1128: Chapter 1128: Channel (Big Chapter for Monthly Ticket) 1128: Chapter 1128: Channel (Big Chapter for Monthly Ticket) A downward-sloping ‘channel’ suddenly appeared in front of the three people.
The musty sll, slightly damp, hit their faces as it ca from that chilly, dark space.
It was clear that this channel was not yet repaired, with its uneven surface around, not even surface-finished yet.
From the start of the channel, extending downwards were simple concrete steps, uneven, and beside the steps, there was a long temporary ramp, appearing to be for caterpillar-type construction robots.
“Where does this channel lead to?”
At this ti, Hel also ca to He Ao’s side, speaking with so confusion.
“Let’s go down and see.”
He Ao spoke softly, turning his head to look back at the two people behind him, “Do you have a flashlight?”
“Yes.”
Hel quickly nodded, handing over a spare flashlight.
This underground parking lot on the second basent level was seldom used and hadn’t been renovated for many years, so there were quite a few dark places where the lighting was damaged, naturally, they brought flashlights for exploring.
He Ao turned on the flashlight, illuminating the forward path, slightly cold and moist channel, walking slowly down the unevenly constructed stairs.
He raised the flashlight, shining it around the channel.
There were lights and wires installed in this channel, but they were useless because the main power supply was not connected.
Clearly, this channel had not been finished.
It’s just unclear whether the main body was penetrated or not.
The sound of empty footsteps echoed in this cold and lonely channel, and resonated within this enclosed space, striking at the hearts of the three people in line.
Following behind, Hel and another agent cautiously used their flashlights to illuminate the surrounding channel, trying not to miss any blind spot.
In the Federation, exploring these long-abandoned underground channels or caves is very dangerous because you never know if a cultist or a mutated monster might suddenly erge.
Therefore, their movents were not fast.
“How did you find this entrance to the channel?”
In this silent atmosphere, He Ao slowly opened his mouth, breaking the further suppression of emotions.
“The data you gave said that this channel might have been built by robots twenty years ago,”
Hel, while vigilantly looking around, said softly, “I followed this clue, the second basent level has few visitors, so the cleaning and maintenance of the floor are not in place, so areas haven’t even been tended to for over a decade.
“So, I just looked for traces left by the construction robots in the area you specified.
“Such a large project, even if entirely worked on by robots, couldn’t possibly leave no traces,
“At the sa ti, I think it’s not very likely that the channel directly connects with the underground parking lot, that would be too risky, it should at least have so kind of partition.
“Then I found so sowhat vague traces of caterpillar robots, and followed these traces to this storeroom.
“This storeroom is very secluded, far from the elevator, and there aren’t many people around, the items stored here seem to have not been moved for many years, normally no one would place items here, it’s inconvenient to fetch, nothing stored here is confidential either.
“So I guessed this storeroom might be the entrance to the channel.”
At this point, he paused, “It’s just that I searched for a long ti and couldn’t find where the door was, or how to open it, I could only report to you in advance.”
“You did very well.”
He Ao gently nodded.
Capable subordinates can save a lot of trouble.
He had Hel find the channel because he considered that the other party had been with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for many years, was so close to the people from Queke, knew so much information, yet didn’t corrupt, and still lived well.
In this respect, Hel is likely very careful, capable of handling details well, making Queke feel there was no need to kill him.
He was just right for this ticulous task of finding channels.
Though he spoke simply, the task of checking the traces along the way, determining the type and ownership of the traces, is a very detail-oriented job.
Hearing He Ao’s praise, Hel was slightly stunned, quickly responded, “You flatter , it’s all minor tasks, mainly because the area you pointed out was accurate, that’s how I could find it.”
“You did very well this ti, with you need not be so cautious,”
He Ao said with a smile, “Just do your job well.”
Hel was startled again, then nodded lightly, “Yes.”
After a brief pause, he cautiously glanced at the surrounding unfinished scene and asked, “Mr.
Suote, who exactly built this passage?”
“You should have a guess.”
He Ao said casually.
“The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation twenty years ago?”
