Hey! Taking the Back Door!

"No."

"This might be the real island."

As soon as Morel said that, the riverbank fell silent for a few seconds.

Bai Zhu lowered his head to look at the absurdly clear little river, then at the terminal screen that had gone black in Milluki's hand.

That underground space, that pipe, that hand rising from the water—all of it was gone.

Milluki smacked the terminal hard twice.

"Quit playing dead. Come back."

The terminal did not respond.

He switched to a backup receiver module. The screen flickered, but there was still no image.

Milluki gritted his teeth.

"My fish are gone too."

Bai Zhu immediately corrected him.

"They're the Association's fish."

"They haven't been reimbursed yet, so they're still mine for now."

"Gela Jiang showed his hand, and you're still thinking about the fish?"

"Are you sure that was Gela Jiang's hand? Could his hand be that big?" Milluki stuffed the terminal back into his bag. "Unless Gela Jiang is Puff Teacher."

Morel did not respond to them.

He stared at the river's surface, turning the pipe halfway around in his palm.

"The Mechanical Fish's last location was beside the underground lake."

Bai Zhu nodded.

"Mm."

"The waterway leads downward."

"The underground cavern should connect to the Lighthouse basement."

"Mm."

Morel looked up at him.

"So we won't take the Lighthouse's front entrance."

Bai Zhu paused.

"Explain yourself first."

Morel raised a brow.

"Explain what?"

Bai Zhu pointed at the river, then at himself.

"Morel, when you say back door, do you mean it literally, or are you stuffing us into a sewer?"

Milluki's expression changed immediately upon hearing that.

"I refuse."

Morel looked at him.

Milluki promptly added,

"I refuse any form of transportation without seats, cushioning, insurance, or an emergency escape button."

Bai Zhu patted his shoulder.

"Young