Victor didn't use "Phantom Trail." He just walked quietly down this road.
After a while, Victor suddenly felt that something was off.
He had walked a little over a hundred meters, yet there was still no end ahead.
This was a straight path, and by the size of the fortress he'd seen outside, he should've reached the outside long ago.
This strange situation put Victor on alert at once. His first thought was that he had already been discovered.
But if he had been discovered, Elena likely wouldn't be safe either, yet he hadn't received any message from her.
"Could it be some kind of mechanism?"
Victor thought for a moment and decided to activate "Illusion Eye" to find out.
Although his "Illusion Eye" had been upgraded to the "Eye of Retrospection," that didn't mean "Illusion Eye" couldn't still be used.
Victor took a deep breath, and Illusion Eye slowly activated.
In an instant, everything before his eyes was laid bare.
Only then did Victor realize he wasn't in the straight passage he'd thought.
It was a looped circular corridor, and he had been walking in circles the whole time.
"The Red Rebels... really do have many experts." Knowing the truth, Victor drew a long breath and silently marveled at how deep this trap went.
His Eye of Retrospection was already Level 3, yet he still couldn't see through this illusion.
Luckily he stayed sharp and remembered to use it, or he might have fallen here.
At that thought, Victor grew even more cautious.
What he had to do now was get out of the illusion before the Red Rebels noticed anything wrong.
With Illusion Eye's help, and after careful checking, Victor did find a small flaw.
On this straight road, there was clearly a junction.
It was the place where Victor had first come in.
And that junction seemed to be the key to breaking the illusion.
Victor thought for a moment and decided to use the skill "Frostshatter Sky-Cleaving Slash."
In a flash, countless ice crystals formed on Victor's sword. He swung hard, sending arcs of sword energy into the wall.
But the wall showed no sign of damage, as if it had absorbed all his attacks.
Soon, though, a black hole slowly appeared on the wall.
The hole was pitch-black and turned slowly on the surface.
Victor had no choice, so he headed toward the black hole.
Luckily, he still had a sure-kill move: "Holy Light Dragonbane Slash."
As long as he had this skill, Victor had a life-saving trump card.
After entering the black hole, Victor felt a wave of dizziness, and when he came to, he was already in a room.
The room was empty, with only a brand-new computer hanging on the wall.
"This... can't be the Red Rebels' central hub, can it?"
Victor's heart jumped; he raised his sword, hesitating whether to slash down.
But right then, the computer suddenly spoke in a human-like voice: "You're not with the Red Rebels, are you?"
Victor froze and stared at the wall-mounted computer in surprise, not understanding why it could talk.
"Don't be nervous. From the moment you and that woman entered the fortress, I noticed you," the computer's voice stayed calm, with a hint of pride.
"What exactly are you?" Hearing this, Victor's face hardened; with his longsword in hand, he said coldly.
He hadn't expected that after hiding so carefully for so long, he'd be spotted by this strange computer the instant he entered the fortress.
"Don't get me wrong. I don't belong to the Red Rebels. I even hate them," the computer said with a touch of sadness.
"Talk. But if you try any tricks, I won't mind destroying you," Victor said in a low voice, glancing at the time.
"Alright." The computer didn't get angry; in a calm tone it said, "I was once a soldier of the Federation, an awakened one with a special ability. After the Red Rebels caught me, they killed me and uploaded my consciousness into the computer as their alarm system."
Hearing this explanation, Victor found it hard to believe.
Victor had seen a lot of cutting-edge tech, but he had never heard of a technology that could transfer a person's mind into a computer.
"This should be the Red Rebels' highest-tier technology," the computer explained lightly.
"Why did you choose to help us?" Victor asked the question on his mind.
"Because you broke my illusion. That proves you're useful," the computer said flatly. "If you had been trapped there and couldn't get out, it would mean that's all you are, and I would have triggered the alarm."
"Heh, you really are self-serving," Victor muttered, shaking his head.
"It's all for survival. Don't blame me," the computer sighed.
"So next, you'll help us finish the mission?" Victor asked, testing.
"I heard your conversation—assassinate Jackson and rescue that old man," the computer said with a smile. "Can we add one more mission?"
"What mission?" Victor raised a brow, already guessing the general idea.
It was probably asking him to rescue it.
"Find my core chip, then destroy it," the computer said firmly. "It should be in Jackson's hands."
"Why? Don't you want to live?" Victor asked, puzzled.
"Right. I was once a top genius in the Federation, but I was captured by the Red Rebels in a battle..."
The computer's voice suddenly tightened. "While with the Red Rebels, I aided the enemy and already betrayed the Federation. Now I only want death, hoping to wash away my sins."
Hearing this, Victor let out a sigh and said in a low voice, "Alright, I respect your last wish."
"Thank you. Here is a schematic of this fortress's internal layout. Memorize it. Consider it the last contribution of Lyman, a member of the Federation's 197th Expedition Team, to the Federation."
Looking at the map that appeared on the computer, Victor took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Lyman, I promise to complete the mission."
"Good luck," Lyman's voice came.
Victor didn't dare waste time. After a quick farewell, he used a messaging scroll to contact Elena.
But this time, he didn't let Elena act alone. He told her to wait and move with him.
With this map, Victor finally saw how many traps were hidden in the dungeon inside the Red Rebels' fortress.
Many of those trap designs were truly unheard of.
Victor worried that if Elena went alone, she would be discovered.
After Victor found Elena and told her about the traps, she was a bit surprised.
She sighed and said, "We were lucky on this trip. We met that member of the Federation expedition team."
"Yeah. No time to waste—let's move now," Victor urged, afraid that waiting longer would get them exposed.
Following the route, the two of them came to a large gate.
With Lyman's map, they opened the gate easily. What met their eyes was a tunnel filled with a rotten stench.
Elena didn't show any disgust. Instead, joy filled her face as she murmured, "Almost there. I can get my teacher out soon."
Seeing Elena so excited, Victor suddenly thought of something and asked at once, "Elena, as far as I know, the Red Rebels' interrogation methods are very cruel. Your teacher..."
"Don't worry!" Elena said, firm and sharp. "My teacher has been with the Bonfire Society for decades. She would even die for the Bonfire Society!"
"I hope so," Victor sighed to himself.
The two kept going deeper along the tunnel and finally reached a dungeon.
The dungeon was bleak and cold. Six or seven Red Rebels were walking back and forth on patrol.
As Victor was about to draw the Silent Hunter, Elena stopped him and whispered, "Let me handle this one."
With that, she pulled out a dagger and, like a ghost, appeared among the seven rebels.
In the next instant, a cold flash cut through. The seven rebels had no time to react before they all dropped to the ground.
"So fast. Elena's strength might not be weaker than Kane's!" Victor watched her move and marveled in his heart.
"Victor, let's go. We'll find my teacher together." Elena pointed toward the depths of the prison, her voice full of joy.