Mystical Journey

"Ancient Endor had many such disgusting practices . That was just one of the many inexplicably strange traditions that remains from the history of that grand bygone empire," Golden Hoop Number 9 calmly replied .

The two did not speak much after that and continued walking downward .

It was getting colder . A thin sheet of frost started to appear on the white chrome handrails . The breaths they exhaled visibly formed two white strands, then gradually dispersed into the air .

"Be careful," Golden Hoop Number 9 suddenly said .

Puzzled, Garen looked at him . Then he looked down to the front of the stairs and discovered a black uniformed policeman sprawled on the steps with a short black arrow pierced through his throat . He was slumped motionlessly against the wall . Blood flowed out slowly from his lower body, dripping bit by bit into the infinite darkness .

"The temperature is too low so his body temperature dropped too quickly . " Golden Hoop Number 9 crouched to examine the body . "But he shouldn't have been dead for more than twenty minutes . Looks like the detective and the others shouldn't be too far ahead . "

"If you meet Detective Dale, what do you plan to do?" Garen asked from behind .

"If he knew his place, I would spare him as well," Golden Hoop Number 9 answered casually .

As they stepped over the policeman's corpse and continued on, their crisp footsteps continuously reverberated in the silent space .

Bang!

A gunshot rang out from the darkness below, followed by a faint yelp .

"Quick, run!!" a voice shouted .

Golden Hoop Number 9’s expression changed . He sped up and ran downward . Garen hesitated for a moment, then jogged in pursuit .

Detective Dale and the rest soon appeared on the staircase in front of them . Stunned, they stood on the steps and looked down the stairs .

Garen followed their line of sight and looked ahead . The steps in front were like thin spinning plates, revealing the dark empty space below as they systematically revolved . There was a normal step every five steps, but the rest of the steps were constantly and rhythmically rotating .

The person who approached had to keep leaping forward . Otherwise, once they stepped on a revolving step, they would immediately drop through, get caught between the revolving stone steps, and be crushed to bits .

One of Dale Quicksilver's leather shoes had been clipped into two halves . He was with the White Eagle . The booby trap expert was behind them and a young policeman was protecting Miss Si Lan .

Apparently, the sergeant had refused the initial arrangement to follow them because he wanted to marshal and command the police force . Instead, Si Lan had volunteered to follow the detective and the others to this place .

The five of them heard footsteps coming from behind them . When they looked up, they saw that Garen was slowly walking over with a black-hooded man . The man caught their eye due to wearing a black mask over his face and a golden earring engraved with the number '9' .

"It's one of Golden Hoop's men!" The White Eagle reacted quickly, drew his gun, and aimed at Golden Hoop Number 9 .

"Keep calm . " Golden Hoop Number 9 was unfazed as he looked at the group in front of him . "I think our motives should be aligned: we all want to find out the secret of this underground passageway, correct?"

"So you mean…?" the detective asked with a somber expression .

"Cooperate, of course . You help me explore this cavern and I can provide you with a lot of valuable information . Rest assured, you'll be at the bottom soon enough . " There was an unusual calm in the eyes of Golden Hoop Number 9, without a trace of ripples .

Detective Dale pondered for a while . No one knew what he was thinking .

"Alright, you have a deal," he actually agreed .

Everyone else looked bewildered and even Garen who was at the back was stunned .

"Word is that Golden Hoop Number 9 is someone who doesn't break his promises . I trust you . " Dale Quicksilver ignored everyone else's expressions and directly addressed Golden Hoop Number 9 .

"You know me well . "

"Naturally . "

"Let's move on then . " Golden Hoop Number 9 smiled and suddenly lightly rapped the wall to the left .

Wham .

The revolving steps before them stopped spinning and froze completely .

"Great, let's move on . "

He led Garen directly to the front . When they passed the group of five, the White Eagle and Si Lan looked extremely nervous . They were clearly angry when they saw Garen trailing behind .

Garen gave both of them a wry smile and shrugged helplessly . It was just as well if he walked together with everyone else .

At the front, Golden Hoop Number 9 did not seem to mind . He walked on alone at a moderate pace and soon only the amber glow from the torch in his hand could be seen .

"Why don't we head back now?" Garen suggested in a whisper .

"We can't escape . Golden Hoop Number 9 is extremely swift and silent, so it's impossible for us to escape . " Detective Dale looked calm . "Come, let's keep up . "

He took the lead in catching up . Everyone behind him looked at each other and could only continue .

Garen and the White Eagle walked together . As he reported on the situation above ground to the rest of them in an undertone, the atmosphere in the group turned bleak .

"We're in a really sticky situation right now . Fortunately, the one we've encountered is Golden Hoop Number 9 . He’s a relatively unique presence within the entire Golden Hoop organization . If the key was in anyone else's hands, it would be much more problematic," Si Lan analyzed in a hushed tone . "I'm just not sure what Mister is thinking . "

"Don't worry about it . Mister won't be wrong . Let's just keep up," the White Eagle said while frowning .

