Transcendent Gene
Chapter 229: Asura [3]

Chapter 229: Asura [3]

After seeing the building map, Gio was able to traverse the maintenance halls with relative ease. He couldn’t say he knew where he was going, but he was always aware of his position in the world.

He rushed for hours on end without stopping unless he needed to. His eyes were peeled for the extremely obvious sight of Genesis Essence, not that he found it in any large quantities.

’The main body of this facility has been cleared out.’

The presence of Genesis Essence in the maintenance halls confirmed that this facility was a real ancient ruin. However, that didn’t change the fact that it was originally discovered and excavated by asuras.

The only traces of its original form remaining were in the halls Gio rushed through. The amount of Essence he could convert into crystals was small, but it still added up significantly.

Over the course of the next three hours, he made his way through almost every tunnel and corridor he could find, accumulating a storage of six beads that ranged from the size of a marble to the size of a golf ball.

’I can’t say it’s what I was hoping for, but my haul is already massive. Genesis Crystals are just an added bonus at this point.’

The tunnels were practically untouched by human hands. Gio was able to find many other things, including the Thion Dust that Farrah was looking for.

’But now it’s been some time.’

The sounds Gio could hear from below were distanced. The last time he heard them clearly, they were already nearing the final chamber.

’In other words, it’s time to get out of here.’

He was already tracing his path back to the entrance shaft. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a secondary exit he could use.

Reaching it, he climbed through the hole he made before sealing it off and ascending with virtual energy.

’I wonder how 46 is doing, but I can’t really concern myself with him right now.’

Truth be told, the moment he entered the final chamber, he tried contacting Farrah to ask for backup. Of course, his holowatch couldn’t find a signal. The first thing to be done when creating a trap of this scale was ensuring that no word of it would spread.

When Gio felt the sun on his neck, the first thing he did was raise his watch and send a message.

He trusted Farrah to do what she needed to do.

’But before she gets here, I need to reach safety. I can’t be around for the aftermath.’

He spread his senses into the air above him, confirming the lack of an external presence before he rose and peeked his head out.

’It looks clear...’

But that didn’t mean it was.

’Three...two...’

When the countdown in his head struck one, he blasted into the sky and created an arc, flying away from the hole in seconds.

BOOM!

It wasn’t safe. The explosion barely missed Gio’s back the moment he was out of the entrance shaft. He gritted his teeth and looked back with his energy continuously pushing him forward.

On the ground below, there were four figures clothed in black with their eyes on him.

’I knew it.’

It was set up from the beginning. Nobody was supposed to escape.

And now that he’d left before the rest of the crowd, he was an obvious target.

’No time for thinking.’

He had to run.

Whoooosh!

He knew that they were firing more attacks at him, but he didn’t look back, keeping his eyes forward as the world around him turned into a blur. Wings and jets propelled him as one, giving him a level of speed that could outperform any ordinary bird.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

It was concerning how often he felt heat on his back in only a few seconds. The world around him was filled with colors, but he was somehow managing to avoid them.

Whoooooooosh!

Gio flew higher, taking the chance to find the ones following him.

Two of them could be vaguely seen in the treetops while the other two were hidden in the brush.

’They’re stronger and faster.’

He was in the sky and they were on the ground. They had the advantage as well.

Gio’s thoughts raced as he put together a plan that would end in him returning to Celestelle alive and well.

It had only been a few seconds and the clearing was still easy to see behind him. He didn’t have time to pick one yet.

’I can–’

Bang!

"Keugh...!"

Suddenly, his body slammed into an invisible wall.

He coughed as the wind was knocked from his lungs and backpedaled, changing directions.

However, he encountered another wall, and then another and another until he finally decided to let go of his energy and fall.

As expected, there was a platform below as well. He was trapped in a box he couldn’t see.

"Well, well..."

Ominous words came from the distance as Gio used Hekat’s power to view the dense energy around him.

He recognized its color.

"Someone seems very eager to leave. Why would that be?"

By the time he spoke again, he was close enough to see. He carried his cane still and walked through the air as if it was solid, approaching Gio and looking down at him.

"Did you find something good? Something so good that you’d want to leave before the main event?"

He was none other than the asura who started the ruin expedition.

Gio’s brows furrowed. Luckily, he was still wearing a mask that hid his troubled expression.

’Tch.’

He clicked his tongue internally, refusing to entertain the man’s words.

"Oho?"

But that only served to interest him more.

"You are different from the rest. Is that...animosity I sense? I see, so you’re a rat who managed to sneak in, huh? And I thought I kept quite a handle on where the information was being spread."

The man nodded with a thoughtful expression before scanning Gio up and down.

"Now that I’m looking at you, you might be a good subject. Is your energy reigned in that well, or are you just weak?"

The man grinned.

"Regardless, allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Director Khan, and, well, my face is one you’ll be seeing quite often from now on."

The man who called himself Director Khan turned around, signaling to the men on the ground.

Two of them jumped into the air, landing on invisible platforms and using them to reach Gio. In the next moment, he was being held with his arms behind his back and dragged to the ground.

He behaved like a ragdoll throughout it all, saying nothing and offering no resistance. They tried to probe his body, but such a thing was impossible without his permission.

No matter how weakened it was, Hekat was a Guardian Rune. The least it could do was protect him from prying eyes.

’This is a problem.’

Internally, his mind was racing. His thoughts flowed smoothly because they’d be forced to be smooth regardless of the situation, but he was panicking.

’I didn’t expect him to personally be waiting outside. Even if he was, why would he chase me? He thinks the main chamber hasn’t been reached yet, so what kind of threat am I?’

He didn’t know why "Director Khan" decided to give him attention, but this situation only ended badly for him.

’Hekat.’

He used his thoughts to speak to the snake.

’Can you sink my Storage Hole into my finger?’

It was hidden below his gloves and undiscovered at the moment, but if anybody knew of its existence, he would lose everything.

The snake whirred.

’You can, but it’ll hurt...yeah, I mean, I expected that.’

He was asking it to sink metal into his flesh and hide it. Naturally, such a process would be painful.

’Do it anyway.’

However, it was more important to protect what was in that storage unit than to save himself from some agony.

The two men holding him snapped their heads at him when he jolted and froze up. He barely managed to hide his voice and make his body go limp again, making them believe that their grip was what made him give up.

They took him to the clearing and tied him to a tree trunk, positioning him so his eyes were perfectly aligned with the entrance shaft of the ruin.

"Perfect."

Director Khan stepped off of the air next to him and stood facing the same way.

"Now you can watch the fireworks firsthand."

He looked over at Gio, his eyes still hidden beneath those circular sunglasses.

Yet, no matter how much of his expression he hid, the malevolence in his voice was as clear as day.

Gio was in danger.