Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 216: Getting Out Of The Hellhole

"Did the snake just move in recently? Did it piss off the lizard?"

Han Yu didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to be the neutral bystander caught in a battle between beastly apex predators with emotional baggage.

Whatever their backstory, he hoped they tore each other apart without involving him.

Nearly a day later, his legs threatening mutiny and his waterskin long since emptied, Han Yu’s lungs caught a whiff of something miraculous.

Air. Real air. Fresh air.

He didn’t care if it carried the smell of sulfur, brimstone, wet dog or unwashed yak—he sprinted toward it like a man possessed. The tunnel sloped upward before ending in a steep climb. The exit was nearly thirty meters above him, light spilling through it like the gates of heaven.

Han Yu looked up and grimaced. "Of course."

With no time to rest, he started climbing. The rocks were jagged, the surfaces unstable, and his hands screamed with each pull. He sliced his palms on shards of stone, dirt got into every crevice of his robes, and blood trickled down his arms in thin lines. But inch by inch, he made it.

Finally—finally—he hauled himself out onto solid ground and collapsed onto his back, panting, bleeding, and possibly crying a little inside.

When he recovered enough to stand, he took in his surroundings.

Barren earth stretched in all directions. Wind blew across the rocky plateau, dry and sharp like it carried a thousand years of dust. Han Yu turned slowly in a full circle, scanning the horizon.

To the north: jagged black peaks.To the south: a field of cracked earth and pale boulders.To the east: more mountains—tall, twisted spires reaching toward the clouds.And to the west—

He spotted it immediately.

The Slumbering Caldera, unmistakable even from this distance. A massive mountain cracked open at the top, with occasional puffs of dark volcanic smoke drifting lazily from its mouth like a napping dragon. Heat waves shimmered above its slopes.

"Okay. That’s west," Han Yu said, pointing.

Then he blinked. His finger trembled slightly.

"If the caldera is west..."

He looked down at where he’d emerged.

Then turned to where he was now standing.

His eyes widened.

"...I’ve gone past it."

He pulled out the small, tattered map he kept in his pouch and compared the landmarks. His finger traced from the collapsed cavern where he’d fallen, through the subterranean tunnels, past the location of the caldera—and stopped where he now stood.

A spot marked deep within Mist Eye Sect territory.

"...Fuck."

The wind blew.

Han Yu sighed.

"Of course. Of course, it couldn’t be a nice gentle hill or a friendly village with snacks. Nope. Right smack dab in the middle of enemy territory."

He looked around again, scanning for any signs of patrols or movement. Nothing yet. But that didn’t mean he was safe.

No. This was worse. Now the mission was real.

He was here. Unintentionally. Unprepared. Deep inside hostile land. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

And with his luck, someone probably saw him crawl out of the ground like a dirt-covered mole at the worst possible time.

Han Yu wiped the sweat from his brow, smearing dust and blood across his face, and muttered:

"Well, Han Yu... guess we’re doing this the hard way."

He stood up straight, squared his shoulders, and began walking toward the volcanic horizon, the ominous puffing of the Slumbering Caldera guiding him like an angry chimney.

Time to find a way back—and maybe, just maybe, learn why the Mist Eye Sect was so interested in this godforsaken territory.

***

Han Yu stood on the cracked plateau, wind tugging at his tattered robes, dust swirling around his boots, and uncertainty gnawing at his thoughts.

The mission was clear: infiltrate Mist Eye Sect territory and gather information.

He had one year to do it. That year had just begun, and he was already knee-deep in beast nests, ancient altars, and accidental spelunking.

But there was another priority—a personal one, yet still tied to the mission. The Ashes of a Fireborn Beast. Without them, he wouldn’t be able to rebuild his body with the Undying Life Charm.

He sighed and looked westward again, toward the Caldera, its faint columns of volcanic smoke rising like ghostly banners. That was where the Fireborn Beasts dwelled. Or at least, where their remains could be found.

"This isn’t even my assigned infiltration point," he muttered. "I was supposed to end up west of the Caldera, not—" he waved his arm around vaguely, "—in the snake-lizard death zone express lane east of it."

He looked at the sun, now hanging high overhead, scorching and unforgiving.

"Alright. Caldera first. I’ll grab the ashes while I’m nearby, then double back to the actual Mist Eye territory. That’s efficient. That’s smart. That’s the only option that doesn’t involve dying to either snake venom or sect patrols while sleep-deprived."

Decision made, Han Yu dusted himself off, gritted his teeth, and began the trek.

The plateau stretched on for nearly fifty kilometers, a jagged maze of broken stone, uneven ground, and occasional boulder fields that looked suspiciously like crushed beasts’ remains.

There was no lava, thank the heavens, but the volcanic heat still lingered in the air like a threat. Cracks in the earth hissed steam, and sharp basalt rocks threatened to shred his boots with every misstep.

And then came the beasts.

Most were manageable—low-level scavengers and burrowers who avoided him, sensing he wasn’t easy prey. But others weren’t so shy. He caught sight of a horned, tusked creature prowling along a ridge, snorting and tearing at the dirt. It was only a Qi refining Realm beast, thankfully, and it retreated after sensing his aura.

But just as he began to feel safe, he heard it.

A cry—piercing, high-pitched, and chilling.

Han Yu froze, ears straining.

From the southern skies, something moved. A shadow against the sun. No, not a shadow—a dot, growing larger. He squinted and watched as it soared high into the air, wings outstretched, body silhouetted against the glare.

Then it dove.

A blur of feathers, fury, and ferocity.