FI CH 35

Chapter 35: Underground Labyrinth (V)

Bai Hua hadn’t quite grasped the darkness of human nature—but Kurosawa, on the other hand, clearly had his ways.

The two of them had been following in secret for a while, and when little Feng Xu entered a secluded corridor, they cornered him against the wall.

Xiao Jiu trembled with fear but still tried to act strong. His expression was tangled, as if he couldn’t understand why the people who had saved him last time were now causing him trouble.

After learning that Xiao Jiu was Feng Xu, Bai Hua felt an inexplicable fondness for him. He crouched down and said gently, “Don’t be afraid. How about we make a deal?”

Xiao Jiu didn’t understand why the two men had approached him, but he still shook his head. Out of habit, he clutched the item in his hands tightly, guarding it from being taken.

Bai Hua added, “I know your brother’s secret.”

At the mention of his brother, Xiao Jiu’s expression changed immediately. In a soft, childish voice trying to sound mature, he said, “I know you’re outsiders. If you try to threaten me, I’ll tell everyone about you.”

Hearing that only made the two of them more interested.

Bai Hua asked again, “How did you know we’re outsiders?”

“I remember everyone’s face around here.”

Bai Hua glanced at Kurosawa, who gave a small nod. Whether or not Feng Xu had been affected, this child definitely had the potential to become an ability user.

Bai Hua softened his tone and released a bit of goodwill. “Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to hurt your brother. I just want to know—does your brother get scared of light, loud noises, or certain strong smells?”

Xiao Jiu stared at Bai Hua and didn’t reply.

Bai Hua added, “Because I used to be like that too.”

Xiao Jiu’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes. That’s why I have some medicine that can ease his symptoms,” Bai Hua said. But by the end of his sentence, he felt a bit guilty—he wasn’t used to lying.

Fortunately, Xiao Jiu didn’t notice at all. The moment he heard there was medicine that could help his brother feel better, his eyes lit up. “What do you want me to do? I can do anything!”

“I don’t need you to do anything. I just want to ask you a few questions.”

But hearing that made Xiao Jiu wary again. The environment in the underground city was far too complicated. He’d grown up here and had seen too many shady things. Even at his young age, he was unusually sensitive to anything involving information. He hesitated and said, “Why should I trust you?”

This time, Kurosawa answered. His expression remained calm as he said, “Because of what you just said—we’re outsiders. Outside, there are plenty of medicines you’ve never heard of or seen.”

Xiao Jiu seemed a little swayed by this.

Kurosawa added, “Don’t worry. We won’t ask you anything difficult. We just want to know more about you and your brother. In return, we’ll give you the medicine—but everything we talk about here has to remain a secret.”

“Even from my brother?”

“Yes.”

Xiao Jiu looked at Kurosawa, tempted by the medicine. In the end, he nodded.

Kurosawa handed him the vial of guide pheromones and then asked, “What’s your real name?”

Xiao Jiu took the item and answered, “I don’t know my real name, but everyone calls me Feng Jiu.”

“Do you know how to write it?”

Xiao Jiu nodded, and on the ground, he wrote the characters for Feng Xu (風旭).

That confirmed their suspicion.

Kurosawa then asked, “Have you lived here since you were little? Do you have parents or any siblings?”

Xiao Jiu shook his head. “No, I’m alone.”

“What about your brother?”

“I don’t know. He just started appearing here last month. The adults said he accidentally got mixed in with the goods and was brought back that way.”

“Why are you so nice to him?”

“Because everyone else bullies me. He’s the only one who protects me. So I want to take care of him.”

Bai Hua asked, “Do you know his true identity? Or why he’s experiencing those symptoms?”

Xiao Jiu said, “No. He only said that it’ll get better after a while, so I didn’t ask.”

“What else did he say?”

Xiao Jiu thought for a moment before answering, “He said he’ll take me away from here.”

After learning the basics, the two didn’t press for more. Xiao Jiu happily ran off with the vial of guide pheromones.

Based on the clues so far, they could only conclude that Lin Yuan did eventually take Feng Xu out of the underground city. Later, the two of them must have joined the Sentinel and Guide Guilds, respectively.

But what was the trigger for their departure? That part still remained unclear.

A child’s heart is simple, and sometimes that makes them unlikely to dig deeper. Just like Feng Xu, who trusted Lin Yuan so much that he never asked too many questions.

