"Where is the nearest entrance to the prison?"
*Beep*
A hologram popped up in front of Hao Xuan's eyes. It showed a very rough map of the area nearby with a red dot highlighted some twenty kilometres away.
Baracus gave some extra information about it before Hao Xuan could ask.
"It is a small hatch that leads directly to the left wing of the prison. Almost all major entrances are either blocked or already discovered and guarded. This is the best option for now."
"Alright then."
Hao Xuan didn't give it much thought and left the cave after destroying the formations he had put down.
He summoned Grey after running a few hundred meters on foot and departed for the hatch.
**
Five minutes after Hao Xuan left the cave, a silhouette silently appeared at the entrance. It bent down and picked up a fistful of dirt from the exact spot Hao Xuan was sitting on and sniffed it.
For 30 seconds or so it stood there as if in a daze before sniffing the air around. After pacing back and forth for a few times it suddenly stopped and looked in the same direction Hao Xuan and ran off to and followed after.
**
Since Hao Xuan wanted to keep everything under the radar, he deliberately told Grey to stay at a very slow speed so as not to attract any unwanted attention.
They were far too close for comfort to the designated battlefield for the upcoming fight. Groups of cultivators were sure to be moving around and he didn't want to run into any of them by chance.
It took them nearly forty minutes to arrive at their destination.
Hao Xuan jumped off of Grey and recalled him back into his token.
Hao Xuan's brow scrunched up in a tight furrow. He was currently standing in front of a large body of water. It looked like a lake but was far too big. He couldn't see the other side even with his superb vision.
"Baracus, pinpoint the exact location of the hatch."
*Beep*
The same hologram popped up again. He was standing right next to the red dot.
"It's in the water?" Hao Xuan asked in a low voice.
"That seems to be the case, yes," Baracus replied in a strangely sarcastic tone but Hao Xuan ignored it.
Taking off his shirt and pants, Hao Xuan walked into the water with just his underwear.
It was already night time and there was no moonlight to guide him which made it difficult for him to see anything in the pitch-black water.
But just then, Hao Xuan felt a tingling sensation from his eyes. He could feel streams of nano machines moving towards his pupils so he quickly closed them and opened them again a moment later when the sensation had subsided.
There was a transparent lens over his eyes now.
As usual, Baracus informed him what it was.
"To see better," he said casually, a bit too human-like.
The nano machines kicked in as soon Baracus finished and a green image of the surroundings was projected right into Hao Xuan's eyes.
The lenses acted as cameras, projecting the image directly into his pupils.
'My God, I love technology,' Hao Xuan couldn't help but think inwardly.
Even though Hao Xuan's own vision was much better than a normal individual's, it was just that. He could see better than others, but not see things that others couldn't. He still needed SOME light in order to make out what was around him.
And if there was total darkness, he would be the as helpless anyone else in that situation.
Hao Xuan spent half an hour down there. He walked across the bottom of the lake near where the red was supposed to be but could not find anything that resembled any type of entrance, anywhere.
Left with no other choice, he came back out.
"What's going on? There's nothing there at all," he complained before even his feet were dry.
"The map data I collected is more than sixty thousand years old. There are bound to be some inconsistencies with the current layout. The terrain has changed significantly. There was no mention of a body of water anywhere near here," Baracus informed Hao Xuan.
Hao Xuan punched the ground hard enough that a small shock wave was created.
"Sixty THOUSAND year old?! That's fucking great then. For all we know, the entrance isn't even here anymore. It could be under a mountain or anywhere in that damn lake!"
"Yes, but I can create a new map if you can gather some recent data about the local topography. Using this method, it shouldn't take more than 30 hours to find the exact location."
"Too long, what's the shortest you can do?"
3 seconds of silence later Baracus spoke up again, "10 minutes."
"WHAT?! Then do that then, what the hell…"
"Alright."
Hao Xuan opened his hand and a handful of egg-shaped objects appeared in his palm.
"Plant these charges in a circle of no more than 50 meters in diameter. They will dig into the ground and by using a host of various tools, provide me real-time in-depth data about everything within the area."
Hao Xuan sat down and waved his hand. Beside him, a green-skinned creature appeared. This was of course Bo (the Kappa). His scaly skin made him look even more ugly in the darkness.
But seeing Hao Xuan he fell to his knees at once.
"It is my honor to serve you, master! If you tell me to walk through an ocean of flame I will but ask "where". Your wish is my command! No matter wh-" he shouted while slamming his bald head into the ground repeatedly.
Hao Xuan threw him the charges along with a spirit band, cutting him off.
"Do as Baracus says. Don't waste time."
"Yes, my lord!" Bo shouted and ran into the water post-haste.
Hao Xuan had just laid down to rest when he suddenly remembered something and shot up to his feet.
"Baracus, did you say "charges" before? What exactly do those things do?"
"Explode. They are timed charges. After digging into the terrain they will first send data about bulk density, vol-"
"And then what?! EXPLODE at the end??" he cut Baracus off and asked about the main part he was concerned about.
"Yes," Baracus confirmed his suspicion.
"How big of an explosion?" he asked impatiently.
"Not that large. The radius is small and all the force will be directed deeper into the ground."
"D…Deeper? Won't that create an earthquake?"
"Precisely. That is the whole point. Using the shock waves I can pin-"
"WHAT ABOUT THE WATER THEN?!" he shouted.
"The water will of course be displaced. Should I explain to you basic physics first?"
"Displaced?! A tsunami motherfucker! It will create a TSUNAMI! Stop it, all of it!"
"I'm afraid it is already too late for that."
"What? It hasn't even been 10 minut-" before Hao Xuan could finish, the water moved and Bo ran out like an arrow, stopping right in front of Hao Xuan. He was out of breath and breathing heavily.
"I did it master!" he informed Hao Xuan with a toothy smile that only pissed Hao Xuan off more, "Lord Baracus said time was of the essence so I did everything as quickly as I could!"
"No, no, go back! Take them out!" Hao Xuan had just grabbed Bo by the shoulder when Baracus's voice rang into his ears.
"Five, four, three, two-"
"Fuck me…"
"-one."
Hao Xuan looked out towards the lake. He held his breath and prepared himself.
A small wave appeared some 100 meters into the water, followed by some air bubbles.
"Is…that it?" Hao Xuan asked, hoping for a simple yes.
"Negative. That is just the primary casing being shed. The actual one-"
*BOOOOOOOOOM*
