was the mysterious man who had conveyed the message to them before.

The man took in everyone's performance, and a barely perceptible satisfaction flashed across his eyes.

After a pause, he continued:
"Tonight is such an important moment. I invite you all to gather here. I believe everyone must have many questions in their hearts."

"To be honest, I am just like all of you. I am determined to get the Golden Benba Bottle hidden in the Lu Family Manor!"

His voice was mellow and soft, echoing in the library like a morning bell, and clearly heard by every participant present.

Everyone was on high alert, and when they heard this, they were all stunned.

They were caught off guard by the other party's frank and honest approach.

Originally, everyone was guessing what sweet words and tricks this mysterious man would use to deceive people.

At this moment, you looked at me and I looked at you, with some surprise on our faces.

Fang Cheng also raised his eyebrows slightly, secretly pondering the other party's intention.

The mysterious man's eyes swept slowly over again, as if observing everyone's subtle expressions and reactions.

Then he changed the subject and said in a deep voice:

"But everyone knows that the Golden Bamba Bottle is not an ordinary thing. How can it be easy to obtain it?"

“Not to mention that this manor is heavily guarded and has layers of defense, the Lu family’s masters are even more powerful and unfathomable.”

"On the other hand, although we treasure hunters seem to have the advantage in numbers, we are like a pile of loose sand. We have to fight each other and be on guard against each other at the same time."

"I'm sure you've all tried this before. If we fight alone, none of us is sure we can overcome all the obstacles and successfully take the treasure."

When the mysterious man said this, his eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance, and he immediately raised his voice:

"But if we join hands and integrate our strengths, our chances of winning will greatly increase!"

He scanned the room with his sharp eyes, trying to ignite the enthusiasm of all participants with his words.

However, there was no expected response.

There was silence.

Although everyone was tempted, they remained vigilant and their doubts grew even more.

At this moment, everyone looked at each other, but no one was the first to step forward and question or refute this.

At this moment, a sneer suddenly broke the silence, attracting everyone's attention.

I saw a burly man who was the first to step forward.

He was a stout man with a face full of trembling flesh. He said in a hoarse voice:

"You just said that you were determined to win, and now you're calling on us to join forces. Your words are contradictory. Are you trying to coax a three-year-old child?"

The loud voice echoed and buzzed in the space.

Everyone immediately nodded and agreed quietly, expressing their approval and support.

The mysterious man saw this, but he was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled slightly:
"This friend raised a good question. Now I will talk about the main point."

Then he glanced at everyone:
"Everyone here is a smart person. You can see the current situation. I don't need to say what you are thinking."

His tone was calm, but his eyes were as sharp as a scalpel, accurately piercing through the hidden thoughts of all participants.

The originally whispering voices of agreement suddenly stopped, and the expressions looked unnatural.

"If the Golden Benba Bottle can be kept in the Lu Family Manor, everything will be fine. At worst, we can just see who is more patient and slowly find the right time to take action."

The mysterious man looked calm and continued slowly:
"However, according to reliable information I have received, the Golden Bamba Bottle will be sent to the International Shadow Auction by the Lu family tomorrow as one of the auction items."

"As for the origins of the International Shadow Auction, I'm sure you all have heard of it. Even though I am very wary of them, I believe no one would want to have a head-on conflict with them."

"If we go against the noble families and the government, the worst that can happen to us is that we hide our identities and flee to a foreign country. Their hands can't reach that far."

"But if you offend this international organization, you will be in big trouble. I'm afraid you will have no place to stay anywhere in the world."

At this point, the mysterious man paused for a moment, then emphasized his tone:
"So, my idea is similar to yours. We must act before this happens, and tomorrow morning at nine o'clock is the deadline for this operation."

"Now that everyone is trapped in the situation, if we just wait and see and wait for others to step in for us, the situation will only continue to stalemate and waste our energy."

"In this case, why don't we work together to break the current predicament, join forces to deal with the Lu family guards, and solve this most urgent problem?"

“As long as we can break through the defense line and successfully approach the Golden Bamba Bottle, no matter who gets the treasure first, it will be clear to everyone.”

"All teams can continue to compete based on their own abilities. The entire operation is fair and open, with equal opportunities. No matter if you win or lose, there is no need to complain."

The mysterious man finished speaking, his eyes sparkling, as if waiting for everyone's response.

"This... seems to make some sense..."

The sturdy man who had questioned earlier touched his head and his attitude obviously softened a lot.

Others also began to whisper to each other, and the discussions became louder and louder.

The originally quiet secret world of the library suddenly became noisy, as if a boiling pot had exploded.

Fang Cheng observed the surrounding situation calmly.

Bao Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, moved closer, and whispered:

"This method sounds feasible, but it has a big loophole and cannot force everyone to act in a unified manner."

Fang Cheng nodded gently:

"Let's see what others say."

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on the mysterious man. He felt that his voice was somewhat familiar, like someone he had met before, but his appearance was completely different, so ordinary that he was unrecognizable.

His doubts grew even more, and his gaze turned to the young woman who had been following behind him and remained silent.

Upon closer observation, apart from noticing that she had a cunning look in her eyes, liked to stare at others, and muttered to herself, there was no other clues.

At this moment, someone snorted and spoke in a somewhat harsh tone:
"That's easy to say! Join forces? Who knows if he wants to use us as cannon fodder, and wait until we have exhausted most of the guards and the Lu family's masters, so that he can reap the benefits."

The speaker was shaped like a monkey, with a gloomy look in his eyes. He was none other than Ba Ming, who had a grudge against Bao Ye.

"That's right. Although we all want to seize the treasure, we can't be so stupid as to help others count the money after being sold out."

A man wearing a robber-like mask next to him also echoed and said in a sarcastic tone:
"This guy has an unknown origin. How can we trust him? Is he trying to get us to sacrifice our lives for him without any evidence?"

