Aoba narrowed his eyes and scanned the ground ahead. Sure enough, there was a faint mark there, one he never would have noticed without looking closely.
Aoba said, "Good catch, Zheng.
Qianyan, use Earth Release to fill in this trap. We'll go around it."
"Got it!"
Qianyan nodded and rapidly formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Flow Pit Fill!"
A mass of earth surged up from the ground, filling the trap ahead and creating a level path.
Zheng said, "Thank you, Aoba, Qianyan.
If it weren't for you two, I might have triggered the trap."
Qianyan grinned. "No need to thank us. We're partners. Helping each other is what we do.
Besides, you spotted the trap for us. We should be thanking you."
Aoba said, "All right, enough talk. Let's keep moving.
And stay sharp. The traps here are better hidden than we expected."
"Right!"
The three continued forward. With his keen sense for Puppet Technique and mechanical traps, Zheng spotted several more hidden mechanisms along the way. Qianyan used Earth Release to disable them one by one. They advanced cautiously without setting off a single trap.
After about half an hour, they arrived before an abandoned hall. It was magnificent in scale. Though it had fallen into ruin, traces of its former splendor remained.
Qianyan said, "Aoba, look how grand this hall is. Could this be the place we're looking for? Do you think the confidential files are inside?"
Aoba nodded. "Very likely.
This looks like the central building of the abandoned outpost. The confidential files may well be hidden here.
But we have to be careful. There are bound to be traps inside, and there may be enemies lying in wait."
Zheng said, "I'll scout ahead and check for traps and enemies."
"If you run into danger, call