Chapter 92: This Is Quite Thrilling
"Before we set out, I have a suggestion. I wonder if you all would accept it."
Standing before the steel passage, the Priest rarely offered an opinion. Su Xiao narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that this old fox, the Priest, was finally about to show his tail.
The others remained silent, waiting for the Priest to continue.
"Since no one has objected, I'll speak my mind."
The Priest's demeanor was humble, and the ever-present smile on his face made it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"All four of you are undeniably powerful, but since we're venturing deep underground into danger, now that we've formed a team, we should elect a leader. This will greatly improve combat efficiency and avoid internal conflicts within the group."
Having said this, the Priest smiled as he looked at everyone.
"An excellent suggestion. However, choosing a leader must take everyone's opinions into account. How about a verbal vote? It'll save time."
Kirishima Arata finished speaking with a bright, sunny smile.
"Agreed."
"Approved."
"I don't mind."
Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Sen were the first to respond. Su Xiao didn't care who became the leader; if he wasn't mistaken, he would definitely lose the election, as two people were eighty percent likely not to vote for him.
"Let's start the verbal vote then. I'll go first. I choose Mr. Arima."
Kirishima Arata voted first. After all, Arima Kishou had saved him, so this choice seemed natural.
"I choose Donato Porpora."
Arima Kishou voted for the Priest, his intentions unclear.
"I choose myself."
Takatsuki Sen chuckled after voting. It seemed certain that Arima Kishou would become the leader. In her view, the Priest and Su Xiao would definitely vote for Arima.
"I vote for Takatsuki Sen."
"I choose Takatsuki Sen."
Su Xiao and the Priest spoke simultaneously. The other three were stunned.
Takatsuki Sen looked confused. These two hadn't voted for Arima Kishou.
Su Xiao and the Priest exchanged glances. Su Xiao sighed inwardly, "An old fox is an old fox."
Before Su Xiao voted, the tally was: Priest one vote, Takatsuki Sen one vote, Arima Kishou one vote.
If the Priest voted for himself, he might become the leader, which was something Su Xiao didn't want to see. So he had to choose between Arima Kishou and Takatsuki Sen.
Arima's intentions were unclear, and he had even voted for the Priest. Takatsuki Sen's intentions were clear: revenge. So Su Xiao voted for Takatsuki Sen.
The old fox Priest didn't show his tail after all; he also voted for Takatsuki Sen.
The vote ended, and Takatsuki Sen became the leader in a state of bewilderment. Since a leader had been chosen, it was time to move.
Takatsuki Sen was most familiar with the route, and as the host of the central city and now the leader, she naturally took the lead into the steel passage.
Following her were Arima, the Priest, and the others. Su Xiao entered the steel passage last.
Ghouls had kagune on their backs to defend against sneak attacks from behind, but he was human and didn't want anyone behind him.
The steel passage sloped downward steeply, its surface covered in green moss. There was no need to walk; one could simply lean back and slide down while maintaining balance.
Sssssss~
The steel passage was silent except for the sound of sliding. Su Xiao drew Dragon-Slaying Flash, ready to use it as a brake if anything unexpected happened.
The passage grew steeper, and the sliding speed increased. The entire passage twisted and turned. Up ahead, Takatsuki Sen shone a high-powered flashlight.
"How long have we been sliding?"
Arima Kishou spoke.
"Five minutes. Be careful in another ten minutes. If you can't stop, you'll fall into the well, and that's certain death."
Hearing their conversation, Su Xiao was startled. His sliding speed was already quite fast, and maintaining this pace for fifteen minutes meant they were going incredibly deep underground.
Moreover, from what they said, the steel passage directly connected to that vertical shaft. If they accidentally slid into the shaft, they would fall to their deaths.
Now, they were like people drifting down a river whose end was a bottomless abyss. To make matters worse, the river was slanted. Quite thrilling indeed.
Eight minutes of sliding, ten minutes, fifteen minutes!
"Everyone, find a way to stop!"
Takatsuki Sen shouted from the front.
"Ouch! Arima, you kicked me in the waist."
"Sorry, I didn't deploy my koukaku in time."
Behind them, Su Xiao thrust Dragon-Slashing Flash into the metal layer of the passage. Sparks flew as he slid a few meters before stopping.
The Priest and Kirishima Arata stopped using their kagune.
The Priest was a Ukaku-type ghoul, with his kagune sac behind his shoulder. His kagune took the form of a sharp spike.
Kirishima Arata was also a Ukaku-type ghoul, but his kagune was somewhat strange. It wrapped around his hands, forming two blue-black claws.
Seeing Kirishima Arata's kagune, Su Xiao frowned. He had killed many ghouls but had never seen a kagune with this texture. It immediately reminded him of the koukaku "Arata." Apart from a slight color difference, their texture was identical.
"Takatsuki Sen, how much further is the metal passage?"
The high-powered flashlight shone toward the end of the passage.
"About a hundred meters. The timing was accurate."
The group moved forward slowly, each using their own methods. Takatsuki Sen reached the end first.
"Whew~ That was quite thrilling. I'm jumping."
Takatsuki Sen was at the front, and Su Xiao at the back couldn't see what happened.
After a dull clang, Takatsuki Sen's voice came.
"No problem, same as before."
Soon, another clang sounded—Arima Kishou.
"If I jump wrong, I'll definitely die, right?"
Kirishima Arata's voice.
Another dull clang, and Kirishima Arata moved forward. The Priest behind him approached.
From Su Xiao's angle, he could only see Kirishima Arata jump into the darkness, followed by a clang.
After the Priest, Su Xiao finally saw what was happening.
This steel passage connected to the wall of the vertical shaft. The edge was a bottomless shaft; falling in meant certain death unless one could fly.
On the opposite wall of the shaft, there was a row of iron ladders extending downward, fixed to the wall, about half a meter wide.
Now, the Priest had to leap from the steel passage, cross the dozen-meter-wide shaft, and grab the iron ladder on the opposite side, which was only half a meter wide.
The difficulty was considerable; a mistake meant death!
The Priest, who usually wore a constant smile, couldn't smile now.
"Mr. White Night, how about you demonstrate for me first?"
"I'm afraid of heights."
If the Priest didn't jump, Su Xiao wouldn't mind giving him a kick. He was right behind him, which was convenient.
"Alright then."
The Priest took a deep breath, ran forward a few steps, and leaped.
Clang. The Priest successfully grabbed the iron ladder on the opposite side.
Now it was Su Xiao's turn. Sheathing Dragon-Slaying Flash, he took a deep breath and glanced at the bottomless shaft. Someone with a fear of heights would definitely experience weak legs, dizziness, and bladder contraction.
Su Xiao couldn't fly. If he misjudged the jump, he would be smashed into a pulp.
However, he felt that the shaft's bottomless depth was enough to give him time to return.
Su Xiao stepped back a few paces, crouched, and pushed off with his feet. The moss on the steel passage was somewhat slippery, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty of the jump.
He sprinted forward, his eyes fixed only on the rusted iron ladder. Then, he leaped with all his might.
Mid-air, Su Xiao vaguely felt the illusion of flying. He stretched his arms forward and precisely grabbed the iron ladder.
Clang, crack!
Corroded by time, the rusted iron ladder crumbled. The ladder broke.
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