The only spot spared from the light at the bottom of the pool was the square right beneath the iron cage that held the puppet. Since the cage was dangled close to the ceiling, the shadow that it cast was huge, but at the bottom of the pool, the shadow was only medium size.
Feng Bujue dived after checking the desired location. The water temperature that was comparatively lower made his spine recoil instinctively, and then came the discomfort of the petrol rushing into his ears. He used his hands to shield his nose and mouth, and that was how he managed to prevent his respiratory system from being damaged. However, even if he kept his eyes screwed shut, there was still a burning sensation coming from the eyes.
There were two things that he needed to do—find the potion, and once the potion was found, abandon his will to survive and try to drown himself as soon as possible.
If he failed the first objective, he would never obtain this potion again. Therefore, for this one minute that he could hold in his breath, he could not afford to make a mistake.
Soon, Feng Bujue reached the bottom of the pool. He had jumped down in a standing position, but while he was sinking, his center of gravity had turned his head downward, so he reached the bottom while kneeling. Thankfully, he had extended one of his arms outward, or else he would have kissed the ground with his face.
“Main quest progress update. Find the chemical potions (2/4)”
When his hand touched the bottom, Feng Bujue heard the system announcement, and the potion magically appeared in his grasp. This time, he obtained Unknown Chemical Potion (D).
What’s this? Suddenly I got so lucky? Feng Bujue wondered. With my luck, I managed to curl my palm around the item of interest the moment I reached the bottom of the pool?
At the same time, inside the iron cage, Billy’s head was leaning downward, and a flash crossed its eyes.
There was a creak, and then came the sound of petrol splashing. A figure wreathed in red leaped out from the pool before the floor closed fully. Feng Bujue had activated Body Enhancement Spell and used his feet to kick against the bottom of the pool. Using rebound, he had broken through the liquid pull and leaped into the air. When he reached a certain height, it was just enough for him to grab the iron cage where the puppet was located.
Feng Bujue used both of his hands and quickly climbed up. He was perched by the side of the cage, and the tip of his shoes were stuck between the iron bars, using the cage as support.
“From the looks of things… I can save one medal and the time needed to run back from the front of the corridor,” Feng Bujue said as he pulled his hair back and wiped at his face feverishly.
He peeled open his eyes to reveal bloodshot eyes. He looked rather scary. He titled his head to both sides to let some of the petrol run out, and then he asked, “Bro, how do you open this cage?”
This was not actually a question because, as Feng Bujue asked it, he pulled out the wrench from his inventory. However, he did not dare whack it against the bar. If he accidentally created a spark, the petrol all over him would ignite, and the man would light up in flames. Instead, he used to wrench to work on the iron of the cage, trying to peel it open.
The iron cage was supported by one iron chain, not four, so when Feng Bujue climbed onto it, it had started to shake. Now, it was wiggling violently like a swing. Under such conditions, Feng Bujue still managed to crack the iron cage’s lock. He reached inside the cage and yanked Billy out harshly. Throughout the whole process, the puppet did not put up any resistance. It felt like Billy was truly only as powerful as… well… a wooden puppet.
Obviously, Billy was not a trap or a fighting puppet. He did not even have a nose that could extend if he lied. At most, he could only play tapes or ride a tricycle. Perhaps he possessed some kind of ability that could create death traps, but fighting was beyond his expertise.
“This is surprising…”
After Feng Bujue grabbed the puppet, he had thought that he would get some system notification, but there was nothing. He tried to place the puppet inside his inventory, but the system warned him, “Storing failed. You haven’t gained full control over this lifeform, so you are not allowed to place it inside your inventory.”
Holding this puppet that might retaliate at any moment, Feng Bujue thought that it was safer to wait for the floor to completely close before jumping down. By then, the swaying of the iron cage had dwindled, so Feng Bujue was still relatively safe.
He had activated Body Enhancement Spell only temporarily, and he had deactivated after grabbing the iron cage so that he did not waste many Life Points. However, the influence caused by the petrol had not dissipated, and he felt his eyes burning, and his nostrils were filled with the smell of petrol. The petrol made the clothes that were already bloodied stuck to his skin, and it was very uncomfortable.
But Feng Bujue, as mentioned multiple times, was a very patient man. This level of discomfort was nothing for him. He jumped down, walked out the door, holding the puppet with one hand, and raced down the corridor.
This game wasted less time than he had anticipated. Be it finding the potion or capturing Billy, both were equally surprisingly easy. But the length of this fourth corridor was rather long, and he ran for ten minutes before he reached the end.
But this perfectly coincided with the Ravid from eightieth minute. It took Feng Bujue eighteen minutes to reach the end of the fourth corridor.
“Hey! I got you the inmate already, give me the thing!” Feng Bujue ran out of the corridor and stalked toward Ravid while yelling.
Ravid, who was seated behind the large table, lifted its eyes to look at him and then at Billy.
“Oh! Traveler from another world, you’ve captured Billy! Haha!” Ravid laughed. “Wonderful!”
“Stop wasting my time. I’ll give you the puppet, and you’ll give me the thing.” Feng Bujue dropped Billy on the table.
“Even though I have no idea why you would hand me the inmate that I need…” Ravid shrugged and touched its whiskers. It took out a potion from its drawer, handed it to Feng Bujue, and said, “Since you’ve captured him, just as you said, here is…”
“How did you know I’m looking for the chemical potion?” When Feng Bujue asked this question, he snatched the potion, slid it into his inventory, and pulled out the pistol at the same time.
“Er… it was you who told me…” Ravid’s expression shifted, and it stammered an answer.
“Told you what? I didn’t mention a potion at all. What I said was a ’thing’…” A cold smirk appeared on Feng Bujue’s lips, and he fired a bullet right at Ravid’s rabbit face.