Chapter 421 - 301: Trap
Paige Summers was suddenly jolted to her senses. She quickly pretended to take something from her bag—in reality, from her Planting Space—and popped a few medicine pills into her and Marcus Monroe’s mouths. She subconsciously handed two more to Rhonda Rhodes and Ben.
They took them, but neither of them ate the pills.
Paige immediately realized her mistake.
Ben had no need for it, and as for Rhonda, she most likely had her own methods.
Come to think of it, ever since she started standing here, her limbs had begun to feel slightly heavy, leading to a sense of fatigue... It was most likely related to that foul, fishy smell!
But most importantly, her body hadn’t detected the anomaly in time!
Paige fell silent for a moment. ’Could it be that my detoxification ability is gone too?’
’After taking the medicine Rhonda and her group made, wasn’t the Voidspawn Worm supposed to be temporarily suppressed? Or did this superpower disappear even before I took the medicine, and I just didn’t notice?’
She couldn’t help but sigh softly.
It was impossible not to be upset. In these chaotic times, having multiple abilities meant an extra layer of protection, especially an ability like immunity to all poisons.
But things had already come to this. What was the use of worrying now?
All she could hope for now was to find the Binding Insect Grass. If her Planting Space didn’t disappear, that would be the best possible outcome.
She could tell something was wrong with the smell, and so could Leo Joyce, naturally.
He had already ordered his subordinates to take out several stacks of masks and distribute them.
The masks had a layer of medicinal powder sandwiched on the inside over the mouth and nose to filter the air. Although they weren’t as sealed as a gas mask, the bodies of Superpower Users were much stronger than those of ordinary people. After everyone put on the masks, many people did indeed seem to perk up noticeably.
At the same time, another of Leo’s men took out a rat-shaped object and placed it at the cave entrance.
Some people didn’t understand what it was, but others knew exactly.
Of course, there were also some whose expressions turned strange.
Paige, for example.
Because that thing was a Pathfinder Rat she had made herself!
She had tinkered with them on her way to Central City. When she first arrived, she had made some for Claire Chapman to sell on consignment in order to earn Crystal Cores and Credit Points. They were even popular in the city for a while. But she had gotten too busy later on and wanted to focus on making weapons, so she stopped.
’I can’t believe that out of the limited number I made, Leo managed to get his hands on one...’
The Pathfinder Rat quickly activated and headed into the cave. Two minutes later, Leo waved his hand, signaling for the teams to enter in sequence.
The farther in they went, the darker it became. Leo had been thorough, bringing a good number of torches. He had them planted at intervals, instantly illuminating the passage.
Although it was an underground tunnel, it was wide and well-lit, so it didn’t feel particularly sinister to walk through.
Paige and her group put on the masks as well, so as not to stand out. But after entering, she quietly tore a small opening in her mask below her nose. Smell was often a critical factor in judging a situation, and she couldn’t afford to miss any clues.
Andy’s medicine was very effective. The foul, fishy smell grew stronger in her nostrils, but she no longer felt any fatigue.
The Pathfinder Rat up ahead gave no warning, proving there were no living creatures.
They moved forward step by step on a seemingly peaceful path.
But it was only a semblance of peace.
The group soon came to a fork in the path. Leo decided to split them into two groups. With ten teams in total, five went to each side. He led the two teams from Southreach and three teams of Superpower Users from other bases down the left path, while the other five teams took the right.
Marcus and the others were once again assigned to Leo’s side.
’He definitely doesn’t trust us,’ Paige thought. ’But it doesn’t matter. Judging by Rhonda’s expression, this is the right path!’
They walked for about twenty minutes until the Pathfinder Rat suddenly stopped and began to circle in place.
Leo immediately had everyone halt while his men went ahead to investigate.
By the light of the torches, the group could see some distance ahead, and nothing looked out of the ordinary.
But when the two scouts went over, something bizarre happened...
Right before everyone’s eyes, their feet suddenly sank into the ground. In the blink of an eye, they were swallowed up to their thighs!
Everyone was shocked, Leo included. He quickly ordered someone nearby to pull the two men out.
This subordinate was a Wood Element Superpower User. He immediately unleashed his superpower, whipping out two long vines that wrapped securely around the two men’s waists.
But unexpectedly, the suction from the ground was unusually strong. He couldn’t pull them out on his own.
Seeing this, two Superpower Users with Strength Enhancement immediately stepped up to help.
However, even with all their might, they only managed to slow the two men’s descent. Their bodies were still being swallowed by the earth, bit by bit.
In a matter of moments, they were sunk to their waists.
The vines pulling them were surprisingly sturdy and didn’t break as the men sank. But because of this, the three people holding the vines were also slowly being dragged from their positions toward that strange patch of ground.
And so, more people rushed forward to help.
Marcus, still holding Paige, naturally stayed off to the side. Fortunately, though they were at the front, the tunnel was wide enough that standing against the wall didn’t obstruct anyone.
At a time like this, no one had the mind to pay them any attention. Everyone was busy rushing to pull the two men out!
Even Leo didn’t stand by; he rolled up his sleeves and joined the effort himself.
Unfortunately, it proved to be a futile effort.
Even against the combined strength of so many Superpower Users, the man-eating ground still had power to spare. Before long, only the two men’s heads remained above the surface.
Not only that, but the Superpower Users holding the vines were also being dragged closer. Their movement was slower than when it was just the three of them, but that was only because the vines themselves lacked the elasticity and were being stretched thin... Sure enough, after just a few dozen seconds, the vines broke with a loud SNAP. The other Superpower Users nearly tumbled into a heap. Luckily, some steadied themselves against the wall while others caught each other, preventing a total mess.
And in the time it took for the others to regain their footing, the two men trapped in the ground had vanished completely, without a single strand of hair left in sight.
They had been completely swallowed by the earth!
The tunnel fell deathly silent, with only the sound of everyone’s ragged breathing.
It looked no different from ordinary ground, yet it hid a profound danger.
This was truly the most terrifying kind of trap!
Everyone was horrified!
The Superpower Users at the front were especially terrified, but also secretly relieved.
’Thank goodness for the Pathfinder Rat. Thank goodness it wasn’t us who went over there.’
’Otherwise, we would have vanished without a trace!’
After a long moment, a soft female voice broke the silence. "What was that? Can we still get past it?"
The speaker was none other than Paige.
She hadn’t wanted to be the one to stick her neck out.
But everyone was stunned into silence, just standing there dumbly. Even Leo wasn’t saying a word.
’This is wasting too much time!’
Besides, Rhonda kept nudging her arm, signaling for her to quickly come up with a solution and not let these people dawdle here.
Paige’s question snapped everyone out of their stupor.
One of the men in the group looked at her and said sarcastically, "Why don’t you come up with an idea then, little girl? How are we supposed to get past that?"