touchnovel Chapter 151 The Chase in the Sewers
Chapter 151 The Chase in the Sewers
Chapter 151 The Chase in the Sewers
Five years later, in the Kingdom of Sant, in the city of Kus.
Beneath the gleaming surface of this city, located on the border between the Kingdom of Siante and the Kingdom of Sepul, lies another vast, dark, and intricate labyrinthine sewer system.
The place reeks of decay and filth, with stagnant water flowing slowly. Only rats and other filthy creatures thrive here.
"Huffing and puffing"
—"
Ono's chest heaved violently like a broken bellows, each breath accompanied by a burning pain in his lungs and a strong stench.
He was running frantically through the dark sewers, the icy sewage splashing onto his trousers and constantly slipping under his feet, but he dared not stop for a moment, as if a demon from hell was chasing him.
Not long ago, he did something that would have killed him countless times—he stole something from the "Shadow Society," a group that had become infamous in the black market in recent years.
A treasure that has gained fame in recent years, coveted by countless people yet unattainable.
For Ono, this was not just an object, but his only bargaining chip to escape the mire and change his fate!
The exorbitant price tag made him hesitate, and buying it was nothing short of a pipe dream. So, he chose another path—theft.
However, the situation was too critical at the time, and he panicked and didn't take the equally valuable enhancement potions with him.
Otherwise, he might have already escaped Kus City thanks to the power of the potion.
"He's right ahead! That kid can't have gone far! Chase after him!"
The faint roars and chaotic footsteps coming from behind were like the urgent drumbeats that pounded on Ono's heart.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain that felt like his lungs were about to tear, and squeezed out the last bit of strength in his body to run forward recklessly.
"Is that damned little bastard a rat? He's running so fast in this godforsaken place!"
Among the pursuers, the leader cursed angrily, his voice echoing through the empty pipes.
"Boss, this damn sewer system is like a maze, it's too hard to catch up! Maybe—should we just give up?"
A younger henchman next to him, panting heavily, offered his advice, clearly exhausted from running around.
"Snap!"
A resounding slap landed directly on the henchman's face.
"Bullshit! Do you know how much that thing is worth? Even if we sold all of us brothers, we wouldn't get a fraction of it!"
The man in the lead had a ferocious expression and growled menacingly.
"I'm telling you! If we don't get him back today, not only me, but every single one of you will be thrown into the furnace and burned alive! Chase him! We'll dig three feet into the ground, we'll find him!"
Ono felt his consciousness beginning to blur, his legs feeling as if they were filled with lead, each lift feeling incredibly heavy.
My muscles were sore to the extreme, as if they were about to spasm and give out at any moment.
Only a strong desire to survive and the hard, heavy "future" in his arms sustained his body, which was on the verge of collapse.
Darkness was his only refuge.
Relying on the fragmented memories he had accumulated from his childhood experiences in this area, he desperately ventured deeper into the more remote and abandoned side roads.
The flickering firelight and the ever-approaching footsteps behind me felt like a sharp blade hanging over my neck, sending a chill down my spine.
"Splitting up the tunnels! He can't get to the surface; the exits are definitely blocked by our people! He's probably still circling around in these pipes! Damn it, when we catch him, I'll skin him alive with my own hands!"
The leader's roar was filled with anxiety and impatience.
Ono's heart sank; he knew the other person was telling the truth.
The sewer system of Kus City is enormous, but the main exits to the surface are all near the main roads, which must be full of Shadow Society members by now.
He was like a mouse trapped in a giant maze, being chased and pursued by a group of experienced and ruthless hunting cats.
He abruptly turned into a narrower passage with walls covered in slippery moss.
It was pitch black here, and the sewage was only ankle-deep, but the pungent smell of decaying matter was almost suffocating.
He hoped to use this to completely shake off the tail behind him.
However, they hadn't gone far when they heard an even louder roar of flowing water ahead, which seemed to be a large sewage confluence.
But almost simultaneously, clear footsteps and conversations could be heard from the other side!
We've been surrounded!
Despair, like icy, bone-chilling sewage, instantly overwhelmed Ono. He leaned against the slippery, cold stone wall, panting heavily, sweat and splashed filthy liquid mixing together and streaming down his forehead.
The thing in his arms had become incredibly hot, like a red-hot iron, scorching his chest.
Is it possible that—even if I risk everything, I'm still going to die here in the end?
The hope that had been so hard-won was ultimately gone—
Just as he was about to be swallowed by despair and ready to give up the struggle, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the pipe wall to his side and above, where there was a shadow that looked rather unnatural.
He managed to concentrate and looked—it was the entrance to a vertical passageway that had been abandoned for many years and used for the maintenance of old pipelines!
The metal grille had long since rusted and fallen off, leaving only a dark, perfectly covered hole by thick grime and shadow, which would be extremely difficult to spot unless one was deliberately searching in dire circumstances.
The will to survive is like a spark suddenly bursting from the ashes of a dying creature, instantly reigniting a wildfire!
With his last ounce of strength, Ono climbed upwards using both his hands and feet.
The rusted metal supports and protruding bricks became his last lifeline.
He clumsily, almost crawling, squeezed into the narrow, cramped opening, then immediately curled up, covering his mouth tightly, not daring to even breathe.
