Chapter 3, The Secrets in the Warehouse

Chen Zhi touched the deep dents on the door, feeling that force within his heart, silently pondering, "Experiencing such a degree of impact, it is impossible for a person to survive. Then what about... what about the Teacher Guo I saw the next day, who exactly is he?"

I will go get something, please wait for me outside for a moment" Chen Zhi replied in a low voice

At this moment, Chen Zhi immediately felt a slight sweat in his palms. He knew that the memories from his childhood were not an illusion; everything was real

Chen Zhi took a flashlight out of his toolkit. This flashlight was a Wolf Eye model and had cost him a considerable amount of money when he purchased it. The light emitted by the flashlight was very strong, capable of illuminating areas several dozen meters away. Chen Zhi steeled his courage, tightened the toolkit he was carrying on his back, and gripped a crowbar firmly in his hand as he walked towards the factory.

"Take something? That factory has been abandoned for so long, and it is said that there have been ghostly disturbances inside. What are you going to take?" The driver felt a bit flustered upon hearing Chen Zhi's words, as Chen Zhi appeared increasingly abnormal in his eyes

Chen Zhi used a flashlight to scan inside; the warehouse was not large, filled with a haphazard assortment of parts and broken boxes

Chen Zhi did not speak again, but instead lowered his head to look at the map in his hands. Seeing that Chen Zhi was ignoring him, the taxi driver stopped asking questions and, gritting his teeth, stepped on the gas and drove towards the suburbs

However, this idea is indeed too absurd. After so many years, Chen Zhi is completely unaware of the situation there. Perhaps that factory has long been acquired and renovated. Even if one were to visit, it would be more appropriate to go during the day

After an indeterminate amount of time walking, the corridor finally came to an end, revealing a small glass door ahead. Chen Zhi had a very vivid memory of this place; beyond this door lay the warehouse where Teacher Guo had been struck.

Chen Zhi hailed a taxi, and the driver first scrutinized him from head to toe, his gaze clearly filled with suspicion. Incidents of taxi robberies do occur in this city from time to time, and moreover, Chen Zhi was carrying a heavy tool bag.

The door of the duty room was an old wooden door, covered in dust. Chen Zhi stepped forward and pushed it with a crowbar. The door, severely aged, collapsed directly, producing a heavy muffled sound and kicking up a lot of dust

On the ground lies a desiccated corpse, its face contorted in a grotesque manner. The corpse's wrist is adorned with an Omega men's watch, the bezel of which is strikingly golden.

Chen Zhi walked past several equipment operation tables, noticing a thick layer of dust on them, while various miscellaneous tools were scattered on the floor. The interior of the factory was quite deep; Chen Zhi walked for over 200 meters when suddenly a duty room appeared ahead

As a modern individual, Chen Zhi is an absolute materialist; he does not believe in the existence of ghosts or deities. However, this time his intuition tells him that the matter is far from simple. He has a persistent feeling that he should visit that youth forge once more, for there lies the answer he seeks

This small silver padlock is exquisitely crafted, showing not a trace of rust. Chen Zhi exerted considerable effort before he was able to break it open

The taxi driver was about to say no, but he noticed that Chen Zhi was already striding towards the factory gate. The abandoned factory was shrouded in darkness, resembling a haunted domain. The driver dared not speak again, shrinking his neck and remaining in the car.

Is there something hidden in here? Chen Zhi's heart began to race violently; at this moment, he felt somewhat anxious, as a sense of foreboding rose in his mind

Chen Zhi stopped at the small door, the glass of which was covered in dust, obscuring the view of the outside scenery

Chen Zhi struggled to pull open the heavy iron door of the cellar, revealing an iron ladder below. The cellar was pitch dark, its depth unknown, yet it exuded an exceptionally eerie and terrifying atmosphere

The wooden box was covered in moldy green fuzz. Chen Zhi tried to push it, but the box was very heavy. He pressed down on the front of the wooden box with both hands and exerted force with his legs. Accompanied by a dull scraping sound, the wooden box was slowly pushed open.

Fifteen years ago, that Teacher Guo seems to be standing right behind the door of this warehouse, bloodied and crawling on the door, glaring at the unfaithful Chen Zhi

Surrounded by wild grass taller than a person, Chen Zhi felt as if there was someone standing in the distance among the grass, coldly watching him and grinning menacingly in the darkness

Chen Zhi felt a tingling sensation on his scalp, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. At this moment, it was absolutely impossible to back down. If he left now, he would be tormented by this matter forever.

Chen Zhixian pried open the lock on the iron gate with a crowbar; the lock had long since rusted, and it fell off with a single pry

At this moment, Chen Zhi's mind was no longer able to control fear and fantasy, and the extreme cold of the Northeast's harsh winter was already chilling, with the surroundings eerily silent

But at this moment, Chen Zhi felt a heaviness in his heart

Chen Zhi gave him a portion of the money and also provided his mobile phone number, reassuring him to wait comfortably in the car

This is a work diary. Chen Zhi casually flipped through it and saw that the last page read: "Everything is normal in the factory, important parts will be delivered tomorrow, please pay attention to the reception"

At that time, people were very frugal; how could this small half-bottle of white wine be left here? Chen Zhi thought to himself as he put the kettle back and left the duty room

There is a large dent on the warehouse door, clearly caused by a significant impact.

