FI CH 32

Chapter 32: Underground Labyrinth (II)

This underground city was vast—far beyond what they had initially seen. Beneath the surface, there seemed to be countless layers constructed downward, resembling an ant nest.

When the group reached the third basement level, the narrow passage suddenly widened, opening up into a spacious hall. Stone tables and chairs were arranged all around the hall—just a glance showed it could hold hundreds of people. However, the area was so massive that searching for markings in such a large space was no easy task.

Bai Hua looked around and noticed several oil lamps mounted on the stone walls. They still contained some leftover oil and bore recent burn marks. He lit them one by one, and as the flames flared up, the entire hall was illuminated, finally revealing its full layout.

This place looked like an ancient gathering hall. Multiple corridors extended outward from the hall in an irregular pattern.

Everyone searched around the entrances of the various passageways, but they didn’t find any markings. The trail ended there, which meant something was off. This time, they searched even more thoroughly and discovered traces of movement in several areas.

Based on his experience, Bai Hua could easily determine what the signs meant.

“They were attacked here.”

But what puzzled him was that, according to the evidence, the struggle hadn’t been intense. It was as if the group had been subdued within a few moves. For others, maybe that was possible—but He He was the second-ranking sentinel. Bai Hua knew his friend’s strength. There was no way he would be defeated that easily.

Unless… it was the possibility Bai Hua least wanted to consider—they had been ambushed by their own people.

Yet the situation before them left him no choice but to suspect exactly that. The others seemed to have the same thought, and for a moment, everyone fell silent.

It was Kurosawa who broke the heavy silence.

“Until the truth is confirmed, everything is just speculation. If they were really attacked, there should be some kind of distress signal left behind.”

His words brought everyone back to focus, and they resumed their search for more clues.

Bai Hua glanced at Kurosawa. He had to admit—many times, Kurosawa’s presence alone was a stabilizing force for the entire team. He was just about to say something when he noticed the flames on the wall-mounted lamps suddenly flicker.

If it had been just that, it wouldn’t have surprised him. But in the next second, the faded, weathered stone walls around them seemed to shed their old colors, transforming into something completely new.

Thick stone pillars, intricately carved lamps, spotless tables and chairs, and tables filled with fine wine and exquisite dishes—the entire hall came to life. Crowds of people began to pour in, and they found themselves in the midst of a lively gathering, surrounded by drinking and dancing.

Bai Hua froze in place. Then he realized this wasn’t an illusion—because it wasn’t just him. The other five members clearly saw it too.

Kurosawa’s expression shifted subtly, but he still wore his usual calm demeanor.

“What’s happ—”

Before Bai Hua could finish his sentence, Kurosawa suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him close.

The sound of a wine bottle shattering rang out behind them.

The celebration seemed to come to an abrupt halt. Since the moment the six of them had arrived, the crowd’s attention had locked onto them—hostile, aggressive, and filled with ill intent…

“Run!”

It was unclear who shouted it first, but in the next moment, everyone bolted into action. A few burly men were the first to charge at them with bottles in hand. The others quickly followed suit, acting as one. The elderly, women, and children retreated to the corners in an orderly fashion—almost as if this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

Even though they were ability users, being surrounded by dozens of attackers all at once was hard to defend against.

The wide hall quickly became crowded with the moving crowd. The team had no choice but to split up.

Kurosawa grabbed Bai Hua and pulled him down a random corridor, while the other pair of sentinel and guide headed in the opposite direction. An Shi glanced briefly in Bai Hua’s direction but quickly gave up on following, instead leading his partnered guide toward another exit.

The enemy didn’t even need to make much effort. The six of them had already been naturally split up. Even though they knew it was a trap, they had no choice.

Bai Hua finally understood why the previous squad had left behind no trace—everyone had been separated in exactly the same way. There was no time to react. No chance to leave a mark.

The two of them ran through the narrow corridor for a while when Bai Hua suddenly stopped, turned around, and kicked hard at one of their pursuers. The corridor was too narrow—barely enough for two people side by side—so with the one in front blocked, the others naturally piled up behind.

