Tomb Raider: The man is in the Nine Gates, but the system insists it's the Primordial Era.

Changsha City.

Inside the interrogation room.

Having removed his military uniform, Huo Wenhai, disheveled and in a sorry state, gritted his teeth and said, "What are you using to interrogate me? Zhang Qishan says I'm colluding with the Japanese, so what's the evidence? Just based on that old eunuch's few words? Why don't you interrogate the old eunuch about whether he conspired with Zhang Qishan to harm me?"

"Also! Go and thoroughly investigate that Su Mu of Zhenxian Temple! I suspect he's colluding with the Japanese!"

"..."

The official sitting opposite Huo Wenhai in the interrogation room frowned as he reviewed the case-related documents in his hand.

The official frowned: "Commander Huo, since Commander Zhang ordered your detention, he must have evidence. Would he risk his career just to frame you?"

The official put down the documents in his hand: "As for this True Immortal Temple? What True Immortal Temple is there? And who is Su Mu?"

Huo Wenhai asked in disbelief, "Are you all blind? It's that Su family boy who's been frequently seen around the Nine Gates! His father is Su Bozhong..."

The official, tidying up the documents in his hands, stood up: "Oh, you mean Adjutant Zhang Xianzong?"

Huo Wenhai: "???"

The official smiled and said, "You've been locked up for a few days and are unaware of the changes in the outside world. The son of the Su family you mentioned is registered in our government archives as a garrison adjutant, surnamed Zhang, named Xianzong."

Huo Wenhai: "I'm going to sue Zhang Qishan! Abuse of power!"

Huo Wenhai: "Why is it that Su Mu didn't do anything! He was directly promoted to the position of garrison adjutant! And what's with this Zhang Xianzong's lousy name?!"

Huo Wenhai continued his hoarse roar: "Hahahaha, hahahaha! I know! They, they even changed their surnames and given names to deal with me! How cruel, Su Mu, how cruel you are!"

……

Eighty-two villages in western Hunan, on the road leading to Heimen Mountain.

Zhang Qishan told Su Mu the whole story.

Zhang Qishan: "I changed your surname and given name without my permission. Manager Su, you won't be angry with me, will you?"

Su Mu shook his head: "A name is just a title. This method is excellent. I think everyone in the Nine Gates can try it too. By the way, you just said you changed my file. What name from your Zhang family is written on it?"

Zhang Qishan: "Xianzong, Zhang Xianzong."

Su Mu glanced at Huo Xian'er beside him: "..."

Huo Xian'er asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Su Mu?"

Su Mu smiled wryly: "It's nothing, it's just that the name feels strangely familiar. And, you've made me the deputy commander for the defense of Changsha, don't any of the other officers have any objections?"

Zhang Qishan nodded: "Each head of the department will have several deputy officials appointed. Under normal circumstances, deputy officials need to be transferred from people who are already officials. However, at this time, there is constant warfare, so the higher-ups are aware that generals in the field may not obey orders."

Half-Cut Li clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Buddha, if you have time, could you revise our files as well?"

Zhang Qishan frowned: "It will be difficult for you. Su Mu is easier to tamper with his identity because few people have seen any trace of his life in the past seventeen years. They only know that he exists. But for you, who have been in the martial arts world for so many years, it will be no easy task to cover up your traces."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

If it were really as simple as altering Su Mu's identity, then the Nine Gates wouldn't have left behind so many hidden dangers.

Huo Wenhai wanted to use the suspicion of the Ninth Master of the Nine Gates being "colluding with the Japanese" to manipulate him in order to control the Nine Gates and bring down Zhang Qishan.

Even an outside official could see the long-standing hidden dangers within the Nine Gates.

How could those within their ranks not see it?

Most of them were born during the chaotic period of the collapse of the feudal dynasty, lived in various places as politicians, and were oblivious to the constant wars of the Republic of China era.

Being able to survive was already quite an achievement; who could have imagined at the time that it would leave behind so many potential criminal charges?

The deed has been done, and the chain of evidence is complete enough.

If Zhang Qishan decides to harm them, no one will be able to escape.

The reason Zhang Qishan hadn't touched the remaining eight sect leaders of the Nine Gates was simply because these eight forces provided him with numerous advantages in the city, making it easier for him to act.

Half-Li, with his hands behind his back, said, "Then we really have no choice but to fake our death to escape. But the worst thing is that on the day we fake our death, the higher-ups will send people down to inspect our 'corpses'."

Everyone looked grim.

They all knew that once Huo Wenhai emerged, more officials and forces targeting the criminal evidence chains left behind by the Nine Gates would follow.

Jie Jiu could erase the traces of his studies in Japan by changing his identity.

However, the business chain that the Xie family and the Nine Gates have maintained cannot be completely erased in a short period of time.

Only time can make people forget all of this.

However, for the Nine Gates, time was the worst possible news.

They simply didn't have enough time to close down their respective shady business stores and erase all traces of their past operations this year.

Su Mu shook his head and continued walking forward: "There's another way."

Everyone looked up at Su Mu: "Oh?"

Su Mu looked at the wisps of smoke rising from the distant mountains: "The battlefield against the Japanese pirates."

The members of the Nine Gates kept their eyes darting around, pondering methods related to these words.

Half-Cut Li clapped his hands again and exclaimed, "Great idea! We'll all go together then. People who die on the battlefield shouldn't be checked one by one anymore, right? Then we'll have someone send a message back to Changsha saying that our Nine Gates joined forces with Buddha to fight against the Japanese pirates, and that all of our Nine Gates leaders died on the battlefield. Hahahaha!"

As Half-Li pondered, a loud laugh broke out on his lips.

However, the remaining leaders of the Nine Gates showed no smiles on their faces.

Feigning death to escape from the battlefield sounds easy, and it's a good plan.

But what if I really die then?

Battlefield warfare is not as simple as the daily struggles between different factions within Changsha.

In power struggles, people usually don't go to extremes; they're mostly people who see each other all the time.

But the battles on the battlefield are always a fight to the death.

Zhang Qishan was very capable.

Even Zhang Qishan himself couldn't guarantee that he would be able to win every battle in the future.

Su Mu noticed the embarrassment on their faces: "Actually, it would be quite nice if you could leave your children with the reputation of your father being a hero who fought against Japanese pirates."

Huo Xian'er knew Su Mu was teasing everyone, and lightly pinched the soft flesh on Su Mu's waist: "You must have other ideas, right? Su, Zhang~Xian~Zong, hehehe, what kind of good person would have the name XianZong? What an old-fashioned name."

Su Mu looked at the lively Huo Xian'er with deep eyes.

Zhang Qishan altered his file to cover up his true identity and past.

He unintentionally acquired the pseudonym Zhang Xianzong.

This Zhang Xianzong is a fake.

But the woman standing before him, the future head of the Huo family and the future Fairy Huo, bore the appearance of Yue Qiluo…

………………

………………

P.S.: Waaaaah, I'm still begging for gifts.