Of course, there was nothing strange about the cross. It only worked with a chant anyway. Without that, it was simply a piece of scrap metal in anyone else's hands.

Besides...

There was another reason why Blake had been willing to hand him with the cross.

The Yin qi here was increasing.

After the Yin qi spreads, even Blake might no longer be able to control it, as the cross had already been too saturated with ghostly qi.

In that case, anyone who was in possession of it would be the next target for the overflowing ghostly qi! Even if John hadn't demanded for it, Blake had already been planning to abandon the cross.

After all, in the face of such an enormous amount of ghostly qi, the cross was basically useless.

Now that this guy wanted it, he could have it!

Anyway, he was more worried that he wouldn't be able to solve the problem at hand.

He hoped that this guy wouldn't cry and beg him to come to his rescue, though.

Blake smiled to himself as he pictured the scene. He handed the cross in his hand over to John.

Seeing the man's hesitation to take it, Blake spoke calmly, "What? You don't want it anymore? I guess I'll throw it away then!"

John looked at him in vigilance as he kept himself on his toes.

He couldn't decipher if Blake was faking, or if he genuinely didn't care about the cross.

'Was I wrong?

'Is it really just an ordinary cross?'

John guessed suspiciously.

However, he didn't hesitate for long, and quickly reached out to swipe it from Blake's grasp.

After all, there were more than a thousand pairs of eyes watching him in the livestream, and he couldn't afford to show any cowardice.

Just like that, John had gotten the cross as he wished.

Holding it in his hand, he inspected it carefully for a moment, and was relieved to find that there was nothing unusual about it.

He wore it around his neck.

However, the cross didn't float in the air as it had done with Blake.

Could it be that the cross needed some kind of trigger to activate its potential?

John wondered, perplexed.

However, even if it did, he could not ask Blake in front of everyone.

If he did, his plot of claiming the protection to be his doing would be all for naught.

After a moment of consideration, John recited a few random sentences and words in English.

Nothing happened.

His face flushed red with embarrassment for a moment.

It did not last long, however. After all, he was experienced and arrogant. He quickly forced himself to regain his composure as he walked over to the side of the two scorched corpses of his teammates in an attempt to change the topic.

"Because of my mistake, two teammates lost their lives. I'm very sorry.

"The evil energy in this place was beyond my expectations.

"I have to say, as the captain, this was a major failure on my part.

"I sincerely apologize to everyone once again."

As he spoke, John bowed deeply to the crowd, wearing an extremely apologetic mask.

How could the viewers in the livestream blame him at this moment?

Almost immediately, comments popped up rapidly, filling the comments section again.

"We don't blame you at all, Captain John!"

"You were only doing this to protect Blake!"

The deaths of the two expedition members were thus disregarded by the audience.

Utilizing his abilities as a smooth talker, John had managed to successfully maintain his dignity.

He was very relieved; he had fooled the netizens yet again!

However, he could also clearly feel the danger lurking from the cemetery.

The unexpected loss of two team members had caused Captain John to finally realize that there was imminent danger here.

The possibility of a ghost roaming around pressed itself into John's mind.

There was no time to lose. They could not afford to stay here any longer, they had to leave as soon as possible.

John called the remaining eight teammates over and began to discuss their next move.

After what had occurred, the whole expedition team had naturally become terrified of this place.

They were only here to explore, they had not signed up for this! The enemy had not even shown itself yet, and they had already lost two members.

What was the point of continuing this exploration?

Everyone thought the same.

John did not even have to waste his energy to persuade them; they all agreed to the idea of retreating without a second thought, and they prepared to leave as soon as possible.

As the audience in the livestream had also witnessed the murder of the two members previously, their eagerness for this expedition had also diminished. Worried about the safety of the team, they did not hesitate to support John and his plan either.

Everyone was sure that they were making the right decision.

However, John hesitated at the last moment, realizing that Blake didn't seem to be preparing a retreat.

John narrowed his eyes as he watched Blake walk toward the middle of the cemetery and take a seat, cross-legged.

What did this boy think he was doing?

Hadn't he been just persuading them to leave?

Why would he stay?

John's head was full of doubt and confusion, his intuition telling him that something was definitely amiss.

Before, he had thought of Blake as just a brat who joined the team through shady connections.

However, after Blake had broken the illusion that they had fallen under, John was beginning to feel that this guy was not just any regular high school student!

As he recalled, he started to remember that every move Blake had made after joining the expedition team was unusual.

'He could clearly tell that the place has ghostly qi...

'He also knew that my crosses had aggravated the Yin qi in this place...

'And he was able to dispel the illusions that were driving us mad… 'This guy... must be special!

'He didn't come here to explore, he intended to stay even after talking us out of it...

'There's only one possibility!

'He wants something from this place!

'And we were in his way!

'So, what exactly is buried underneath this cemetery?

'Is there treasure?'

John wondered, deep in thought.

He had always boasted of his intelligence, so he felt that there was nothing wrong with his speculation!

Blake must have come with the intention of finding treasure underneath the grave!

Realizing this, the corners of John's mouth turned upward, thinking he had finally discovered Blake's true intentions.

He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and walked back to the grave.

The teammates behind him were completely dumbfounded.

What the hell?

Hadn't they decided that everyone was going home?

Why was he turning back?

Everyone was baffled.

The netizens in the livestream were also completely stunned.

What was the meaning of this?

Captain John... Did he have a new plan?

Everyone was confused as they watched John return to the cemetery, finally stopping beside Blake as he muttered something to him.

"Blake, you didn't come here just to explore, did you?"

John made sure to lower his voice, so that no one else could hear him.

As he looked at Blake, he noticed Blake's eyebrows twitch slightly.

Blake quickly brushed it off, as if it did not happen. Without looking at John, he replied, "You're overthinking. The ghostly qi here is increasing. If you stay here, your lives will be in danger. I suggest that you leave quickly."

"What about you? Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you afraid of death?"

John asked directly.

However, this time, Blake did not answer.

In truth, he was too lazy to even bother talking to him.

'Why wouldn't I be afraid of death? Who isn't?

'I'll only die if I leave. Would you believe me if I told you this?'

Blake thought to himself, without any words leaving his mouth.

However, in John's point of view, Blake seemed to be faltering, which only confirmed his suspicions—there must be hidden treasure in the tomb!

Blake definitely had something up his sleeve!

At this realization, a grin spread across John's face.

He whispered to Blake, "You came for the treasure in the tomb, right? You don't have to hide it, I know everything!"

As he said this confidently, John waved to the members behind him.

"Everyone, let's not leave now. Apparently, there's something strange concealed under the tomb. Let's stay... and dig it up!"