Chapter 1575: Investigation III

Lory and Zhao Li Xin continued deeper into the tunnel.

Though the passage was wide enough to walk comfortably side by side, the darkness pressing in around them made the space feel suffocating. Zhao Li Xin’s flashlight carved a narrow path through the blackness, but beyond its beam the shadows seemed endless, and the air was thick and stale.

Every step echoed softly against the metal walls, the sound stretching unnaturally far into the distance. Somewhere deeper inside the tunnel, water dripped at irregular intervals, the faint sound hollow and lonely.

It was the kind of place that made the skin prickle.

As if something might emerge from the darkness at any moment.

And that thought was not excessive. Because Baels had indeed passed through this tunnel before.

However, the real question was how they had been brought here in the first place.

"The smell is getting stronger," Zhao Li Xin said suddenly.

Lory paused beside him and wrinkled her nose.

"...You’re right," she admitted quietly. "I can smell it now."

It lingered faintly in the air, a sharp mixture of gunpowder and blood, layered with something acrid and metallic that clung unpleasantly to the back of the throat.

They moved forward again. After several more minutes, the tunnel gradually widened until it opened into a large underground chamber. Lory slowed to a stop.

Then, in front of them few massive concrete pillars rose from the floor like ancient columns, supporting the heavy ceiling above. Rusted pipes snaked along the walls, some broken, others left unfinished as if the construction had been abandoned without warning.

The beam of Zhao Li Xin’s flashlight swept across the chamber, revealing scattered debris and rough concrete surfaces still marked with old construction lines.

"What is this place?" he asked, curiosity slipping into his voice.

Lory studied the structure carefully, her gaze traveling from the pillars to the branching tunnels surrounding them.

"It looks like part of a water control facility," she said slowly. "These kinds of structures are used to redirect underground water flow between different sectors." She stepped toward one of the side passages and shone her light inside.

The tunnel walls were rough, the concrete edges uneven and unfinished. Several other tunnels branched off from the chamber, but many of them looked incomplete, as if the project had been abruptly abandoned halfway through.

Lory frowned slightly. "This place looks unfinished, like an abandoned project... that’s probably why it’s not listed on the city’s development map."

"The smell is coming from here." Zhao Li Xin crouched beside a shallow puddle of muddy water. The beam of the flashlight reflected dimly off its murky surface.

Lory walked over and crouched beside him.

"Can you smell it now?" Zhao Li Xin asked.

Lory leaned closer and sniffed cautiously before shaking her head. "I just smell gunpowder... maybe a little blood, but that’s it."

Zhao Li Xin inhaled again, his brows slowly knitting together.

"It’s a mix of sweet and pungent scents," he said slowly, trying to put the strange sensation into words. "Like someone wore too much perfume and then vomited, and the smells mixed together."

Lory’s face twisted in disgust. "Eew..."

"Exactly!" Zhao Li Xin said with a grimace.

The unpleasant scent seemed to cling faintly to the damp air of the underground chamber. Lory instinctively raised her hands and pressed her palms over her nose and mouth.

"That sounds awful. Here—smell this!" she said, pressing her palm lightly against his nose.

Zhao Li Xin treated Lory’s hand like an emergency oxygen mask, he was taking several deep breaths as if he was trying to breathe. Meanwhile, Lory’s eyes wandered across the chamber again, examining the surroundings with growing suspicion.

"I think the tunnel to the border was opened with explosives," she said slowly, her voice echoing faintly against the concrete pillars.

"And the hole we passed through earlier seems to have been opened the same way... using explosives."

She swept her flashlight beam across the cracked walls and scattered debris. "So it’s clear this was someone’s work," she continued thoughtfully. "It’s likely the work of the Luxemborough... or the organization, or perhaps both."

She pursed her lips in contemplation, then murmured, "But how they managed to do it without anyone noticing..." she murmured, almost to herself.

Zhao Li Xin lowered Lory’s hand and turned his attention back to the muddy puddle at his feet. "It probably has something to do with the smell I’m detecting in this water," he said quietly. "Whatever it is, it doesn’t feel normal."

He glanced up at her. "Do you have a way to test it?"

Lory’s eyes immediately lit up. "Of course!"

She reached into her ring and pulled out a small pipette, carefully drawing up some of the murky water before transferring it into a glass vial. The cloudy liquid sloshed faintly as she sealed the cap tightly.

Holding the vial up under the flashlight, she studied it for a moment.

"I’ll send it to the N.I.M.S. for testing," she stored the vial in her ring, then flashed her light in front of her, "now let’s find where the bael is coming from..." she walked forward follow by Zhao Li Xin.

Lory moved through the wide underground chamber without the slightest hint of uneasiness or caution. From the moment they entered the tunnel, she had remained calm, collected, and clear-headed.

But that was how she had always been.

Zhao Li Xin still remembered the first time he noticed it, during their journey through the Forbidden Forest. Even then, surrounded by creatures that terrified seasoned cultivators, she had carried herself with the same steady composure. He had been intrigued, unable to stop himself from wondering where such courage came from.

Now, he was already used to it.

The woman he had married possessed many faces.

A graceful princess admired by many.

A cunning strategist who could outmaneuver powerful enemies.

A kind and understanding friend who easily won people’s trust, and sometimes, like now—

A fearless warrior walking straight into danger.

She was so perfect for him that even after all these years, he never feel bored when he was with her.

