Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 239: Ch.238 Digging a Vault

Chapter 239: Ch.238 Digging a Vault

Monarch gradually calmed down. The dry, cold underground environment always helped him regain his composure.

But this dark and cold atmosphere could also make one feel chilled to the bone and overcome with loneliness.

He turned around, wiped his face, and walked over to Su Ming, saying, "I just asked the kobolds. Their tribe numbers over 3,000, and they live deep beneath London. Their surface appearance was an accident. Because someone has been carrying out heavy construction and blasting above them for several days, they came up to investigate. I've already sent them back underground but promised to help them solve the issue of the quakes and cave-ins."

"You did well, Monarch. Since we're here, we need to find Namor's trail. Whatever's going on here, it can't be allowed to continue," Su Ming acknowledged his efforts first, then thought for a moment before adding, "The excavation they mentioned might be someone building an underground lab. Given that London is under constant bombing from the Germans, they're using the sound of bomb explosions to cover it up—quite clever."

Deadpool wasn't paying attention to Su Ming's words. Instead, he was eyeing the two dead rabbits on the ground, stroking his chin.

"And with today's typhoon, the German bombers and rockets are grounded, so everything's halted here as well, leading the kobolds to come up and check things out," Monarch shared the intel he'd gathered. Su Ming's guess matched the situation described by the kobolds, confirming it as fact.

"Do they know who's doing the digging?" Su Ming asked. The sorcerer's face looked somewhat strained, though he forced a smile.

Monarch gave a helpless expression, using his staff to scratch his face, seemingly aware of his own fake smile: "Unfortunately, the kobolds can't tell the difference between the British and Germans. They only know that it's humans constructing a massive underground structure. The strong vibrations damaged their temple roof and injured some of their companions."

An underground structure could either be a lab or an air-raid shelter. But if the British military wanted to build an air-raid shelter, there'd be no need to do it secretly under the cover of German bombings.

Thus, it was more than likely that the ones digging here were enemies, and given the attitude of the mutant guards who acted as though they were covering up a crime, this seemed almost certain.

Su Ming chose to conveniently forget about Deadpool's foul mouth. If Wade hadn't charged in with his sword and stream of obscenities, maybe they would've reacted differently.

"Did they mention the location of the construction?"

"Yes, follow me," Monarch replied, heading in the direction the kobolds had left. Su Ming and the others followed. Deadpool, meanwhile, seized the moment while no one was looking and stealthily stuffed the two rabbit corpses into his pocket, then whistled innocently.

The journey was uneventful. Aside from the small footprints left by the kobolds, there were no other traces.

This made Su Ming suspect that the underground facility hadn't started operating yet, which would be good. If they could locate Namor's trail without much hassle, it would certainly be a good thing.

The hallway they were in connected several London sewer lines. After proceeding further, they soon encountered a rushing stream. Not far away was a large hole leading underground, likely the route the kobolds took to return home.

Su Ming thought for a moment and had Monarch use magic to block off the hole to prevent the kobolds from resurfacing or, worse, some lunatics from venturing down.

After sacrificing two more rabbits, Monarch completed the task, but his mood became exceedingly gloomy, as though a dark cloud of world-ending sorrow hung over him.

He was so consumed by this melancholy that he didn't even notice Deadpool sneakily retrieving the rabbit corpses again.

On the other side of the flood channel, faint light could be seen seeping out from a nearby passage. It wasn't very noticeable, but Su Ming's helmet visor had a light meter built into it.

Perhaps the kobolds had noticed the light but couldn't cross the river, which is why they took a detour and ran into Su Ming's group.

The flood channel, or what used to be the sewage canal, was about ten meters wide. Both Su Ming and Deadpool could easily jump over it with a running start, and Monarch could fly across. The only one unable to make it was Horowitz.

But with Su Ming's magic cloak and symbiote, this was no issue.

Aside from causing the doctor to turn a little pale, all four of them made it across safely.

"Alright, Wade, it's time for you to shine again. Stick to the plan," Su Ming said, patting his shoulder and pointing at the door in the distance.

Deadpool unsheathed his katanas while grumbling, "If I knew I'd be working in a sewer, I would've asked for hazard pay. Everything happening here seems filthy. I'm a good guy; I've never killed this many mutants in one day before. I feel like my little heart is wounded."

"Injured? Internal injury, maybe? Did you get heatstroke?" Su Ming absentmindedly examined the blade of Godkiller, checking it for any dull spots, as though preparing to sharpen it.

"Uh, I don't know what 'heatstroke' means, but I bet it's not something good... I'm off!"

Deadpool darted toward the tunnel's end. The ceiling was high, so it must lead to a large underground space.

Perhaps a secret granary or an armory.

Digging tunnels and hoarding resources wasn't a strategy exclusive to certain countries. Many nations had employed similar tactics throughout history.

Hiding looted treasure or storing reserves was second nature to a pirate nation like Britain.

The world's ten most famous pirates include Blackbeard, Anne Bonny, Pirate Prince Black Sam, Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih, Bartholomew Roberts, Captain Kidd, Henry Morgan, Calico Jack, Sir Francis Drake, and Hayreddin Barbarossa.

Aside from Ching Shih and Barbarossa, the other eight were all British. Many of their treasures remain undiscovered, likely buried on some deserted island.

And as for London, this city has seen its fair share of mysteries throughout history. Rich nobles often dug cellars to store their wealth, while the less fortunate set their sights on the sewers.

They'd simply divert a portion of an unimportant sewer line, wall it up, and use it as their secret chamber. For centuries, this place has been home to various mysterious figures, politicians, and serial killers.

London's sewer system was constructed in 1848, spanning 2,000 kilometers. Built with brick and stone, it reflected the British love for aesthetics in even the most functional structures.

In contrast, New York's sewers were made of reinforced concrete. But in London, they even used brick to create archways and mosaics every so often, calling it one of the seven industrial wonders of the world.

And no one would walk down here—it was just sewage.

Victor Hugo once toured Paris's sewers and wrote in Les Misérables that it was like a terrible crypt beneath the earth. Compared to that, London's sewer system was not just a crypt but a massive labyrinth.

With multiple levels and over a dozen lines crisscrossing everywhere, anyone without a map or magic would definitely get lost down here.

Fortunately, today's typhoon had caused heavy rainfall, creating a torrent that helped Su Ming eliminate some wrong options. After all, if someone wanted to build a secret base underground, they would avoid areas prone to flooding.

The place they were now standing in met the necessary conditions—completely dry.

Now, it was time to see who exactly they were dealing with.