Black Phoenix Heir
Chapter 171 — The Scent
Lyra looked at the woman.
"Okay. We're going to try to help you."
The woman's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"Thank you."
Her voice trembled.
"Thank you so much."
Lyra nodded.
"What was the last place you saw her?"
The woman pointed down the street.
"Right there."
It was only fifteen or twenty feet away.
Victor, Lyra, and the woman walked over.
They looked around.
Nothing.
The street was still crowded with people, but there was no sign of the little girl.
Lyra slowly scanned the area before turning back toward the woman.
"Do you have anything that belongs to her? Something she was wearing today?"
The woman looked slightly confused.
But at this point, she was willing to try anything.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small scrunchie.
"She was wearing this today."
She handed it to Lyra.
Lyra stared at it for a moment.
Then she slowly turned away from the woman and brought the scrunchie toward her face.
She took a deep breath.
Victor watched her.
He had never seen Lyra do this before.
She breathed in deeply again.
Then she lowered the scrunchie.
Her eyes moved across the surrounding area.
Victor immediately understood.
She's following the scent.
Lyra looked back at the woman.
"Stay here."
She pointed toward a nearby bench.
"Sit here and wait for us. I'll try to come back as soon as possible."
The woman's eyes widened.
"Please find her."
Her voice cracked.
"She's all I have left. She's all that's left of my family."
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Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"If I lose her, I have nothing."
Lyra's expression softened.
"Don't worry."
She looked directly into the woman's eyes.
"I'm going to bring your daughter back to you."
Victor watched Lyra.
Something about the scene struck him.
He had known Lyra for a long time now.
He remembered the girl who had hated humans.
The girl who had once tried to kill him.
The girl who believed humans were nothing more than enemies.
Now she was standing in front of a crying human mother, promising to find her missing daughter.
Victor couldn't help but admire her.
Lyra had changed.
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Maybe more than she realized.
Even if they couldn't find the girl tonight, the fact that Lyra was willing to try meant something.
Lyra suddenly turned.
Then she dashed forward.
Victor immediately followed.
This was Lyra's investigation now.
She was taking the lead.
And judging by the direction she was moving, she had found something.
They raced through the streets.
After roughly five minutes, Lyra suddenly turned left.
Every so often, Lyra stopped.
She raised the scrunchie to her nose and breathed deeply.
Then she looked around before continuing.
The streets gradually became quieter.
The crowds thinned.
The noise of the market faded behind them.
Eventually, Lyra stopped again.
She sniffed the air.
Her expression became serious.
"Victor."
He looked at her.
"She was here."
Lyra took another breath.
"The scent is very strong here."
She checked the nearby bushes.
The surrounding buildings.
The ground.
Nothing.
Then Victor noticed something near a trash can.
A shoe.
Lyra immediately walked over and picked it up.
She brought it to her nose.
Her eyes widened.
"This has her scent."
She looked at Victor.
"Victor, she was definitely here."
Lyra glanced around.
"Why would she lose her shoe?"
She looked confused.
"This doesn't make sense."
Victor nodded.
"You're right."
He looked around the street.
"Can you follow her scent?"
Lyra took another breath.
"Let me try."
She closed her eyes briefly.
Then she caught something.
Her eyes opened.
Lyra immediately dashed forward.
Victor followed.
They ran for another two or three minutes before Lyra began slowing down.
She stopped.
She sniffed the air.
Nothing.
She turned toward a smaller road branching away from the main street.
Lyra took another breath.
"There."
Victor looked toward the road.
"You smell her?"
"Something."
They continued more slowly.
The road was narrower than the main street.
It almost resembled a back alley.
Small doors lined both sides, spaced only a few feet apart.
Lyra continued forward.
She stopped at one door.
She leaned closer.
She smelled the air.
Then she brought the scrunchie to her nose.
Another breath.
She moved closer to the door.
Another breath.
Finally, she stepped back.
"I'm almost positive her scent ends here."
Victor looked at the door.
