The Little Lair in the Sewers

Luo Xia did not climb down the ladder, choosing instead to jump.

Ten meters high, a vertical drop.

Luo Xia possessed only the physical fitness of an ordinary person, not one of those "special forces" soldiers who are written as soldiers but are actually cultivators. Dropping vertically from such a height would likely result in two broken legs.

However, while in mid-air, Luo Xia reached out and grabbed the sewer wall. His Sensor Glove carved deep grooves into the concrete, sending a shower of sparks flying.

His falling speed slowed, and Luo Xia landed on the ground in a trail of sparks and flashes.

The smell in the sewer was quite foul, but fortunately, Luo Xia had encountered many harsh environments while on missions in his past life, so he could endure it.

Luo Xia had no intention of sneaking in secretly. The moment he forced the manhole cover open, the massive noise had already alerted those inside that someone was invading. Therefore, it was better to rush in at top speed and catch the other party off guard.

As soon as he landed, the scene before Luo Xia changed; the darkness turned into a deep green. This was Luo Xia activating the night vision function of his Tactical Goggles.

It appeared to be a sewer that had been abandoned for some time. There were no slimy stains on the ground; instead, it looked rather dry. Luo Xia carefully inspected the floor and quickly found human footprints.

Clearly, no one would come down to a place like this for sightseeing or hide-and-seek. The footprints on the ground most likely belonged to that thief.

Luo Xia picked up his pace and ran along the tracks.

The sewer was wide enough, and there were not as many forks as Luo Xia had imagined, so he only had to make two turns before arriving at his destination.

It was a dry, perhaps even clean, space of about twenty square meters, hiding a sewer den that looked as if someone was living there.

A hodgepodge of a dilapidated computer, a blackened fabric sofa, and a blanket that looked stiff to the touch.

There were many food scraps on the table, and judging by the packaging, they were expired biscuits bought at a supermarket discount. It was evident that the owner lived a very difficult life.

Under the table was a generator connected to the computer and a light bulb. It was quite self-sufficient, though it looked truly pathetic.

Luo Xia stood at what could barely be called a doorway. He did not walk inside, instead switching the night vision of his Tactical Goggles to thermal imaging mode.

Then, he saw a thin figure hiding behind that broken sofa, holding a cracked baseball bat in their hand.

The person was so thin that they could curl up behind that narrow sofa. If not for the thermal imaging function of Luo Xia's Tactical Goggles, he would have had to walk over and lift the blanket to see them.

And this person seemed to be waiting for Luo Xia to walk over so they could deliver a heavy blow to his head.

Originally, Luo Xia had intended to give the thief a sound beating after catching them, but seeing the person's living conditions, he gave up on the idea of pursuing the matter further.

Luo Xia couldn't be bothered to walk inside, so he just stood at the entrance: "Give me back my things, and I'll leave. As long as you don't intend to use that baseball bat, I don't intend to call the police. This is a trade; what do you think?"

Hearing Luo Xia's words, the thin figure shook with tension, and even the hands gripping the baseball bat trembled slightly.

"I'll say this first: I have a gun, but I don't intend to feed you a bullet. So if you're smart, give me back my things, and I'll turn around and leave," Luo Xia continued.

Hearing this, the thin figure finally stood up from behind the sofa.

The person had messy, disheveled hair and wore only a dark T-shirt, likely because such colors didn't show dirt easily. The light in the sewer was dim, and it was hard to see their features without the light turned on.

However, this was ineffective against Luo Xia. Even in this environment, his Tactical Goggles allowed him to see clearly.

Then Luo Xia said in surprise: "You're Asian? Chinese? Korean, or Japanese?"

It was indeed surprising. Luo Xia had actually encountered a dark-eyed Asian in this filthy sewer, and a girl at that. Her hair color had a slight yellowish tint—it was hard to tell if it was due to malnutrition or if she was mixed-race—but her features were definitely Asian.

"You... can see what I look like?" the frail girl seemed even more surprised than Luo Xia.

"Yeah, these glasses of mine are quite expensive," Luo Xia said honestly.

The girl couldn't help but laugh, but her expression immediately returned to one of tension.

"I said, I only want my own things back, so you don't have to be so nervous," Luo Xia comforted.

The girl looked at Luo Xia and slowly backed away. Feeling she had moved to a safe distance, she carefully placed the baseball bat aside and pulled a box out from a corner.

The girl kicked the box to Luo Xia's feet: "Everything I stole is in there."

After finishing, the girl picked up the baseball bat again and hid in a corner.

Luo Xia flicked his wrist, and an alloy dagger popped out of his Sensor Glove with a clink. This movement startled the girl, and she almost cried out.

Luo Xia ignored this and carefully used the dagger to pry open the box. When he was on missions, a comrade had been too careless and had been blinded by a trap while opening a drug lord's box. Although Luo Xia didn't think this girl posed a threat, he wouldn't let his guard down.

The box wasn't large, and there was nothing unusual when he opened it. Luo Xia only found some loose change, a set of keys, and a few items that looked like computer parts; his Energy Activator was not there.

Luo Xia frowned and asked: "My things aren't in here. Where is the sapphire you stole from my house today?"

"Sapphire? I don't know what you're talking about," the girl said nervously.

"A sapphire, the size of a fist. It was in a basement at 17th and 4th Street in Hell's Kitchen. Just today, or rather, just a short while ago, you stole it from my house," Luo Xia explained, suppressing his impatience.

"Today? I haven't been out all day today. And I wouldn't steal any sapphire; I'm a person of principle," the girl explained.

"Oh, so this money is your tips from waiting tables?" Luo Xia laughed.

"That... that was just private money hidden under the carpet. I was just punishing those dishonest men," the girl said stubbornly.

That was a truly invincible excuse. Luo Xia held a moment of silence for those henpecked husbands who hid their private money.

Luo Xia was not a criminal investigation expert, so he couldn't judge whether the girl was lying, but he knew that, at the very least, his Energy Activator was not in this den. The place was too small; a quick scan with his Tactical Goggles would have revealed it.

So, where exactly was the Energy Activator?

"Um, if you trust me, I can help you look into it," the girl suggested.