After hearing this, everyone nodded, and voices of doubt arose one after another.

Then, an old man stroked his beard and squinted his eyes and said to the mysterious man:

"Young man, your idea sounds reasonable at first glance, but upon closer inspection, there are many loopholes."

"Even if we join forces, how will we divide the work and cooperate? How will we ensure that everyone works in unison? Which of these things must be clearly defined? If you can't come up with a convincing charter, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."

Although the old man's voice was not loud, he hit the point and made the noisy crowd quiet down a little.

Yes, everyone has selfish motives, and when it comes to attacking, they deliberately slow down their pace, which is the same as before.

Without the ability to ensure that everyone is acting in concert, this plan is simply unrealistic.

The eyes of all the participants were once again focused on the mysterious man standing in the center of the room.

"I naturally understand the concerns of these friends."

The mysterious man, however, looked calm. He first raised his hands and then pressed them down slightly.

This action seemed to have magical power, making the noisy discussions at the scene disappear instantly.

Then, he raised his hands and drew a frame, and a strange light appeared in his palms.
The light gradually spread out, forming a white light curtain, like a TV screen, with images flickering and appearing on it.

Everyone looked closely and found that it was a detailed guard deployment map inside the manor.

It not only marks the locations of various guard posts and secret sentries, but also contains relevant information about the Lu family's masters, including their specialties and their usual range of activities.

Even the specific storage location and precautionary measures of the Jinbenba bottle are specified.

The detail of the information is astonishing.

"Please look, everyone. This is the intelligence that our team has spent a lot of effort to collect. It is enough to prove my sincerity."

The mysterious man spoke, his voice full of convincing calmness.

"With this information, we will be able to break through the defenses more smoothly and go straight to the underground vault where our target is located."

"Now that I dare to take out these things, I am not afraid of you checking their authenticity. If I had second thoughts, why would I do such a thankless task?"

As he spoke, he waved his hands, and his slender fingers looked like an artist plucking the strings of a guitar.

The white light curtain suddenly turned into countless pages of paper, flying towards every participant present.

In front of everyone, including Fang Cheng, there was a book with a faintly glowing cover floating.

Looking at Bao Ye and the others reaching out their hands to touch the light, he seemed to feel something and had a thoughtful look on his face.

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, so he reached out and grabbed the "book" that was flying towards him.

As my fingertips touched it, the light gradually faded, and a stream of information instantly flooded into my mind.

The details of the defense map, the information of the Lu family members, the collection location of the Jin Benba bottle, etc., were all clearly presented in front of his eyes and then quickly integrated into his memory.

It was as if this information was already known to me.

The people around were silently feeling the extra information in their minds.

The scene was completely quiet, with only occasional whispers, some expressing amazement at the other party's methods, others discussing the authenticity of the intelligence.

"Not only that."

After revealing his methods, the mysterious man raised his chin slightly and said confidently and calmly:

"I have another way that can make everyone put aside their suspicions and reach cooperation without any grudges."

After he finished speaking, he quickly formed seals with his hands and muttered something.

As the chanting sounded, a line of ancient, gleaming characters appeared in the air.

The strokes are winding and tortuous, like some lost symbols, obscure and difficult to understand, yet exuding a mysterious atmosphere.

"Is this a pledge spell?!"

Someone who knew the meaning blurted it out, and then explained it in a low voice to his accomplice who didn't understand.

With his talent of "omniscience of language", Fang Cheng instantly understood the meaning of these characters.

The so-called oath spell is an ancient and mysterious form of restraint.

After chanting the relevant mantras, you can make a vow to agree on certain matters.

If you break your oath, you will suffer backlash from your inner demons and suffer serious mental damage.

During the effective period of the oath, the behavior of the person taking the oath will be implicitly constrained.

Once the agreed matters are completed, the binding force will instantly lose effectiveness like melting ice and snow.

Of course, for the oath spell to work, it requires a person with strong spiritual energy as the initiator.

The more people who take part in the oath, the greater the mental burden on the initiator.

When everyone saw this, they looked at the mysterious man with a bit more awe and curiosity, secretly wondering how powerful he was.

The mysterious man cleared his throat and said loudly:
"The cooperation plan I propose is very simple. We agree on a specific time, and everyone launches an attack simultaneously from outside the manor. During this period, no one is allowed to harm each other."

"Until someone successfully enters the underground vault and grabs the Golden Bamba Bottle, the binding spell will instantly become ineffective."

"I think that with this contract, it will be enough to ensure that all of us will act according to the plan."

Having said that, there is no need to explain any further.

Some of them frowned, as if pondering the pros and cons, weighing their chances of winning.

Some of them had flickering eyes, showing their eagerness to try, as if they had already seen the treasure waving to them.

Fang Cheng felt that the mysterious person who proposed the plan must have a backup plan, but he couldn't explain why for the time being.

After all, this is an open conspiracy.

"Okay, I agree with this cooperation plan!"

It was the same strong man who stepped forward first and shouted.

He decisively followed the request, first imitating the mysterious man's voice to recite the spells one by one, and then swore an oath.

Once there is one, there will be a second one following suit.

After careful consideration, everyone felt that this cooperation plan was indeed the only way to break the current impasse.

Even the weirdo with steel nails stuck in his head and the guy covered in dark red light took the oath one after another.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng and Bao Ye followed suit.

The current situation is clear at a glance.

Either participate in the cooperation and advance and retreat together, or leave this place immediately to avoid becoming an "outcast" who doesn't fit in and being ostracized.

Even if you still have doubts in your heart, you have no choice but to give it a try. Hesitation will only make you more likely to fail.

I believe other people have similar thoughts.

(End of this chapter)