Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 266: Bad luck

Noah and Lucas stood before the concealed entrance to the long-forgotten locomotive tunnels. What had once appeared to be a maintenance panel in a storage sublevel of the Nexus Arena now swung open to reveal a narrow passage descending into darkness.

"Patching in comms," Lucas said, adjusting the small device at his ear. "Kelvin, Sophie, confirm connection."

"Receiving you loud and clear, oh ye fearless leader," Kelvin's voice crackled through their earpieces. "And before you ask—yes, I've got thermal mapping of the initial tunnel section from the arena schematics. After about two hundred meters, you're off the grid."

"Copy that," Noah responded, activating a soft blue light on a wrist device kelvin handed him that illuminated the tunnel ahead.

"Sophie's gone to retrieve some additional encryption hardware from her quarters," Kelvin added. "She'll be back online shortly."

Lucas nodded, though Kelvin couldn't see it. "We're moving in. Keep the channel open."

The tunnel sloped downward at a gentle angle, its walls composed of a composite material that had barely degraded despite decades of abandonment. Small maintenance lights still functioned in places, casting eerie blue-green illumination across their path.

"These tunnels were built to last," Lucas remarked, running a hand along the smooth surface.

"Military grade," Noah agreed. "They weren't just for civilian transport."

"Ten points to Noah," Kelvin chimed in through the comms. "According to what I've been able to piece together from historical archives, these tunnels were initially constructed as an emergency evacuation network. The locomotive system came later as a civilian adaptation."

They continued deeper, the air growing cooler and slightly damp. The main tunnel eventually opened into a larger chamber that had once served as a station platform. Abandoned equipment lay covered in decades of dust, yet remarkably preserved in the controlled environment.

"Kelvin, we've reached what looks like a platform area," Lucas reported. "Any idea which direction we should head next?"

"Hmm, let me check... According to the power draw Sophie identified, you'll want to take the eastern passage. Should be a maintenance corridor to your right."

Noah spotted it first—a narrower tunnel branching off from the main platform. "Got it."

As they ventured deeper into the network, the signs of recent activity became more apparent. Dust patterns disturbed by movement, newer equipment bolted to ancient walls, security cameras disguised as maintenance sensors.

"We're definitely on the right track," Lucas murmured, carefully avoiding the camera sightlines Noah pointed out.

"I'm picking up electromagnetic signatures ahead," Kelvin warned. "Likely security measures. Proceed with caution."

Noah paused, studying the tunnel ahead. "I see them. Infrared tripwires."

Lucas glanced at him with mild surprise. "You can see infrared?"

'I'm surprised myself. This must explain my reaction time and everything in combat. I hear better and see better with each level,' he thought internally.

"Enhanced perception," Noah replied without elaboration. "Follow my exact path."

They navigated the invisible security grid with careful precision, Noah leading the way with unerring accuracy.

"I've been digging through the files I retrieved," Kelvin said as they worked their way forward. "It seems like Purge has been using these tunnels for years. And get this—they connect to an underwater transport system. That's how they moved me and the others."

"Underwater transport?" Lucas questioned.

"Yeah, something like a maglev submarine. High-speed, completely automated. From what I can piece together, it runs from somewhere beneath the Nexus all the way to a facility in a lake about ten miles from here,"

Noah's eyes narrowed. "So we're looking for a submarine dock."

"Essentially, yes."

The tunnel system became increasingly complex as they progressed, branching into multiple passages that showed varying levels of recent use.

"We need to split up," Lucas finally said after they'd reached yet another junction. "We're burning time, and this network is more extensive than we anticipated."

Noah frowned. "Splitting up isn't ideal."

"For once, I agree with Noah," Kelvin interjected. "These tunnels have active Purge security. You'd be facing them alone if something goes wrong."

