Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!
Chapter 387: A Stroke of Genius

Chapter 387: Chapter 387: A Stroke of Genius

Surrounded by the Underground Bounty Hunter Group, a bead of cold sweat slid down Iya’s forehead.

Being encircled atop the cages, she could have utilized the gaps between them to escape.

But now, with the Underground Bounty Hunters forming a semicircle, three layers deep on both the inside and outside at the exit, Iya had no way to retreat.

Her own attacks were ineffective; to concentrate fire and take down a single Bounty Hunter was like a drop of water in a bucket, leaving Iya clueless about what to do next.

Everything that had happened in the alley flashed before her eyes.

If it were the familiar forest, she could have used the trees for cover and guerrilla tactics to gain an advantage.

But in enclosed space combat, she stood no chance of winning.

If she couldn’t change the situation, history would repeat itself; she would once again be trapped in a corner with no strategy available.

"What would he do if he were here?

Think quickly.

Like him, think quickly.

Think hard—what would he do in this situation?"

Iya had seen Yang Yu making decisions in crises many times and had some idea of how he strategized; recalling his methods brought to mind several tricks,

"Observe closely, use everything available; that’s how he always did it.

Just like him, there’s bound to be a thread of hope in this terrible situation."

Iya looked around the entire room, which was empty save for scattered cages, surrounded by Underground Bounty Hunters, each looking ferocious and desperate to capture Iya quickly and then hunt down Yang Yu and Bai Jin, who had not even come here.

Suddenly, her gaze stopped in the corner of the room, on a ventilation duct concealed by a panel.

There was a "Bam", a flash of insight in her mind, and the layout of the facility appeared before Iya’s eyes.

This place held many Slaves and, to avoid making this second underground level too oppressive, the facility was equipped with an extensive ventilation and drainage system.

Even some areas were built right on top of the sewer, which made disposing of wastewater and trash extremely convenient.

One could keep the auction house spotlessly clean without much effort.

Furthermore, the convection formed by the ventilation ducts helped keep the air fresh and prevented bacterial growth.

If Slaves became sick, it would be troublesome, potentially reducing their quality.

No one preferred sickly Slaves, and putting such Slaves to work would only make everything a mess.

Hence, the vents in most Slave storage rooms were relatively large, and often fans would be turned on to maintain the air quality when necessary.

This design afforded Iya an opportunity.

Judging by her estimation, she could even crawl through that ventilation duct.

The only downside was that the duct was too high, at least five meters up, nearly touching the ceiling.

It seemed that the designer had taken into account the possibility of Slaves escaping through the vents when building this place.

Typical Slaves would be deterred by such a high duct, having no option but to look on longingly.

For Iya, however, high as it might be, that duct could indeed become her final lifeline.

"Rather," Yang Yu thought, "the higher, the better, to ensure others can’t catch up so quickly."

The remaining problem was how to break through the crowd that surrounded her.

There was only one method Iyas could think of.

"Why haven’t you responded for so long? What are you plotting? I’m warning you for the last time—if you don’t want to suffer, obediently lay down your weapons, stop struggling, and surrender."

The Shield Axe Man waved his weapon impatiently, threatening Iyas, who did her best to appear frightened, slung her bow over her shoulder, and raised her hands.

Seeing Iyas seemingly submit, a smug look crossed Shield Axe Man’s face. He casually ordered a subordinate to approach and tie up Iyas, hoping to exchange her for bounty.

However, nobody expected Iyas to seize the moment of Shield Axe Man’s complacency. She took her bow from her shoulder again, pulled the string, and formed a shimmering Light Arrow between the bow and the string.

Before the Holy Light fully condensed into an arrow, Iyas loosed the string. The half-formed Light Arrow drew a silver comet tail in midair, aiming right for Shield Axe Man’s eyes.

Shield Axe Man hurriedly closed his eyes and instinctively raised his Shield Axe to Block. Seizing this opportunity, Iyas rushed towards him.

One by one, the Underground Bounty Hunters picked up their weapons, moving behind Iyas to form a three hundred and sixty-degree encirclement, leaving her no room to move.

But Iyas had no intention of clashing directly with Shield Axe Man. She radiated a dazzling light, and the Holy Light from her body spread like ripples, pushing away all those who approached her.

Shield Axe Man, being the closest and having his eyes closed, was caught off guard and along with a few other Underground Bounty Hunters, he was knocked back and hit the black iron cage with a series of Bam.

Iyas quickly pulled down the black cloth covering the cage to block the Bounty Hunters’ line of sight and jumped onto the cage.

Then, she took out an arrow and aimed it at the ventilation duct’s cover, using the "Strong Wind Arrow."

The arrow, wrapped in a tornado’s force, forcefully struck the cover into the duct.

The Shield Axe Man instantly understood Iyas’s intent,

"You woman dare to deceive us—I’ll make sure you regret it!"

Saying this, he leveled his Shield Axe, unleashing the "Red Flame Axe." A fiery pattern appeared on his Shield Axe, from which flames burst forth, enveloping his entire axe-head.

Shield Axe Man hurled his flaming Shield Axe towards Iyas.

Without hesitation, Iyas pulled out several more arrows and shot them at the wall, creating dents to serve as footholds.

Since Yang Yu had money, he became less concerned about consumable items like Bows and arrows, selecting high-quality ones with a bonus to attack power.

Breaking part of the wall turned out to be much easier than Iyas had anticipated.

With everything in place, Iyas dodged the flames spewing from the Shield Axe and, using the notches in the wall, leaped from side to side and squeezed into the ventilation shaft.

The smooth execution of these actions was thanks to Iyas’s experience living in the jungle and the crucial role of her brief confrontation with Gordon.

Iyas, now inside the vent, immediately took out the map hidden in her bracer. While crawling forward, she confirmed her direction.

Seeing his attack miss, Shield Axe Man clicked his tongue and immediately gave orders,

"Leave some people here; the rest go to other rooms to lie in wait. If she’s spotted, try to keep her here, then call for others to help capture her. I’ll contact the manager here—he’s been monitoring the situation and knows the duct layout, so with his help, we can work twice as efficiently!"