Hel whispered, “At that ti, being able to mobilize so many robots without leaving any records, it could only be that director, and he was also keen on substitute security.”
“Yes.”
He Ao nodded gently.
With He Ao’s response, Hel nodded lightly and did not speak any further.
He did not ask He Ao how he had data from twenty years ago or how he knew about the secretive actions of the director from back then; that was a matter for the big shots at Federal Central.
With the sound of their preceding conversation, the decrepit passage finally didn’t feel so oppressive anymore.
Soon, everyone descended to the base of the passage, entering a narrow corridor only about one and a half ters wide.
The three of them moved closer together, rapidly proceeding in a triangular formation toward the deep part of the corridor.
After walking around a hundred ters, a huge rock blocked their way.
“Is this the end?”
Hel used a flashlight to illuminate the rock, looking at where the rock and the passage intersected, seemingly the passage was only built up to there, “Was this passage not completed?”
“Let’s see.”
He Ao extended his hand and placed it on the rock, letting his Divine Sense seep into it.
Soon, a vast space appeared in his field of view.
This rock wasn’t as big as it seed, just a thin slab, with its surface’s curvature and pits just for show.
At the sa ti, he also discovered that there seed to be another layer of structural construction outside of this rock.
This was a ‘door’.
This passage had been cut through initially.
He Ao placed his hand on the ‘rock door’, his Divine Sense found the lock cylinder by the door, directly turned the cylinder, and unlocked the door.
And in the mont of the cylinder’s recycling, so structures inside the rock also loosened.
Then he gently pushed outward.
Bang—
Accompanied by a slight tremor, the door was easily pushed open.
It seed that the lubricant and pivot structure on the door had not completely dried out and damaged over the years.
Almost at the mont the door was pushed open, a strong stench rushed at them.
Hel and the agent next to him instinctively covered their nostrils.
“Where is this?”
The agent reflexively asked.
“Judging by the distance we ca down,”
Hel, covering his nose, said in a muffled voice, “This should be the sewer system of Minte City.”
By this ti, He Ao had already stepped out of the stone door, standing on the sowhat moist ground outside.
The two behind Hel also held their breaths, and followed out.
A sowhat spacious channel flowing with foul-slling liquid appeared in their field of view.
At this mont, they were standing above this liquid, seemingly at a maintenance channel location on the side of the channel.
This channel was connected to a corner at each end, and they seed to be standing in the middle of an ‘H’-shaped channel.
“Where are we now?”
The agent beside Hel was sowhat puzzled.
“I don’t know,”
Hel also seed puzzled now, “The map of the sewers under Minte City is only available at the City Governnt.
But from the route we took, we should no longer be under the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building.”
At this mont, He Ao turned around thoughtfully and looked towards the rock door that was opened to the side.
He slowly pushed the rock door further open, then placed his hand on the rock and gently pulled.
When he first opened the door, he vaguely felt so kind of loosening between the inner and outer layers of the rock door.
With his movent, the pits and bulges on the rocks trembled slightly, moving a bit to the side.
It was as if so cover was pulled open, and several tiny sparkles shimring under the flashlight’s beam appeared in everyone’s field of view.
“What is this?”
Seeing these sparkles, Hel was slightly startled.
“They should be lenses.”
He Ao raised the flashlight, stepped back a few steps, and shone the flashlight’s beam on the rock door.
Beams of light reflected from those sparkles and traced a blurred image on the wall across the corridor.
“This?”
Seeing this image, Hel suddenly realized sothing, imdiately went forward and worked with He Ao, adjusting the angle of the rock door with the beams of light.
Soon, the reflected image on the wall beca clear, densely depicting various lines, and key lines were marked with street nas, even main building nas, and the ‘exits’ of each line.
“Is this a map of Minte City’s sewers?”
Hel stared at the drawing, “It even corresponds to the landmark buildings above ground.”
His gaze converged on a triangular mark on the map, “Is that our current location?”
“It should be.”
He Ao nodded slightly.
His gaze swept over the rock door.
This door must have been prepared long ago and directly moved here.
This map might be sothing the director had prepared for himself in extre circumstances.
