Chapter 517: Transformation
(Underground Maintenance Tunnel, 6:08 AM)
Barry stood a few feet back with wide, hopeful eyes as Veyr leaned against the rusted pipe, his cheek pressed flat to the cold metal while both palms caressed it in slow, reverent circles.
*Tang*
*Tang*
He tapped gently, paused, then tapped again, as if the pipe might whisper a secret back into his ear if only he listened hard enough.
After a full minute of theatrical diagnostics, Veyr finally stepped back with a grim expression and rubbed his chin like a man on the edge of a difficult decision.
"I might need to cause a controlled explosion inside the pipe if manual efforts fail," he declared solemnly. "Fetch me some gunpowder."
Barry’s jaw dropped. "G-gunpowder?"
Veyr nodded seriously. "Not a lot. Just enough to rattle the sediment loose without shattering the flow valve."
Without waiting for further explanation, Barry spun on his heel and ran off to fetch whatever loose gunpowder he could find, or report the request to someone higher up who could grant him some.
*Step*
*Step*
The moment his footsteps faded into the distance, Veyr rolled his eyes and turned to Leo.
"So, are we actually fixing this or just pretending well enough to get the pass?"
Leo crouched down beside the fat pipe and flicked the old pressure gauge, watching the needle twitch once.
"Well, we have some time, so let’s first try to give it a decent go. If we can’t solve it then yeah, we’ll pretend."
"Fair," Veyr said, pulling out the wrench from his belt. "Drainage’s blocked around seventeen meters down. I wasn’t making that up, I have excellent hearing and I can actually make that out."
Leo pulled a flexible auger from his pouch and showed the tool to Veyr.
"Think this’ll break the crust?" He asked, as Veyr shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Let’s find out."
*Crank*
Together, they opened the inspection hatch, and almost immediately, the foul stench that rolled out nearly knocked them both over, but Leo gritted his teeth and fed the auger in as Veyr steadied the crank and rotated slowly.
"Easy. Keep tension tight. Let it chew through."
The wire slid in steadily until it hit solid resistance.
"Fifteen meters in—"
"Keep going. That’s the crust."
"Hard, it’s too hard....."
"You’re a Grandmaster and I’m a Transcendent damnit! We can do this if we push!"
The two discussed, as suddenly, under their intense force, the pipe gave way with a wet pop.
*SCHLK*
A burp of sludge sprayed the tunnel floor.
"Pressure broke," Leo noted calmly, tightening the coil and turning again. "Side buildup should crack next."
"Almost there..."
As the sludge started trickling out from the lower vents, Leo placed his ear against the pipe and heard the water flowing again.
*Gurgle*
*Gurgle*
"Flow’s stabilizing. Not perfect, but passable. Should clear itself over time." He said, as Veyr chuckled in response.
"Not bad for two fake janitors," Veyr said with a smug grin as he wiped his gloves.
They tossed in some degreaser to hide the deeper muck, sealed the hatch, and marked the job as complete on Barry’s logsheet.
When Barry returned a few minutes later, he found them sitting casually on the floor, looking mildly exhausted.
"Wait— what happened?" he asked.
Veyr exhaled dramatically. "Turns out we didn’t need to blow anything up. Solved it without resorting to extreme measures."
Barry blinked and stepped forward, tapping the pipe with the same steel bar from earlier.
*Ting*
*Ting*
The sound rang clean and hollow.
"Wait... wait a second... oh my god. You guys actually fixed it. And in under thirty minutes?!"
Leo and Veyr both stood up, dusting their pants off like it was just another Monday.
"That’s what we do," Leo said with a faint grin as he walked past.
"Pipe whisperer strikes again," Veyr added, clapping Barry on the shoulder. "We’ll take a quick shower and be on our way."
And just like that, they left the stunned supervisor alone in the tunnel, still tapping the pipe in disbelief.
"Oh my god.... So the legend really was true, these two are really as good as the Zone Eleven supervisor claimed...." Barry muttered in disbelief, as he clapped his hands and let out a hearty laugh.
—---------------
With the drainage problem solved, Leo and Veyr rushed out of the underground tunnels, moving swiftly through the side exits as they darted down a narrow, dimly lit corridor that reeked of chemical solvents and moldy insulation, their boots splashing through shallow puddles as they made their way toward the nearest maintenance checkpoint where they could get some privacy and change.
Without a word, both men stripped out of their sludge-soaked janitor uniforms, each piece of clothing peeled off with mild disgust as the fabric clung to their skin, damp with a mixture of sweat and pipe residue, before being stuffed into their respective storage rings.
They barely paused to catch their breath as they closed their eyes and activated [Shapeshift], the skill flaring to life in a quiet surge of mana that twisted their features and restructured their frames in under sixty seconds.
Once the process ended, it was no longer two middle aged maintenance men who stood in the shadow of the pipes, but two crisp, clean-cut officers, Lieutenant Larry and Lieutenant Aaron, each dressed in fully-pressed coats, polished leather boots, and collared uniforms that gave off an unmistakable aura of command, even if the faint remnants of sewer stink still clung faintly to their hair and collars.
Leo took a quick glance at his watch, brushing a loose strand of transformed hair back into place as he adjusted the belt around his waist.
"It’s only 6:45. Where are we supposed to be at this point?" Veyr asked beside him, as he straightened the lapels of his coat and wiped some lingering condensation off his brow.
"Breakfast hour starts at 7:00," Leo replied, pointing toward the west wing of the base as the early sunlight finally began peeking through the alley windows. "Both Aaron and Larry have been spotted in the officer’s mess for morning meals. It’s our best move."
Veyr gave a sharp nod as they stepped into the open, their posture tall and unhurried, as they moved past the training yard where dozens of soldiers were running early drills, many of whom snapped to attention and saluted without hesitation as the two disguised assassins walked by without even glancing back.