The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 848: Twist and Turn

Chen Ying rose, instinctively activating Sensory. It was a habitual precaution, a quick check for awakeners or suspicious entities whenever she changed locations. This time, her casual sweep yielded unexpected results.

White Rabbit, reading Chen Ying's sudden alertness, tensed up, her gaze fixed on her partner.

After a furtive glance around, Chen Ying grabbed White Rabbit and hustled them into the restroom, locking the door behind them.

"I've sensed two lifeforms moving a hundred meters underground," Chen Ying said without preamble. "One's an awakener, the other... I can't quite place. Feels like a monster."

White Rabbit frowned. "You're certain?"

"Positive. This isn't a trap. They're moving, and not slowly." Chen Ying's eyes closed, focusing. "Hurry, they're getting further away!"

Without hesitation, White Rabbit positioned herself behind Chen Ying, arms encircling her waist.

Chen Ying started, asking awkwardly, "Wait, we're going down from here?"

"Where else?"

Chen Ying's expression tightened. "But this is... the toilet!"

"I'll avoid the pipes. Besides, we're fundamentally separate from anything we pass through. Don't get your panties in a twist."

Chen Ying bit back her concerns about White Rabbit's fatigue and the horrifying possibility of becoming a 'fecesman' if control was lost. Some thoughts were better left unspoken.

Moments later, a prickling energy enveloped Chen Ying, pulling her down through the tiled floor.

Chen Ying tapped out directions on White Rabbit's fingers as if steering a burrowing mount, pursuing their moving targets.

Two minutes in, the targets suddenly accelerated. Startled, Chen Ying directed White Rabbit to change course.

After a tense descent, their heads popped out of a tunnel ceiling.

"They sped up suddenly. We lost them," Chen Ying said, frustration evident.

"Were we discovered?" White Rabbit asked.

"That’s unlikely. People's energy surges when they sense danger. I would've noticed that at this distance."

White Rabbit hesitated. "Any traps around?"

Chen Ying scanned with Skeleton Key. "It's clear."

"Should we search the area? Intangibility's at its limit. I need a break."

"Agreed," Chen Ying nodded.

As she spoke, she slipped from the ceiling like a loach, falling headfirst.

"Agh..."

White Rabbit, landing first, extended her arms to catch Chen Ying. Her fear had been unwarranted.

"Forward or backward?" White Rabbit asked, gesturing down the dark tunnel stretching in both directions.

Chen Ying, basing her decision on where she'd lost the targets' trail, replied, "Forward."

White Rabbit kept her hold on Chen Ying, breaking into a run. Though embarrassed, Chen Ying understood the dual purpose: to keep pace with their targets and to allow her to focus on Sensory detection. She was, in effect, a human radar in White Rabbit's arms.

Arms wound around White Rabbit's neck, Chen Ying closed her eyes, concentrating. Wind whistled past her ears, the jerky movements reminiscent of a rollercoaster ride.

Thirty seconds later, White Rabbit halted abruptly, setting Chen Ying down.

Chen Ying opened her eyes to find a wall before them—a dead end. It didn't make sense. The hyperloop system's railway should connect all stops; a dead end seemed implausible, even as a construction error.

White Rabbit shot Chen Ying a quick glance. "Any danger?"

Chen Ying scanned their surroundings. "No other beings, no traps detected."

Nodding, White Rabbit approached the wall, slowly sinking into it.

Concerned, Chen Ying stepped towards the black concrete, eyes fixed on the spot where White Rabbit had vanished.

Suddenly, a hand shot out, startling her.

It was White Rabbit, flashing an OK sign before beckoning.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Ying grasped the offered hand. Energy coursed through her body as White Rabbit yanked her through the wall.

Inside, they found a narrow, secret path stretching far ahead, faint light visible at its end.

Face to face, Chen Ying and White Rabbit communicated silently through eye contact.

Chen Ying activated Sensory once more. Reassured, White Rabbit took her hand, guiding her forward.

They crept silently along the path, emerging into an underground space the size of an indoor basketball court. At the far end stood an advanced-looking metal door, clearly fashioned from Black Gold and bearing enchantments.

Suddenly, understanding dawned on Chen Ying. She grasped White Rabbit's hand, pointing upward—a silent suggestion to leave immediately. Without question, White Rabbit grabbed Chen Ying, melting them both back into the wall they'd emerged from.

Minutes later, they cautiously surfaced in a dark alleyway, ensuring no pedestrians or cameras were around before fully emerging.

Finally able to speak, Chen Ying's words tumbled out: "The door was enchanted. I sensed its energy—it must be Talent: Blocking. That's why I couldn't detect Dr. Jia!"

Blocking, serial number 166, Guard-type.

The Talent could conceal the energy signatures of specific lifeforms within a designated area, rendering them undetectable by any means other than direct visual contact. When combined with Maze, it created an almost impenetrable hiding spot.

Blocking had originally belonged to a Hundred Rivers Union member. After the awakener's death during the Crimson Tide, the Talent had found its way to someone in the Ocean River Union.

"Can we be certain Dr. Jia is behind that door?" White Rabbit asked, her voice low.

"I think so," Chen Ying replied, conviction in her tone.

White Rabbit pondered for a moment. "Could Skeleton Key counteract Blocking?"

"Yes, but it would alert our enemies," Chen Ying said, recalling Gao Yang's warning. "We don't know who else might be with Dr. Jia behind that door. We can't afford to be reckless."