They rode the elevator down.
It wasn't very deep—about four or five floors at most. Underground, most of the space was pitch-black, with only a few lights still functioning.
But there was good news: the place was remarkably well preserved, as if it had never been discovered—let alone damaged.
Talulah lifted her sword. Firelight flared along the blade, illuminating the entire subterranean area. Chen Qianyu stepped forward, curiosity plain on her face as she inspected the surroundings.
The underground space wasn't large. Where the elevator opened was a broad corridor. Several roll-up shutter doors lined one side in sequence. At the far end sat a freight elevator—except the ceiling above it had collapsed, making it completely unusable.
Judging by its position, that freight elevator led up to exactly where the Nest Spire had been built.
The Nest Spire's construction had caused the warehouse freight shaft to cave in, and the other entrance was hidden well enough that, by sheer coincidence, no one had found this place.
The shutters still worked.
Once opened, each room revealed a different stockpile—medicine, food, clothing, even weapons—everything neatly sorted and stacked where it belonged.
After confirming the situation, Chen Qianyu finally opened her comms wristband and sent a full report to Perlica.
"Perlica—we found a cache of goods in the transfer station basement. It's intact, but the freight elevator is broken, so we can't move it out normally."
"Understood. Message received," Perlica replied quickly.
But just a few seconds later, another message followed.
"…The Dijang has detected a large concentration of Riftbreakers gathering near the Valley Fortress. Situation unknown. Stay alert."
"Copy."
A large Riftbreaker gathering?
What in the Valley Corridor could possibly draw that many of them together?
Rodan was dead. Nephis—after seeing Talulah—couldn't possibly still be stirring up trouble in Valley No. 4.
So what were the Riftbreakers planning?
After the corrosion crisis from the Transverse Rift had been resolved, reconstruction in Valley No. 4 was running at full speed. The Valley Fortress might not match the transfer station or the originium power plant in strategic importance, but it was still a major priority.
And to reopen the fast route, the Guild's crews were already working to clear corrosion obstacles from the main road.
No matter how you looked at it, Riftbreakers gathering in force made no sense.
Even the temporary shelter—bolstered by Endfield industrial tech—wasn't an easy target anymore.
"Let's go back to the surface," Bai Ling said. "The Guild can handle these supplies later."
The passenger elevator still worked fine, after all. The Guild could refit the transfer station once things stabilized.
"Is that really all we need to do?" Talulah asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
They'd found supplies. In her mind, these should belong to Endfield Industry—so why would they hand them off to the Guild?
"That's enough," Chen Qianyu said with a smile, as casually as pouring hot water from a kettle. "Because this warehouse was the Guild's to begin with."
Inside, she let out a quiet breath.
Finally—something Talulah wasn't familiar with.
For Talulah—raised under the Black Snake's "education"—this was almost unthinkable.
If they hadn't come, then even if the Riftbreakers didn't get the stockpile right away, it might still vanish later during reconstruction.
They'd discovered it. So naturally, they should have the right to allocate it.
That was what she'd been taught since childhood:
Grip every possibility in your hand. Use every means to obtain more. Even if it costs a small number of sacrifices, it doesn't matter.
Handing matters over to specialists—trusting partners or subordinates to do what they were meant to do—was something Talulah still had to examine carefully, weighing whether it was even viable.
The elevator rose.
Aside from the soft mechanical hum, it was eerily quiet.
But the instant the three stepped out at the top—
A roar erupted.
A shrill alarm screamed.
And countless Riftbreakers poured into the small building.
Ever since the trap had been triggered and "shut down," their movements had been watched. To ensure their "wait by the tree" ambush succeeded, the Riftbreakers had gathered in large numbers.
They didn't know what the trio was doing in the transfer station, but if they were risking danger to come searching here, it had to be something valuable.
More than that, all three of them looked extraordinary—carrying a presence utterly unlike ordinary people or Guild workers.
If they could capture even one of them, the Riftbreakers could practically smell the kind of "sacrifice" they might trade for.
Of course, reality wasn't going to be as kind as their fantasies.
Even surrounded, the trio looked almost… unconcerned.
"Qianyu," Talulah said calmly. "We need to fight outside. If we battle in this room, we might lose the elevator—and that would be a headache."
"Mm. Talulah-jie, I agree. This place isn't suitable for fighting."
As she spoke, Talulah grabbed Bai Ling by the wrist.
The next second, her sword flashed with firelight. A chunk of the building's metal wall was cleanly cut open—creating an exit.
At the same time, another voice rang out:
"Cut it off when you must!!!"
Chen Qianyu darted and weaved, effortlessly clearing the Riftbreakers blocking the opening. In the tiny gap she created, all three broke out of the room together.
Once they were safely outside, Talulah quietly turned back.
Her blade swung.
The already-wobbly structure collapsed outright, burying the elevator beneath the rubble.
Seeing how aggressively the Riftbreakers had moved, they likely knew something—so better to cover the entrance.
These resources absolutely could not fall into Riftbreaker hands. Until Endfield Industry and the Guild arrived, it was better if the supplies "slept" a little longer.
And besides—
Once she'd confirmed the fight wouldn't spill into other areas, she could cut loose more freely outside.
....
My Patreon : patreon/RuneA
If you want to read the novel in advance, you can subscribe for early access. I also have many more novels in my collection that you might be interested in
I upload ten novels a day, with 3 to 4 chapters per title depending on the length. If you're following a particular series, please wait your turn a little
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it