Chapter 63: On the Road

Within this secret passage, an extremely intricate system had been installed, connected to a dedicated computer. The moment it detected anyone whose vital signs did not match the approved individuals, the traps would be triggered instantaneously. Each day, the system recalibrated based on the real-time weight changes from Duncan and his four companions—taking into account their meals, excretions, and other actions—leaving no room for misidentification or outside imitation. It was, by any measure, a marvel of cutting-edge technology.

The advantages of such a device were self-evident. There was no need, as with ordinary traps, to deactivate them whenever insiders passed through, nor to reactivate them afterward. As for drawbacks, perhaps only the daily recording of weight was slightly troublesome; otherwise, there seemed to be no flaws at all.

Yet at this moment, even though Jos stood atop this passage, sensitive enough not to misjudge even a single gram, the recorder still displayed a glaring zero.

From Little Black, Jos had long heard of weight-sensitive traps such as these. After all, both Duncan and the burly bald man had relevant memories embedded in their minds. So, upon entering the passage, Jos adjusted his own weight to zero using his “King of Gravity” ability.

Though this “weightlessness” was only a numerical alteration, not an actual change in physical mass, who could have foreseen that such a trick would work wonders against high-tech security measures? Much like modern banks and museums, where similar systems would instantly sound an alarm if the weight in a certain area increased after hours, this passage’s system was meant to be foolproof.

But, confronted with someone as anomalous as Jos, even this sophisticated mechanism proved less effective than the oldest tripwire. Thus, he slipped by undetected, silently approaching the two men—Cork and his companion—who believed themselves perfectly safe.

“Now I ask, and you answer.”

Jos’s refined steel longsword and Little Black’s sharp claws pressed in from either side, subduing the two men. Before they could even react, Jos’s icy voice had already reached their ears.

“What?! How could you possibly have gotten in here? What about the traps? Cork, you idiot! Why didn’t the traps activate?!”

The bespectacled George, who had always seemed meek and easily bullied, suddenly shed his timid facade. He cursed furiously, his eyes bloodshot, as if truly driven mad by fear.

It is said that in moments of extreme terror, people may act out of character. While George, usually the most submissive and pitiable, now roared and cursed, Cork—who had previously seemed so confident and in control—looked even more shaken. Unlike the other three, these two, though injected with serum, were scientists by profession; the most gruesome thing they’d ever witnessed was likely the carving of a turkey at Thanksgiving.

With a blade held to his throat, Cork was utterly terrified, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

“Stop shaking! Are you trying to pad out the word count?” With a flick of his hand, Jos threw Cork to the ground. Gesturing for Little Black to keep George in check, he crouched beside Cork and questioned him again.

“Is there any way to stop your plan?”

From the information gleaned from their minds, it seemed there was no such safety mechanism, but Jos still asked on the off chance.

Cork stared, then suddenly broke into manic laughter, as if he’d found a chance to turn the tables. “What? Stop it? Hahaha… If you want something from me, you’d better beg! Get on your knees! Maybe then I’ll consider telling you—mph!”

Jos calmly withdrew his fist, watching Cork convulse on the floor. With a glance, he signaled Little Black, who immediately melted into liquid form and slipped inside Cork’s body.

“I asked you only for convenience’s sake. Who gave you the courage to ramble on? That kind of courage has long since run out.”

Perhaps because he had done this several times already, Little Black was now exceptionally practiced. After a few seconds of waiting, Jos received the feedback.

“There isn’t one. The plan was never designed with an emergency shut-off. In fact, to prevent interference, everything was deliberately set up so that once initiated, it could not be stopped.”

“Hee hee hee... You’re all going to die! Everyone will die! Our Hydra god is about to return, and all of you will perish here!”

Whether George was driven mad by fear or simply knew escape was impossible, he remained slumped on the ground, unmoving, taunting Jos with a sinister grin.

“You’ve clearly never heard of Earth’s ‘failsafe,’ friend. If you anger the likes of the Ancient One, by tomorrow everyone linked to Hydra will have vanished from the face of the earth. Don’t you believe it?”

Jos tapped George’s cheek with his cold blade, reminding him of this obvious reality.

Truthfully, if not for the necessity of stopping Hydra, Jos might almost have preferred to let their plan succeed—provoking the wrath of the true powers and seeing Hydra wiped out in a single stroke. But since the situation had not yet reached such extremes, and Hydra was not worth such a drastic gamble, Jos was still determined to resolve the crisis himself.

“Well, there’s no point staying here any longer. Let’s head back to the city and lend a hand.” Having gotten nothing more from them, Jos beckoned for Little Black to return to him.

“Heh... You really think you can leave?” George’s cold, mocking laugh rang out, as if ridiculing Jos’s naïveté.

As his words fell, the heavy steel door behind Jos slammed down. With a series of sharp clicks, it locked tight.

“This is a bomb-proof shelter! Just watch them die—hah! I’ll remember your helpless, pathetic face. Maybe even in hell, the thought will make me laugh!”

“Huh?” Jos shot George a bemused glance and asked, “Did you really think I was ever here?”

George was momentarily baffled, but his confusion quickly turned to horror as Jos’s body began to fade into the air.

Running a hand through his hair, Jos sneered, “Sorry, but I’m out!”

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The recent chapters have leaned more towards plot development, so the tone’s been less lighthearted. But once this arc concludes, I can start picking up the pace with more fun moments again.