Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Break Free (5)
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Three boats were tied up in the underground waterway. But the only one Four Thousand Four could choose was the very first one.
The underground waterway was so narrow that barely a single boat could squeeze through.
If a boat came from the opposite direction, the one heading out would have to wait in a slightly wider spot. Otherwise, if they pressed on and met in the middle, both would be hopelessly stuck.
Four Thousand Four boarded the first boat.
He laid Reluctant Killer along the gunwale. The poison had already spread to his heart, his face turning black.
Since it was Penalty Lord's poison, there was no doubting its potency.
In other words... there was no way to save Reluctant Killer. No antidote existed that could counter it.
Yet... as Four Thousand Four laid him along the gunwale, he spotted a leather pouch on the boat's floor.
The leather pouch was fairly large, about the size of a travel satchel.
Anyone who so much as peeked into the boat would notice it right away. It wasn't hidden away secretly either. It lay there haphazardly, like an oar—no need to search; it was right there in plain sight.
'What's this?'
He opened the leather pouch.
A refreshing scent wafted out. Even before untying the knot, a clear, invigorating aroma spread, clearing the passages in his head. There was no resisting his curiosity.
Sure enough, out came a pill the size of an adult's thumb.
The crisp, head-clearing scent emanated from the pill itself.
'Antidote.'
Four Thousand Four had no idea what herbs went into making the pill, why the pouch was here, or who it was meant for...
But the instant he saw it, the word "antidote" flashed through his mind.
He shoved the pill into Reluctant Killer's mouth.
It melted like snow, smoothly sliding down his throat.
Reluctant Killer regained a measure of calm.
His complexion showed no change, but the pain had clearly eased a great deal—he looked far more at peace.
Four Thousand Four checked the leather pouch again.
When he'd taken out the pill, he'd glimpsed something else. It looked like a thick sheaf of paper.
What he pulled out was a sea chart.
It laid out in precise detail where to head after escaping Thunder Prison.
'Hmm! Zhuge Xiaoxiao...'
Four Thousand Four thought of Zhuge Xiaoxiao once more.
She was beautiful. Not in a flashy way, but with a serene elegance. A pure, neat sort of beauty... not the allure of maturity, but something pristine and clean.
The reason Zhuge Xiaoxiao seemed so exceptionally cold stemmed from that unique beauty of hers.
When a refined woman carries out a ruthless scheme, everyone around her feels the chill.
But who could know? A plot as icy as it is scheming, emerging from beauty that blooms like a rose—it comes off as downright bewitching.
Schemes appear wise only when wielded by the plain and unlovely.
If tactics unfold from unadorned beauty, from the everyday ordinariness all around us, people would find her all the more beautiful. They'd hail her as a profoundly wise woman.
Not everyone, of course. Just the common way of thinking, perhaps?
Zhuge Xiaoxiao was breathtaking when she wasn't deploying her stratagems. Outstanding enough to leave everyone staring in awe.
Four Thousand Four's gaze fixed on that image.
Whether she wielded martial arts or unraveled military tactics... her beauty never marred in the doing.
This time, though, he genuinely marveled at her brilliance.
She had planted a spy inside Little Hive.
Any sect treating Heavenly Annihilation Division as an enemy would kill for a mole on the inside. Every sect craved some line into Heavenly Annihilation Division.
Yet according to all accounts, not a single sect had ever succeeded.
No one had managed to plant a spy.
Little Hive, moreover, was the most tightly guarded spot in all of Heavenly Annihilation Division. A place where collusion was impossible.
Zhuge Xiaoxiao had planted one there anyway.
The spy knew Penalty Lord's poison. Held a position to lay hands on the antidote. Could procure a sea chart and even slip a leather pouch into Thunder Prison's underground waterway, despite the warriors' ironclad vigilance.
Someone high up was feeding her information.
Four Thousand Four gave the sea chart a quick scan.
First things first: get out of the underground waterway. He could study it properly later.
Swish! Swish!
He began rowing.
No one barred his path. No further mechanisms triggered.
The waterway opened into a vast lake. Or was it a river? Surely not the sea?
Thick fog blanketed the outside, visibility nil. No way to tell if it was an open sea or a meandering river.
The chart indicated something quite expansive.
Four Thousand Four scooped up some water and tasted it.
Not salty. Refreshingly potable.
So, definitely not the sea. And yet it sprawled like one. The river on the map looked oceanic in scale.
Little Hive was an island.
The dense fog encircling it was likely some kind of formation at work.
Without that map from the pouch, escape would have been impossible.
One astonishing detail... Zhuge Xiaoxiao had foreseen Reluctant Killer's poisoning.
Reluctant Killer had infiltrated Thunder Prison without a soul detecting him.
Piercing the thick fog, navigating the underground waterway, slipping past countless warriors' watch, bypassing mechanisms with ease—he'd delved deep to reach his spot.
Every step of his path must have come straight from Zhuge Xiaoxiao's instructions.
And yet the pouch held an antidote and a chart. How could she prepare that far ahead without anticipating his downfall?
