24: Madness! This world has gone mad!

“Boss! Save me!”
The bald man collapsed to the ground in terror.
His strength was actually on par with the long-haired woman’s, but perhaps because he’d secretly watched her bathe, his conscience was uneasy, and now he didn’t dare to confront her at all.
Qin Xiaofan felt a headache coming on.
What a mess this all was…
He raised his hand to stop Dai Li, the long-haired woman. Though reluctant, since Qin Xiaofan had intervened, she bit her lip and restrained herself.
“He says you have a dark cloud tattoo on your back. Is that true?”
Qin Xiaofan questioned Dai Li.
Dai Li bit her lip again and replied, “It’s true I have a tattoo, but it’s not a dark cloud!”
As she spoke, to prove her innocence, she put aside all reservations and, in front of everyone, reached back and pulled down her shirt, exposing a large portion of skin on her back.
Indeed, there was a tattoo there.
But it was not a dark cloud—it was a black butterfly.
Ah…
The bald man stared in disbelief at the tattoo, dumbfounded.
Qin Xiaofan thought it over carefully and quickly understood the key to the misunderstanding.
The bald man had spied on her bathing, but afraid of being caught, he hadn’t dared get too close. From a distance, and with the interference of splashing water, he’d mistaken the butterfly tattoo for a dark cloud.
That’s right.
Case closed.
At this moment, Dai Li, gritting her teeth, glared at the bald man and spat, “Boss! This bastard spied on me while I was bathing and then slandered me out of thin air. I can’t stomach this!”
Qin Xiaofan scratched his forehead with his finger.
“This matter… will be dealt with severely.”
He looked at Dai Li, his tone calm and cold. “But right now, the most important thing is to find the traitor. You don’t have the dark cloud tattoo, but that doesn’t mean you’re clear of suspicion.”
Dai Li bit her lip.
Then, dejected, she said, “I could never be a member of the Change of Heaven group—my younger sister died because of them. I hate them to the core!”
Qin Xiaofan frowned.
“Then why didn’t you step forward before and fight by my side? Don’t you hate that organization?”
Dai Li fell silent at his words, head bowed, saying nothing.
Eventually, her emotions broke down, and tears streamed down her face.
She sobbed, “Because… because I was afraid to die! I’d learned about Scar A’s strength—I didn’t have the courage to walk into death. I was too foolish! I truly never expected, never thought, Boss, that you could defeat him.”
Everyone was silent at her confession.
Dai Li was afraid to die, but weren’t they all?

Facing the infamous Scar A, none of them had had the courage to resist. Deep down, they’d all assumed that Qin Xiaofan couldn’t possibly win.
Until…
Qin Xiaofan lopped off Scar A’s head with a single strike, and only then did they realize how truly powerful he was!
Now, looking at Dai Li weeping in pain, Qin Xiaofan couldn’t tell if it was an act or genuine emotion.
He glanced between the bald man and Dai Li, falling into deep thought.
So, was there any way to identify the true traitor?
Qin Xiaofan stroked his chin, pacing back and forth. The crowd held their breath, terrified to disturb his thinking.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
Civilization Water…
Everyone had only a limited amount of Civilization Water—enough to revive one statue and leave a bit left over, but reviving two would exhaust it completely.
Therefore!
By checking how much Civilization Water each person had left, he could discover who the traitor was!
Qin Xiaofan explained his logic, and instantly, the bald man began to tremble uncontrollably.
Dai Li, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.
She took out her bamboo container of Civilization Water, pulled out the wooden stopper, and inside, about a third remained.
Qin Xiaofan peered closer; it was indeed the Civilization Water he’d prepared.
Then he turned his gaze to Bald Li Qiang.
Li Qiang was shaking even more violently, shivering as if seized by a chill—anyone could see something was wrong.
Under Qin Xiaofan’s stern stare,
Li Qiang’s face turned ashen as he produced his bamboo container, pulled out the stopper, and… not a single drop of Civilization Water remained!
In an instant, everyone looked at him as if they’d found the real culprit.
“It’s not… It’s not me… No… I’m not… I…”
Li Qiang stammered, trying to defend himself, but his tongue seemed tied in knots—he couldn’t utter a complete sentence.
Thud!
Finally, he dropped to his knees before Qin Xiaofan.
Wailing, he cried, “Boss! You have to believe me! It wasn’t me! I swear! I have nothing to do with the Change of Heaven group!”
Qin Xiaofan’s voice was cold.
“Then explain: where did your remaining Civilization Water go? Don’t try to fob me off with some clumsy excuse about spilling it.”
“I… I… I…”
Again, Li Qiang’s tongue tangled.
At last, he slapped himself hard and shouted, “I drank the remaining Civilization Water!”

The moment these words left his mouth, silence fell.
Even Qin Xiaofan stared at him in stupefaction.
Drank?
He drank it?
What…
Qin Xiaofan’s expression shifted, and he barked in anger, “You still want to fool me? Civilization Water smells so foul you’d gag just from a whiff—how could you possibly drink it?”
Li Qiang sobbed.
“It’s true! I really drank it! Boss, if you don’t believe me, give me some Civilization Water right now and I’ll drink it in front of you!”
“But… but…”
Qin Xiaofan was so shocked he clutched his head, stammering, “You—you couldn’t possibly… why would you do something so reckless as drinking that stuff?”
What Li Qiang said next left everyone utterly stunned—
“At first, I thought, since Civilization Water can even revive petrified humans, it must be some extraordinary treasure. Maybe drinking a bit would grant longevity.
With that thought, I pinched my nose and tried a sip.
To my shock, I found the energy of my special ability inside me surging wildly!
Then, tempted by the prospect of growing stronger, I couldn’t help myself—I drank all the Civilization Water I had left!
Now, the energy of my ability has increased by at least ten percent compared to before! Boss, you have to believe me! Every word is true!”
When Li Qiang finished, everyone stood in stunned silence.
Including Qin Xiaofan.
Qin Xiaofan felt as if his mind had gone blank, buzzing with confusion!
He didn’t have to think twice—whatever was boosting Li Qiang’s energy, it certainly wasn’t his own urine or foot-washing water. It could only be…
The blood hidden in the Civilization Water!
Li Qiang’s words exploded like a bomb in the crowd.
Civilization Water could actually enhance special abilities…
If what Li Qiang said was true, this would drive everyone mad, for the urge to grow stronger was irresistible!
Qin Xiaofan glanced around at the crowd.
At that moment, everyone was clutching their remaining Civilization Water tighter; some were nervously licking dry lips, itching to try…
Madness!
This world has truly gone mad!