Me? I was transported into a book? And I became a vicious villain?

The ground shook, and the ancient buildings seemed to come alive. The fog that originally shrouded it spun wildly, forming a huge vortex, which caught the city guardians off guard. Chu Mengmeng felt dizzy, and her ears were filled with the whistling wind and the screams of her companions. When everything returned to calm, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment.

The towering trees blocked out the sun, and only a few faint rays of light shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The air was filled with a damp and rotten smell, and there were vines and bushes growing everywhere, with almost no place to stand.

"Ahem..." Su Mubai struggled to get up from the ground, wiped the dirt off his face, and looked around, "What the hell is this place?"

"We seem to have been teleported deep into the forest." Lin Wan'er's voice trembled a little, and she was obviously frightened by this sudden change.

Xiao Yichen helped Chu Mengmeng who had fallen to the ground and asked with concern: "Mengmeng, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Chu Mengmeng shook her head, suppressing the uneasiness in her heart and trying to calm herself down. "What should we do now?"

"Find the others first." Xiao Yichen said in a deep voice, "Everyone take care of each other and be careful around you!"

The city defenders dispersed and carefully groped their way through the dense jungle. However, the forest seemed to be against them on purpose. The complex terrain and poor visibility made it difficult for them to move forward. To make matters worse, a sudden rainstorm poured down, turning the already rugged road into a muddy and almost impassable road.

"Damn, this horrible weather!" Su Mubai cursed, stepped into the mud and almost fell.

"Everyone, be careful with your feet!" Xiao Yichen warned, "This rain is a bit strange, it seems to be corrosive."

"What?" Lin Wan'er exclaimed, and looked down at her boots, only to find that the brand new boots had been corroded with a hole, revealing the fair skin inside.

"This forest is full of weirdness. We must find the Light Gem as soon as possible and leave here!" Chu Mengmeng said solemnly.

However, fate always seemed to like playing tricks on them. Just when they finally found a relatively dry section of the road, Xiao Yifeng's anxious voice suddenly came from the communicator: "Oh no, we've been ambushed! Come and support us!"

Xiao Yichen's face changed, and he asked hurriedly: "What happened? Where are you?"

However, only a burst of noisy sound came from the communicator, and then the connection was lost.

"Oh no! It must be a trap!" Lin Wan'er exclaimed, "We can't go!"

However, Xiao Yichen seemed not to hear her words and ran towards the direction of Xiao Yifeng's distress signal without hesitation.

"Yi Chen!" Chu Mengmeng wanted to stop him, but was held back by Su Mubai.

"Believe him, he will be fine." Su Mubai said in a low voice, but there was a hint of imperceptible worry in his tone.

Chu Mengmeng bit her lip and finally chose to believe Xiao Yichen. However, she had a vague feeling of uneasiness in her heart, as if something bad was about to happen...

The cold rain slapped her face, and Chu Mengmeng's heart was as gloomy as the weather. Xiao Yichen rushed into the unknown danger without hesitation. The communication was interrupted, and her life and death were uncertain. Fear and worry were like vines entwined in her heart.

"We can't keep rushing around aimlessly like this!" Someone in the team shouted loudly, his words full of anxiety and doubt, "Who knows if this is a trap set up by Xiao Yifeng on purpose, just to make us lose our composure!"

"Enough!" Chu Mengmeng turned around abruptly, speaking in a sharp tone, contrary to her usual innocent and naive appearance. At this moment, her eyes were firm, revealing an unquestionable majesty, "Xiao Yifeng is our companion, I believe he will not do anything to betray the team!"

"But……"

"No buts!" Chu Mengmeng interrupted the man, "Now is not the time for internal strife. We must unite to overcome the difficulties in front of us!" She took a deep breath, glanced at everyone, and said in a firm tone, "Our goal is to find the light gem and save the city. I believe Yi Chen is the same. He must be waiting for us to support him somewhere!"

Lin Wan'er, who had been silent the whole time, walked over to Chu Mengmeng, gently held her hand, and gave her support and strength. "Mengmeng is right. We can't lose our composure. I believe in Yichen, and I believe in ourselves. We can definitely get through this difficult time!"

Xiao Yichen's disappearance and sudden accusations caused the team's morale to plummet, but Chu Mengmeng and Lin Wan'er's determination and encouragement, like a ray of light in the darkness, rekindled everyone's hope.

"That's right, we can't give up!"

"We must believe in Xiao Yifeng, and also believe in ourselves!"

"Find the Light Gem and save the city!"

The team regained their spirits, encouraged and supported each other, and moved forward firmly towards their goal. However, the danger did not go away.

