“…… I wanted to go deeper yesterday, but it was too dark to see anything. So this morning, I deliberately brought out the flashlight that my dad kept in the garage...... You see! ”

With a soft "click", Kevin looked at the big flashlight in Candace's hand and suddenly emitted a slightly yellow light, which instantly tore a big hole in the darkness in front of him.

"Oh, looks like you've been planning to skip school today!"

Kevin Jr. scratched his head, not knowing what he was feeling at the moment - honestly, he cared a lot about that voice, because he had heard it several times in his house yesterday.

So, why did this voice come out of this "hole" that was taller than an adult?

As for the reason, Kevin Jr. naturally does not understand.

Little did he know that the "big hole" in front of him was actually one of the many abandoned drains in London's sewer system, which had been listed as one of the "Seven Industrial Wonders".

If he could recognize the way, he would be fine if he wanted to go home along the underground waters.

"Let's go, Kevin! What are you doing there! ”

While little Kevin was still listening to the "hiss" and wondering what it was, Candace was already waving at him with a flashlight in the depths.

"Ah, good! I'm coming—"

Before he could finish speaking, he finally chased after Candace as if he had put aside all his worries about truancy. Then, two children walked side by side, excited and curious, by the light of their flashlights, into the depths of the underground waterway.

It's not for nothing that London's sewers are so lauded, not only because of the sheer volume of work, but also because they really protect the city and its inhabitants that were once heavily polluted.

Before the construction of the current sewers, London had made great progress due to the rapid development of industry, but the pollution that came with it began to breed diseases because of the backwardness of the sewer system.

For hundreds of years before the last century, waves of plague caused Muggle mortality rates to fluctuate, and London became stinking.

I remember that at that time, the originally clear Thames River was weakly swallowing brown sewage, and the streets of central London were so foul that even the House of Commons had to hang curtains soaked in lime water in the windows to block and filter the unbearable smell.

Then, after a series of deliberations and a trip to Paris, France, it took more than six years to build a huge sewer system that stretched for more than 2,000 kilometers under London.

A large amount of sewage was transferred to the sewage treatment plant, and all the outlets that were originally discharged into the river were abandoned. Some were dismantled, some were borrowed from the new system, and some are still vacant.

Kevin Jr. and Candace were walking at the moment, one of the many abandoned drains.

"Oh!"

Even after Candace had turned a corner from a fork in the road, and hadn't taken a few more steps, she let out an exclamation. Because she saw the intersection of another bifurcation, and it was much bigger than the one just now.

As the light of the flashlight slowly moved around, the brick wall gradually came into view. The design of the vault, the excavation of the staircase and the orderly forks make it look like an underground castle.

"I always feel like if I go any further, I'll run into a vampire!" Candace observed the deep passages with great interest, as if she didn't know anything about fear, "Hmm...... Maybe something else? For example, gargoyles...... Or demons or something? ”

Children love these fantastical things, and although adults occasionally say that they don't really exist, that doesn't stop them from continuing to think about them.

Of course, a little girl as big as Candace usually likes unicorns and the like. There aren't many evil creatures like her who are interested in evil creatures like vampires and demons.

Hearing her say this, little Kevin couldn't help but follow along with some worry.

The voice...... But it's better not to be what you say! Otherwise, we're done! ”

"Ah, Kevin, are you scared?"

Seeing that Candace began to snicker, little Kevin immediately raised his head and said loudly:

"Who's afraid! I'm worried about you...... Haven't you seen it in a movie? People like you, who don't worry about anything, are usually the first to die in a monster attack! ”

"Phew!" When Candace heard this, the snickering on her face immediately turned into annoyance, "You're going to die!" ”

"Smack!"

She raised her hand and slapped Kevin's head on the back, then turned around and walked towards one of the forks in the road with her flashlight.

Little Kevin covered his head and pouted, and had to follow quickly-no way, he couldn't do without Candace's flashlight here, and without the light, he couldn't even see where his feet were.

When the two of them crossed the fork in the road with a ditch, they immediately noticed that there was a circular passage in front of them that was wider than what they had seen before.

