Chapter 223 Inside the Tunnel

Chapter 223: Chapter 223 Inside the Tunnel

The underground passage grew colder as Ling Xuan and Stefan moved farther from the entrance, their footsteps disturbing the dust that had settled over the concrete floor. Stefan kept his flashlight trained ahead, occasionally shifting its beam towards the walls whenever he noticed scratches or dark stains, while Ling Xuan walked several steps in front of him with her sword drawn. She knew the first section of this passage well enough to recognize the damaged walls and the bodies of the monsters she had killed during her previous visit, but the familiarity offered little comfort now that she understood who might have been fleeing through the darkness.

Stefan slowed when the flashlight illuminated the first corpse. Its head had been severed cleanly from its body, and several meters beyond it lay another creature with a deep sword wound through its chest. He glanced towards Ling Xuan, then towards the darkness ahead, realizing that she had fought her way through this place while the children were still somewhere beyond her reach.

"How far did you get last time?" Stefan asked, keeping his voice low as he stepped around the remains of another monster. His exhaustion had not disappeared, but the possibility that they were following the right trail had made him more alert.

Ling Xuan continued forward until she reached the section of passage where she remembered hearing Gabriel’s warning. She stopped there briefly, studying the darkness beyond it before answering. "This far. I killed the monsters that came towards me and intended to continue, but Gabriel called for help because the soldiers outside were surrounded."

Stefan looked ahead, then back at the bodies they had passed. "You think those creatures were chasing the children?"

"Possibly," Ling Xuan answered, shifting her sword into a more comfortable grip. "They came from this direction, but I saw no children when I entered. We will know more when we go farther."

Inside the farming space, Laurel remembered that moment almost as clearly as Ling Xuan did. She remembered the uneasiness that had remained after the battle and how Ling Xuan had insisted Tina was safe because Stefan was looking after her. Neither of them had known that Stefan had already been separated from the children, and the thought that Ling Xuan might have been only a short distance away from them made Laurel’s chest ache.

She wanted to ask how much farther they might have been, whether Tina had heard the fighting or whether Jack had tried to call for help, but there was no way Ling Xuan could answer any of those questions. Instead, Laurel remained quiet and watched through their shared senses as they crossed the place where Ling Xuan had turned back.

Beyond it, the passage was unfamiliar.

The flashlight revealed a long stretch of concrete walls interrupted by old pipes and damaged fittings, and the floor was covered in enough dust that Ling Xuan could make out several overlapping marks. Some belonged to monsters, their claws leaving deep scratches across the ground, while others were much smaller and less distinct. She crouched to examine them, noticing that the smaller impressions were uneven and occasionally accompanied by a faint dragging mark.

Stefan lowered the flashlight when he saw her examining the floor. "Did you find something?"

"There were people here," Ling Xuan answered, pointing towards two impressions near the wall. "Their steps were small, and one of them may have been having difficulty walking."

Stefan’s expression tightened as he studied the marks. He remembered Ida telling him that the children had escaped together, and the possibility that Tina or Jack had been injured while fleeing made him feel sick. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stand and follow when Ling Xuan continued, because stopping to imagine what might have happened would not bring them any closer.

As they advanced, the damage along the passage became increasingly severe. Deep cracks spread across sections of the wall, and small fragments of stone lay scattered over the floor. Ling Xuan examined one particularly large indentation, then looked up towards the ceiling, where several cracks had widened enough to expose the rough material beneath the concrete.

"Something struck this wall with considerable force," she observed, tracing the damage with her gaze. "And it happened more than once."

Stefan raised the flashlight towards the ceiling before returning it to the ground. "If the monsters were chasing them, they might have been attacking each other while trying to get past."

Ling Xuan considered the suggestion without answering immediately. The marks supported it, but what concerned her more was how unstable the passage had become. She could hear occasional grains of debris falling somewhere ahead, and the farther they walked, the stronger the smell of dust grew.

A heavy impact suddenly echoed through the tunnel.

Stefan stopped beside her, his fingers tightening around the flashlight as he listened. Another impact followed several seconds later, accompanied by a low growl that carried clearly through the confined space.

"There are still monsters ahead," Stefan whispered, reaching for his gun.

Ling Xuan motioned for him to remain behind her before moving towards the sound. She did not increase her pace despite the urgency pressing against her, because the passage was narrow and the ceiling already damaged. Rushing blindly into another group of monsters would accomplish nothing if they brought the structure down on themselves.

When they rounded the next bend, Stefan’s flashlight illuminated a massive pile of fallen stone blocking the tunnel almost completely.

Several monsters were gathered before it.

One creature was repeatedly throwing its body against the rubble while two others clawed at the smaller stones near the base, their movements becoming increasingly frantic whenever loose pieces shifted beneath their claws. Another monster prowled behind them, occasionally snapping at the others as though it wanted to force its way to the front.

Stefan’s eyes widened when he understood what they were doing. "They’re trying to get through."

Ling Xuan studied the rubble and the claw marks surrounding it. The collapse was extensive, with heavy slabs of concrete piled against one another from the floor almost to the ceiling, and the creatures appeared to have been attacking it for some time.

Whatever they wanted was on the opposite side.

Before Stefan could speak again, the nearest monster turned its head and noticed them. Its growl alerted the others, and Ling Xuan immediately stepped forward to prevent them from gaining enough space to charge together.

The first creature lunged towards her, but she shifted aside and brought her sword through its neck before its claws could reach her. Its body struck the ground in front of the others, forcing the next monster to leap over it, and Ling Xuan used that brief opening to drive her blade through its chest. Stefan remained several steps behind her, holding his fire until another creature attempted to move around the bodies towards her exposed side.

"On your right!" Stefan warned as he raised his gun and fired, striking the creature through the head before it could reach her.

Ling Xuan turned just enough to avoid the falling body, then intercepted the final monster as it sprang towards her. The creature’s weight drove it forward even after her sword pierced its throat, and she stepped aside to let it crash against the wall rather than risk being knocked into the unstable rubble.

When the fighting ended, Stefan hurried towards the collapse, but Ling Xuan caught his shoulder before he could begin pulling stones away.

"Look at the ceiling first," she instructed, directing his attention towards a large slab resting at an angle above the blockage. "If you move the stones supporting that section, the rest may come down."

Stefan followed her gaze, and the urgency in his expression gave way to alarm when he saw how much weight was being held by the smaller pieces beneath it. He withdrew his hand reluctantly before crouching near a narrow gap between the rubble and the wall.

"Tina!" Stefan called, pressing closer to the opening while trying to see beyond it. "Jack! It’s Stefan! Can either of you hear me?"