It also incorporated several safeguards.
If He Ao hadn’t used his Divine Sense to directly turn the lock cylinder, sensing changes in the chanism, but had directly dismantled the door, they would have missed out on this map.
Having morized the map’s details, He Ao turned off the flashlight.
Hel was just about to raise his head to ask a question, but he suddenly noticed He Ao placing a finger on his lips.
The dark corridor quieted down instantly.
“Do you think those from the Federal Bureau of Investigation could really appear in the sewers?
There’s no sewer channel under the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building, surely they can’t just dig one themselves, this place really fucking stinks.”
From around the corner of the corridor ahead, faint footsteps and grumbling voices could be heard.
“Do you know what kind of ideas that head from Note Intelligence might co up with?”
Another sowhat helpless voice followed, “It’s said he got a severe scolding from the higher-ups, so he kind of went overboard with the lockdown.
They even arranged sentries on the rooftops of nearby buildings.
Fortunately, we have enough people to handle his antics.
Just endure it a bit longer, and our shift will soon change.”
“Putting a patrol post down in the sewers,”
The one who spoke first couldn’t help but curse, “What kind of idiot brain would co up with such an absurd arrangent.”
The footsteps of the two were getting closer, about to reach the corner.
He Ao slowly leaned against the wall edge, looking towards the corner.
“Alright,”
At this mont, the helpless voice spoke again, “We’re already beyond our patrol area and far from the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building.
Let’s head back, in case soone from the Federal Bureau actually cos down here and we miss them – that would be real trouble.”
“Do you think they’ll really go through the sewer?”
The first voice expressed doubt.
“Since we’re unlucky enough to get this task, let’s just do it seriously,”
The voice that followed reached the corner, paused, “Wait, I’ll put a sensing alarm and a local network cara here.”
In the middle of the operation.
A head illuminated by light tried to look beyond the corner to the other side.
“Done,”
The figure installing the equipnt stood up, “Let’s go back.”
“Okay”
The inquiring figure withdrew the head yet to be stretched out and sighed, “We’re really out of luck, being assigned here.”
“Enough, stop complaining.”
The ssy footsteps gradually moved away.
“Mr.
Suote?”
Hel looked towards He Ao.
“We’ll go this way.”
He Ao shook his head, pointed towards another corner behind them, then closed the door and quickly walked past.
Hel nodded slightly, and together with the agent beside him, followed the pace.
The corner ahead led to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building; they didn’t need to go back there.
He looked up at He Ao’s retreating figure, hesitating to speak.
The map projection earlier was too brief; he didn’t manage to take a photo before it vanished.
After that ‘Suote’ ntioned leaving from this corner without ntioning the map again.
Eventually, he tentatively opened his mouth and asked carefully, “Mr.
Suote, where are we going?”
“To the Note Intelligence Building,”
He Ao looked back at him, smiled, and said, “That building is very close to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
I know the way.”
“Okay.”
Hel was startled, then quickly nodded.
The three of them swiftly entered deeper into the channel.
—
Minte City · City Center
Beep——Beep——
The middle-aged man wearing a hat, sitting in the truck and smoking, looked at the congested vehicles ahead and angrily honked several tis, “Are they freaking sleeping on the road, why aren’t they moving.”
The loud horn noise disturbed the black sedan convoy ahead.
Several sturdy n dressed in black stepped out from the last vehicle, pulled out guns, and aid at the truck driver.
The truck driver’s hands trembled, awkwardly raised his hands, his face revealing a conciliatory smile, “Stop, stop, you stop as long as you want.”
Though those sturdy n couldn’t hear his words, they appeared satisfied with his changed expression.
They put away their guns, eyeing the congested vehicles around, and began to guard around the convoy.
The sun shone on the golden simple sketch of a steel furnace badge depicted on their chests, declaring their identities.
“Young people these days really have no reasoning.”
The hat-wearing truck driver lanted and leaned back in the seat, lifted his wristband, and casually sent a ssage.
Then he raised his hand and tucked a strand of red hair showing from under his hat back into the hat.
Reviews
All reviews (0)