The policeman held the trap expert by the arm . The trap expert was so cold he was shivering and could not utter a word . Both of them tried to warm themselves with the torch fire, but it did not help .

Since they were now under duress from the Golden Hoop, they did not dare say anything, so they just gritted their teeth and went along .

It was unclear how long they kept walking down the staircase . Golden Hoop Number 9 would hit and knock on the walls from time to time, as if he was very familiar with the surroundings . They did not encounter any other booby traps along the way and soon the bottom could be seen .

At the end of the stairs was a small circular open space . On the black floor, there were three gray leather sofas arranged in a triangle and covered with a thin layer of frost . Not far from the open space was a grubby fireplace and the coal inside was also covered by frost .

There was a bookcase, but it was completely empty .

When he reached the last step of the staircase, Golden Hoop Number 9 stopped in his tracks . He stood on the step and did not walk down .

He furrowed his brows and slowly reached out his right hand which had been hidden under the cloak . He slightly flicked his wrist and something black could be seen between his fingers .

The black object flew out and landed on the black floor of the open space .

Woosh woosh woosh woosh…!!!

A dense flurry of arrows fired out from both sides, shattering the black object . Countless short black arrows punctured the floor .

Golden Hoop Number 9 tossed out another black object and triggered another shower of arrows .

After three consecutive instances, the holes in the walls on both sides finally sealed themselves up, and there was no more movement .

The crowd behind him was stunned . All in all, there must have been up to 1,000 short arrows released and the tip of each one glowed with a trace of purple .

"The short arrows have all been released," Golden Hoop Number 9 said casually as he crouched down and removed his hood . Unexpectedly, he had a white rat in his left hand and gently placed it on the black floor .

The mouse gave a few squeaks and scurried towards the sofas .

It traveled few steps in before its body suddenly plunged downwards . It sank into the ground . The white rat squeaked wildly, but it was no use . Suddenly, a black wire dragged it up and flung it back into the arms of Golden Hoop Number 9 .

The tail of the rat was coiled with strands of black wire . It would have been easily missed if one did not look carefully .

Golden Hoop Number 9 gently soothed the white rat, then stood up .

"In front of us is the Swamp of Malice, one of the booby traps used in Ancient Endor to punish thieves . Only thieves and cowards with malicious intent will be caught in the swamp . "

"What is your motive then?" Detective Dale questioned softly .

"Of course it's…that . " Golden Hoop Number 9 did not turn around, but directly strode down the steps .

"Wait…!!" The booby trap expert was about to stop him, but was dumbfounded when he saw that Golden Hoop Number 9 was still standing firmly on the black floor and had already walked to the three sofas in a few steps .

In the middle of the group, Garen looked uncertain .

Just as Golden Hoop Number 9 approached the sofas, Garen suddenly felt a stream of mild warmth permeate through his skin into his body . It was Potential, a small amount of Potential .

Snap .

Golden Hoop Number 9 stood between the sofas — it was unclear what he did — but clicking sounds slowly came from the black floor .

Surprisingly, a light gray stone table gradually rose up from the floor in front of the fireplace .

The stone table was cylindrical and there were four owl sculptures around it . On the table was a black hardcover book .

There was finally a trace of excitement in the eyes of Golden Hoop Number 9 . He strode towards the gray stone table and reached for the black book .

Bang!

A gunshot rang out . A smoking bullet hole suddenly appeared on the ground at his feet .

Golden Hoop Number 9 stood in his place and looked over his shoulder at the crowd .

"What are you doing?"

The White Eagle stood in front of Detective Dale Quicksilver with his gun raised and a solemn expression on his face, but he was not the one who spoke .

The detective's gaze silently concentrated on Golden Hoop Number 9 .

"If my guess is correct, that book is your ultimate goal . Am I right?"

"Indeed . " The man nodded without hesitation . "I am grateful that you helped us find this underground entrance, but my gratitude is that I let you all go . Since we are on opposing sides, I should directly kill you to rid my organization of trouble . You understand . "

"You can't kill us . " The detective smiled . "The booby traps here are no joke . If my guess is right, that book is the legendary Book of Silence . If this treasure fell into the Golden Hoop's hands, it would be as if a lion grew wings . The consequences would be disastrous . "

"This book is not for the organization . " Golden Hoop Number 9 smiled . His body jerked forward then swayed abruptly left and right . He grabbed the book and leapt from the spot . Like a black bat, he flew up and hung by the side of the upper staircase . With a somersault, he was on the staircase one level above their heads .

"Don't move!" Detective Dale halted the White Eagle who was ready to spring into action .

Suddenly, like a forest of skewers, a dense bunch of black spikes protruded from the ground . The sofas were instantly punctured with numerous holes . The White Eagle was so frightened he broke out in a cold sweat .

It was only then that the detective looked at the booby trap expert to his side .