Since it was clear they wouldn’t be able to get any more out of Xiao Jiu, the two began thinking about how to approach the younger Lin Yuan next.

But before they had a chance, a major event suddenly broke out in the underground city.

It was likely in the middle of the night when the alarm for an enemy attack blared from somewhere inside the city. A deafening explosion followed, waking everyone from their sleep. No one had time to grab anything—they all fled in panic.

It had been years since anything like this had happened in the underground city. After so many peaceful days, the residents had grown complacent, and their sense of vigilance had gradually eroded. In that critical moment, no one could remember what the emergency protocols were, and chaos broke out.

Thick smoke began spreading from the second basement level. Judging by the sounds and shaking, the explosion had likely occurred in the warehouse district.

When the incident happened, Bai Hua and Kurosawa were still keeping watch near young Lin Yuan’s residence. Barely a second after the explosion, they saw little Lin Yuan burst out of the door—not like he was fleeing for safety, but rather as if he were desperately rushing toward the site of the explosion. The two were briefly stunned before quickly reacting and giving chase.

They had been tailing the two kids for several days, and it suddenly struck them—tonight was Xiao Jiu’s turn to clean the storage room, which was near the warehouse district. It was very likely that he had already been affected by the blast.

Because of the thick smoke and more debris cluttering the path, they soon realized they couldn’t keep up with the kid’s pace despite chasing after him for a while.

Lin Yuan had known all along that someone was following him, but at this moment, he couldn’t care less. All that mattered was reaching Xiao Jiu as soon as possible.

Halfway there, another wave of people came rushing in their direction, panicked and disoriented as the tremors grew stronger from above. Bai Hua and Kurosawa were jostled and delayed, and when they looked ahead again, the child’s figure had already vanished down some tunnel.

Unfamiliar with the layout, they had no choice but to rely on a sentinel’s heightened senses. Bai Hua closed his eyes and listened carefully before choosing a route upward.

The higher they climbed, the thicker the smoke became, and now they could hear the distant sounds of fighting.

They swiftly made their way through the chaos, heading straight for the storage room. The door to the room had been completely blown open, and people around it were caught in the blast, lying strewn all over the place.

Bai Hua immediately spotted little Lin Yuan in a corner, his face dark and grim as he stared at the ground. Xiao Jiu was pinned under a pile of rubble, completely still.

As soon as Bai Hua saw that expression, he knew things were bad—it was a sign of losing control. If it were just an ordinary sentinel, maybe it wouldn’t be as concerning, but this was Lin Yuan—an innate dark sentinel^[1]. If he lost control, he might destroy the entire underground city.

There was no time to say anything to Kurosawa, but it seemed Kurosawa had already guessed what was happening. The two of them rushed toward the scene at the same time.

Bai Hua was the first to reach Lin Yuan and restrained his movement, while Kurosawa went to dig Xiao Jiu out from under the rubble.

Though Lin Yuan wasn’t as strong as them yet, he still struggled with all his might.

“Calm down. Calm down,” Bai Hua had to firmly lock down his arms to keep him from escaping. While doing so, his eyes also flicked toward Xiao Jiu.

After pulling Xiao Jiu out, Kurosawa first checked his heartbeat and then pressed on his carotid artery. Only then did he turn to Bai Hua and say, “He’s fine.”

Bai Hua breathed a sigh of relief. But Lin Yuan still seemed unable to hear anything—he was locked onto Xiao Jiu, violently struggling.

Bai Hua had no choice but to shout into his ear, “Look clearly—Xiao Jiu is fine!”

“He’s fine!”

Only then did Lin Yuan seem to snap out of it. He stared at Xiao Jiu and then collapsed weakly to his knees, drained of all strength.

In truth, both Bai Hua and Kurosawa had forgotten—no matter how much they interfered, nothing that had already happened in this place could be changed.

Just then, the ground shook again, as if it were on the verge of collapse.

The outside was in chaos, and the first wave of enemies had already charged down the tunnels.

Bai Hua didn’t want a direct confrontation, but the surrounding mess left them with no clear way out.

Lin Yuan, who had regained his composure, looked at the still-unconscious Xiao Jiu lying in Kurosawa’s arms and said to the two of them, “Follow me.”

(To be continued…)