"Then hurry and follow me. After we help Uncle find his treasure, we can go home! Quick, quick, quick!" Lily jumped down from Charles' hand and dashed toward the cave entrance, a swarm of dark brown rats right behind her.
Emerging from the rats' tunnel, Lily led Charles and the others as they darted swiftly between the rocks.
Every now and then, the red glow of a flying leech would flicker in the distance. At those moments, Lily the white rat would send another rat over to lure the monster's attention.
After half an hour of running and hiding, the jagged rocks began to thin out, and a smooth rock wall suddenly appeared before Charles. It was so dark that he couldn't make out what was above; he wasn't sure whether it was a mountain or a colossal wall.
The group walked along the base of the wall for a few more minutes until a high-tech iron door suddenly loomed before them.
Before Charles could ask anything, the rats swiftly formed a living tower. This "rat-string" gave the handle a hard tug, and with a CLACK, the door swung open.
When Charles rushed inside with the rats, he was stunned. Before him lay a wide, straight corridor. Though blanketed in thick dust and chaos, its minimalist design made him feel as though he had stepped into a futuristic hospital.
This architectural style definitely wasn't built by the people outside, Charles quickly concluded.
"Lily, are you sure the treasure is here?"
Charles didn't think this structure was the work of flying leeches, either. He had a nagging feeling that the rat's mission was more complex than it seemed.
The white rat didn't answer. She glanced around for a moment before darting into a room and dragging out a large sheet of paper.
Charles touched it. The material was stiff, almost like plastic. A simple map was drawn on it, with different sections marked in Abyss-Sea script: Surveillance Room, Lounge, Cafeteria, and so on.
Lily leaped onto the map, stomping on a spot in the eastern corner before scurrying over to a prohibition symbol in the west and stomping again. "We're here, and the treasure is over there. Let's go get it!"
Staring at the map, a suspicion began to form in Charles' mind. But this isn't the time for speculation, he thought. This place seems dangerous. It's best to find the item and get out of here as soon as possible.
WHOOSH! A figure suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway, startling Deep, who was at the front, into a loud yelp.
Charles quickly pushed down the barrel of his gun. "It's fine. It's just a corpse."
Everyone clustered around as the torchlight illuminated the figure. It was a desiccated corpse, kneeling stiffly on the ground. Its mouth was stretched wide open and its hands were outstretched, as if it had died screaming.
Charles noticed a detail on the corpse. On its suit-like clothing, a metal badge hung from the right breast.
He crouched and angled the metal badge for a better look. "Dr. Dort, Deputy Director of the Third Laboratory."
Charles' pupils contracted. A thought struck him, and he immediately pulled out the document for the clown mask. He scanned the page. "Containment Level: Level 3 Item. Currently housed in Laboratory 3."
So this is Laboratory 3. The rats stole the mask from here. Who built Laboratory 3? Who were they? One question was answered, only for more to spring up in its place.
Lily tugged on Charles' pant leg, urging them forward. "Hurry up! Once we finish helping, we can go home."
Charles had originally thought the path would be dangerous, but Lily hadn't lied. Aside from the disordered surroundings and the occasional corpse, there was no real danger.
They slowly approached their destination.
"Look, we're here! This is it," Lily said, stopping in front of an iron door and bouncing in place. "There's a small square panel on the door! Just press your hand on it, and it'll open!"
Staring at the disturbingly familiar device on the door, Charles had an ominous feeling.
He placed his hand on the panel. Unsurprisingly, the door didn't open. With no power and a non-matching fingerprint, there was no way it would work. It was a fingerprint-activated lock.
"Huh? Why didn't it open? Uncle clearly said the door would unlock if a human put their hand on it," Lily said, tilting her head in confusion.
No matter how smart she is, a rat is still just a rat, Charles mused. She must have seen someone open the door with their fingerprint and just assumed any human hand would work. That's not how it works at all.
Charles knocked on the door. Finding it wasn't particularly thick, he pulled out a stick of dynamite, lit the fuse, and tossed it at the base of the door before retreating to a safe distance.
BOOM! A deafening explosion thundered, blasting a gaping hole in the door.
As Charles stepped through the opening, he spotted a black wine flask sitting quietly in the center of a table.
"That's it! We can go home now!" Lily's furry face was beaming with joy.
Charles didn't dare linger. He snatched the flask and sprinted for the exit. The explosion had been loud, and he feared it might have attracted unwanted attention.
But as fate would have it, just as Charles and the group were halfway out, a flying leech drifted around the corner ahead, its bloated body completely blocking the path.
ROAR! The flying leech roared as it charged the group.
Seeing no way to dodge, Charles instantly raised his revolver and started pulling the trigger. "Fire!"
The bullets thudded against the leech's hide with the sound of slapping leather, the impact driving it back step by stumbling step.
The flying leech screeched, its swollen bulk twisted, and its glowing, translucent crimson body vanished.
"Don't stop! Fire forward! It can turn invisible, so empty your magazines!"
Rounds flew into the distant wall, riddling it with holes.
The gunfire faded. Just as Charles was about to shout for them to run, the leech's massive head suddenly reappeared right in front of him. Its toothed maw was less than ten centimeters from his face.
Its spinning teeth retracted as the maw opened wide, descending toward Charles's head like a flying guillotine.
Just as he was about to be devoured, an immense force struck his waist, yanking him backward.
Charles glanced down to see that Deep had shoved him aside, saving his life.
Gunfire cracked again, driving the leech back with a howl. Its body twisted, and it disappeared again.
Charles scrambled to his feet. Without a second thought, he whipped out the mask and slapped it onto his face. In a crisis like this, there's no time to hesitate.
His left hand darted to his leg, and the Black Blade appeared in his grip. Behind the mask, Charles grinned with excitement.
He felt the change the moment the mask settled on his face. His strength and reflexes had sharpened drastically. Everything around him burst into clarity—and it wasn't just a psychological effect. He could now literally see in the dark.
"Guys, stop shooting! That thing is immune to bullets. Today, your boss is going to show you how it's done!"
The keen Black Blade flickered at the ends of Charles's fingers, leaving afterimages as it danced and weaved through the air.