Almost the instant he hid, the sounds of pursuers and the flash of fire appeared below.
"Damn it! Where is he? I clearly saw him run this way!"
"This is a dead end! There's a confluence pool ahead, and the current is so strong, did he jump in?"
"He jumped down and is long gone! Search! He must be hiding around here! Search carefully! Don't miss an inch of the area!"
The men's voices were filled with confusion and anger.
The torchlight flickered violently below, its dim yellow light sweeping across the area below the cave entrance where Ono was hiding several times, but was obscured by the clever angle and thick grime.
Ono covered his mouth tightly, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat, pounding against his ribs with a muffled, drum-like sound.
He could clearly hear the sounds of people below using weapons to strike the pipe walls and stir up the sewage. The sounds were getting closer and closer, almost within arm's reach!
"Boss! Over here! There's an old opening leading upwards! It looks like we can climb in!"
A voice suddenly rang out, not far below the entrance to the cave where Ono was hiding!
Ono froze instantly, his blood seemingly freezing in that instant.
"Idiot! This kind of old passageway, hundreds of years old, has been blocked long ago! How could he possibly squeeze in? You fucking try squeezing in there yourself!"
The leader's voice was full of impatience and reprimand.
"Go check over there! That kid must have slipped into another side road under the cover of darkness! Quick!"
The footsteps and cursing gradually faded into the distance, and the torchlight disappeared into the deep darkness of the sewers like the receding tide.
Despite his fear and weakness, Ono held his breath and waited for a long time until the only sound below was the deathly silence of flowing sewage. Only then did he suddenly release his hand from his mouth, and his whole body went limp as if all his bones had been removed from the narrow, cold, and filthy passage. He coughed violently, and tears and snot flowed uncontrollably from his eyes and nose.
They survived—they survived for now.
The exhaustion from surviving the ordeal overwhelmed him, but he dared not linger.
With trembling hands, he carefully pulled out the thing tightly wrapped in oilcloth that had nearly cost him his life from his bosom.
Using the faint, shimmering light reflected from the water below, he carefully peeled back the oilcloth layer by layer.
Inside was not the jewel-encrusted, ornate box or some dazzling artifact he had imagined, but simply a rather novel-looking test tube for a medicine.
The test tube walls were icy to the touch, seemingly made of some special glass or crystal, etched with twisted and mysterious runes that he couldn't understand at all. The seal at the mouth of the test tube was tight, as if it were an integral part of the test tube itself, without any flaws.
This is what the Shadow Society has recently become so popular on the black market, driving countless people crazy?
Is this the key that is said to be able to change the fate of mortals and open the door to power?
Recalling the almost mythical and terrifying rumors about this thing on the black market, its astonishingly high price, and the Shadow Society's willingness to mobilize its forces and hunt it down with all its might, Ono's heart burned again—this was what he needed, this was what he was willing to risk his life for!
"Is this... the key to the world of the strong?"
He stared at the potion in his hand, which shimmered with an eerie pale red hue in the dim light, his eyes filled with an almost frantic desire and fervor.
If the timing and location weren't so inappropriate, he would have drunk the entire vial of medicine right away!
The surroundings became completely quiet, with only the faint sound of flowing water in the distance.
Ono let out a long, deep sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.
If those people had caught me just now, my fate would have been a thousand times worse than death!
Feeling that the danger had temporarily passed, Ono waited patiently in the passage for a while longer. After confirming that there was no further movement, he carefully and slowly climbed down as quietly as possible.
"Finally—have they left?"
He stepped back into the sewage, looking around warily, a surge of overwhelming joy at surviving such a disaster welling up inside him.
He gripped the vial of medicine tightly, ready to leave this awful place immediately.
However, just as he was about to lift his foot to continue his escape, a mocking and teasing voice, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly burrowed into his ears.
"It can run pretty fast—a little mouse?"
Ono's blood instantly turned to ice. The joy that had just risen was ruthlessly crushed and replaced by a deep-seated fear.
He turned around abruptly and saw the man in charge slowly strolling out from the shadows of the sewer confluence, a cruel and satisfied smile on his face, as if he were watching a wonderful performance finally come to an end.
Behind him, several other henchmen appeared menacingly from different side passages, completely blocking all possible escape routes for Ono.
The torches were relit, and in the dim, flickering light, Ono could clearly see the undisguised killing intent and a hint of relief in the other's eyes.
As if they were relieved that the dirty and exhausting chase was finally over.
"Running? Why did you stop running? Huh?"
The leader chuckled and approached step by step, his boots making a chilling slapping sound as they stepped into the viscous sewage.
"Damn it, because of you, you stinking rat from the ditch, we've been scrambling around in this place for ages! You certainly know how to pick a spot!"
With his back against the cold, slippery pipe wall, Ono had nowhere to retreat.
His heart pounded wildly in his chest, and despair, like an icy tide, overwhelmed him once more.
But this time, in the depths of that utter despair, a reckless, mad frenzy suddenly erupted!
His gaze suddenly locked onto the vial of medicine in his hand, which gleamed an ominous pale red in the firelight.
The Shadow Order's treasure—the key to changing your fate—either die here now, meaningless, or...
There's no time to hesitate anymore!
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