Just how deep did Zhuge Xiaoxiao's wisdom run?
Swish! Swish!
He rowed as quietly as possible, minimizing splashes.
Of course, sharp ears would pick it up. Any warrior posted specifically to listen for such sounds would catch it in an instant. But what choice was there but to try?
Swish!
Quietly dipping the oar, gently pushing off.
The chart marked the escape route in three stages.
First stage: proceed in a straight line. Then zigzag like a drunkard.
Four Thousand Four hadn't understood the chart at first. Why snake around like that?
Now he got it.
The chart didn't specify where the first stage ended. Yet he'd figured it out naturally. No explanation needed.
The fog lifted.
That marked the end of stage one.
As the fog cleared, a broad lake emerged. Vast beyond seeing. Water everywhere, with small islands jutting up like reefs here and there.
Zigzagging the boat meant using those reefs for cover to slip away quietly.
Why not just go straight? No one to interfere.
Four Thousand Four let out a wry chuckle.
Zhuge Xiaoxiao had already sized up their capabilities perfectly. And it wasn't just Reluctant Killer's martial prowess. She knew Four Thousand Four's level too. That's why she was so sure they could slip Penalty Lord's grasp.
When a woman like that handed over a chart this detailed... it meant unseen ambushes lurked in this very stage.
If those ambushes stirred, they were done for.
He had to move quietly, stealthily, using the reefs for cover.
Four Thousand Four waited in the fog for time to pass.
Breaking out now would draw eyes for sure. Wasn't it too bright? Better wait till nightfall, then move as the chart directed.
The two lay side by side along the gunwale. Reluctant Killer sprawled out, Four Thousand Four too.
Reluctant Killer's color had improved markedly. The dusky hue had faded back to normal.
Four Thousand Four lay there, staring at the sky.
No sky in sight. The roiling fog blocked even arm's length.
Swish! Splash! Swish! Splish-splash!
Waves rose.
Four Thousand Four could focus his hearing on specific sounds. He'd trained that plenty back in Nineteen Hells.
"A boat's coming."
Reluctant Killer spoke up.
The tables had turned. They were the ones who ought to be watching them, yet here they were, spotting the enemy first.
"When do you plan to move?"
"Night's almost here. Then we go."
"Hahaha!"
Reluctant Killer laughed for no reason.
"Why the laugh?"
"Didn't figure you'd grasp the chart's meaning on sight. You know what's waiting outside this fog?"
"No clue."
"A monster that could swallow our level in one gulp. That's why we wait till evening... and you got it just from the chart? Genius."
'Not genius. Instinct.'
Four Thousand Four just smiled.
Swish! Splash! Swish! Splash!
The oar sounds drew nearer.
This boat would pass by. No sense picking a needless fight. Luckily, they were rowing well away from the hiding spot.
Reluctant Killer spoke.
"Quite a crowd on that boat."
Killing time till then... might as well eavesdrop on the banter.
'Seven in total.'
Four Thousand Four had even counted the passengers.
When it came to hearing, he held a slight edge over Reluctant Killer now. He'd trailed before, but not anymore—at least not in this.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
- It's Little Hive.
A woman's mutter.
The moment Four Thousand Four caught it, he shot upright.
The speech pattern, the accent, the pitch... that eternally resigned tone—he'd never forget it.
'Jaja!'
He pricked up his ears at once.
The others said nothing. The woman fell silent too. But Four Thousand Four was certain: Vanguard and the entire Killing Gate crew were aboard.
'Definitely Jaja's voice!'
Jaja could have been captured. She was Little Hive's prime target. If they'd killed her outright instead of taking her alive, it wouldn't raise an eyebrow. Vanguard's bunch wouldn't resist execution.
"What is it? What's going on?"
Reluctant Killer sat up alongside him.
He'd boarded the escape boat half-dead, but now he moved with ease. The antidote had been custom-brewed against Penalty Lord's unique brew.
"When can you tell me Heavenly Annihilation Division's location?"
"The second we're clear of here. Why?"
"One more favor—can you reveal where Green Scholar's locked up?"
"No guarantees, but yeah, I can manage. What's this about?"
"Keep that promise, please."
With those words, Four Thousand Four launched skyward.
Whoosh!
His form vanished into the thick fog in an instant.
"Pfft! Knew it the second he bolted upright."
Reluctant Killer flopped back down along the gunwale.
Vanguard's crew was yielding to the summons because of the hostages trapped in Heavenly Annihilation Division. Without those hostages, they weren't the type to throw their lives away.
Those summons might not even involve hostages.
No helping that... but if hostages were the reason for compliance... shouldn't there at least be a way to rescue them?
Zhuge Xiaoxiao could pinpoint Green Scholar's prison.
Then maybe she could locate Vanguard, Hanbi, Jaja, and Fox's too? If he could spring them, why die pointlessly for Heavenly Annihilation Division?
It might be meddling in others' affairs. But... he couldn't just stand by and watch acquaintances march to a dog's death.
Swoooosh!
Four Thousand Four streaked toward the unfamiliar boat like a bolt of lightning.