Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 367: Unseen Depths

Ethan stirred, a hazy sensation flooding his mouth. The roar of rushing water filled his ears. Slowly, he opened his eyes. A blinding light forced him to shield his face with one hand.

"You’re awake!" It was Nora Vance’s voice.

Ethan quickly sat up, blinking against the brightness. He realized it was the Predator Beast X’s headlights blazing across the cavern. Nora stood nearby, holding a bottle of mineral water. Beside her were Uncle Jed and Dot, still unconscious.

He hadn’t expected Nora to be the first to wake up. She’d even managed to pull them all out of the vehicle and get the headlights working. The water, of course, had come from the vehicle’s supplies.

"How long have you been awake?" Ethan rubbed his throbbing head.

Nora wiped sweat from her forehead, offering a tired smile. "Just got you all out."

Seeing her smile, Ethan couldn’t help but smile back. This time, they had truly escaped death. He never imagined that beneath the Sea of Death, at some unknown depth, there would be such a massive underground river.

Under the harsh white beams of the headlights, the terrain came into focus. A huge stone dome arched overhead, cracked by a large, ragged hole. Sand still poured down through it in a steady, whispering stream. The falling sand spilled into the river channel, disappearing with the current. It had become a funnel, drawing everything down. Unless the underground river dried up or the entire dome collapsed to seal it with debris, that quicksand pit above would never vanish.

"How’s Dot?" Ethan stood up slowly, testing his balance.

"She’s fine—just fainted from lack of oxygen." Nora knelt beside Dot, gently stroking her hair.

"How did you get us out? What did you use to open the vehicle door?" Ethan asked, glancing at the Predator Beast X’s warped frame.

"I used your fingerprint to unlock it!" Nora stood and laughed, as if proud of her cleverness.

"Oh..." Ethan frowned slightly. A thought struck him, out of nowhere. "Dot’s birthday is coming up, isn’t it? What date was it again?"

Nora’s expression faltered. "It’s..." She hesitated, her eyes shifting.

Ethan stepped forward and seized her by the throat. "Who are you? Where is Nora Vance?"

Her feet kicked at the ground, hands clawing at his arm. "Ethan—what’s wrong? I am Nora Vance!"

"Is that so? Then why don’t you even know Dot’s birthday?" He tightened his grip, feeling her pulse flutter. "You’re still trying to fool me. You don’t know because I never knew—so you had nothing to copy."

Nora gasped, her face paling. Ethan’s voice dropped, cold and sure. "And you used my fingerprint to open the door. The real Nora wouldn’t even know what a fingerprint scanner is. And you definitely don’t know that even if someone recovers from suffocation, the bloodshot eyes wouldn’t clear that quickly."

Hiss...

The moment the sound slipped into the air, the thing in his hands changed. It shrank, its skin peeling back into scales. In a heartbeat, Nora dissolved into a blood-red snake, no thicker than a spoon. It lunged for Ethan’s arm, fangs glinting.

"What the—!" Terror shot up his spine. He had always been afraid of snakes. He squeezed reflexively, hand clamping shut.

Splat.

The snake burst under his grip, a wet shock splattering his skin. But before he could even draw breath, the world jolted.

Ethan’s eyes snapped open again. He was still inside the Predator Beast X. His body was bound tight with ropes, hanging from a support beam. His hand felt sticky. He lifted it, heart hammering. A crushed red snake lay coiled in his palm, limp.

Hiss... hiss... hiss...

The noise grew louder, seeping into every corner of the vehicle. Cold dread crawled down his back, raising goosebumps. A sweet, cloying scent filled the air. Slowly, he turned his head. In the pulsing red glow of the emergency lights, he saw them—hundreds, maybe thousands, of red snakes. They filled the Predator Beast X, coiling over every surface, writhing in a seething carpet of scales.

Ethan’s mouth went dry. He could barely swallow. What was happening? The vehicle was sealed tighter than a vault. Even if the ventilation system had failed, there was an isolation shield. Nothing should have been able to get in.

A sharp pain stabbed his shoulder. He jerked violently, and his eyes flew open again. The snakes vanished. Reality slammed back.

A broken military knife protruded from his shoulder. Real pain, hot and deep. Gritting his teeth, Ethan looked up. Uncle Jed stood over him, swaying, his face slack and pale. He muttered in a hollow voice, "Die... you all deserve to die..."

