Enemies Underground

Chapter 35 – Enemies Underground

Aria narrated her experience starting from two weeks ago. Back then, she was traveling with her older sister when a group of black robed men emerged from the ground, and ambushed them.

His sister was able to react but while she was fighting, a black robed man appeared behind Aria and took her away.

The men made her unconscious. And when she woke up, Aria found herself in a dark room with dozens of children accompanying her. She cried and called for help but to no avail.

Every night, those men would appear and give them food. Whenever they appeared, they would also bring another child.

They stayed inside that room for weeks. The numbers of children grew until one night, one of the men delivering their food was drunk. Using her innate speed as a member of a rat race, she was able to quietly sneak out. She moved through countless tunnels until finally exiting the ground.

She was happy at first, but… her happiness was short-lived. She was discovered and was brought inside a stone house where she was beaten. She fainted, and when she woke up again, she was inside the Archery Hall.

Mon and Jhin listened to her narration. Although her voice constantly stuttered as she narrates, they were able to obtain crucial information.

First, the kidnappers weren't as simple as they seem. There's a huge possibility that it was an organization or perhaps, an entire race. Regardless, it couldn't change the fact that the enemy was powerful.

Most importantly, Aria's narration revealed that the base was located within the shelter! And the chance of it being underground was high!

Although the human race had conquered the shelter, they hadn't truly explored every nook and cranny of the shelter. Given that each shelter had changed ownership countless of times. Having a hidden base in the shelter wasn't entirely impossible.

"No wonder, it was reported that some children started missing a few weeks ago." A grave expression appeared on Mon's face.

If the enemy had an underground base hidden inside the shelter, then the likelihood of invasion would be high! The enemy could attack at any moment.

Moreover, as the beast stampede was nearing, it is highly likely that the force behind the kidnapping would seize the chance and attack them.

An attack from the inside was fatal to any forces! Without a doubt, if they wanted retain ownership of the shelter, they must clear these forces before the beast stampede.

The discovery created a huge frown on Mon's face. He looked at Jhin and Aria for a moment. Then he sighed before speaking, "The both of you, wait here! I'll contact the commander."

Saying so, he turned around and exited the hall, leaving Jhin who was comforting the little girl.

After Aria recounted what happened, her tears never stopped falling. It was a though she was traumatized by the incident.

"Shh... It's okay, this big brother here will protect you." Jhin patted her head as he hugged him. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became!

He was a calculative person. He seldom gets affected by matters that doesn't benefit him. However, the act of harming the child crossed his bottom line.

Abusing power to bully the harmless. It was unforgivable!

Levels are created for the sake of facing the same level. Yet, the kidnappers violated this rule! He was a businessman and was quite open minded. Although kidnapping is a bad practice, Jhin still knew that even such criminal job has rules to follow!

And beating a helpless child, was a clear violation of those rules!

"It's a given that I will join the raid. But, my strength isn't enough." Jhin thought. "I must summon my ink soldiers to fight while hiding its identity."

"Don't worry Aria, everything will be alright." he said. After a moment of thought, he continued, "How about you become my adopted sister from now on?"

"Adopted sister? What's that?" Aria rubbed her round eyes as she looked up. Her pitiful appearance tugged Jhin's heartstrings.

"Adopted sister is like a real sister although we didn't have the same parents." Jhin explained. He started recounting her some events and circumstances between an adopted sibling.

After listening to him for a long while, Aria's eyes lit up. With a beaming smile, she lifted her head and exclaimed, "I agree! I want to be your little sister!"

"That's great then." Jhin rubbed her head. "Then, can you wait here for me? I'll try to make our situation better."

Jhin stood up, his eyes scanning the field before landing on the enraged Saline. The coming raid was very important to him.

His current circumstances requires him to have a large amount of ink drops. Since the likelihood that the enemy was an organization, there would surely be at least hundreds of enemies. If he could join the raid, he would be able to obtain ink drops as he long as he could kill them. Perhaps, he could even reach Tier 1.

In addition, saving the children is the requirement to complete the quest, thus, he must be present there.

However, he has one problem. The only method he knew to kill and protect himself was through summoning the ink soldiers. Yet, he couldn't openly reveal the ink soldiers because the soldiers who had entered the shrines knew of their existence. Once, they learned of his relationship with the ink soldiers, things would certainly get out of his control. He might even get interrogated and imprison.

Thus, to keep the ink soldiers' existence a secret, he needs cloaks as well as a long-range weapon, like the bows.

To obtain all these stuffs, the best option at this moment was to scam Saline. Her mental state was unstable, and her position is a real deal. If he could scam her, the likelihood of obtaining these items would be high.

Without further ado, Jhin started walking towards Saline.

He arrived near the training soldiers. Then, he started his act.

"What a terrible teacher! This is the first time I saw someone teaching this bad!