Chapter 136: Boxed In

“How far?” the boss asked.

The tunnel air was colder than the streets, stale in a way that made every breath feel recycled.

The rails ran like twin scars through the darkness, and the walls sweated with damp. Kael could hear the group behind him in small noises they didn’t realize they were making, armor shifting, boots scraping gravel, someone swallowing too loudly. Even the confident ones couldn’t hide it. They were walking into a place that didn’t belong to them.

“A bit ahead, they won’t be rushing, so don’t worry about not making it early,” Kael said as he walked next to the boss.

He kept his eyes on the mini-map while he spoke, letting the lie about “smell” sit comfortably behind his tongue.

The Snakes weren’t far, their cluster of green dots moving steadily, but without urgency. Petrov wanted the five-minute advantage on paper, not the first bite in reality. Kael understood that kind of cowardice. It was a practical cowardice, the kind that survived.

“We can still hear their footsteps. He’s right, they’re not too ahead of us.”

One of the Sun Clan members said it like confirmation, like hearing those distant echoes made Kael’s words more trustworthy.

The tunnel carried sound strangely. A step two corridors away could sound like it was right behind you, and a step right behind you could disappear into the hum of old infrastructure. Still, the group clung to any reassurance they could get, because fear liked to multiply in places like this.

The whole group was marching together inside the tunnel system. Most of them wore worried looks on their faces as they were expecting to be jumped at any moment.

The formation was messy. Not quite a line, not quite a wedge, more like a clump of bodies trying to convince themselves they were one unit.

They moved like they’d watched raids in games back on Earth and thought copying the shape was enough.

Kael could almost hear the Tower laughing at that thought. The Tower didn’t care about formation. It cared about who panicked first.

But seeing the calm Kael, they had a small belief that they wouldn’t be ambushed by any random monster.

Kael hated that belief. Not because he didn’t want them to trust him, but because trust made people stupid. Trust made them loud. Trust made them poke doors they should leave alone. Kael didn’t want comrades. He wanted bodies that didn’t get him killed by accident.

“Boss, should we check that?” one of the people next to the boss asked.

He pointed at one of the maintenance doors next to the rails.

It was a heavy metal door with a bent frame, half swallowed by grime and rust, the kind that looked like it led to nothing but old cables and darkness.

The handle was intact, which meant nobody had pulled it in a long time. That alone should have been enough warning. In the Reverse Tower, untouched doors were rarely empty. They were avoided.

“Don’t even think of doing that,” Kael grabbed the man’s pointing arm, “You don’t want to see what’s beyond that door. Trust me, you really don’t,” he said.

Kael’s grip was firm, not violent, but enough to communicate that this wasn’t a suggestion. His voice stayed low so it didn’t carry.

He didn’t want the door to hear them. That was how his mind worked now. Everything listened. Everything waited. And these fools knew far too littel of how boxed in they were in monsters.

“Now I’m more interested in seeing it, or are you hiding something?”

The man’s tone had that familiar edge, the petty suspicion of someone who hated being told no. Kael didn’t even bother masking his irritation. People like this were predictable. They didn’t want safety. They wanted to feel like they weren’t being led.

“There are monsters there,” Kael said.

He kept it simple. No story. No embellishment. Just the word that should have shut the conversation down.

“Then shouldn’t we clear it first?” the man said.

Kael almost laughed. Clear it first. As if the tunnel were a neat checklist of chores. As if “clear” didn’t mean bleeding, screaming, and watching friends get dragged into the dark.

“If you want to die, I don’t want to be dragged alongside you; there are at least a few hundred of them there, if not thousands. Old, rotting, but monsters nevertheless.”

He let the numbers hang, heavy and ugly. Hundreds. Thousands. The man’s face shifted, the bravado cracking slightly. Even if he didn’t believe Kael completely, the idea alone was enough to make his imagination do the work.

“Are you sure about that?” the boss asked.

His eyes had the glint of mischief.

Kael noticed that glint immediately. The boss wasn’t worried about the door. He was thinking about an opportunity. Loot.

A hidden stash.

A “secret” nobody else had found.

Kael wanted to spit. Of course, the boss saw danger and immediately translated it into profit. That was how he stayed alive and how he got people killed.

“Yes, my nose can smell it.” Again with the nose lie, since it was the only thing they believed.

Kael said as he looked up, ” Don’t worry about the snakes. They’re too focused on the basilisk and reaching it first than trying to open these doors. And trust me, you don’t want to open them. It’s a death sentence.” Kael said.

He needed them to leave the door alone, not start questioning why he sounded like someone who’d done this before.

“Seems like you experienced something here before,” Peter jumped in.

Peter’s voice carried a hint of curiosity, but also respect. He was trying to sound helpful, trying to reinforce Kael’s authority in front of the boss and the minions. Kael didn’t appreciate the support. Support made him visible.

“Yeah, and I lived to tell the tale thanks to stupid luck. I doubt that will happen again if it’s all of us, let’s keep our eyes on the prize and get the boss for now.” Kael said.

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