"You're sure?"
Lyra nodded.
"Almost."
Victor stepped forward.
He knocked.
Nothing.
He waited.
A few seconds passed.
He knocked again.
Nobody answered.
The silence around them slowly began to feel heavier.
Victor frowned.
He raised his hand and slammed his fist against the door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hello?"
Victor continued banging for more than a minute.
Finally—
Click.
The latch unlocked.
The door slowly opened.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man stood behind it.
He looked to be around forty years old.
Curly hair with an average build.
Nothing about him immediately stood out.
His eyes were calm and almost friendly.
He looked at Victor and Lyra.
"It's rude to knock on someone's door this aggressively this late at night."
His tone remained surprisingly calm.
"What can I do for you?"
Victor looked at him.
"We're looking for a little girl."
The man's expression didn't change.
"What's that got to do with me?"
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Victor pulled out the image of the girl.
"She was last seen around this area."
He showed him the picture.
"Have you seen her?"
The man glanced at it.
Then he shook his head.
"No."
He gave them a mildly irritated look.
"I haven't seen her."
He started closing the door.
"If you don't mind, I'm going to go back to eating my dinner and getting ready for bed."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Which you two have very rudely interrupted."
The door closed.
Victor and Lyra stood there.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then they walked down the steps and stopped in the alley.
Lyra looked at Victor.
"Victor."
He turned toward her.
"I could smell her when he opened the door."
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Victor frowned.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
Her expression hardened.
"She's in there."
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Victor looked back at the door.
He sighed.
He had just gotten his citizen ID.
His first day as a free citizen of the Tower.
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And now he was about to break into someone's home.
Hopefully this doesn't come back to bite me.
Victor looked at Lyra.
The determination in her eyes told him everything.
He didn't have much of a choice.
Victor walked back to the door.
Victor sighed.
Then he raised his foot.
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Bang!
The door exploded inward.
Victor stepped inside.
"Hey!"
The man came around the corner.
His expression immediately changed.
The calmness disappeared.
His cultivation erupted.
Without saying a word, he charged.
Victor sidestepped.
The man's attack passed beside him.
Victor moved faster.
He grabbed the back of the man's head and drove him into the floor.
Bang!
The man's body slammed against the ground.
"Let me go!"
He struggled beneath Victor.
"How dare you break into my house!"
Victor held him down.
Meanwhile, Lyra began searching the room.
She moved slowly.
Her eyes scanned every corner.
That was strange.
She had smelled the girl the moment the door opened.
But now the scent seemed weaker.
Almost nonexistent.
Lyra continued searching.
She walked around the room.
Then she stopped.
Her expression changed.
She looked down.
The scent was strongest here.
Lyra slowly raised her head.
Her eyes moved toward the man Victor was holding down.
The man's expression changed the moment he realized where she was standing.
"Get out of my house!"
His voice suddenly became frantic.
"Now!"
Victor's eyes narrowed.
He struck the back of the man's neck.
The man immediately went limp.
Victor quickly pulled some rope from his storage ring and tied him securely.
He looked toward Lyra.
"What did you find?"
Lyra didn't answer.
She was staring at the floor.
Then she crouched down.
Her fingers touched the edge of a rug.
She slowly pulled it aside.
A small metal door was hidden underneath.
Victor's expression became serious.
"A cellar?"
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Lyra grabbed the handle.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then she slowly opened it.
The moment the door cracked open—
A wave of disgusting air rushed out.
Lyra's face changed instantly.
She covered her nose and stumbled backward.
She slammed the door shut.
Victor could smell it even from where he stood.
His stomach turned.
He covered his mouth.
"What the…"
The smell was horrible.
Rotten.
Foul.
And beneath it was something else.
Something that made Victor's instincts scream at him to stay away.
He swallowed hard.
He had no idea what was inside that cellar.
But judging by Lyra's reaction…
He wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
Lyra stared at the closed door.
Victor stared at it as well.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Whatever was hidden beneath that floor…
They had just found it.
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