The corners of Caesar’s mouth were tense and Manstein’s breathing was heavy.
“Fifteen minutes have passed—the chances of survival are slim.” Manstein said quietly.
“We should send a second group to dive now,” Caesar said coldly. “The second group can be just me, or others can be selected! Their oxygen will last for at least another hour and a half—if their oxygen hasn’t run out, they aren’t dead! I’m ready for the dive.”
“Do you know what my Yanling is?” Manstein stared into Caesar’s eyes. “It’s ‘Snake,’ the same as Ye Sheng’s, but my range extends deeper, all the way to the riverbed. There’s intense movement below—you’ve sensed it too, haven’t you? Water carries sound well—what has your ‘Kamaitachi’ heard?”
“Noise. Terrifying noise,” Caesar replied.
“I can’t determine what’s happening down there, but it’s possible the Dragon King has awakened. No one should dive now! I need everyone in their positions—I came here to kill the Dragon King.” Manstein said. “I’m staying here, waiting for him. Caesar, you understand what it means to let a dragon into the human world. Everything about the dragons must be sealed in a black box—that’s our mission!”
Caesar glared into Manstein’s eyes until one of the student council members stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder.
“Caesar, I see fear in your eyes,” Manstein glanced at his watch. “If they are alive, their oxygen can sustain them for another hour and a half. After one hour, you can dive for rescue.”
Lu Mingfei and Nono struggled against the currents.
Millions of tons of water inside the bronze city were flowing downward from different entrances, cascading down. The power of the water drove the city’s mechanisms, but this operation seemed to be destroying the city itself. The vast and intricate structure felt like it had a life of its own, and now, it was howling its death throes.
Lu Mingfei clung tightly to Nono’s wrist. At this moment, the only thing connecting him to the world was Nono’s hand.
There were countless channels underwater, like an industrial-era chemical plant. Strange-shaped valves opened and closed, pipes twisted and disconnected, diverting water to completely different areas. Huge waterwheels spun at high speed, propelled by the flow. They had no choice but to dive into the nearest channel—just seconds later, a giant bronze gate closed behind them, almost cutting them in half. At the same time, massive water pressure seemed to crush them, and the passage began to fill with water.
Nono swam quickly, as agile as a mackerel. All Lu Mingfei could do was mechanically move his legs, contributing a bit of propulsion.
The pipes spread out like a spider’s web—it was a water-filled labyrinth. They couldn’t just take the supposed “direct downward path”—nothing stayed fixed in this ever-moving city. The route Ye Sheng and Aki had taken didn’t exist for them; moving straight down was just a coincidence last time.
Lu Mingfei was on the verge of exhaustion. His hand, exposed to the water and tightly bound, was already numb from the cold—he couldn’t even feel if it was still there.
But it didn’t matter now; they were about to die anyway.
They were completely lost. Lu Mingfei struggled to remember the bronze city map—all its mechanisms were meticulously outlined, as if the person drawing it had personally witnessed its construction. Remembering the map might help, but he needed to understand how it worked, which was an impossible task!
Last time, he pulled off a miracle and saved Aki, but this time, there was no such miracle to save him and Nono.
If the communication line hadn’t been cut, Lu Mingfei could have called Finger, who was sitting in front of his computer, ready to be an excellent support. Now there was no choice, even if the support was a god, he would still need a way to call for divine help.
Maybe there was one last way… A light seemed to flash in Lu Mingfei’s mind. Some things were just inexplicable—right now, he could only believe in those inexplicable things!
“Black Sheep Wall!” he shouted.
He had no idea if it would work. Normally, this secret command had to be entered after pressing “Enter,” but the problem was, he didn’t even have a keyboard now.
Chaotic static filled his ears, as erratic currents poured into his headset.
“Lu Mingfei, Lu Mingfei, my dear useless junior, what the hell are you doing? This is your useless senior Finger’s 214th call, please respond, please respond…” Finger’s lazy voice came through.
“This… this actually worked?” Lu Mingfei was speechless.
“Dammit, hurry up! We’re gonna die down here underwater! Pull up the bronze city map for me!” Lu Mingfei shouted at the top of his lungs.
This voice echoed through the Maniach’s forward cabin, leaving everyone stunned.
“What…?” Caesar rushed from his position to the control panel.
Manstein pressed his forehead firmly, his mind buzzing with serpents. Scientifically speaking, “Snake” was a bioelectric current—Ye Sheng had used “Snake” to directly connect to the Maniach’s wireless equipment. But for Manstein, the empty serpents were his loyal servants, obeying only his commands.
But now the serpents were out of control! The “Snake” returned at high speed, instantly entering his consciousness. Lu Mingfei’s voice wasn’t just coming through the speakers, it was also echoing in his mind.
Manstein struggled to command the “Snake,” but it was useless.
The “Snake” was transmitting the signal, and he was serving as a relay station between Lu Mingfei and the Maniakh. An inconceivable command had been issued, and Manstein’s Yanling power was being forcibly commandeered!
“Is this… cheating?” he wanted to say.
This power exceeded all known rules.
The screen displayed the complete information from Lu Mingfei—it was a map of the bronze city!
“Finger! Bring up the previous map! Locate our current position! We’re lost in the Dragon King’s lair!” Each time Lu Mingfei shouted, it was like thunder in Manstein’s mind, leaving him slumped in his chair.