Chapter 299: Underground Bunker

Reluctantly, Selene took the shovel and began digging too. Leon intended to multitask and dig with several shovels using Shadow hands. However, he realized that there was little strength behind those arms, so they lacked power.

In the end, he resorted to digging by himself.

The golden cat, stirred awake by the constant motion, purred and licked its paws. It stared at Leon and Selene in confusion, wondering what they were doing.

Selene glanced at it, and they locked eyes. After a few seconds, it turned away and licked its paws again. Since Leon was moving a lot, it climbed down from his head and sat on the ground beside him.

Giving it a look, Leon smiled.

He turned his attention back to the hole they were digging. After all, the world had grown dim, and it was getting difficult to see—at least, for Selene.

Since they were both Evolvers, their speed was fast, and they quickly dug deep into the ground. Soon, only their shoulders and heads were visible.

Wiping a single bead of sweat from his forehead, Leon grinned and struck the ground with his shovel again.

Clang!

The shadow shovel crumbled immediately, and he felt a strong jolt in his arms. Selene looked at him, her eyes narrowed.

"What was that?"

Leon didn’t answer immediately. He crouched down and brushed away the soil around where his shovel had struck.

As expected, he soon found metal underneath the soil. "An ore or something?"

Selene stood beside him, bending to take a closer look. The moonlight was very faint now, so she could barely see a thing.

Leon stood up and took out his spear. "Let’s see if I can tear it out."

Using the spear, he struck the metal.

Clang!

To his surprise, his spear didn’t cut through it. Instead, it got stuck, and when he pulled, it shifted slightly to the side.

"Hm? A lock?"

While he bent down to observe the strange mechanism, Selene looked up at the sky. By now, the moon had become almost indistinguishable from the night sky. Only its pale silhouette could still be seen, and that would also be disappearing soon.

"It’s actually a lock!"

Hearing Leon’s voice, she turned toward him. By now, she could barely see her own hands. Still, she was able to make out his body shape and crouch beside him.

The cat also moved closer, its yellow eyes glowing in the dark.

Holding what seemed to be a steering wheel, Leon began to turn it with his full strength. It barely moved, and only when Selene joined him did it start to loosen.

It made a low, groaning sound, like an ancient door being opened. This only made Leon even more determined. Perhaps there was shelter down below.

After turning it a few more times, they finally felt it loosen completely.

The ground beneath them suddenly caved in, and they fell.

Thud! Meow!

The cat let out a startled cry as it landed on its feet. Sadly, Selene and Leon were unprepared, so they couldn’t land on their feet. Besides, they were not cats.

"Ugh."

Leon grunted, feeling his nose ache as he had hit the ground face-first. He struggled to push himself up, only to realize one hand was pressing on something soft.

He instinctively wanted to squeeze it to be sure. However, a part of him screamed, telling him he wouldn’t survive the aftermath.

Wisely, he pulled away and stood up, dusting his hands in the darkness.

Selene also stood up, her expression unseen in the dark.

"Bring out the torch. Now," She said coldly.

Leon did that and immediately turned it on, lighting up their surroundings. He looked around, realizing they were actually inside what appeared to be a bunker.

Turning the torch to a corner, what he saw nearly made them jump. It was a human skeleton sitting in a chair wearing clothes.

The skeleton was long dead, but something about it still carried a dignified aura.

’Bullshit. There is no dignity in being dead.’

Mustering his courage, he approached it, but stopped when he noticed the thick book beside the skeleton.

Selene naturally followed him, still uncomfortable in the darkness. She could still feel the lingering warmth from where Leon had touched her, and it irritated her.

Thankfully, it had only been an accident, and she knew that.

"A book? Looks like it contains some information."

Leon picked up the book and opened it. The cover immediately fell off and crumbled to dust.

He immediately sneezed, resisting the urge to drop the book immediately.

Squinting, he managed to read the words written on the first page without damaging the book.

To whoever finds this place:

If you are reading these words, then I am already dead.

I have gathered what remains of my creation here so that those who come after me may inherit them.

The parasites will not stop.

They will consume this continent, then the next, and eventually everything that remains of our world.

Do not waste these weapons fighting among yourselves.

Take them and become stronger. Cross the continents and protect those who cannot protect themselves.

And when the parasites finally come for the last of us... fight.

Leon tried to turn to the second page, but the book crumbled in his hands.

He watched it fall to the ground in fine pieces, then brushed the dust from his hands. Looking around again, he found another door leading to another underground room connected to the bunker.

"Let’s close that passage first."

He turned to Selene, his expression calm. She stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

The two of them went back to the double doors that opened into the bunker, then closed them, locking it from the inside.

With that done, they finally approached the other door and opened it. The metal groaned as one of the latches popped loose. The other latch kept it from falling, and Leon proceeded to gently leave it open.

The moment they entered, the first thing that hit them was dust. Then, webs.

Thick spider webs blanketed the room, and Leon had to use his spear to tear through them, clearing their view of the room.

What he saw made his jaw drop.