Chapter 105 [Underground]
The air-raid shelter was dark and damp. After the group got out of the car, Chen Xiao, Fenghuang, and the four men in suits followed behind and walked inside together.
The four men in suits were all wearing detectors, and each of them was holding an electromagnetic gun that looked like an automatic rifle—the design was very similar to the Men in Black, but in terms of appearance and demeanor, they were far inferior.
The air-raid shelter was like a spider web, but the group had all turned on their night vision and were equipped with detectors. Phoenix seemed to know the place very well, and she could easily tell them where to turn and where to go straight as they walked in.
"Before coming here, I memorized the blueprints for the air-raid shelter," Phoenix said with a slight smile.
After walking for more than ten minutes, we came to a round iron lid, just big enough for one person to pass through. The lid was rusty, and it was clear that it hadn't been touched for a long time.
“This is the most secret path to the Yaksha’s hiding place. The other paths are too dangerous, and he might detect us before we even get close. Although I’m not afraid of the Yaksha, I’m not confident I can catch him if he tries to escape using teleportation.” Phoenix said, glancing at Chen Xiao with a slightly apologetic look. “So, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me through this tunnel.”
She was right, because the road ahead really was a "tunnel".
After the fattest Western man took out pliers and broke the lock on the iron cover, a musty, foul odor immediately wafted out.
“This is the oldest underground pipeline in the city, and it’s been abandoned.” Phoenix said with a wry smile, then said to the four men in suits, “You guys don’t need to go in, just wait here.”
The fat man in the suit immediately frowned and said, "Miss Phoenix... I'll go in with you. I..."
“No, thank you.” Phoenix immediately refused. “I know you mean well, but… never mind.”
The overweight man in the suit said dejectedly, "I know we can't help you..."
Chen Xiao found this rather strange… Weren't these four men supposed to be “very famous” figures in the world of superpowers? All four of them should be highly skilled experts, so why was Phoenix…?
Phoenix didn't explain, and Chen Xiao didn't press for an answer. After they both entered the sewer, Phoenix, such a clean and beautiful girl, seemed completely unconcerned about the filthy environment around her. She simply stayed by Chen Xiao's side, her gentle smile unchanged.
"Chen Xiao... everything I'm doing now is for one goal: your growth!"
As they entered the sewers, when they were alone, Phoenix suddenly uttered a very abrupt statement. Despite its abruptness, Chen Xiao detected an unprecedented seriousness and earnestness in her words.
After walking for a while, Phoenix suddenly gestured for Chen Xiao to be quiet, then pointed ahead...
There was a faint light coming from around the bend ahead, and the terrain seemed to rise slightly, allowing a tiny bit of light to filter through.
Chen Xiao listened carefully and could vaguely hear some noises, as if someone was walking around.
Phoenix gently took Chen Xiao's hand, and then the two of them floated up slightly, drifting quietly forward, so as to avoid disturbing the people inside by making noise under their feet.
As they drew closer, Phoenix and Chen Xiao hid behind the bend. Phoenix smiled slightly and gave Chen Xiao a look, as if to say: This is it.
She took a mirror out of her pocket and quietly held it out. Through the mirror, Chen Xiao finally saw what was happening inside.
There are lights here, but they are very weak. Only one dim light is on, and it's the kind of light with low ultraviolet radiation.
In the mirror, the first person Chen Xiao saw was the poisonous Alice.
Alice sat on a dilapidated iron table, her face grim.
Inside was a space of about several tens of square meters. The terrain here was slightly drier, but the air was still very smelly and turbid. Alice frowned, looking very dissatisfied.
Several rusty iron platforms, probably the control hubs in the sewers, but they were so old that they were all rusted shut. Alice was sitting on the outermost one, while inside... Chen Xiao saw Yaksha!
Yaksha sat silently on an iron platform, and to Chen Xiao's surprise, he actually saw Yaksha's appearance!
The Yaksha held a wad of black cloth in his hand, and as if bandaging himself, he slowly wrapped the long black strips around his body. He had already wrapped it up to his chest, but his neck and face were still exposed!
By the dim light, Chen Xiao could see the Yaksha's face clearly, and his heart skipped a beat!
What a face!
The word "ugly" alone seems insufficient to fully capture it. It's more of an extreme grotesqueness!
His skin was even paler than that of an albino, a pale white with a hint of misery. His nose and mouth, however, looked as if they had suffered a severe injury in his early years; they appeared to have been cut vertically in half with some kind of sharp instrument, almost severing them in two! Although the wounds had long since healed, they still gave his face a ferocious and terrifying aura.
He was very thin, extremely thin, and looked very unhealthy, pale to the point of being weak.
What surprised Chen Xiao the most was that he had no hair, not even a single hair on his face! His head and brow area were completely bald, without a single eyebrow.
Especially his eyes!
Chen Xiao's first thought was: Degeneration!
Yes, Yaksha's eyes seemed to have degenerated. It was as if he never used his eyes, making them appear to be just two barely visible slits. His thick eyelids looked like two limp pieces of skin drooping there, and you couldn't see his pupils at all.
Unlike his eyes, his ears were very long and large, with a prominent outline. This made him look...like an alien.
Perhaps it's because he, like a bat, relies on sound to locate things. Therefore, his hearing has been enhanced. The large shape of his ears allows him to detect more sound wave vibrations.
Chen Xiao noticed that Alice was sitting less than ten steps away from Yaksha. Although her head was down, Chen Xiao could still see that Alice was silently and coldly watching Yaksha. In her eyes, there was no trust or warmth between companions, but rather…
It was very cold! Very chilling! It even carried a hint of fear, a hint of hatred, and a hint of hostility!
Are you looking at me?
Yaksha suddenly spoke coldly.
"...No!" Alice panicked slightly and subconsciously turned her head away, but then realized that the other person was blind and couldn't see her posture at all. Only then did she muster her courage and stare at Yaksha again.
"I know you're watching me... even though I can't see you!" Yaksha laughed coldly. His voice carried that familiar, chilling aura Chen Xiao knew well: "You little viper, don't think you can hide anything from me!"
"I...I didn't." Alice stammered, trying to sound calm. "You're my boss now, how could I dare..."
"I am not your leader," Yaksha said coldly. "And you are not my companion! I have never had companions! Nor do I believe in any so-called companions. You had better remember this and understand this: our relationship now is: I am your protector! And also your master! Do you understand, little viper!"
His voice carried arrogance and loneliness, but also a hint of ruthlessness.