Chapter 10, Underground Research Institute (1)

On both sides of the corridor's end are office areas; on the left side are some scattered desks, while the row on the right appears to consist entirely of offices, all with their doors tightly closed, creating a dark and oppressive atmosphere that inexplicably tightens one's heart.

Although I have never been down to that basement, I have worked here for so many years and know this place better than you do. Let me go down and find the way for you! I understand the houses from that era better than you do. The old man bit his dry lips, tears welling in his eyes, looking at Chen Zhi with hope.

The factory was surrounded by a "Emergency Construction" isolation zone, indicating that Old Jindou and his team had made ample preparations beforehand. Everyone followed Old Jindou into the factory and saw the burned warehouse. After the fire, the warehouse was charred black, yet the iron door still stood firm in its place.

Old Jindou walked over and said respectfully: "They have arrived!"

Chen Zhi discovered that there was a fountain pen on the desk, the pen was open, and the cap was thrown aside, as if the person who used it was in a hurry to go to the restroom and had no time to put the cap on the pen

Old Jindou bit his lip and nodded slightly, introducing to Chen Zhi and the others: "This is Xu Zhigang, he wants to go down with us. Do you think it's necessary?" He pointed to a thin old man standing beside him.

The stout man led the way, followed closely by Chen Zhi, then Lao Jindou and Xu Zhigang, with Gui Dao bringing up the rear. Also descending were seven black-clad henchmen, agile in their movements, all seemingly armed. The group slowly made their way down the stairs into the pitch darkness below, each person wielding a flashlight, holding their breath in tense anticipation. The sound of Chen Zhi's thumping heartbeat and steady breathing was exceptionally clear in the eerie silence.

Take him down with us, it might be somewhat useful, said the old man, clearly annoyed by the crying, tightening his belt and adding, If it doesn't work, we can just send him back, there are many of us going down, it won't be a problem

Chen Zhi looked over, and there was an old man, tattered and worn, with a head full of disheveled white hair, missing all his teeth, his eyes cloudy, and reeking of alcohol. "Is this the Xu Zhigang who escaped?" Chen Zhi thought to himself

They walked around the bathhouse and found nothing unusual, then walked out through the door. Lao Jindou and Xu Zhigang remained relatively calm, but Chen Zhi felt an inexplicable sense of crisis; he had a strong intuition that an unknown danger seemed to be getting closer to him.

Lord Leopard raised his eyes to glance at Chen Zhi and the others, did not stand up, and淡淡 said, "Thank you all for your hard work." After that, he looked at Old Jindou and said, "Please be careful!"

There are many people near the warehouse, having set up several tents, with numerous computers placed there. A group of technicians is gathered around, seemingly engaged in some research. The fierce-looking Leopard Lord is sitting in the front tent, leisurely sipping tea.

"How could I not know? I am familiar with every corner of this factory," Xu Zhigang confidently replied. He touched the large iron door of the warehouse and sighed, "In fact, I had noticed it before; the construction materials used in this factory are exceptionally sturdy. Just look at this large iron door, it has been struck by the Great Liberation and endured this great fire, yet it still stands here intact. But I never expected it to end up like this; my old buddies and my partner died unjustly!" He touched the large iron door of the warehouse again and lamented, "In fact, I had noticed it before; the construction materials used in this factory are exceptionally sturdy. Just look at this large iron door, it has been struck by the Great Liberation and endured this great fire, yet it still stands here intact. But I never expected it to end up like this; my old buddies and my partner died unjustly!" Woe... woe... woe..." The old man broke down in tears.

At such an old age, bringing him along is a burden! We are not running a nursing home, what is the purpose of taking so many old men down?

This is indeed a bathhouse, remarkably large, with the floor and wall tiles showing signs of significant wear and age. An old-fashioned showerhead hangs on the wall, evoking the feeling of watching a documentary from the 1960s

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, everyone began to descend into the cellar. Chen Zhi had always been puzzled about what they had been busy with for such a long time; it turned out they were studying the mechanisms on the walls of the cellar. After conducting instrument detection, it was found that there were twenty-four movable bricks on the south wall of the cellar. These bricks needed to be pushed in a specific order to trigger the mechanism, after which the entire east wall would rise, revealing a steel-structured password door. The password had been deciphered by experts in recent days. Once the door opened, it led to a large room containing an old-fashioned steel elevator, covered in rust, which descended underground, though it was uncertain whether it was still operational. There was a staircase on one side of the room, extending downward into the darkness, and Chen Zhi and the others needed to descend from there.

