Chapter 23: Who Is Really the Big Brother?

The grave robber had originally only been testing them, but he hadn't expected there to be a real hidden truth. He instantly grabbed Zhou Yuyu by the arm, spun her around, and gripped her chin with a piercing gaze.

"Speak! If you tell even half a lie, I'll strip your clothes off."

Zhou Yuyu's eyes widened, her entire body trembling with fear. Her panicked gaze darted toward Jiang Xiaoya, who was also being held hostage behind them, and she spoke with a trembling voice.

"It was her... We wanted to go down the mountain but got lost. She suddenly came looking for us, digging a hole with a shovel... We were helping her... and that's how we fell down..."

As for why Jiang Xiaoya had suddenly walked this way, or why she was digging a hole above, one would have to ask her directly.

The implication in Zhou Yuyu's words was self-evident.

Every grave robber's gaze turned in unison, landing on the woman who appeared to be in an unstable mental state.

"It was you?"

The grave robber pushed Zhou Yuyu toward the person behind him and reached out for Jiang Xiaoya. He grabbed her hair, a cold sneer flashing in his eyes.

"Still trying to play dumb with me?"

Jiang Xiaoya gasped in pain, reaching up to hug his arm in a weak, pleading gesture.

"Brother, easy, easy... I'll tell the truth, just let me speak..."

Seeing that she was somewhat sensible, the man loosened his grip, though his hand remained clamped around her neck.

Relief washed over Jiang Xiaoya's face. She rested her hand on his wrist, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Big brother, to be honest with you, I do know a little something..."

Her gaze suddenly lifted, sweeping over the others around them with an expression of hesitation.

The grave robber, looking as if he had confirmed his suspicions that Jiang Xiaoya indeed knew something, released his grip on her neck and pulled her aside.

The other grave robbers on the scene looked at one another in confusion.

On the opposite side, the history teacher, the middle-aged man with the round face, and the others fell into a collective silence: "..."

If the grave robbers knew that Jiang Xiaoya had "Heavenly Eye" earbuds in her ears broadcasting the scene live—with tens of thousands of people in the livestream watching their every word—they would probably go insane.

Just as they suspected, the netizens in the livestream watched this scene with wide eyes, staring unblinkingly at the screen and listening intently.

"Come, let me tell you the details..."

Jiang Xiaoya beckoned to the grave robber.

The grave robber stared at her warily, worried she was playing a trick.

"Hey, don't back away! What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you..."

Jiang Xiaoya looked exasperated. She reached out to drape an arm over his shoulder, pulling him closer.

The grave robber turned his head away in silence: "..."

*She's crazy!*

Seeing this, the netizens in the livestream, who had been serious and worried, burst into fits of laughter.

【Damn, this is killing me, Hahahaha!】

【The grave robber's expression: Why am I even standing here?! I should have just stabbed her, she's insane!】

【Grave robber: Wait, who exactly is the 'big brother' here?】

【Jiang Xiaoya: What are you afraid of? Grave robber: You're crazy, I'm the one who's scared!】

【The grave robber was as arrogant as he was just a moment ago, and now he's just as panicked. Truly, the bully fears the one who doesn't value their life, and the one who doesn't value their life fears the one who is mentally ill.】

Zhou Yuyu's fans were incredibly agitated seeing this.

【Record it! Record it! This is evidence! Jiang Xiaoya is definitely an accomplice to the grave robbers. They planned to wait here to ambush our Yuyu!】

【Exactly! Otherwise, why would so many people target our Yuyu?】

【This is too much! Jiang Xiaoya is just jealous because Yuyu comes from a good background, is beautiful, talented, and kind-hearted.】

【I'm collecting evidence. This isn't just a simple crime; it's premeditated murder!】

The casual observers: "..."

*Seriously, are they crazy? The Licheng Police Department is right there in the livestream. Do they really need to "collect evidence"?*

*Besides, there's a replay function in the livestream. If Jiang Xiaoya actually committed a crime, no one could cover for her.*

However, Zhou Yuyu's fans had been neurotic before, so the casual observers were used to it.

Jiang Xiaoya kept her arm around the grave robber's shoulder as the two of them moved to a corner to talk.

"Did you guys get the stuff?" Jiang Xiaoya whispered.

"Huh?" The grave robber snapped his head up to glare at her, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

*She really does know!!*

"Shh!"

Seeing him about to lose his temper, Jiang Xiaoya patted his shoulder, signaling him to let her finish.

"You didn't find the items, did you?"

Don't ask how she knew. The system had been constantly reminding her that valuable items were almost certainly what these people were looking for. If the items were on them, the system's alarm would have been going off from their bodies.

*She knows again?!!*

The grave robber's pupils contracted as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Do you know where it is?" His gaze darkened.

"I don't know."

Grave robber: "..."

Jiang Xiaoya shook her head. Seeing his expression darkening again, she quickly added, "But, I know some things that you don't."

She met his gaze with a look of absolute confidence.

"Oh? Let's hear it then." The grave robber wore a cold sneer, looking as if he were waiting to see what trick she would play.

"You can't find it because it's definitely been hidden. There's a mechanism involved. Once you trigger the mechanism, you'll find the items." Jiang Xiaoya's expression was dead serious.

"Do you know what the items are?" The grave robber was no fool. He gripped her chin, his eyes piercing as he interrogated her.

"I... I don't know... I don't know..." Jiang Xiaoya shook her head vigorously, looking like someone terrified of death.

Actually, she truly didn't know.

But in the eyes of the grave robber, her behavior suggested she knew exactly what was at stake, which was why she was so cautious.

He didn't know who Jiang Xiaoya and her group were, but the fact that they could find this place and knew the items were here was enough to make them wary.

Normally, he wouldn't waste words; he would have just dealt with her.

But the items hadn't been found yet...

Thinking of the death sentence handed down from above, the grave robber's eyes darkened. He gripped her chin threateningly.

"Find the items, and we'll let you go. Otherwise..." A cruel smile played on his lips.

Jiang Xiaoya nodded fearfully and whispered, "Easy on the grip, I'm worried I'll have an episode."

Grave robber: "..."

*So, she's the boss here?*

When the netizens in the livestream heard "have an episode," they remembered how she had been rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out earlier, and they nearly died laughing again.

The grave robber, seemingly unwilling to witness another "episode," released her arm. He took an AK from one of the men behind him and aimed it at her forehead.

Jiang Xiaoya began to tremble with fear.

Grave robber: "..."

Looking at her sickly, twitching movements, he was actually worried she might twitch herself to death on the spot.

"Enough! Just find the stuff!" The grave robber interrupted his own thoughts in frustration, using the AK to force her forward.

Looking at the AK in his hand, Jiang Xiaoya was panicking so much she was on the verge of tears.

"No, brother, won't that thing misfire? Can you please not point it at me? I'm scared!"