"careful!"

Su Mubai, who was walking in front of the team, suddenly cried out in surprise. He saw a black shadow rushing out from the dense forest, with its sharp claws heading straight for Chu Mengmeng.

"Mengmeng!"

At the critical moment, Su Mubai threw Chu Mengmeng to the ground and avoided the fatal blow. However, he himself was hit hard by the black shadow, uttering a muffled groan, and blood instantly stained his clothes red.

“Su Mubai!” Chu Mengmeng widened her eyes in horror, looking at Su Mubai lying in a pool of blood, tears welling up in her eyes, “How are you? Don’t scare me!”

"I'm fine..." Su Mubai's face was pale, but a weak smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Protect yourself..."

Before he could finish his words, he fell into coma.

The sudden change caught everyone off guard, and the already tense atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing point. Chu Mengmeng hugged Su Mubai, who was covered in blood, and her tears could not stop flowing, her heart filled with self-blame and guilt.

If she hadn't been so slow to react, if Su Mubai hadn't protected her, he wouldn't have been hurt. This was all her fault...

As night fell, the forest became even more eerie and terrifying. Chu Mengmeng stayed by the unconscious Su Mubai's side, her heart filled with worry and uneasiness. Lin Wan'er was taking care of Su Mubai and treating his wounds, but her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.

While wiping the blood off Su Mubai, Lin Wan'er accidentally touched a hard object on his chest. She curiously reached into Su Mubai's collar and touched a cold metal plate.

The metal plate was cold to the touch, and was engraved with ancient and mysterious patterns. Lin Wan'er's heart moved, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity came over her. She took the metal plate out of Su Mubai's arms, carefully identified it in the weak light, and her face suddenly turned extremely pale.

She had seen this metal plate in the ancient books hidden in her family's collection. It was said to be...

 Chapter 148: Dawn before Darkness

She had seen this metal plate in the ancient books hidden in her family's collection. It was said to be... the symbol of the traitor to the city guardian!

Lin Wan'er's hands were shaking, and she could barely hold the cold metal plate. How could Su Mubai, who had always been sunny and cheerful and treated his friends sincerely, be a traitor?

However, this metal plate and Su Mubai's efforts to protect Chu Mengmeng all tell a cruel truth. Could it be that Su Mubai approached Chu Mengmeng just for the sake of the Light Stone? Could it be that Xiao Yifeng's betrayal was also planned by him?

Countless questions and suspicions swirled in Lin Wan'er's mind, making her feel dizzy. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. Now was not the time to pursue these things. The most urgent task was to find out Su Mubai's true purpose and what the connection was between him and Xiao Yifeng.

She carefully put the metal plate back into Su Mubai's arms, pretending that nothing had happened. However, her eyes became complicated and deep, and a storm was set off in her heart.

The forest was eerily quiet at night, with only the occasional chirping of insects reminding people of the passage of time. Chu Mengmeng stayed by Su Mubai's side, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, her heart filled with worry and self-blame.

"Su Mubai, you must be okay..." She whispered in a low voice, her tone full of pleading.

Suddenly, a strange wave came from afar, accompanied by a low chanting sound, as if it was a call from ancient times, which made people shudder.

Lin Wan'er stood up suddenly and looked in the direction of the voice, her face solemn: "Something's going on!"

Chu Mengmeng also felt something strange. She clenched the weapon in her hand and looked around vigilantly.

I saw a figure in a gray robe slowly walking out of the dense forest. He had a silver mask on his face, covering all expressions and revealing only a pair of deep and mysterious eyes.

"Who are you?" Chu Mengmeng asked sternly, pointing the weapon in her hand at the person who came.

"I am the guardian of this ruin." The gray-robed man spoke calmly, but his voice resounded throughout the forest like a bell. "You should not have come here."

"We are here for the Light Gem." Chu Mengmeng looked at him fearlessly, "Only by finding the Light Gem can we save our city."

The gray-robed man was silent for a moment, as if he was weighing something. Finally, he slowly spoke: "The Light Gem is indeed in this ruins, but it is shrouded by a powerful dark force. It can only be entered through a specific ritual."

"What ceremony?" Lin Wan'er asked.

The gray-robed man raised his hand and pointed to the bright moon in the night sky: "When the moon is full and the nine stars are aligned, it is time for the ceremony to begin."

"Nine Stars in a Row?" Chu Mengmeng and Lin Wan'er looked at each other, their hearts full of confusion.

"Time is running out." The gray-robed man did not explain, but left a meaningful word, then turned and disappeared into the dense forest, as if he had never appeared.