Just looking at the diameter of this passage, I am afraid that five or six adults can stand side by side, and even the carriage can pass through here safely.

"Yikes! It's dirty! ”

As soon as she settled, Candace found herself stepping into the stagnant water—and here she finally showed signs of water, but not much for the time being.

It's just that the water is full of oil, and there are some strange dirty things floating there, which looks very disgusting. Even Candace isn't actually a girl who is afraid of getting dirty, but when she sees this kind of scene, she still can't stand it after all.

"Oh! Oh, my God...... I think we should go the other way......"

Under the light of the flashlight, Kevin also saw the accumulated sewage, but fortunately, the anxious Candace took the first step to make him not step into it.

But at this moment, I saw him turn his ear to the ground, so he whispered:

"Listen! The voice seemed clearer...... Do you hear that? It's that 'hiss' sound! I bet we're definitely getting closer and closer to it...... Wow! It's a mouse! ”

Before Kevin could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw several very large rats running by the edge of the flashlight, trampling on the sewage.

And just as he exclaimed, Candace, who had also noticed the mouse, hurried back to him.

There wasn't screaming or anything, but from Candace clutching at his arm, Kevin knew she was scared.

"Hey! It's just a mouse...... Yes! You're not scared, are you? ”

Remembering Candace's mockery of himself just now, Kevin decides to take the opportunity to retaliate - there are not many opportunities to make fun of Candace, because this girl is even better than a boy in many ways.

It's just that she didn't expect that she would be afraid of mice?

"Smack!"

"Who's afraid!"

Kevin's brain had suffered another unwarranted disaster, and this time Candace had visibly exerted more force, so much so that his head was burning with pain.

“…… Violent female. Little Kevin couldn't help but mumble softly.

However, while Candace is rarely afraid of rats, she seems to be completely unafraid of other things. After the mice were gone, she came back to life and happily went deeper.

Even if there is sewage here and the smell is terrible, as long as you cover your nose to avoid stagnant water, isn't it enough?

She had heard the "hiss" that Kevin had just spoken, and it was obvious that she was just as interested in the movement that was becoming clearer.

As for the rats that might still appear...... Hey, with Candace's thick nerves, it's been left behind all at once.

"Kevin, keep up! What are you doing slowly! ”

It's a pity that the two of them's sewer adventure will naturally not be smooth sailing. Not to mention what the strange movement was coming from, the shadow of death had already hung over the two of them before they could find the source of the sound.

After walking along the wide passage for more than ten minutes, Candace involuntarily softened on her feet. If Kevin hadn't pulled her aside, she would have almost fallen headlong in the dirty ditch in the middle.

"Hmm...... Thank you. ”

Candace, who was being held by Kevin, shook her head vigorously, and then said with a little confusion:

"What do I think...... Feeling a little dizzy? ”

Of course, the two children do not know that sewers can easily produce a variety of harmful gases, and these gases can often poison people without realizing it.

The two of them were able to get here before they had problems, but it was because the passage in front of them had been vacant for many years.

"Oh, Candace, are you alright?"

Little Kevin struggled to hold the girl's body, grabbed the flashlight in her hand and shone it back and forth, trying to find a place to rest.

But this is a sewer, and except for some forks in the road where there are steps for maintenance personnel to walk, the rest of the place is so dirty that you can't sit on it.

But in a moment, he helped Candace on his feet and walked a short distance, and at last he found the next small fork in the wall of the passage.

Seeing this, he hurriedly dragged the somewhat drowsy Candace into the fork in the road, and came to a solid earth platform that was more or less available for rest.

And after leaving the wide, long passage, Kevin felt that the air seemed to be less smelly.

But at the same time as he helped Candace to sit down, he himself suddenly felt a sudden dizziness in his head. He was bending over and immediately didn't stand still, and fell directly on the body of the girl.

"Kevin?"

Candace pushed Kevin, who was holding herself down, with great difficulty, but she was already weak and couldn't exert much strength. At this moment, however, Candace felt a slight vibration, and suddenly it came from under herself......