With a wheezing grunt, Jed yanked the knife free. Blood gushed. He raised the blade again.

"You gotta be kidding me..." Ethan gritted his teeth and kicked out hard. His boot caught Jed in the chest, sending him crashing backward. Jed’s head struck the vehicle wall with a dull crack. He slumped and didn’t move.

Ethan wasted no time. He tore at the ropes, freeing himself. His shoulder throbbed, but he ignored it, scanning the cabin. That sweet scent still lingered, cloying in his nose. He hesitated, then realization struck him like cold water.

The nitrogen tank.

He turned, spotting the tank wedged near the rear. A thin, steady hiss leaked from a crack in its side. The sweet smell was laughing gas—nitrous oxide. No wonder the illusions had felt so real. He’d been hallucinating.

He glanced back. Nora Vance was slumped against the wall, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glassy, her hands twitching as if lost in a dream. Ethan sighed. First things first. He untied Dot, scooped her into his arms, and carried her outside. Then he returned for Nora and finally dragged the unconscious Uncle Jed out as well.

Behind him, the Predator Beast X continued to hiss. He ignored it. Once the gas finished leaking, it would stop. Despite how it was portrayed in movies, nitrous oxide wasn’t especially prone to explode. At room temperature, it was inert. Without a strong reducing agent, it was almost impossible to ignite.

Ethan reached into his Mindscape and retrieved a flashlight. He swept it around, studying the cavern. The place looked exactly like it had in the hallucination. For a moment, doubt prickled at the edge of his mind. Was he still dreaming? But the searing ache in his shoulder was proof enough—this was reality.

He drew in a breath and activated his transformation, the Tree form. Vines of healing energy crept through the wound. Slowly, the bleeding stopped, the torn flesh knitting itself closed. At last, not even a scar remained. His healing skills worked wonders on injuries like this, but he knew too well they were useless against deeper sickness.

With the pain subsiding, he walked along the underground river, testing the air. The cavern was vast. Maybe, if they followed the water far enough, they’d find a way out. If no exit existed, the air would have long grown stale. They were alive—so there had to be circulation somewhere.

Satisfied, he turned back. As he reached the others, Uncle Jed and Nora Vance were sitting up, rubbing their temples. Both looked pale and disoriented.

"Damn... I’m bleeding..." Uncle Jed mumbled, touching the back of his head.

Ethan eyed him, exasperated. ’You’re only bleeding a little. I nearly got stabbed to death.’ He didn’t bother saying it aloud.

"You two rest a bit. We’ll follow the river downstream once you’re steady. Maybe we’ll find an exit." He pulled out some food from his storage space and handed it around. Then he walked over to where the Predator Beast X lay overturned. The hissing had stopped.

The vehicle looked worse than ever. Its body was scraped smooth, stripped of paint, the armor dented where he and Uncle Jed had crashed into it during the descent. He sighed, heart sinking. If it hadn’t been a Predator Beast X, it would have been crushed outright.

"Damn it..." He shook his head, resigned, and stored the vehicle away. Turning back, he lifted the still-unconscious Dot in his arms. "Let’s move."

Uncle Jed rose without complaint. Nora Vance hadn’t said a word since waking up. Her eyes kept darting away from Ethan’s face.

They walked in silence along the river. About ten minutes in, Ethan’s flashlight swept across something that made him stop short. A wooden bridge stretched across the water, its beams slick with moss.

"Ethan... look." Uncle Jed’s voice was hushed. He raised his light. Across the river, a massive stone wall loomed in the darkness. Its silhouette was unmistakable—built by human hands.

Ethan’s heart kicked hard in his chest. Someone had built a city down here. As he lifted his Soul Sense to probe further, a cold chime sounded in his mind. fгeewebnovёl.com

[Ding... System Notification: Unknown ancient city ruins discovered. Main quest [Explore Ruined Remnants] triggered. Reward item: Bloodline Map Fragment x1.]

He exhaled, half-amused. Of course. The main quest again—and this time, the reward was a Bloodline Map Fragment. He knew how this worked by now. The so-called reward wasn’t simply handed over. He’d have to find it himself. Which meant no guarantee of success. Still... could this be the missing fifth fragment he’d heard about?

Ethan didn’t hesitate. "Let’s go. We’re checking it out. Maybe there’s a way back to the surface."

He stepped forward, reaching the bridgehead. Uncle Jed followed with a quiet grunt. Nora Vance trailed behind.