This factory is extremely large, and it is terrifyingly dark inside, with the faint moonlight barely penetrating. As Chen Zhi walked in, he felt as if there was a ghost lurking in the darkness, secretly grinning and waiting for him to walk into its trap

After extinguishing the last cigarette butt, Chen Zhi made a decision: tonight, he would go to the warehouse of the youth forging factory to see what had actually happened back then. Although it seemed absurd, he did not want to endure another night of torment filled with wild thoughts.

The factory's main gate is surrounded by iron railings, which are typical of the iron gates from the 1960s. However, after more than a decade of erosion from wind and rain, there is a large gap in the railings through which Chen Zhi can just fit.

Upon entering the depths of the factory, not a sliver of moonlight could penetrate, and the surrounding darkness intensified, as if one had entered another world

He has already smoked more than half a pack of cigarettes, and the time on his phone shows that there are only ten minutes left until midnight, while outside the window it is pitch black

Chen Zhi patted his own face, steadied his mind, bit down on the flashlight with his mouth, and climbed down the iron ladder.

The night wind was cool. After Chen Zhi got out of the car and looked ahead, he found that this place was exactly as he remembered it, unchanged after so many years, though it had become a bit more dilapidated. However, the large red characters of the Youth Forging Factory at the factory gate still remained.

Even though Chen Zhi does not believe in ghosts and deities, at this moment he feels his legs weaken

When Chen Zhi shone the flashlight on the ground, in an instant, what he saw made every capillary in his body burst open

Chen Zhi shone the flashlight around but did not find anything unusual. The duty room contained only an old wooden table, a single bed, and a folding stool, with a red notebook placed on the table.

Driving quickly on the road at night, it took approximately forty minutes for the taxi to stop at the entrance of the youth forge in the suburbs

As Chen Zhi's feet touched the ground, a strange odor wafted towards him. He swept his flashlight ahead, revealing that the cellar was very damp, with the surrounding moldy wall plaster peeling off.

The ground below was revealed, and it turned out that beneath this box was a cellar, with a heavy iron chain and a delicate little silver lock adorning the door of the cellar

"Little brother, what are you doing going there at this late hour? That factory seems to have been abandoned for a long time..." The taxi driver tentatively asked Chen Zhi as they drove along the road

I must go in and take a look! Chen Zhi thought to himself, and then he steadied his mind

There is a drawer under the wooden table, inside which lies a military water bottle. Chen Zhi picked it up and shook it, hearing the sound of water inside. He unscrewed the cap, and a rich aroma of liquor wafted out.

Throughout the journey, Chen Zhi constantly felt that something was amiss, as if someone were watching him from the darkness

When the main door opened, a gust of cold wind blew out from inside, mixed with a strong metallic odor and a musty smell

What exactly does Teacher Guo want from me? Why does no one remember him..." Chen Zhi lay in bed, tossing and turning, his persistent curiosity tormenting him.

According to the markings on the map, Chen Zhi quickly determined the direction. The entire route was paved with concrete, and before long, he had already entered the main factory building.

Chen Zhixian meticulously copied the map from the note onto a blank sheet of paper, and then prepared his belongings for departure

After Chen Zhi got into the car and told the driver the destination, the driver said he knew that factory, but it was too remote. He could take Chen Zhi there, but it would require an additional twenty yuan. Chen Zhi agreed.

"Little brother, I've been waiting for you for twenty minutes. If you don't come out, I'm going to leave. Also, you need to give me the money first; if you aren't afraid of this cursed place, I certainly am!" The driver said, poking his head out of the car window to Chen Zhi.

The date is written as July 4, 1992, and there are no further words after that

Chen Zhi continued to walk forward, behind the duty room was a narrow corridor, surrounded by darkness, with not a sound to be heard

Chen Zhi carefully stepped onto these items and walked inside, looking around but not seeing anything unusual

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Zhi pushed open the small door and saw the warehouse from his memories in the darkness ahead

The location of the youth forging factory is very remote, and at this time, one can only take a taxi to get there. Chen Zhi took his phone and map, packed a portable tool kit containing some simple tools, changed into work clothes, put on a hat, and walked out of the house with the brim of his hat pulled low.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought rushed into Chen Zhi's mind, "What if Teacher Guo had already died? What if he was killed in front of that warehouse fifteen years ago? Then what was it that I saw...? A ghost?"

The warehouse's main door is made of thick iron sheets, which are now covered with rust spots. In the center of the door, there is a dent caused by a collision with a truck

However, he noticed that there was a very awkward spot in the warehouse, where a large wooden box was placed right in the center of the floor, very isolated, as if it had been deliberately placed there

This iron ladder is only over 10 meters long, and Chen Zhi climbed to the bottom in less than a minute

Chen Zhi is not a timid person, but he knows that entering the factory in the suburbs at night is certainly frightening. However, if that factory is indeed acquired and renovated, going there at night would not attract much attention. Otherwise, breaking into a heavy industrial area during the day and getting caught would be quite troublesome

Chen Zhi walked over, and under the bright moonlight, the entire warehouse was clearly visible

Upon entering the factory gate, there is a straight cement road, flanked by wild grass taller than a person. Many large steel parts lie abandoned among the wild grass, already covered in rust. In the pitch darkness of the night, they appear like ferocious beasts with bared fangs and claws. Occasionally, a cool breeze sweeps by, making Chen Zhi feel a chill on his neck