The Immortal of Plague begins by establishing the root of lung fire.

Song You squatted down next to the food cart, pressing his shoulders down to simulate crawling inside. It seemed like there was barely enough space, but he quickly stopped and stood up, thinking that this method was not feasible.

The vehicle had to be pushed across the smooth floor of the refrigerated compartment and then through the warehouse aisle with speed bumps. With a person lying underneath, the sound of clothes scraping against the ground was impossible to hide as the vehicle bumped along.

The warehouse environment is quiet, and the frequent rustling of clothes is likely to attract the attention of the guards, which is too risky.

Abandoning the plan to leave via the food cart, Song You changed his mind. It was lunchtime, and the kitchen was preparing dinner. There would be many servants serving dishes and cleaning in the main building of the manor.

With so many people and so much turnover, it's safer to sneak in and find communication tools amidst the chaos.

He stepped out of the cold storage room and retraced his steps, returning to the gray fireproof door. He placed his hand on the door, pushed it open, and entered the secret passage. Following the fork in the path leading to the main building of the manor, Song You adjusted his breathing, circulating his lung energy through his meridians to lower his heart rate. He walked lightly, close to the concrete wall.

The passageway was long and had no ventilation, so the musty smell in the air grew stronger and stronger.

After walking for about ten minutes, we were blocked by a heavy iron gate with an electronic sensor lock embedded in it, the indicator light of which was flashing red.

After thinking for a moment, Song You took out the black magnetic card he had gotten from Raj from his suit pocket and stuck it on the sensor area.

"drop."

The electronic lock popped open, and the green light turned on.

Song You gripped the doorknob and shook his head speechlessly. The high walls and hidden doors outside the manor and the secret passages inside actually used the same set of access cards.

Bharat is willing to spend money on his security, but the underlying security logic is full of loopholes.

Song You opened the iron gate a crack, pressed his ear to the gap, and listened. Outside was a corridor, but there were no footsteps. He pushed the door open and went out, then closed the iron gate tightly behind him. The outside of the iron gate was covered with a layer of wood veneer, disguised as the door to a storage room.

The corridor floor was covered with thick Persian carpets, the walls were adorned with oil paintings, and the light from the wall lamps was soft.

Song You walked along the corridor and had just passed two paintings when he heard voices coming from around the corner ahead.

"Finish this, or you won't be leaving the room today." The English pronunciation was perfect, the tone stern, and it carried a condescending air.

Song You stopped and pressed himself against the wall for a glance; his demeanor resembled that of a female housekeeper.

The door at the corner suddenly opened, the wooden door slamming against the wall with a loud thud. Hurried footsteps echoed on the carpet as a girl, head down and wiping away tears, ran directly toward Song You.

The corridor where Song You was located was narrow, with no side paths to hide in. The girl was running extremely fast and was about to collide with him.

He took a half step back, grabbed the metal doorknob of the guest room next to him with his left hand, and pressed it down hard. The door wasn't locked. Just as he was about to go in, the girl was already right in front of him, and he couldn't avoid her.

As soon as she turned the corner, Song You reached out his right hand, grabbed her arm, and using her momentum, pulled her into his arms. The two tumbled into the guest room, and Song You kicked the door shut with his right foot.

He pressed the girl against the door with his left hand and covered her mouth with his right.

The girl's eyes widened, her pupils dilated with fright, and her hands instinctively reached out to grab Song You's arm.

Song You leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't make a sound."

The sound of high heels on the carpet approached from afar. The butler walked past, muttering something in Hindi. The footsteps faded into the distance until they were completely inaudible.

Song You released his grip, took two steps back, and stood in front of the door. He looked at the girl in front of him; she was wearing a silk nightgown, and her eyes were filled with tears, making her look very fragile.

He needed some information, and once he got what he wanted, he would deal with it.

"Name?" Song You asked in English.

The girl didn't speak; she reached into the pocket of her nightgown. Song You stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. The girl cried out in pain, opening her mouth and uttering a single syllable, "Ah ah," while gesturing in the air with her free hand.

A mute?

"Can't you speak?" Song You asked.

The girl nodded repeatedly and pointed to her pocket. Song You released his hand, and the girl took out a palm-sized notebook and a short pen. She pressed the notebook against the wall, quickly wrote a line, and handed it to Song You.

"Priya, daughter of Barat, don't kill me."

Looking at the words on the paper, Song You knew he had caught a big fish. The other party must know a lot of things, but he would have to put some pressure on them to get their cooperation.

"Since you're Barat's daughter, you must be worth a lot of money," Song You said, looking at her. "I'll trade you for something I need."

After listening, Priya shook her head vigorously. She took back her notebook, wrote something on the paper, and then held it up to Song You.

"I'm your stepdaughter, and all of Bharat's assets belong to my mother. If you kill me, Bharat will celebrate with champagne. Please don't kill me."

Song You was shocked when he saw the words. He had thought that Bharat was a self-made urban elite who controlled an underground smuggling network and could do business with American conglomerates. He never expected that he was a gigolo.

Song You scrutinized Priya's appearance. The girl had fair skin and deep-set features, typical of a high-caste Brahmin. In contrast, Bharat had darker skin and a more rugged appearance, typical of a Vaishya. From their appearances, the two were indeed not related by blood.

Before Song You could speak, Priya picked up the pen and continued writing on the paper. Then she handed him the notebook with both hands.

"Are you the kind of assassin knight from novels?"

Song You looked at the questions on the paper. What a mess of nonsense! They all sounded like characters from medieval Western novels.

"I'm just an ordinary person," Song You replied.

Priya quickly wrote: "Balart has placed me under house arrest here, forbidding me from contacting anyone outside. I can only stay at home and read books. If you want to leave this manor, please take me with you."

Song You understood immediately; the other person hadn't had much contact with the outside world, which had led to this personality. Ignoring her suggestion, he went straight to his goal: "Can you get a cell phone that can make calls?"

Priya wrote on the paper: "There's a secure cell phone in Bharat's office; I can take you there."

The girl agreed too readily, so Song You decided to give her a warning to prevent her from playing tricks on the way.

Song You raised his right hand, mobilized the outer flames in his chest cavity, and the flames he exhaled danced at his fingertips.

He walked to the desk in the guest room and held the firelight close to a fashion magazine on the table. The firelight touched the paper, but without any flame or smoke, the magazine instantly turned to ash and carbonized, scattering into a pile of powder in the air.

"Behave yourself on the road." Song You turned to look at Priya, "or this is what will happen to you."

Priya stared at the pile of powder with an astonishingly bright eye. She wasn't afraid; instead, she cupped her face in her hands, her cheeks flushing.

Song You withdrew his outer flames. This girl's brain circuits were abnormal, but as long as she could lead the way, that was fine.