Chapter 28

The spirits soon returned.

The male spirit turned and pointed to a certain spot on the opposite steep wall, saying, "Based on the route they took, they should be coming through Passage 17, and it will take them about 9 minutes."

"Weren't they using any instant teleportation abilities to get here directly?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"The one using green fire said that this underground shelter is interconnected with passages everywhere, and there are monsters attacking, so they can't move around randomly," the male spirit said.

Wu Xiaode scanned the walls and quickly spotted the passage.

Actually, there was a passage entrance at regular intervals along the walls.

This place was interconnected, but it was also easy to get lost.

It was even easier to encounter monsters.

So even for someone like Cai Mo, they had to be cautious.

Wu Xiaode was just about to prepare for the situation when the male spirit spoke again:

"Be careful, another monster is coming through Passage 13. You need to take it out; it's good at finding caves and will definitely find our Fifth Secret Passage."

Passage 17.

Passage 13.

Two things.

"We need to act quickly."

As he spoke, Wu Xiaode waved his hand behind him and shouted, "Xia Ni, plant a thermobaric bomb in the passage I point to."

Xia Ni took out a square block from the void and smiled, "I'll set it up, ensuring the trap is perfect."

"Be careful; the corpses can see your movements," Wu Xiaode warned.

"If it's just through the eyes of the dead, it's not a particularly powerful surveillance ability."

Xia Ni's figure gradually became transparent and disappeared from in front of Wu Xiaode.

After a while,

Her voice sounded again from the void:

"It's set up. The trigger mechanism is a phrase. Once someone says this phrase, the device will receive the sound wave characteristics and immediately detonate upon confirmation."

"Choose a phrase, Xiao Wu," Xia Huilan said.

"Can I say it now?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Yes, once you say it, I'll set the detonation program," Xia Ni said.

Wu Xiaode thought for a moment and said, "The phrase is 'Congratulations, you found it.' I want the explosion to be delayed by 2 seconds, so it goes off when the other party starts to respond."

"'Congratulations, you found it?' What does that mean?" Xia Huilan asked, puzzled.

"Just to distract them. Most people will want to respond to such a blessing," Wu Xiaode said.

"Set up complete," Xia Ni smiled.

One problem solved.

Now to tackle the second problem.

"Xia Ni, go hide above Passage 13, and I'll stay here. Once a monster appears, it will notice me first, and we'll continue the ambush," Wu Xiaode said.

Xia Ni flew to the opposite passage entrance, tightly pressed against the wall, and suppressed her soul energy fluctuations, remaining motionless.

Wu Xiaode arranged for Xia Huilan to hide in a concealed spot in the secret passage, then returned to his original position.

Everything was ready.

The spirit suddenly appeared and said, "They're here!"

"How many?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"One," the spirit said.

As he spoke,

A woman covered in tentacles appeared at the entrance of Passage 13.

"Hey, there's a handsome guy here, little lady, come play?" Wu Xiaode waved at her.

"Supporter... your fate is death!" the woman said fiercely.

Swish—

A laser knife sliced from top to bottom.

The woman's hands and feet were severed, and she was thrown back.

"Master! Save me!"

The woman screamed and turned her head.

She saw a girl hanging upside down above the passage entrance, just retracting the sharp laser knife into her arm.

A black shadow flashed.

The woman's head throbbed with pain, and she fell into eternal sleep.

Wu Xiaode retracted his hand, transformed into a crow, and flew back, sitting at the passage entrance again. He took out some tissues and slowly wiped his hands, continuing to wait.

The crow flew around once.

Soul energy was replenished.

—The soul energy limit hasn't changed.

"How much time is left on the mission?" he asked.

"Four minutes," the male spirit said.

"When will those two arrive?"

"Seven minutes."

Wu Xiaode glanced at the Book of Spirits and thought, "Start the timer."

The Book of Spirits immediately displayed a row of numbers, constantly changing.

"7:59;"

"7:58;"

"7:57;"

"..."

—This book has quite comprehensive functions.

"By the way, what's attacking you? Are they monsters?" Wu Xiaode seized the opportunity to gather information.

"Monsters everywhere," the spirit said.

"Where did they come from?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Most were originally humans, but they formed an unknown secret cult and gradually became mutated under the influence of monsters, aiming to replace human civilization," the spirit said.

"What about your strong ones? Haven't they tried to deal with them?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"Strong ones..." the spirit sighed, saying no more.

"Time is almost up. Go check if there are any more monsters," Wu Xiaode said.

"Okay."

The spirit disappeared.

Not long after, it reappeared hurriedly, shouting, "Passage 13, a monster leader is coming, and it's very powerful!"

Despite being a spirit, fear still showed on his face.

This was troublesome.

Wu Xiaode also had a sense of foreboding and immediately asked:

"How long do I need to stay?"

"Time's up! The companions in the Fifth Secret Passage have successfully evacuated. You should escape quickly!" the male spirit said.

In the air, the spirits bowed to Wu Xiaode.

The leading male spirit said, "We are very grateful for your actions. The reward for the mission is in your book. We hope you and your companion find it useful."

With that, they all disappeared.

Wu Xiaode glanced at the Book of Spirits.

He saw a map appear on the page, with small text beside it:

"You have received the reward for this mission:"

"Secret Map."