"What does he mean?" Chu Mengmeng looked at the direction where the gray-robed man disappeared, her heart full of confusion.

Lin Wan'er looked at the bright moon in the night sky with a frown on her face. The nine planets in a row was an astronomical wonder that only appeared once in a hundred years. Did they have to wait until the next time the nine planets in a row appeared before they could enter the ruins?

Just as they were lost in thought, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the forest.

"Mengmeng! Wan'er!" Xiao Yifeng's voice came from a distance, his tone full of anxiety and worry, "Are you okay?"

He walked quickly to them, his eyes swept around, and finally landed on the unconscious Su Mubai. His expression suddenly changed: "What happened to Su Mubai?"

"He was injured trying to save me." Chu Mengmeng's tone was low, her eyes full of self-blame.

Xiao Yifeng checked Su Mubai's injuries and frowned: "His injuries are very serious and he needs treatment as soon as possible."

After saying that, he picked up Su Mubai and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute!" Lin Wan'er suddenly stopped him, "I have something to tell you."

She stared at Xiao Yifeng sharply, her tone cold, as if she could see through all his disguises.

"About Su Mubai, and... you."

Xiao Yifeng froze, a chill running from the soles of his feet to his head. Lin Wan'er's eyes were too sharp, as if she could see through all his disguises. He forced a smile: "Wan'er, what do you mean? I'm worried about you, so..."

"That's enough!" Lin Wan'er interrupted him, "You should be very familiar with this metal plate, right?"

She took out the metal plate with a special pattern from her bosom and threw it coldly at Xiao Yifeng's feet. The metal plate glowed coldly in the moonlight, like a poisonous snake, tightly wrapped around Xiao Yifeng's throat, making him almost unable to breathe.

"This... this is..." Xiao Yifeng's face was pale, his eyes flickered, and he didn't dare to look directly into Lin Wan'er's eyes.

“Do you have anything else to explain?” Lin Wan’er pressed on, “Su Mubai risked his life to protect Mengmeng because he knew you were a traitor. He wanted to use his own life to exchange for the safety of the Light Gem!”

Chu Mengmeng looked at Xiao Yifeng in disbelief, her eyes full of hurt and disappointment. She could never have imagined that Xiao Yifeng, who had always cared for her, was actually a betrayer!

Xiao Yifeng knew that he had been exposed, so he tore off his disguise and laughed wildly: "That's right! I am the traitor! The Light Gem is mine, and no one else can get it!"

He attacked suddenly, and a fierce attack went straight to Chu Mengmeng. Lin Wan'er was prepared, standing in front of Chu Mengmeng and fighting fiercely with Xiao Yifeng.

"Mengmeng, go and start the ceremony!" Lin Wan'er shouted anxiously while fending off Xiao Yifeng's attack.

Chu Mengmeng knew that now was not the time to hesitate. She glanced at the unconscious Su Mubai, and a trace of determination flashed in her eyes. She turned and ran to the depths of the ruins, looking for the key to start the ceremony according to what the gray-robed man said.

Xiao Yifeng wanted to stop Chu Mengmeng, but was entangled by Lin Wan'er. The two were equally strong and it was difficult to tell who would win.

At this moment, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the night sky. Nine stars formed a line and emitted dazzling light.

"Nine Stars in a Conjunction!" Chu Mengmeng shouted in surprise. She felt a powerful force awakening.

"We can't let her start the ceremony!" Xiao Yifeng's face changed drastically. He attacked Lin Wan'er frantically, trying to get away as soon as possible.

Lin Wan'er tried her best to block it, but Xiao Yifeng's attack became more and more fierce, and she gradually became exhausted.

Just when Xiao Yifeng was about to break through Lin Wan'er's defense, a figure suddenly appeared behind him and hit him on the back with a palm.

Xiao Yifeng screamed, spit out blood, and flew backwards.

"Yifeng!" A woman's exclamation came from the distance, and a woman in black appeared in front of everyone. She was the mysterious woman who appeared at the auction before.

"Who are you?" Lin Wan'er asked vigilantly.

"I'm here to take him away." The woman in black glanced at Lin Wan'er coldly, picked up the seriously injured Xiao Yifeng, turned around and disappeared into the night.

Chu Mengmeng successfully started the ceremony, and a dazzling light shot up from the depths of the ruins, illuminating the entire night sky.

"We succeeded!" Lin Wan'er said with relief, but there was not much joy on her face, instead it was full of worry.

Because this is just the beginning, greater challenges are yet to come.