Chapter 157 The Succubus’s Wisdom Fruit

Chapter 157: The Succubus's Fruit of Wisdom

After reviewing the mission, Hua Diao quickly opened the chat channel.

Logically, since she and Xie Tingsheng had entered together, they shouldn't have been far apart. Yet, they found themselves separated.

Glancing up, she saw that Xie Tingsheng had already sent several messages, all inquiring about her location and safety.

A sweet warmth bloomed in Hua Diao's heart, dispelling her earlier disappointment. She then described her predicament in detail—how she seemed to have been "kept as a hidden treasure" by a female succubus, and how she was tempted to pry off a piece of the wall and take it with her.

Xie Tingsheng sat in a dim, damp cave cell, his thin lips pressed tightly, his handsome face chillingly stern. Zhu Bin, confined with him, couldn't help but shrink back, scooting away slightly.

"Hey, stop crowding me. I'm about to be squeezed flat like a sandwich," He Yongxin grumbled unhappily, his face as sour as a pickled gherkin.

Zhu Bin snorted coldly. It wasn't as if he wanted to crowd anyone; it was just that Brother Sheng was radiating such an intense chill. He wondered what had happened on Sister-in-law's side to cause such a drastic shift in Brother Sheng's mood.

After a while, he couldn't hold back any longer and cautiously leaned over, whispering, "Brother Sheng, did Sister-in-law encounter some danger? Should we break out and go check on her?"

Xie Tingsheng shot him a cold glance but said nothing. Instead, he silently rose, his phoenix eyes narrowing as he surveyed their surroundings.

Compared to Hua Diao's opulent, jewel-encrusted bed, this place was utterly rudimentary—dark, damp, and devoid of sunlight. The ground was stained with dried blood, and even the unknown dry straw covering the cell floor bore mottled dark red stains.

Within this cave, besides their own cell, there were numerous others, at least a dozen, each crammed with figures. Space was far from abundant.

In their own cell, besides Xie Tingsheng, Zhu Bin, and He Yongxin, there were most of the Special Operations Bureau members, two from the Flying Wolf Team, and Liu Hu and Xu He from the Roaring Tiger Team.

With so many people crammed into such a small space, it was incredibly cramped. Besides their "own people," their cell also held a stranger—a disheveled man in tattered, ragged clothes, his face obscured by a thick beard.

Noticing Xie Tingsheng's gaze, the man grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth, and greeted cheerfully, "What race are you? You're quite handsome—no wonder the succubi caught you."

Liu Hu, who had been barely restraining himself, cursed loudly, "Are you saying the succubi captured us for romance?"

The bearded man recoiled in shock, his expression wary. "You... what race are you? I've never heard that language before."

Liu Hu and the others stiffened. Damn it—they'd stumbled into a language trap!

While the foolish Liu Hu broke into a cold sweat, scratching his head in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, the Special Operations Bureau members and the Flying Wolf Team also broke out in a cold sweat. They exchanged glances, then unanimously pretended not to know Liu Hu.

With his burly physique, Liu Hu clearly wasn't of the same "race" as their slender, refined selves!

Zhu Bin also shrank back, realizing the gravity of the situation. No wonder Brother Sheng hadn't responded to him earlier.

He quickly opened the game interface, hoping to gather more information online.

Before setting off, despite past grievances among the four teams, they had created a temporary, restricted-access forum for the mission. Since private group chats weren't possible within the game interface, this was their workaround.

Meanwhile, Hua Diao, after chatting with Xie Tingsheng and confirming his safety, felt a great weight lift from her heart.

She then poked at the fruits on the table.

With such vibrant colors, were they truly safe to eat?

And was there a Fruit of Wisdom among them?

She'd heard that some races on the fantasy continent considered their own race's Fruits of Wisdom delicious, cultivating them in abundance and treating them as ordinary fruit. She wondered if succubi were one such race.

Hua Diao observed the ten brightly colored fruits, each distinct in shape and hue, but still couldn't identify them.

Using her Appraisal skill was useless; this dungeon seemed to restrict its use.

Sighing, she gave up and turned her attention to the roasted leg of meat beside her, which emitted an enticing aroma. After sniffing it to confirm it wasn't poisoned, she took out a small knife, sliced off a few pieces, and began to eat with relish.

Between bites, she opened their temporary forum.

Someone was already posting passionately.

[Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau Lin Dabao: Er Bao, San Bao, Xiao Bao, where are you? I'm working as a guard for a male succubus named Pei Ji. He liked my physique and hired me. The pay isn't bad—do you want to join? I can recommend you.]

[Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau Lin Dabao: Oh, and don't speak carelessly until you've learned the succubus language! Not every succubus is as accommodating as Pei Ji. Rumor has it they're very xenophobic to outsiders now—any foreign race that steps into their territory will be captured and interrogated. If they question you, you'll blow your cover. Pei Ji gave me a Fruit of Wisdom from the succubus race. Eat it, and you'll be able to speak their language. Remember—you absolutely must eat this fruit before speaking!]

[Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau Lin Dabao: Xiao Bao is smart, so I'm not worried. But Er Bao and San Bao, you two need to be careful. Don't be foolish and give yourselves away. It's fine to be a bit slow normally, but now you must be smart. The succubi here are all high-level—way stronger than us. So listen to me: lay low and don't do anything reckless.]

[Storm Team He Feng: Brother Dabao, any chance you can get more of those Fruits of Wisdom?]

[Storm Team Shen Yuelian: Lao He, where are you? I'll come find you.]

Seeing Lin Dabao's posts, Hua Diao's eyes lit up, and she joined the conversation.

[Peanut Squad Hua Diao: What does the Fruit of Wisdom look like?]

[Qingcheng Special Operations Bureau Lin Dabao: Ah, it's you, sister! Hehe, it's all Xiao Bao's fault for stopping me; otherwise, I would have greeted you in the meeting room. You're asking about the Fruit of Wisdom? I remember it's a dark, black fruit, about the size of a strawberry, and shaped like one too. It's soft in texture and as sweet as candy. I don't really like the taste, but I heard the succubus race loves it. They even list it as a special-supply fruit—only succubi above Level 61 (Rare grade) have the right to cultivate and distribute it. I don't have a second one, but I'll see if I can find an opportunity to get a few more.]