chsdbacks Chapter 202 An Unexpected Path
Chapter 202 An Unexpected Path
Without further hesitation, Nie Lingfeng took a deep breath, the Qilin tattoo on his chest warming slightly, a surge of pure power coursing through his body. He locked onto a relatively "safe" passage, formed by the intersecting blind spots of several early warning nodes—an extremely narrow and irregular three-dimensional tunnel. This passage required him to first quickly climb the rock wall from the side, move laterally for thirty meters at a height of about fifteen meters above the ground, then use the canopies of several tall trees as cover for a short aerial glide, landing on a protruding rock platform, and finally slipping through a crack hidden by vines on the side of the platform…
The route is complex, requiring a high level of timing, physical coordination, and speed.
"Walk!"
With a low shout, Nie Lingfeng shot towards the rock face like an arrow released from a bow! Instead of searching for handholds and footholds like ordinary rock climbers, he lightly touched the slippery rock face with his toes, fully activating the "Wind God Movement" technique within his body. He seemed to transform into a weightless breeze, "gliding" up the almost vertical rock face at an astonishing speed and angle! His movements were as fluid as flowing water, defying basic physics.
Chen Duo followed closely behind. She didn't have Nie Lingfeng's exquisite movements, but she was superior in agility and coordination, and had an exceptionally strong sense of danger. She imitated Nie Lingfeng's movements, leaping onto the rock face and using both hands and feet like a true agile ape, quickly climbing and moving among the jagged rocks and crevices. Although her movements weren't as graceful as Nie Lingfeng's, they were extremely efficient, and she always managed to narrowly avoid those hidden sharp rock edges or slippery moss.
The two moved swiftly up the steep cliff face like silent phantoms. Nie Lingfeng occasionally gave short, whispered commands: "Three to the left, up!" "Jump to the right, grab the vine!" "Stop, wait three breaths!"
Chen Duo obeyed unconditionally and without the slightest hesitation. Her trust and precise execution made this highly challenging infiltration mission go much more smoothly.
The 15-meter height was conquered by the two in just a few breaths. Nie Lingfeng steadied himself on a slightly protruding rock and glanced back at Chen Duo below. She deftly grabbed a drooping old vine, swung gently, and landed precisely beside him. Her face was slightly flushed from the exertion, but her breathing was steady, and her bright green eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement at completing the challenge. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
"Very good, continue." Nie Lingfeng murmured approvingly, his gaze fixed on the tall fir trees thirty meters ahead, where they needed to make way. There were no footholds for them, and below was an area with dense warning nodes; they could only "fly" through the canopy.
He estimated the distance and angle, subtly adjusting his internal energy. Then, seizing the opportunity, he unleashed his power, leaping from the rock face like a giant bird! This time, he didn't rely entirely on the lightness of "Wind God Movement," but instead incorporated a trace of Qilin power into the explosive force of his legs, giving him an initial velocity far exceeding that of ordinary people. His body traced a low, flat arc in the air, precisely striking the dense, umbrella-like canopy of the nearest fir tree!
Just as he was about to fall into the tree canopy, his body twisted strangely, and like a fish, he nimbly darted through the gaps in the branches and leaves, barely touching any branches. With just a light touch, he sprang up again and shot towards the next tree! The whole process was as fast as lightning and silent, with even the trembling of the leaves being barely noticeable.
Chen Duo watched Nie Lingfeng's graceful, ethereal movements, a flicker of envy in her eyes, but her actions were swift. She didn't possess Nie Lingfeng's subtle control over power, but she had her own methods. She took a deep breath, the Phoenix True Fire within her circulating slightly, making her body seem lighter than a feather. She leaped out, mimicking Nie Lingfeng's movements, but in mid-air, her hands moved rapidly, as if paddling in water, subtly manipulating the surrounding airflow, making her gliding trajectory even more stable and controllable. She nimbly passed through the canopy of the first tree, pressing her small hands against a thick branch, using the momentum to turn and leap towards the second… Her movements, though not as effortless as Nie Lingfeng's, carried a touch of girlish lightness and… a hint of adorable clumsiness, but she managed to catch up without serious injury.
Like birds frolicking among the treetops, the two leaped and bounded across the thirty-meter distance, landing steadily on the designated narrow platform protruding from the rock face. The platform was no more than two or three square meters, covered with slippery moss.
"This way." Without pausing, Nie Lingfeng pushed aside the dense vines with small purple flowers on the side of the platform, which almost completely covered the rock wall, revealing a dark crack behind it, barely wide enough for one person to bend over and pass through. The crack was deep, its destination unknown, and a cold, damp wind blew out, carrying a strange smell, similar to a mixture of mold and old chemicals in a basement.
This was clearly not a naturally formed crack; the edges showed signs of artificial excavation and reinforcement, and were very rough, resembling some kind of emergency passage or abandoned ventilation shaft. It wasn't marked on Xiao Yang's map, presumably because it was later covered by vegetation.