"We have comms," Lucas countered. "And limited time. Kelvin, you can monitor both our positions, right?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"Then it's settled. I'll take the northern passage. Noah, you head east. Based on the power signatures, both could lead to something significant." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

Noah nodded reluctantly. "Thirty minutes. Then we regroup regardless of what we find."

"Agreed," Lucas confirmed.

The last time they'd separated like this he ran into Diana and Lucas ran into Jayden. Both were unpleasant encounters.

As they prepared to separate, Kelvin's voice came through again, this time with a hint of his characteristic humor despite the tension.

"Just so you know, if either of you gets captured or killed, I am absolutely not coming to save you. I've already filled my 'damsel in distress' quota for the month. Also, Noah would never let me hear the end of it if I had to rescue him after he did his whole lone hero routine for me."

Noah couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at his lips. "Noted."

"Seriously though," Kelvin's voice turned earnest, "watch yourselves down there. These Purge operators—they're not just thugs. The ones I saw... there was something wrong with them. Enhanced, but not like standard academy training. Something... different."

"We'll be careful," Lucas assured him. "Keep us posted if anything changes topside."

With a final nod to each other, Noah and Lucas separated, each disappearing down their chosen path.

Meanwhile topside, Sophie had just reached her quarters. Being a third year but not just that, the Minister's daughter afforded her certain privileges including a fine suite to her taste.

Sophie closed the door to her quarters, quickly moving to her workstation. The encrypted communication device she needed was hidden in a compartment beneath her desk—a precaution that now seemed prescient given what they'd discovered about Purge's infiltration.

As she knelt to retrieve it, a slight change in air pressure made her freeze. The smallest sound—fabric shifting against fabric—came from behind her privacy screen.

Someone was in her room.

Sophie didn't hesitate. She rolled sideways just as a blade sliced through the air where her head had been a moment before. The knife embedded itself in her desk with a solid thunk.

A masked figure lunged from behind the screen—lean, dressed in dark tactical gear, with a featureless white mask covering their entire face. The intruder moved with unnatural speed, already drawing a second blade.

"Well," Sophie said, shifting into a defensive stance, "this is inconvenient timing."

The masked attacker tilted their head slightly, almost curiously, before launching into a frenzied assault. Their movements were erratic, unpredictable—not following any academy combat pattern Sophie recognized. Each slash of the blade came from an unexpected angle, forcing her into a continuous defensive retreat.

Sophie blocked a downward strike, then countered with a precisely aimed kick to her attacker's knee. It connected with a satisfying impact, but the figure barely seemed to register the blow. Instead, they grabbed her leg and used her own momentum to hurl her across the room.

Sophie crashed into a shelf, academic texts she'd brought along for the stay at the arena and personal items raining down around her. She barely had time to roll away as the attacker pounced, their blade sinking deep into the floor where she'd been a second before.

"You're starting to annoy me," Sophie grunted, blood trickling from a cut on her forehead.

The attacker responded with a manic giggle that sent chills down Sophie's spine. There was something deeply wrong with the sound—like multiple voices layered atop one another.

Sophie needed space. She kicked her desk chair at the intruder, following immediately with a flying kick that connected solidly with their chest. The masked figure staggered backward, giving Sophie the opening she needed to grab the lamp from her nightstand and swing it like a club.

The improvised weapon connected with the attacker's head with a sickening crack. The mask fractured slightly, but the assailant merely shook their head and resumed their assault with even greater fury.

A blade sliced Sophie's arm, then another cut caught her thigh. She was being overwhelmed by the sheer relentlessness of the attack. Each time she landed what should have been a debilitating blow, the masked figure simply absorbed it and continued.

Sophie's back hit the wall. Nowhere left to retreat.

The attacker seemed to sense victory, raising their blade for a killing strike.

That's when Sophie felt it—a strange tingle at the base of her skull. This feeling was familiar to her because usually, it signaled her ability activating. A small smile crossed her bloodied lips.

"Bad luck," she told her attacker. "For you, I hope,"