Backup Route, Justice Is Not Blind Obedience

Even more surprising, a tattered diary lay beside the skeleton. It recorded fragments of the previous Void Invasion—around eight hundred years ago, the world had faced a similar crisis. The sword bearer had been a warrior named Senlan. Together with his companions, he fought the Void Invasion and ultimately sacrificed his life to temporarily seal the Void rift.

The diary ended with these words: "If you are reading this, it means the seal has begun to loosen. The Dawn Blade will choose its new master. I hope you are luckier than I was..."

The moment Lin Ye gripped the hilt, he felt a warm energy flow into his body, while the purple mist on the island was briefly dispersed. Yet only today did Lin Ye truly begin to understand the blade's real power.

"Lin Ye! The laundry room is up ahead!" Vice Admiral Tsuru's voice pulled him back to reality.

A weathered wooden door marked "Laundry" stood at the end of the corridor. Everyone quickly burst inside, where long-unused laundry equipment lay piled up beneath layers of dust.

"The soldiers said the passage is behind the laundry room," Lin Ye said, looking around. "But where exactly?"

Vice Admiral Tsuru walked toward a wall at the very back of the room. "If I remember correctly, there should be a..." She gently pressed a protruding brick in the wall. With a soft click, the wall slowly shifted aside, revealing a dark passage. "An emergency evacuation route. Only senior officers know about it. This was a backup route designed by Fleet Admiral Sengoku back then."

Everyone filed into the passage, and the wall closed behind them. The passage was narrow and dark, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. After about five minutes, it gradually widened and eventually led to a