CHAPTER 120: INSIDE OLD WATER TUNNEL

Shaan’s footsteps echoed clearly as he walked deeper into the old water tunnel. He slowly turned his gaze around, scanning the area, trying to spot the secret passage the bar owner had mentioned earlier.

"Shaan, have you found the secret passageway yet?"

"Not yet, Dr. Marshal." Shaan shook his head. "There’s no sign of a secret passageway like the bar owner said."

"Hmm... maybe you need to walk further," said Dr. Marshal. "Sir Walter wouldn’t have said that without proof."

"Oh, okay. I understand, Dr. Marshal."

"Shaan, make sure your communication signal stays active and don’t let your homunculus’ energy meter run out."

"Yes, Dr. Marshal. I get it. I’ll make sure to conserve this homunculus’ energy so that—"

Shaan suddenly fell silent. A strange silhouette had just darted past a few meters ahead. He tried to get a better look, but the lighting in the tunnel provided little help. Damn it. I have seen something there, but... What is that? Is that...

"Shaan, what’s wrong?" Dr. Marshal asked curiously. "Why did you suddenly fall silent? Did something happen there?"

"It’s nothing... I think I saw something inside the cave," Shaan said. "But this place is too dark, and I couldn’t see it clearly at all."

"Then activate the spotlight of attention feature inside the Homunculus’ body," Dr. Marshal advised. " It works like a flashlight, and I installed that feature in every homunculus I created, to make it easier for them to move around in the dark."

"That’s great. But how do I use that feature?"

"To use that feature, you must do the simple instruction. Just open and close your fist three times. The feature will activate instantly when you do that."

"Alright, that sounds easy. I’ll give it a try."

Shaan slowly stretched his hands forward and tried to do what Dr. Marshal said. He opened and closed his fists continuously three times, and in just a matter of seconds, his palms immediately emitted a bright light, which at least meant he no longer had difficulty seeing in the dark.

’Great, this is much better than before.’

"Shaan, have you tested it?"

"Yes, I’ve tested it and it works," Shaan replied to Dr. Marshal’s question. "Now, I’m going to explore this water tunnel further and hope to find the secret passageway quickly."

"Alright, just be careful. We have no idea what’s in there."

Shaan continued walking through the water tunnel until he finally reached the end of it. However, strangely enough, he did not see any secret passageway that Sir Walter had said, but only a stone wall in front of him. Damn, could Sir Walter have lied to them?

"Shaan, have you managed to find the secret passageway?"

"No. I haven’t found anything here," Shaan said slowly as he walked closer to the stone wall. "Could it be that Sir Walter had—"

When Shaan touched the surface of the stone wall, for some unknown reason, he could feel a breeze coming out of the cracks in the wall. His curiosity grew, so he tried tapping one of the stone walls gently, making sure that what he thought was true.

’My guess is right. It’s... It’s hollow.’

"Shaan, what do you mean by that? I don’t understand at all."

"Dr. Marshal, I take out my words. Sir Walter is right." Shaan told. "When I knocked on the wall, it sounded hollow, and I think there must be an empty room, which is most likely the secret passage Sir Walter mentioned."

"Oh, that’s good. At least Sir Walter isn’t lying to us."

"That’s right. It’s just... I have no idea how to open this wall." Shaan pointed his flashlight around the area. "I can’t find any levers or anything else that could open it."

"Keep looking. There must be something that can open the door," Dr. Marshal suggests. "Maybe there’s a secret button or something on the surface of this stone wall. You have to look more closely."

"I understand. I’ll try to find it, maybe—"

’Tchk!’

"Huh? What—"

A strange vibration suddenly filled the entire tunnel, and one of the stone walls in front of Shaan slowly slid open. His eyes grew wide as he realized that what he had thought was true. A secret passage appeared, clearly leading deeper into an underground cave.

"Dr. Marshal... I think I just found the secret passage."

"Wait, but how? How do you do that?" opened

"I-I have no idea." Shaan shook his head. "I just touched the surface of this wall, and suddenly it...it just opened itself."

"Hmm... that sounds pretty strange." Dr. Marshal was silent for a moment. "Never mind, there’s no time to think about that now. The point is, you have to go through that secret passageway as quickly as possible."

"You’re right."

However, as Shaan was about to walk down the secret passageway, he unexpectedly heard the same sound from behind him. At first, Shaan tried to ignore the sound and continued walking down the street, but strangely, every time he took a step, the sound grew louder and clearer.

"Strange, I’m sure there’s something here," said Shaan, pausing for a moment. He then looked around. ’But, I don’t see anything suspicious around here.’

"Shaan, is everything okay? Is there another problem?"

"Dr. Marshal, there’s something I want to ask you," said Shaan. "I’m just curious. Are you sure there’s absolutely no ’something’ in this water tunnel?"

"Something?" Dr. Marshal paused for a moment. "Wait, I don’t understand what you’re talking about."

"I don’t know... but as long as I’ve been here, I feel like someone is watching my every move."

"Shaan, maybe it’s just your imagination," said Dr. Marshal. "As far as I remember, the water tunnel has been abandoned for a long time, and there shouldn’t be anything there."

"Oh... Okay. I just hope what you’re saying is true."

"Besides, there’s something more important you need to do," said Dr. Marshall. "You need to find the evidence as quickly as possible."

After hearing Dr. Marshall’s explanation, Shaan decided to keep walking down the secret passageway until he finally managed to reach the underground cave.

"Good, it seems safe here," said Shaan, looking at the situation around him. "I’ll go to the scene immediately and gather evidence that the Doppleshade is here ."

"Then hurry. The longer you stay in the homunculus’s body, the more dangerous it will be for you."

"I understand."

Shaan immediately quickened his pace and made his way to the spot where the Doppleshade had died, pierced by a jagged stone. He could clearly see the scattered chunks of rock still lying there, just like before. But something felt off. The Doppleshade’s body was nowhere to be found.

’Why... Why can’t I find it?’