Intelligence +2

Xia Lun's eyes snapped open in the murky, stinking water. Bits of rotting flesh tangled with crimson fungal threads clung to the tip of his nose, and the clammy stench seemed to seep through his skin and into his organs.

With no time to hesitate, Xia Lun ducked his head and shoulders, straightened his back, and swept both hands out to the sides. He slipped into the narrow channel like a fish.

The sewage rushed in the same direction he was heading, carrying him along at a decent speed. But with the Light Whale bearing down behind him, it still wasn't fast enough.

Xia Lun drew up his knees and curled his body, then kicked hard against the channel wall. He shot forward through the narrow waterway, leaving a white trail in his wake.

In less than a few seconds, he had swum more than ten meters. The exit was just ahead!

At that moment, Xia Lun sensed his connection to the sea of Black Flame being severed. The Blind Lights and Clockwork Court Guards had finally put out the fire through sheer numbers.

They would catch up any second!

Xia Lun flipped his hand, pulled Plastic Explosive from the Armed Belt Buckle, and shoved it into a gap between the bricks at the exit. With a flick of his fingers, he inserted the Detonator.

Once he was sure he could set it off with a shot, he tightened his core and twisted sharply in the water. Then he grabbed the edge of the wall and hauled himself back onto the bank.

"Bzzz."

The instant he surfaced, the noise came rushing back: water splashing, clockwork clicking, and Blind Lights buzzing all around him.

Icy sewage had soaked through his coat. Xia Lun stood, water dripping from him onto the sticky,