Chapter Thirty-Six: You Are Lying!

"Stop, stop, stop."
Colin raised his voice to halt his subordinates who were digging enthusiastically for ore. He waited until all eyes were on him, then pointed behind them.
"Let's leave this place for now. Someone is approaching from outside."
"Someone's coming? Is it another lord?"
Shana asked, showing no doubt. She had already suspected Colin possessed some unique ability, something quite different from her own magic.
So she wasn't particularly surprised and had no intention to inquire further.
"Yes," Colin nodded, "most likely the explosion just now attracted them. In any case, let's retreat for now."
At his words, everyone swiftly evacuated the mine in a rush.
If they were trapped inside and forced to fight, things could become very troublesome.
Outside, the mine was enveloped in silence. Colin scanned several directions through the gray mist and realized there were multiple groups approaching.
Quite a few people seemed to be coming...
The nearest group, also the largest, was less than a kilometer away.
Colin opened the regional channel and scrolled up, finally noticing that the explosion had alerted most people in the area.
The open terrain allowed sound to travel easily, so even those several kilometers away had heard it.
Word spread quickly, and many began moving toward this location, eager for the profits promised by the saltpeter mine.
Now, however, most had switched to private chats, so information had become scarce.
Clearly, they were all on their way.
Colin currently had only barrels of explosives, but no firearms or similar weapons.
That was enough for mindless mutants, but against real people, it was rather lacking.
Unless he detonated explosives as soon as they approached, killing them outright—but in that case, the gains would be minimal.
Especially since the lamps would likely be blown to pieces.
So Colin had no intention of killing them without even meeting face-to-face.
He had yet to interact with other survivors and didn't know how far they had developed.
But as the current top-ranked lord, Colin still had confidence.
"Is it a serious problem, my lord?" Number Two asked.
"Not particularly... Most of them probably just want a share of my loot, but that depends on whether they're capable."

"Anyway, stay close. Let's go see for ourselves."
Colin glanced at the group nearest to them, then led his people in that direction.
On the predicted path, he planted some explosives and waited quietly.
Soon, he could make out faint lamp light in the gray mist.
In an instant, Colin received both good and bad news.
The good news: judging by the dimness, they seemed to carry only "Tainted Blood Lanterns."
This meant each survivor group had no more than five people, so their scale was smaller than his own.
The bad news: even with only Tainted Blood Lanterns, there were nine lanterns—at least nine people, and if all had initial servants, their numbers were several times his own!
Shadows flickered within the light; Colin wasted no time activating his ability for a prompt.
[From the nine lanterns before you, you estimate their total numbers to be around forty.]
"Forty people—looks like this will be a tough fight..."
Colin narrowed his eyes, sensing trouble; if they acted, it would have to be a lightning strike to quickly crush the opposition.
If the battle dragged out, casualties would mount, which was not what Colin wanted.
As the two sides drew closer, when the distance was less than twenty meters, they could see each other through the mist.
Both groups watched each other warily, neither speaking nor moving to attack or retreat.
Observing them, Colin felt both amused and helpless—the survivors' attire was... difficult to describe.
Some had scrounged up pieces of iron armor, wielding rusted longswords. Others wore tattered mage robes, holding "staffs" with shattered gemstones.
Among them, Colin also spotted a few upgraded servants...
Overall, they were indeed weak.
If Colin met any of them alone, they'd be instantly dispatched.
Moreover, he noticed keenly that they weren't united—their stances showed mutual distance and wariness.
This suggested an opportunity: exploit their divisions for maximum gain at minimum cost.
On the other hand, when the opposing group saw Colin's side, they were startled. Their first thought was: why are there so many people...?
Their second thought was...
Why is it so large?
Colin's lantern, powered by Burning Blood, had a radius of ten meters—a circular area of over three hundred square meters.
In contrast, their lanterns illuminated only five meters, totaling seventy-eight square meters.
The difference wasn't just a doubled diameter, but several times the area—a stark contrast!
Then, some noticed the petite blonde woman by Colin's side, dressed in a white-and-gold church robe. Their breathing grew heavier.
Her exquisite features and noble, sacred aura stirred envy deep within them!
Clearly, she wasn't from Earth, but a summoned subordinate!
A special talent summoning card...
Everyone knew about it, but no one possessed it.
What luck!
In their minds, with Colin's absolute control over his subordinates, he surely wouldn't resist such a beautiful follower...
Perhaps he'd already enjoyed her in every way...
Even the two female survivors among them couldn't help but entertain similar thoughts.
...
A loose alliance—a rabble.
Colin made a simple mental evaluation; from their eyes, he could feel intense caution and hostility.
After all, his power had broken the "balance," making him the strongest presence here.
If he made any move, these "freelancers" would be in grave danger; under such circumstances, their formation tightened.
After a dozen seconds of silence, Colin suddenly sensed someone's gaze fixed upon him.
Turning, he saw a man clad in battered armor, scavenged from who-knows-where.
The man met Colin's gaze and spoke:
"Are you also here searching for the survivor who found the saltpeter mine?"
"Yes."
Colin nodded, smiling. "Did you find the mine..."
Before he could finish, the man who stared at him suddenly interrupted in a deep voice:
"You're lying."