They walked for hours through the silt-covered tunnels. Zeeshaan kept the light low.
"Tell me about the box," Zeeshaan said. "If I'm going to die for a piece of silver, I'd like to know why."
Zhuo reached into the bag. The emerald vines on the surface were now glowing. "It's called the Heart of the Forest. Legend says it contains the first seed of the world—a source of life. But it is also a weapon. In the wrong hands, it can rot a city from the inside out."
She looked at him. "When you touched it in the workshop, Zeeshaan... the box hummed. It hasn't hummed for anyone else."
Before he could respond, a low vibration began to shake the floor. "Sensor drones," Zeeshaan hissed. "They're flooding the tunnels. We need to move. Now."