Nie Lingfeng probed into the crack, extending it for over ten meters, but found no obvious warning devices or signs of life, only some small insects that preferred dark and damp places crawling in the crevices. Could this be a "shortcut" to the interior of the base, overlooked by the Yaoxing Society?
"Stay close to me and watch your step," Nie Lingfeng whispered, then bent down and crawled into the crevice first. Chen Duo immediately put away her doll (stuffed it into her backpack), tightened her backpack strap, and followed closely behind.
The crevice was narrower and more winding inside than it appeared from the outside, requiring one to squeeze through sideways in some places. The rock walls were damp, cold, and slippery, covered with dark green moss and unknown fungi. Air circulation was poor, making the musty smell even more pronounced. The ground was uneven, littered with loose stones. Light was completely blocked, with only a faint, cold glow from Nie Lingfeng's tactical watch illuminating a small area about a foot in front of him.
But this wasn't a problem for the two of them. Nie Lingfeng could see in the dark, and Chen Duo's senses were also very sharp in the dark. The two of them moved silently and quickly, one after the other, through the narrow, dark crevice.
After walking for about five minutes, a faint change in the airflow and a muffled, dull hum of machinery could be heard ahead. The crack seemed to be nearing its end.
Nie Lingfeng stopped and gestured for Chen Duo to stop as well. He extended his senses forward again, this time penetrating the stone wall at the end of the crack.
Outside was a relatively spacious area, resembling the bottom of an abandoned pipe or ventilation shaft. The air was thick with the pungent smells of disinfectant, engine oil, and some indescribable, slightly sweet yet fishy chemical reagent. The rumbling of machinery above created a rhythmic vibration. There were no obvious human voices, but a few faint, ordinary human presences could be sensed moving slowly in the distance, seemingly on patrol.
It seems they stumbled upon a hidden entrance that might lead to the base's internal piping system or lower levels.
Nie Lingfeng took out the miniature thermal imager from his waist pouch, adjusted it to penetration mode, and scanned the stone wall at the end of the crack. A blurry outline appeared on the screen. The stone wall wasn't thick, and behind it were metal pipes and concrete structures. Further away, there were several blurry humanoid light spots representing heat sources, slowly moving.
"It seems we... ended up under their house?" Chen Duo leaned closer, looking at the flickering lights on the thermal imaging screen, and whispered, her tone tinged with surprise and...curiosity. This wasn't how she imagined "infiltration" to happen. Shouldn't they have sneaked in through the front door or window? How did they end up in the underground pipes? (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)
Nie Lingfeng was also somewhat speechless. However, this unexpected "path" seemed to be more concealed and safer than sneaking in through the main gate or the wall. At least, it avoided most of the ground and high-altitude early warning systems.
"Since we're here, let's make the best of it." Nie Lingfeng put away the thermal imaging device and said in a low voice, "Touch from the bottom up, maybe we can see something different. Stay close to me and be careful not to make any noise."
He reached out and gently pressed his palm against the stone wall at the end of the crack. A wisp of dark golden Qilin True Fire emanated from his palm, silently pulverizing the small amount of concrete and rock debris at the joint without damaging the stone wall's structure. Then, with a gentle push, a stone slab about the size of a washbasin, already softened by water and moisture, slid silently inward, revealing a dark opening.
A stronger, cold wind, mixed with the smell of rust, engine oil, and decay, poured out of the cave entrance.
Nie Lingfeng leaned out first, and after confirming it was safe, pulled Chen Duo out as well.
The two were now inside a rusty, circular metal pipe, about two meters in diameter. The pipe's inner walls were covered in black grease and water droplets, and beneath their feet lay a thick layer of dust and unidentified black particles. On one side of the pipe, a rudimentary metal ladder extended upwards, disappearing into the darkness above. On the other side, the path led deeper and further into the distance, where the sounds of flowing water and the roar of machinery could be heard.
This is clearly not a "road" for people to walk on, but rather some kind of industrial pipeline or maintenance access.
"Going up should lead us into the building," Nie Lingfeng predicted. He pointed to the upward-facing ladder.
Chen Duo nodded, having no objection. To her, climbing up or down made little difference; she was following Nie Lingfeng anyway.
So the two began climbing again. The rusty metal ladder creaked slightly under their feet, a sound that pierced their teeth, but it was barely noticeable amidst the roar of the machinery. The air inside the duct was foul and the light dim, with only a faint, pale light shining from very high above, like a ventilation shaft or maintenance opening.
After climbing about three floors, the ladder reached its end, leading to a circular exit with a mesh cover. The cover appeared to be locked from the outside, but the latches were rusted shut.
Nie Lingfeng pressed his ear against the cover, listening intently. It was quiet outside, save for the faint sound of footsteps in the distance and the rhythmic ticking of instruments. He scanned again with the thermal imager; the area outside the cover was a relatively open space with no active heat sources.
He extended his finger, a flash of dark golden light appearing at his fingertip, and gently touched the rusted lock. After a slight "click," the lock seemed to melt instantly from the high temperature, falling off silently.