At the forefront, Arima Kishou began to slowly step back, simultaneously making a gesture to keep silent.
Su Xiao wasn’t a clueless teammate; after nodding to Arima Kishou, the three slowly began to retreat.
The reason the three did so was because after turning the corner, a vast open area appeared before them.
In this open space, at least a thousand monster ghouls lurked.
The reason they were called monster ghouls was that their appearances were strange and even terrifying.
The skin of these ghouls was dark, as if charred by fire, and was rough to the touch.
Unlike ordinary ghouls, these had their Heko externalized, and all of them had Tail Heko, like a tail behind them.
These monster ghouls didn’t have Red Eyes; to be precise, they had no eyes at all.
Their eyes seemed to have degenerated, with a gray-white hard shell covering their surface.
Su Xiao and his team were exposed to these ghouls, but the ghouls did not notice them.
As the three retreated a certain distance, Arima Kishou sighed in relief.
"I’ve seen ghouls of this kind once before. They hunt by sound and are extremely difficult to deal with. If we alert ghouls of this number, we’re no match."
Sure enough, Arima Kishou knew some of the secrets of the 24th District.
At least in the original work, Su Xiao had never seen Primitive Ghouls or these Eyeless Eaters.
Yuna looked at Arima Kishou, apparently considering him the backbone.
Su Xiao didn’t speak, and Yuna had no objections.
The three began to search for another route, but after two hours, they discovered something.
Apart from the path where the Eyeless Eaters were, the other four routes were dead ends.
Judging by the compass, that direction was the only way to the surface.
The three sat in a circle within a tunnel, beginning to discuss their strategy.
Before long, a notebook mysteriously appeared in Su Xiao’s hand, along with a pen.
"Here, here, and here, we haven’t been to these places. From my hand-drawn map, the 24th District resembles a funnel shape.
The direction leading deeper into the 24th District is the ’wide end’ of the funnel, while the exit to the surface is the narrow end. That’s why we can walk to the 24th District along a set direction.
Judging from the seventeen dead ends I led you through earlier, this is the only exit."
After sketching in the notebook, a detailed map appeared on its pages.
The map even included latitude and longitude as well as a scale ratio.
Yuna looked at Su Xiao with admiration all over her face.
"How did you do it? Remembering all the routes we’ve traveled?"
Not only was Yuna, this neurotic girl, surprised, Arima Kishou also gazed at Su Xiao in astonishment.
The carbon pen twirled quickly in Su Xiao’s hand.
"My previous ’profession’ was somewhat unique; often it required infiltrating a place to find a specific person. It’s a professional habit."
Yuna contemplated for a moment.
"Sounds like an assassin."
"The nature is similar, but the beliefs are different."
Su Xiao looked up at the two.
"So, do we wait for the next terrain change in the 24th District or take the risk of crossing through that dangerous area?"
Arima Kishou and Yuna considered for a while.
"Our supplies won’t last until the next terrain change in the 24th District."
Yuna and Arima Kishou only had enough food and water to last four days, enough to endure the hunger until the next terrain change, but their combat strength would plummet in such a state.
Su Xiao’s supplies were sufficient, but he didn’t want to be trapped here forever; the time in the Derivative World was precious.
"As long as we don’t make any noise, those special ghouls won’t notice us."
Arima Kishou spoke, indicating his willingness to take the risk.
"Then, let’s be daring this time."
Arima Kishou and Yuna stood up.
"Since we’ve decided to take the risk, I have a plan."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke.
"What do you suggest?"
"Since those ghouls detect sound, we can place a sound source here on the map, and then wait here on the map. Once the sound activates, it will draw the attention of those special ghouls, allowing us to slip through,"
Su Xiao didn’t want to engage the Eyeless Eaters head-on; from Arima Kishou’s demeanor, it was clear they wouldn’t be easy to deal with.
"Okay, I’ve used a similar method before. It was very effective."
"Where will the sound source come from?"
Su Xiao smiled and pulled out a cell phone, his thumb operating the screen quickly.
"Set the timing for five minutes, that should be enough."
After speaking, Su Xiao placed his cell phone on the ground, and the three quickly sprinted ahead.
Soon, the three arrived at a dead end, close to the location of the Eyeless Eaters.
"Beep, beep, beep~. Beep... Aratchatchatcha biribari..."
A burst of cheerful music came from afar, and unexpectedly, Yuna, the neurotic girl, began to twist her body, her hands rhythmically swaying in front of her.
"It’s my favorite Leekspin song."
Yuna’s sudden change in demeanor left Su Xiao speechless, and even Arima Kishou turned his head sideways.
After a few seconds of music, the sound of rapid running could be heard.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
It was as if thousands of troops were charging; the three could hear it not far away.
Before long, with the sound of footsteps moving away, the three exchanged looks and rushed toward the only exit.
Time was of the essence; who knew when those Eyeless Eaters might suddenly return.
Their speed was swift, with Arima Kishou leading, Yuna in the middle, and Su Xiao bringing up the rear, maintaining the same formation as before.
In just over ten seconds, they reached the previous corner.
Arima Kishou suddenly stopped, raising a hand behind him, palm facing Su Xiao and Yuna.
Su Xiao immediately halted, looking towards the vast open space beyond the corner.
In that open space, a few Eyeless Eaters lingered, some left behind and not lured away.
Yuna whispered in the lowest voice possible.
"Stay silent and move slowly through."
Arima Kishou stepped carefully in the front, with Yuna following behind him.
Standing still, Su Xiao didn’t move, causing Arima Kishou to glance back at him in puzzlement.
Su Xiao pointed behind him, then at the two, motioning them forward with his hand.
The meaning was clear: if all three of them moved together, they’d make more noise, and who knew when the ghouls behind would return. Let them go first, and he’d cover the rear. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
Arima Kishou nodded, gesturing for caution.
Yuna gave a thumbs up and stayed still, waiting for Arima Kishou to pass through first.
Su Xiao’s actions weren’t altruistic; right now, they were all in this together, and there was no room for clueless teammates.
Arima Kishou’s steps were slow but steady; the clearing was roughly two hundred meters wide, not long but not short either.
In under three minutes, Arima Kishou crossed the open area safely.
A low growl came, freezing the trio’s actions; a Eyeless Eater lying on the ground had been woken by a companion’s Heko.
The Eyeless Eater crudely swatted away the Heko and continued to sleep.
Yuna had already reached the center, surrounded by four or five Eyeless Eaters; her movements were extremely cautious.
Su Xiao, covering the rear, pressed his ear to the ground, sensing for any sounds on the surface.
All was safe; those drawn away by the sound had not returned yet.
Su Xiao began moving forward slowly, being exceptionally careful with each step.