Chapter 47: The Maze
After resting for about half an hour, all three had recovered some stamina.
Su Xiao took off his shirt, pulled a large bucket of clean water from his storage space, and poured it over his head. Pale red water stains spread at his feet.
Mado Kureo and Yuna did the same, washing away the smell of blood to reduce the chance of being discovered by ghouls.
"Is exploring District 24 always this dangerous?"
Su Xiao looked at the two. Exploring District 24 seemed far too perilous.
"Of course not. This is the first time I've encountered ghouls like that. Where did those guys come from? They're strong even without using kagune."
Yuna's answer surprised Su Xiao. She had been exploring District 24 for half a year—had she never encountered such a situation before?
"Special Class Mado, you seem quite familiar with these ghouls."
Su Xiao looked meaningfully at Mado Kureo.
Mado Kureo took off his glasses and poked through the cracked lens.
"They're a special type of ghoul, unique to District 24. I don't know the specifics either."
Mado Kureo's expression was calm. Perhaps he could answer Su Xiao's question because the two had fought side by side in a bloody battle.
"Is that so? Here."
Su Xiao's hand produced two bags of dried meat, which he tossed to Mado Kureo and Yuna.
Yuna caught it easily, but when the bag reached Mado Kureo, he instinctively stepped back.
"Thud~."
The bag of dried meat fell to the ground. One of Mado Kureo's hands hung in midair.
Mado Kureo had failed to catch the bag Su Xiao threw. That was almost impossible. With Mado Kureo's close-combat ability, catching a bag of dried meat at this distance shouldn't have been a mistake.
Mado Kureo put his glasses back on and picked up the dried meat from the ground.
Yuna ate the meat with relish, not noticing this scene.
But Su Xiao noticed. He felt that Mado Kureo's eyes might be problematic, relying on those glasses to maintain his vision.
Su Xiao had been wondering earlier why Mado Kureo wore glasses. Wearing glasses in battle was very inconvenient.
"Good food. It quickly replenishes energy."
Mado Kureo ate the dried meat and glanced at Su Xiao.
"I suggest you wear contact lenses."
Su Xiao would be fighting alongside Mado Kureo in the near future, like when they dealt with the primitive ghoul earlier. If the other died, he wouldn't be far from death either.
"I've worn them before. Didn't get used to it."
The two fell silent. Yuna looked at them with a confused expression.
After finishing their rest, the trio set off, preparing to leave District 24.
"The meat wall in this direction hasn't changed yet. We can go back the way we came."
Yuna led the way, holding a tablet that recorded the route they had taken.
Their current position was deep inside District 24. The passages were intricate and complex, a complete maze.
"Damn, the route has changed."
Yuna held the tablet, facing a blood-red meat wall blocking her path.
According to the tablet, there should have been a fork here, but now it was a dead end.
"What now? Break through this meat wall?"
Su Xiao drew his blade and stepped forward.
"We can try. Let's see how much the terrain has changed."
Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash with both hands, plunged the longsword into the meat wall, and pulled hard. A gap of several dozen centimeters appeared.
Yuna quickly ran forward to check the situation behind the gap.
What greeted Yuna's eyes was another meat wall.
"Sigh~. We'll have to use the most basic method."
Yuna put away the tablet and pulled a compass from her backpack.
Su Xiao sheathed his blade. As soon as Dragon-Slaying Flash was pulled out, the meat wall began to heal. In less than a minute, it had fully recovered.
"Will the compass actually work?"
In this labyrinthine District 24, Su Xiao felt the compass's effect would be minimal.
"It works. I've tried it many times. No matter how complex the routes here, as long as you have a fixed direction, you can get out of District 24."
Although the three were trapped in District 24, Yuna and Mado Kureo didn't seem tense. It seemed getting out wasn't difficult.
"Left, right, left, right..."
Yuna's slender fingers swayed left and right as she began choosing routes at random.
Mado Kureo said nothing, as if used to it, silently waiting for Yuna to decide.
"Right. The airflow on the right is faster. It's less likely to be a dead end."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. Yuna's fingers froze in midair.
"Faster airflow? I didn't notice that."
Yuna looked at Su Xiao with some doubt.
Su Xiao took the compass from Yuna's hand.
"I'll lead the way. Any problem?"
"Fine."
Mado Kureo's answer was straightforward.
"Alright~, okay."
The two followed behind Su Xiao, moving quickly.
Five minutes later, a blood-red meat wall appeared before the three. It was a dead end.
"Ahem~. Occasional mistake."
Su Xiao looked at the meat wall with confusion. He had indeed felt faster airflow from this direction.
"Bai Ye, are you reliable or not? I feel like we're going deeper underground."
Yuna scratched her head, looking at Su Xiao with doubt.
Yuna wasn't blaming Su Xiao. Even if she led, she would choose routes at random.
"Probably... no problem."
The trio continued. Ten minutes later, another meat wall appeared before Su Xiao.
Unlike last time, this dead end contained several ghouls.
"We've been avoiding you. Why are you chasing us? We don't want to fight."
A ghoul, face streaked with tears, looked at Mado Kureo with fear.
"Ghouls, all of you die."
The koukaku case in Yuna's hand transformed. 'Red Moon' appeared.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
After a burst of gunfire, the passage was a bloody mess.
"Continue."
Su Xiao refused to believe he couldn't find the right route.
Twenty minutes later, a meat wall appeared before the three. Dead end!
Half an hour later, still a dead end.
One hour later, dead end.
Su Xiao's mouth twitched. It seemed he was lost.
"Um~, maybe I should try."
Yuna looked at Su Xiao with some helplessness. Su Xiao said nothing, silently handing over the compass.
Su Xiao and Yuna chose routes differently. Whenever they encountered a fork, Yuna would mutter something mysteriously for a while before choosing.
But even with Yuna leading, the situation didn't improve.
An hour later, the three stood in a dead end.
"Damn, we're really unlucky this time."
Yuna stomped her foot in frustration, gripping the compass tightly. The compass made a cracking sound.
Two cold eyes stared at Yuna. She shuddered and quickly checked the compass's condition.
Fortunately, only the outer shell was damaged. It was still functional.
"My turn."
Mado Kureo took the compass. This time, he would lead.
It had to be said, Mado Kureo, the author's favorite son in the original work, had very good luck.
In the following twenty minutes, the three encountered no dead ends.
"At this rate, we'll be out soon. My clothes are sticky with blood. It's unbearable."
Yuna tugged at her collar, looking enviously at Su Xiao and Mado Kureo.
Both were male and didn't mind being shirtless, but Yuna couldn't.
The trio passed a corner. Mado Kureo, walking in front, suddenly stopped.
"What—?"
Yuna was about to speak, but Su Xiao behind her wrapped an arm around her, covering her mouth.
When Yuna saw what was ahead, her large eyes widened to their limit, and her pupils contracted sharply.
ps (Daily request for recommendation tickets. Unused tickets for the day are wasted anyway. Why not move your fingers and earn some experience?)