Not long after, they discovered another tunnel branching off from the chamber. Lory slowed and tilted her head slightly.

"I think they came from here," she said.

She pointed her flashlight at the wall beside the tunnel entrance, revealing deep scratch marks carved into the concrete, as if something large and powerful had scraped past it.

"Let’s go in," Zhao Li Xin said immediately, eager to leave the chamber behind and escape the unpleasant smell lingering in the air.

They continued forward.

The tunnel stretched on for quite some time, its walls rough and uneven. Their footsteps echoed softly as they walked, the beam of the flashlight dancing across damp concrete and scattered debris.

After nearly half an hour, they finally reached the end. Lory raised the flashlight. A large pile of collapsed rubble blocked the passage completely.

"It’s sealed..." Lory muttered with a pout. "They deliberately close it, that sneaky bastar*." she scoffed angrily.

"So? Just open it," Zhao Li Xin said casually.

Lory shook her head quickly. "We can’t use explosives. I’m worried it might collapse the entire tunnel."

"Don’t worry," Zhao Li Xin said as he stepped forward. "Let me handle it."

He was just about to take his stance when he suddenly paused and glanced back at her. "Move back a little," he said. "And raise a protective barrier."

"Oh." Lory took two steps back.

Zhao Li Xin lifted an eyebrow, his expression clearly said: Further.

Lory sighed and took another two steps back.

Only after he gave a small approving nod did she raise a protective barrier around herself. At the same time, she secretly prepared another spell in her mind, ready to deploy it around Zhao Li Xin instantly if something went wrong.

Zhao Li Xin took a slow breath. He gathered the Qi within him and then slowly channeled it to his right palm, then planted his feet firmly on the ground. In the next instant—

He shot forward like an arrow released from the bow and then—.

BOOM!

His palm struck the rubble with explosive force.

A deafening sound thundered through the tunnel as the impact blasted into the collapsed stone, sending chunks of rock flying outward. The entire pile shuddered violently before breaking apart, the heavy debris erupting outward like a shattered wall.

The impact sent a violent shock through the rubble. Chunks of stone burst outward as a cloud of dust and powdered debris exploded into the air, swirling through the narrow tunnel like a sudden storm.

Fine gray smoke drifted upward and rolled across the ceiling, while loose gravel rained down around them with sharp clattering echoes.

The rubble collapsed outward with a thunderous crack. Dust and powdered stone burst into the air, filling the narrow tunnel in a thick gray cloud. Small fragments of rock clattered across the ground as the debris slowly settled.

Lory lowered her arm and dispelled the protective barrier. When the dust finally cleared, a new passage had opened beyond the broken rubble.

"See? It’s open now." Zhao Li Xin gestured toward it with a gentlemanly flourish.

"Nice work, honey," Lory said, patting his chest.

They stepped over the scattered stones and continued forward. The tunnel finally opened ahead of them. Fresh air drifted in slowly, carrying with it the faint scent of the outside world.

Dim sunlight filtered through the opening, its fading glow casting long shadows across the ground and signaling that evening had already begun.

Zhao Li Xin pushed aside the last loose stones blocking the exit, and the two of them stepped out of the tunnel.

A moment later, they emerged behind a rocky hill, well away from the main border’s steel fences. The area stretched wide and open, the ground relatively flat and firm from years of sun and wind.

There were no paved roads nearby, only dry earth and scattered stones. But the terrain was smooth enough for four-wheel vehicles to pass through without much difficulty, making it an ideal route for anyone who wanted to move large trucks or cargo without attracting too much attention.

For a moment, both of them simply stood there, observing the surroundings in silence.

Then, Zhao Li Xin’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Lory," he said quietly, crouching down. "I think I found tire marks."

Lory immediately walked over and knelt beside him to examine the ground. The marks were faint and barely visible, almost erased by wind and dust. Anyone without sharp eyesight would have easily missed them.

"It looks like it came from a very large tire," Zhao Li Xin said thoughtfully. "What kind of vehicle would use something this big?"

"It’s probably a container truck," Lory replied, brushing away loose dirt to reveal more of the imprint. "The kind used to transport large cargo." Her brows slowly furrowed.

"Like Baels," Zhao Li Xin added.

"Mm." Lory nodded casually.

She leaned closer to inspect the ground again, her fingers tracing the shallow grooves left behind.

"They tried to erase the tracks," she said after a moment. "But whoever did it wasn’t very thorough."

"They probably assumed no one would come looking this far out," Zhao Li Xin said.

Lory sighed softly. "It almost feels like they were very confident no one would investigate this place."

"And why would that be?" Zhao Li Xin asked with a faint sneer.

Lory straightened and slowly scanned the empty land around them, a troubled look appearing on her face.

"That’s exactly what we need to find out."

Suddenly, Zhao Li Xin’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm. "Ssh." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone is watching us."

Lory’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but years of training took over almost instantly, smoothing her expression back into calm.

"How many?" she asked quietly.

"One," Zhao Li Xin replied.

"Where?" Lory subtly straightened her back, her senses sharpening.

A moment later, a faint sound echoed across the rocky slope—

’Crrk.’ A small pebble rolled down the hill.

A sound so soft that only Zhao Li Xin could hear it. His eyes snapped toward the ridge above them.

"Over there!!"

Before Lory could react, Zhao Li Xin shot forward like lightning, leaving only a fading afterimage where he had been standing.