The Three

Drip... drip... drip...

The sound of footsteps echoed slowly through the silent, dark sewer, long and low.

A beam of bright yellow light seemed incredibly weak in the pitch-black environment.

It barely illuminated a few meters of the passage, adding a sense of oppression to the lifeless space.

"Ugh, it stinks! How much longer until we get there?"

A clear, feminine voice suddenly rang out, filled with disgust!

"Stop complaining, we'll be there soon. The Flame Marsh Lizards are definitely here. Once we kill them, we can go back up!"

A steady, deep voice followed, and then a crisp collision sound!

Crack!

A tall figure could be vaguely seen in the shadows, raising a hand to slap another person's back!

"Oww... why do I have to come down here with you guys? I feel like I'm going to get pickled after walking around here all day!"

Huo Lian touched her back, saying with a hint of indignation.

Beside her, a slightly younger male voice chimed in with an apologetic tone.

"I'm so sorry, Sister Huo Lian... for something like this to happen on my first mission, letting those five Flame Marsh Lizards escape."

"I... I'm not complaining to you! Sniff... Hmph!"

Hearing Sun Lei, Huo Lian seemed flustered but didn't want to lose face. She crossed her arms and let out a delicate snort, falling silent.

Meanwhile, Luo Wei, the captain, appeared exceptionally calm. He laughed heartily and patted Sun Lei's shoulder.

Whack—!

"Hahaha... Don't worry about it, Sun Lei!"

"You've only been with the City Guard for a week, and your first group mission is a random two-meter-class Realm Gate!"

"A few mistakes are understandable, hahaha..."

Sun Lei stumbled from the blow, rubbing his shoulder and gasping in pain. "Ow, ow, ow... Captain Luo, was that intentional?"

"Hahaha..."

Luo Wei laughed loudly, slinging an arm around Sun Lei. His expression instantly vanished, and he glared at Sun Lei, saying, "What do you think? I applied for a long time to get one day off..."

The intense killing intent instantly turned Sun Lei pale. He shivered, looking at Luo Wei, who was glaring at him and muttering incessantly.

"Last night, I had just made plans with Xiao Ya to take her out today. Guess what she said."

"'Really? I'm so happy~ Daddy, take me to the amusement park!!'"

"She's really... so cute! How can there be such a cute daughter in the world!!! Don't you think so?"

"So, do you know how I felt when I received the notice to return to the team?"

As he spoke, Luo Wei's expression twisted, looking like he was about to kill someone at any moment!

"How are you going to compensate for the disappointment on Xiao Ya's face!!!"

"Eek—!!! I'm really, really sorry, Captain Luo!!! I was wrong, your expression is terrifying, don't lean in!!!"

Sun Lei shook his head desperately, trying to pull away from Luo Wei's tightening grip, letting out strange cries.

Unfortunately, as a Bronze Rank, he couldn't resist the Silver Rank Luo Wei at all.

Fortunately, Luo Wei was just trying to scare Sun Lei. Huo Lian kicked Luo Wei, and he let go of Sun Lei's neck.

Huo Lian's voice, full of disdain, echoed through the sewer again.

"Hey, hey, if you're going to go crazy over your daughter, do it at home. The City Guard finally has a new recruit, don't scare him away again, alright!"

However, Luo Wei waved his hand dismissively, saying with disdain, "Hmph! Those guys act like they've been sentenced to death on every mission, hiding behind others when they see Monsters."

"They're just a bunch of second-generation kids looking for a golden resume. If they die, we have to deal with the aftermath, so it's better to just drive them away."

"Unlike Sun Lei..."

Whack!

Luo Wei slapped Sun Lei on the back again, ignoring Sun Lei's contorted expression and laughing heartily.

"Kid, you're the only one who passed the assessment this year. You're following in your father's footsteps, and I have high hopes for you!!!"

"Yes..."

Sun Lei forced a smile, rubbing his sore back, his face twitching.

"Hahaha..."

Luo Wei looked at Sun Lei's appearance, completely unfazed, still laughing heartily.

He pointed a finger towards the ladder that had appeared in the distance and said:

"Let's go, climb that ladder, we should be there."

"Flame Marsh Lizards like heat and damp places, so this is the most suitable location for them."

Huo Lian fanned herself with her hand, her expression unpleasant as she said:

"Speaking of which, isn't it a bit hot here, and the smell is getting stronger too."

Sun Lei also nodded, taking off the scarf around his neck as he spoke:

"Yeah, the path before was very cold, now I'm sweating..."

"Hmph hmph! Of course!"

Luo Wei put one hand on his chest and raised the other, pointing his finger upwards.

"You two, do you know what kind of place is up there?"

"Huh? Even though I live on the west side of the city, I still know! It's a big market up there, right?"

Sun Lei looked confused, and continued to ask Luo Wei:

"What's up there has anything to do with why it's so hot here?"

"Idiot!"

Huo Lian shook her head, reached out, and tapped Sun Lei's head, saying exasperatedly:

"There's no way a market would be related to the temperature here! There must be something underground, right?"

"Ugh... that hurt, Sister Huo Lian."

Sun Lei said sheepishly, but inwardly he grumbled:

'Are all the City Guards violent? I should have listened to Dad and become an adventurer instead.'

Sun Lei rubbed his head and asked again, confused:

"So, why is the temperature so high here?"

Luo Wei smiled at Sun Lei, grabbed the ladder, and started climbing first, saying as he ascended:

"That's naturally because there are Mana Circuits for the City Defense Array underground nearby!"

Huo Lian gestured for Sun Lei to go up first, as she was wearing a skirt and it was easy to expose herself.

Sun Lei obediently nodded and followed Luo Wei up the ladder.

Luo Wei continued to explain:

"Mithril, although it has excellent Mana conductivity, it generates too much heat."

"The key is that it's scarce, and the Mithril used to construct the defense array is too thin."

"If you're not careful, it can burn out, so it needs to be constantly cooled."

"And the wastewater used to cool those cooling Mana Circuits is directly discharged into the sewers."

Luo Wei climbed out of the ladder, cautiously looked around, turned, and reached out his hand to Sun Lei.

"I see, so that's why it's so hot here?"

Sun Lei took Luo Wei's hand, a look of understanding on his face.

Luo Wei nodded, then pulled Huo Lian up, and continued:

"That's right, but it also leads to the residual Mana in the wastewater easily creating Monsters in the sewers."

"Slimes often appear in sewers, and although Slimes purify some of the wastewater, they can clog the sewers if you're not careful."

"Moreover, ordinary animals that live in the sewers become very aggressive due to the influence of Mana."

"So, usually, there are regular sewer cleaning quests at the Adventurer's Guild."

Huo Lian patted the dirt off her hands and pointed her index finger at Sun Lei, saying:

"This is common knowledge among Awakened Ones! These kinds of quests are dirty and tiring, usually only accepted by early-stage adventurers, and they pay very little."

"Huh?! Is that so? I'm only finding out now..."

Sun Lei said to Huo Lian with a look of surprise.

"Of course, didn't you pay attention in class?"

"If it weren't for these Flame Marsh Lizards being a bit troublesome, we wouldn't be doing this dirty work in the sewers!"

"After all, the City Guard is an official organization, unlike those undisciplined adventurers."

"Ahaha, I just want to sleep whenever I'm in class..."

"Really... I don't know how you passed the test..."