"The red mark is the last safe house underground. Its access code is:"

"734876X34235SG12P;"

"Storage locker code: D76892V19652537;"

"Safe house coordinates: 32°20' N, 64°45' W;"

"Underground: 135.12 meters."

So that's it.

In this dangerous world, there is such a secret and safe place!

—This reward is good.

Even if he doesn't use it now, if he is ever teleported to this area in the future and encounters any situation, it will still be useful.

As for the time—

Wu Xiaode glanced at the Book of Spirits.

Four minutes left.

In four minutes, Cai Mo and his companions would arrive.

Wu Xiaode waved to Xia Ni.

"Xia Ni, take Lan Sister and evacuate immediately. I have a friend coming," Wu Xiaode said.

"Why can't I stay?" Xia Huilan frowned and bit her lip.

"I don't get along well with that person. If you're not here, I can retreat at any time. If you stay, I'll have to fight to the death," Wu Xiaode said frankly.

Xia Huilan's frown relaxed, and she immediately said to Xia Ni:

"Give him a tracker, set up a battle camp, and we'll evacuate."

Xia Ni pinned a badge on Wu Xiaode's chest.

Then she quickly took out a stack of silver discs and laid them on the ground around Wu Xiaode.

"What's this for?" Wu Xiaode asked curiously.

"Be a good boy. Even if I'm not here, I'll still protect you," Xia Huilan pinched his hand and turned to Xia Ni.

Xia Ni didn't hesitate, stepped forward, and hugged Xia Huilan, flying back the way they came.

Her speed was much faster than before, like a bolt of lightning.

Now,

Only Wu Xiaode was left sitting among the silver discs.

One minute left.

Who would arrive first?

The monster leader or Cai Mo?

If the monster leader arrives first, what should he do?

If Cai Mo and his companions arrive first, what should he do?

Wu Xiaode pondered various strategies.

A sound gradually approached.

A massive creature emerged from the opposite Passage 13.

Its head was so large that it completely filled the passage, pushing the walls apart, and rocks fell down.

—This was a giant snake with three blood-red vertical pupils, with a black horn on its head, piercing through the bricks above the passage like cutting through tofu.

The monster leader arrived first!

Wu Xiaode was about to act, but the giant snake suddenly spoke:

"Don't move, child."

Wu Xiaode couldn't move.

He gritted his teeth, trying to take a step, but found he couldn't move at all.

The giant snake's three red vertical pupils narrowed, and it hissed:

"Child, why are you alone here?"

Wu Xiaode felt his mind start to blur, involuntarily wanting to answer.

Suddenly—

A deep pain surged from his back.

As soon as the pain appeared, Wu Xiaode's mind cleared, and he regained control of his body.

A line of frosty text appeared on the Book of Spirits:

"Spirit control is still active, but it doesn't affect you."

What?

If the spell is still active, why isn't it affecting me?

There was no time to check his body. Wu Xiaode immediately tried to escape, but then he remembered something and restrained his instinct, standing still.

Wait—

Calm down!

If he ran now, the monster would surely chase him.

Since the snake's spirit control is still active, it must think it still has control.

Wu Xiaode glanced at the snake, which was staring at him, waiting for an answer.

He was under its spell.

That means...

Whatever he said now, it would believe.

"Because I'm new, I was ordered to be bait here."

Wu Xiaode's face showed distress, and he hugged his shoulders, sobbing softly.

"Bait? What kind of bait?" the giant snake asked.

"These silver discs around me are powerful bombs—do you understand what a thermobaric bomb is? Anyway, if you get close to me, it will explode immediately, specifically designed to deal with powerful monsters. Even if it doesn't kill them, it will collapse everything, trapping them."

The giant snake's three vertical pupils stared intently at Wu Xiaode, and its massive body slowly moved backward.

"Child, who gave you this order?"

"They are looking for the Fifth Secret Passage. They say they've found it but won't tell anyone. They might come back soon," Wu Xiaode wiped his tears.

"Already found the Fifth Secret Passage? Good..."

At this moment,

The time on the Book of Spirits reached "00:07."

—Time is almost up.

"They're here," Wu Xiaode said with a pained expression.

"Good, don't tell them I'm here, child." The giant snake hissed and disappeared.

The unicorn three-eyed giant snake's entire body retreated into the passage, hiding completely, without revealing any presence.

In fact, it had sensed something approaching before Wu Xiaode spoke.

Wu Xiaode's words confirmed this and revealed the identity of the approaching party.

So it immediately hid.

On the opposite cliff,

A flash of emotion crossed Wu Xiaode's eyes.

This creature was extremely powerful, the most formidable he had seen besides the one-eyed giant.

Yet it hid, preparing to ambush.

So strong and so sneaky, who could fight it?

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

...

Seven seconds.

Footsteps echoed from deep within Passage 17.

Two figures stood at the entrance.

The one wearing the gray rhinoceros mask was Cai Mo.

The other held a candle burning with green flames, a member of the S-Class Club.

"Congratulations, you found it."

Wu Xiaode looked at them and said seriously.

Cai Mo spread his arms and laughed, "Without any effort! Hahaha, of course we can find—"

Boom!!!!!!!

Fierce flames engulfed the entire Passage 17, spreading rapidly like a sudden demon on the cliff opposite Wu Xiaode.