Chapter 509: Monsters

Ace created a lot of filth, the stench filling the air. He wiped himself with dry hay, looked around, and sneaked away.

It was night. Since going out during the day would result in injury from sunlight, he chose to go out at night. Over the past year, Ace had not only learned the language but also knew the nearby sewers like the back of his hand.

He ran through the complex sewers for a while. About ten minutes later, he reached a manhole and climbed up using the protruding stones.

This was an alley, very secluded. The surroundings were somewhat dilapidated single-story houses. Looking into the distance, he could see some lights and tall buildings nearby.

Stepping on the cobblestone road, Ace could almost confirm that this was a city of intelligent beings. Crouching and hugging the wall, he walked for a while, rummaged through a garbage pile, found a piece of rag to drape over his body, and wrapped his head.

After nearly a year of physical training, Ace was relatively agile. He leaped onto the roof like a human-shaped cat and lay prone, motionless.

In this world where he had not yet found a way to overdrive his spirit, Ace had his own method to achieve the supernatural. The “Path of Blood Energy and Heart Fire” he pioneered was a good possibility.

As long as there was vitality, the supernatural could be achieved through this method. The only problem was that he needed to eat a large amount of meat, which was impossible within the underground family.

Ace lay on the roof, carefully observing the intelligent beings that occasionally passed by. After multiple observations and comparisons, he reached a conclusion.

“The ones on the ground are obviously humans too. They don’t look any different from us. Instead, the language is different, which is the biggest problem.

“Is what the adults said true? But one thing is certain: sunlight can indeed harm us. We are not suitable for living on the ground during the day.”

About half an hour passed. Ace hurriedly climbed back underground through the manhole. He estimated that the Old Leader was probably still sleeping, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.

The round trip plus the observation on the roof took Ace a little over an hour. When he returned, most people were sleeping soundly.

He also lay down on the haystack and fell asleep. The feather-crowned leader opened his eyelids slightly, seemingly glancing casually, then continued to sleep.

Five days later, the adults couldn’t withstand Ace’s persistent pestering and finally took Ace with them towards the dark river.

Doyle whispered to Ace as they walked: “You once got a high fever from falling into the water and took almost half a year to recover. It is certainly a good thing that you want to help us gather food now, but this time you can only gather some water weeds in the shallows by the riverbank, or catch some shrimp at most. Absolutely do not go into the deep water.”

Ace nodded hurriedly. In fact, his idea was simple. He could absolutely not waste time in this sewer. However, this body indeed “died upon exposure to light” and could not survive under sunlight for long. He had to find a way to activate his blood energy to have a possibility of escaping the sewer.

But activating blood energy was not that simple. Although the “Blood Energy Circulation Method” could constantly loosen muscles and bones and gather vitality through walking, sitting, and lying down, the prerequisite was that one must be full of vitality. In other words, one must be in a very healthy state.

Now, often going hungry one meal and full the next, he simply couldn’t get enough nutrition. If he had incarnated as a “human” on the ground, it would have been better. At least living in a city, there would always be many methods available.

But now he was just a rat in the gutter. The entire Field Family hid here, claiming to be true humans while calling the people on the ground monsters. They even claimed there were “White Monsters” and “Iron Monsters,” which made him even more suspicious.

“Everything here reveals peculiarity. My most important task right now is to activate my blood energy and obtain the power of self-preservation as quickly as possible.”

Thinking this, Ace followed the adults, walking slowly. They wound through the sewers for a long time and finally arrived at a place with the sound of murmuring water.

Doyle and the others moved a large stone on the wall aside. Just as they bent down to enter, they suddenly heard a rustling sound. Doyle’s face turned pale with shock. He pushed and shoved the others inside. Without even having time to put the large stone back in place, he dragged Ace and ran quickly.

They soon arrived by the dark river. This was an underground cavern similar to a stalactite cave. Several people jumped into the water with a splash, rushing into the deep water area as if fleeing for their lives.

Ace was clamped by Doyle, dragged into the water. After swallowing several mouthfuls of river water, they finally rested against a flat, protruding boulder in the river.

The adults looked nervously at the riverbank. Ace followed their gaze, and his expression changed drastically.

There were countless pairs of green eyes. The creepy green light was exceptionally terrifying in the darkness. The rustling sound was precisely the sound of their movement.

There was also a creaking sound, as if some animal was grinding its teeth, making Ace’s hair stand on end. He couldn’t help asking: “What are these things?”

Doyle covered his mouth forcefully, signaling him not to speak. The group waited quietly just like that. In the lonely stalactite cave, there were only those densely packed green eyes. After about half an hour, there was another burst of rustling sounds, and the group of strange things finally seemed to leave.

Only then did Doyle release his hand covering Ace. Ace gasped for breath and asked in a low voice: “Father, what was that?”

Doyle whispered: “This is one of the most terrible monsters in the sewer. They move extremely fast and have a very strong bite force. One of our clansmen was once bitten to death by them, leaving only a pile of white bones.

“Fortunately, this kind of monster is very afraid of water. If they enter the water or get soaked, they become weak and powerless. But there are simply too many of them. We just need to hide in the water; don’t fight them head-on.”

Ace nodded. Led by Doyle and the others, they swam to the shore, crouched and moved slowly, moved the boulder, and blocked the entrance.

The adults were excellent swimmers. They dived underwater easily, catching a few fat fish from time to time. Ace helped gather them into the basket on the shore.

Ace, who came for the first time, behaved well and followed the rules, which satisfied Doyle and the others. In the following days, they gradually got used to taking Ace along to gather food and catch fish and shrimp.

This also changed the way the children looked at Ace. Ace was already only a head shorter than an adult, and now that he was doing food gathering activities that only adults did, none of the children dared to tease Ace anymore.

Ace also gradually “learned to swim” and slowly became proficient in catching fish and shrimp and gathering edible water weeds. His status in the family also gradually rose.

Finally, at Doyle’s suggestion, the Old Leader plucked a feather from his feather crown and stuck it on Ace’s head. Then everyone stepped forward and stroked Ace’s cheeks forcefully. Old Leader Dewey got some mud from somewhere and smeared it on Ace’s cheeks, forehead, and chest. The mud had a burst of fishy stench, making Ace not want to think about its source.

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