Chapter 72: The Smell of Blood
Adam’s descent felt like an eternity. As he dropped further into the abyss, doubts gnawed at him. He began to wonder if confronting Yarquela Mortlake was really worth it. Without a doubt, he knows for sure that she knows that he is coming.
After all, she can literally see into the future? In Ascension, she was an enigma. She was not only powerful but equally unpredictable, and always ten steps ahead because of this metahuman ability of hers. What made him think he stood a chance? But even then, he must try to save Nyla at the very least, he didn’t need to win, just get the hell out of here.
His feet finally hit solid ground with a muted thud. He looked up; the entrance was now a tiny speck of light, barely visible. He estimated he had fallen over 200 meters. No turning back now for sure.
The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, so overpowering it made his stomach churn. The sheer intensity suggested a massacre. He fought the urge to gag, forcing himself to focus, given how sensitive his senses were.
"Graaa... This place really stinks of death."
He muttered while closing his eyes. On that note, however, he soon began to tap into his heightened sense of touch, and the moment he did. The world around him faded as he honed in on the vibrations, the subtle shifts in the air. He could feel them...the Antmen. Hundreds of them, their movements were all over the places, given this tunnel they digged was massive.
In one chamber, he sensed a gruesome scene: villagers, their bodies broken, being devoured, some half dead, others dead. He would save them, but those souls had already departed; there was no use saving them now.
Shifting his focus, he detected another area...a vast cavern. And what he saw were hundreds of Antmen busily transported large black crystals, their significance unknown. But it wasn’t the crystals that caught his attention. It was the figure overseeing the operation.
"Ha...and who might this be?"