Minutes later, within the sewers beneath Arus City.
After escaping through the window of the inn, Jin led Will and the others, running at full speed, until they reached the sewer system.
"This should be safe for now," Jin murmured as he gently replaced the sewer grate, being the last to descend into the depths.
"What on earth is going on?" Lisa asked, her voice filled with confusion.
"Pixus. He's already discovered us," Jin answered, his tone steady.
"How could that be?" Will inquired.
"Not long after I left the inn, I crossed paths with Pixus on the street. He didn't seem to recognize me, though. He asked me for directions to the inn and whether I'd seen four hooded figures in cloaks. He also mentioned the name 'Merlyn.' I suspect we were exposed because of this Merlyn person," Jin explained, his expression serious.
"Merlyn... he is indeed cunning. But how did we get exposed? And how does he know exactly how many of us there are?" General Lei asked, his brow furrowing.
"I'm not sure. But we can't go back now, so our only option is to hide out at Shaoen's place for the time being," Jin replied as he began walking towards Shaoen's hideout.
"Do you even know the way? You've only been there once," General Lei questioned.
"Of course, don't underestimate me," Jin retorted. Without further delay, he suddenly sprinted forward through the sewer, with the others quickly following suit.
Soon, they arrived at Shaoen's hideout. It was night, and no one was guarding the place. The main door was shut tight, and a single oil lamp flickered faintly.
"Is this how Shaoen and the others sleep? They're still wanted criminals in Arus. Don't they fear being caught?" General Lei murmured, standing behind Jin.
"Oh? Is that so? After this business is over, I'll just arrest him myself. Might even get a nice bounty," Jin sneered.
"Let's go, we'll find him," General Lei said, already moving toward the hideout.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute!" Jin raised his hand, halting Lei's advance.
"What is it?" General Lei asked, perplexed.
"A sharp man like Shaoen, do you really think he'd be caught off guard?" Jin looked at Lei sternly and asked in return.
"Hmm..." General Lei was momentarily speechless. He surveyed the damp, shadowy sewer around them, which stretched about a hundred meters in length.
"You stay here and don't move," Jin instructed Will and the others, before suddenly picking up the pace toward Shaoen's hideout.
After running a few steps, Jin suddenly felt as though he had stepped on something unusual, sinking slightly. Realizing he had triggered a trap, he swiftly crouched and rolled forward, narrowly dodging a barrage of wooden arrows shooting from both sides of the sewer. He sprang to his feet and ran a few more steps, but soon found himself triggering another mechanism—circular holes the size of fists opened in the ground. Jin instinctively leapt into the air just in time to avoid the spikes that shot up from below.
As he landed, the ground shifted once more. Above him, a massive stone slab fell from the ceiling, heading straight for him.
"Enough already!" Jin roared in fury. Without hesitation, he punched the descending stone with all his might. The impact shattered the slab into fragments with a resounding crash.
"Wow... that was fast," General Lei muttered, stunned by Jin's swift actions.
"Amazing. Truly worthy of General Lei's brother," Shaoen's voice came from the hideout as he slowly emerged, clapping and smiling at Jin's display.
"Your traps are rather boring," Jin remarked, unfazed by Shaoen's praise.
"Oh? They may be dull for you, but they work well enough against the soldiers of the Arus Empire," Shaoen sneered back.
"So, what brings you here?" Shaoen glanced toward Will and the others in the distance.
"Our identities have been exposed. We can no longer remain aboveground," Jin said, his voice grave.
"I see... So now you intend to become beggars like me?" Shaoen said, barely concealing his amusement.
"We just need to rest for a bit, and...," Jin began.
"And what?" Shaoen asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We'd like to borrow four sets of clothing from you," Jin finished.
"Oh, I get it now! Hahaha, you're quite amusing," Shaoen said, suddenly bursting into laughter.
"What's with the sudden laughter? What are they talking about?" Will and the others, still a hundred meters away, were confused.
"Well, come in then," Shaoen said, turning and walking toward the door of his hideout. He pulled a lever inside, and all the outside traps deactivated, leaving only the arrows and shattered stone behind. Jin turned and waved to Will and the others, signaling that the danger had passed, and then followed Shaoen into the hideout.
...
Meanwhile, in the inn within the slums, Pixus, having failed to complete the task given by Merlyn, vented all his frustration onto the innkeeper.
"You old fool, you won't be leaving here alive today," Pixus growled, grabbing the innkeeper by the neck with his remaining left hand, lifting him off the ground.
"M-Master... I... I truly don't know who they are," the innkeeper gasped, struggling for air.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter now. The fugitive's already escaped," Pixus sneered, tightening his grip on the elderly man's neck.
Watching the innkeeper's tortured expression, Pixus savored the moment, delighting in the suffering of others. Soon, the innkeeper stopped breathing.
"Master, he's dead," one of Pixus's henchmen reported, standing nearby.
"Hmph. Let's go." Pixus flung the lifeless body aside and swaggered out of the inn.
...
The next morning.
Disguised in ragged clothes and patched hats, the four of them—Will, Jin, Lisa, and General Lei—quietly crawled out of the sewer from a narrow alley. They had all adopted the appearance of beggars, wearing the shabby clothes they had borrowed from Shaoen.
"This should work. We'll blend in now," Jin muttered to himself.
"Jin, look over there!" Will pointed ahead. A thick black smoke was billowing into the sky.
"Oh no... that's the direction of the inn!" Jin exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.