No one was familiar with the layout, and for now, they could only observe and adjust accordingly.

After they had run a little further, their pursuers gradually began to fall behind. Kurosawa seemed to notice a possible hiding spot and pulled Bai Hua into a side path.

Bai Hua saw that the path ended in a dead end, but Kurosawa continued walking forward until he reached the stone wall, then felt around behind it until he located a hidden door. He pushed it open, and once they entered, the door quietly closed behind them as if it had never existed.

Bai Hua looked at Kurosawa in surprise.

“How did you know…?”

Kurosawa’s expression was serious. “This is what I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I tried to read the mind of one of the people chasing us just now… and I realized that my guide abilities are being suppressed by this mental landscape.”

Bai Hua froze for a second. He knew Kurosawa wasn’t someone who would joke about something like this. He was shocked.

“What do you mean? But weren’t you able to see where this door was?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I might not be able to use my mental power right now, but I can see every hidden door in this place.”

“…Is that some kind of trade-off?”

“Maybe. This vast mental landscape isn’t entirely something Lin Yuan created. It has a will of its own—it follows its own set of rules. I think… maybe because I was the one who opened the city gate, this place is now running off my mental power.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever heard of something like that.”

“Same here.” Kurosawa brushed his fingers over the intricate carvings on the stone walls. The surface was smooth and polished, free of any dust, as if they had truly returned to the prime era of this underground city. The ones chasing them—they were once real.

“But the world of the mental domain… is far deeper and broader than we understand.”

Bai Hua stared at Kurosawa without speaking. He knew—he had to make a choice now. Should they continue with the rescue mission… or retreat?

If they turned back now, it was still possible. They weren’t far from the entrance, and if they made a break for the main hall, their odds of escape were still decent.

But doing so would mean abandoning the previous team—abandoning He He.

He truly was unwilling to stop here. If it were just himself, he could still accept it. But the moment it involved Kurosawa—when it endangered his teammates—he had no choice but to tread carefully.

However, Kurosawa had already made the decision for him.

“Let’s keep moving forward. I didn’t tell you all this just so you’d retreat.”

Bai Hua remained silent.

Kurosawa laid out the reasoning plainly.

“First, we’re already completely separated from the others. Without knowing each other’s exact location, trying to regroup will just waste valuable time. Second, if this entire underground city really is being powered by my mental energy, then the moment I leave, the others will definitely be trapped inside. Third, we’re still trapped within the mental landscape…”

Bai Hua blurted out without thinking, “Then what about you?”

Kurosawa, unable to use his guide abilities, was clearly in the most dangerous position of all.

“Aren’t you here with me?” Kurosawa countered naturally.

“Besides, I don’t see this as a bad thing. Being able to perceive every hidden door in this place is like having access to shortcuts. In a place like this, that could be more useful than any power.”

Bai Hua knew there was no changing Kurosawa’s mind now.

“Then I’ll protect you.”

Kurosawa accepted that without hesitation.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“What should we do next?”

“For now, we stay put and wait for them to disperse. Once the coast is clear, we move.” Kurosawa added, “Just now, I noticed something—the reason they attacked us seems to be because we’re outsiders.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think… we’ve returned to a point in time when this underground city was still inhabited. Have you ever thought about why this city was built underground in the first place? The entrance was hidden with such elaborate mechanisms, almost like they were afraid of being discovered. And yet, there’s a nearby oasis above, even the ocean isn’t far off—the environment here isn’t bad at all.”

Putting together Kurosawa’s deductions, Bai Hua could only think of one possibility.

“A refuge?”

“Mm. What we saw in that grand hall—people from all sorts of different places—and the complex network of underground tunnels… it makes me think this place once served as a shelter.”

“So because we looked unfamiliar, they assumed we were enemies?”

“And also because of the clothes we’re wearing—they don’t match theirs at all.”

Bai Hua quickly caught on to what needed to be done.

“I’ll go get us two sets of clothes. That should do the trick, right?”

“Worth a try.”

(To be continued…)