One-Eyed Monster

Kadi and Igor were very cautious, taking Xiso forward one step at a time.

They needed to get Xiso out, to lead this scarred veteran to safety.

This was their mission, something they must do.

Kadi’s blades were searching for a way out. Even though the space had changed, it still didn’t pose too much trouble for them. Everything here seemed so unfamiliar, yet also so calm.

Light was their guide. This basement, like the previous space, was completely dark. Without night vision, they would be groping their way through.

As the trailblazer, Kadi’s sense of direction was clear. Finding the place with light would lead them to the exit.

The problem now was how to find this light.

”Can you sense anything unusual with Spirit Power?” Kadi asked, after glancing around and finding nothing special, everything was pitch black, with no sign of light.

”I can’t sense it; I can’t even pick up any Energy Fluctuations.” Igor, too, wasn’t idle. He had been using his Spirit Sensing to feel the place. After the previous turmoil, he realized this Alchemy Workshop was not an empty shell but had some formidable traps set up.

This basement, for example, was a complete entity with no visible exit, suggesting it was a dark room, with the entire exit mechanism being a trap. This trap was difficult to locate, as the structure of the dark room was undoubtedly complex. Unfortunately, Igor and the others weren’t craftsmen, making it hard to uncover the secret of this dark room, effectively trapping them inside.

”Can I use brute force now?” Kadi twirled the Butterfly Blades in his hand, feeling he couldn’t be stuck here any longer.

”Try it, we have no other choices!” Igor agreed with the attempt, wanting to get out quickly without further delay.

”Alright, I’ll give it a try.” Kadi swung the Butterfly Blades, the gust from his knives pounded against the dark wall in front of him.

Bang!

Except for a solid echo, nothing happened!

”This... it’s really solid...” Kadi was surprised at the wall, considering the force behind his blade gust was substantial.

”Since it’s this solid, it mustn’t be ordinary materials. Looks like we still need to find that mechanism,” Igor said.

”It’s Wakim Steel...” Xiso said weakly; though physically frail, his mind was still sharp. Watching the two young ones recklessly use brute force, he couldn’t help but speak up.

”Wakim Steel!” Igor was taken aback. Objects made from this material are incredibly hard, becoming tougher the more you try to break them. What they did earlier was completely counterproductive!

”Walk a bit over there...” Xiso continued to guide weakly.

”Uh, Senior Xiso.” Igor felt deeply ashamed; that Xiso had to help at such a moment showed just how weak they were!

”Kuyi Tulan came here many times... I... I heard from the sound of his footsteps that the exit mechanism in this dark room should be underfoot!” Xiso managed to say, apparently heavily injured, holding on with willpower alone.

Xiso didn’t want to see these two young ones waste their energy here on his account...

”On the ground? Let me check!” Kadi immediately lay down on the ground, starting the search; though he knew he wasn’t good at this, he still needed to find the exit.

”Not like that...” Xiso said, ”According to my deductions from Kuyi Tulan’s footsteps, this...”

”Senior Xiso, slow down!” Igor quickly supported Xiso, who was about to lunge towards Kadi. Clearly, Xiso was anxious, nearly wanting to demonstrate to Kadi himself.

Kadi was sensible; seeing Xiso like this, he immediately stayed in place, not moving.

”This is a password mechanism, it should be controlled by the rhythm of footsteps...” Xiso whispered, truly weak.

Igor understood; the mechanism on the ground was controlled by stepping in a certain order and rhythm. But they didn’t know the order or rhythm, nor where to walk. They could only determine a general area.

”Looks like we have to try slowly!” Igor said as they were still unfamiliar with this mechanism.

”Tatata, tuktuktuk, tatatata.” Xiso mustered his strength to say, ”This is what I observed...”

Igor was a clever person and understood Xiso’s meaning; he immediately had Kadi start testing in that area: ”Two steps left, three back, four forward!”

There was an understanding between Kadi and Igor, and Kadi responded immediately.

But nothing happened.

”Don’t step back...” Xiso continued to hint... This was an observation he made when previously imprisoned here, and with his deductions, he was confident he could crack this password mechanism.

”Okay...” Igor replied, but just as he was about to suggest another sequence of steps, with a whoosh, a bright light surged in with the sound, so bright that Igor and Kadi couldn’t help but shield their eyes.

In front of them appeared an open door, with a familiar figure standing at the entrance.

Clap-clap, this familiar silhouette clapped slowly, taking steps forward.

”I didn’t expect that even the Empire’s brains could figure out the mechanism’s password. I’m truly impressed!”

”Kuyi Tulan!” Igor and Kadi shouted in unison.

”You did make it here, just as I anticipated.”

Kuyi Tulan’s appearance indeed shocked Igor and the others. In Kadi’s memory, this guy was supposed to be scarred and battered. How could he be entirely restored in such a short time? It was unimaginable.

”Kuyi Tulan, you scumbag!” Kadi, without hesitation, drew his twin blades and charged in, his hatred for Kuyi Tulan reaching a peak.

”Careful, Kadi!” Igor’s warning came too late; Kadi’s blades already struck.

”To think you’re here too; this certainly spares me a lot of trouble!” Kuyi Tulan smiled, evidently pleased with Kadi’s presence.

Kadi’s blades seemed to strike a solid rock, stopping in front of Kuyi Tulan, accompanied by a bang.

”This is a trump card of mine. Heh, and to think I would get such an unexpected reward!”