Hearing the words of the old trickster, the stout man raised the flashlight with his left hand, pressed his body against the door frame, and gently pushed the door open, his movements very nimble

"You can take him if you want, anyway I can't manage him when something happens." The fat man mumbled a few words and then fell silent. Chen Zhi also did not speak; he now felt as if a ball of cotton was blocking his lungs, making it hard to breathe, and a sense of foreboding surged in his heart

Chen Zhi felt somewhat uncertain and asked, "Are you sure there are no lights? Otherwise, should we try finding a switch?"

Before long, they arrived at the basement level. Chen Zhi had repeatedly imagined the appearance of this underground room in his mind last night, but what he envisioned was mostly similar to that of a scene from Resident Evil. However, upon actually arriving here, he discovered that it was a very large old-fashioned office, giving him the impression that he had stumbled into a government building from over a decade ago, only it was underground

"Please take me with you! My whole life has been spent here, I want to go down and take a look, otherwise I would be letting down my old buddy!" At this point, the old man began to cry.

Everyone, be more spirited! Hurry up and go!" said Old Jindou, holding the electric baton and closely following Ghost Blade. Chen Zhi noticed that the heads of those black-clad fellows were all sweating.

How many people are there in this basement? What are they all hiding underground for? Is it for secret work? What is the purpose of it all? Chen Zhi's mind was constantly turning, unable to make sense of it.

Before proceeding, Lao Jindou distributed a mobile phone to each of them. Previously, Chen Zhi had intended to buy a smartphone for himself, but Lao Jindou said it was unnecessary, as they would each be provided with a customized version later. Now, Chen Zhi could see what a customized phone looked like; it was incredibly impressive. The phone came with a pair of headphones, which were connected to a microphone, and it was very exquisite. The surface of the headphones seemed to be made of silicone, and once placed in the ear, they adhered snugly. The phone was similar in size to an iPhone, but its functionality was far superior. When one of the positioning systems was activated, it clearly indicated each person's location. By tapping on the human-shaped markers, one could instantly communicate through the headphones, and video recordings and screenshots could be transmitted, making it extremely convenient. With this device, the scenarios depicted on television where individuals were thrown into a locked room and could not find their companions would be utterly impossible. Chen Zhi wondered if he could take this impressive phone home to show Liu Xiaohong, who would surely be envious.

On the left side of the corridor, there is a row of restrooms, followed by two dormitories. They entered and took a look around; each dormitory contained four sets of bunk beds. There were not many daily necessities in sight, and a lot of dust had settled on the beds, yet the quilts and pillows were neatly arranged, indicating a disciplined team.

The office area is rather unremarkable, consisting solely of old-fashioned solid wood desks, with leather-covered surfaces. Chen Zhi opened several drawers and found them to be quite full, containing numerous books on metallurgy and forging, all of which are old editions. As Chen Zhi flipped through one of the books, he discovered it densely filled with notes; each book was similar, indicating that the owner of the books was likely an expert in metallurgy. This place must have originally been a metallurgy research institute

Chen Zhi estimated that it could accommodate more than forty people bathing at the same time

The fat man leaned over and whispered to Chen Zhi, "Did you come here to do research? Hurry up and help this old man find his things, we need to get out of here quickly. I have a bad feeling, this basement is quite sinister!"

It seems that the people in this basement usually eat and live down here, away from the light, Chen Zhi thought

Seeing that Lord Leopard ignored him, the fat man tugged at Chen Zhi's clothes, urging him to make a sound

The person shouting was one of the black-clad thugs, his face pale, trembling all over, with a large mouth, his hands shaking as he pointed forward. Chen Zhi followed the direction of his finger and immediately felt a chill run down his spine, his hair standing on end. In the corner of the office, a long-haired woman stood silently, her head tilted, staring intently at them.

"Hello! Master Jin, should we walk straight down the corridor, or should we take a look inside this bathhouse?" the fat man asked, having lowered his voice for some unknown reason.

The location of that special metallic element is not discernible; it could be present in any part of these three underground levels. Let us go in and take a look.

They emerged from the stairwell holding flashlights. To the left was a straight corridor, with indistinctly visible office desks on both sides. Opposite the stairwell was a large room, with double wooden doors clearly marked "Bathhouse".

They left the bathhouse and walked down the corridor. Chen Zhi was constantly preoccupied with the matter of the electric lights, pulling the switch to check whenever they reached a new spot, only to be scolded by Fat Wei for being naive.

It seems that I am not the only one afraid here, Chen Zhi thought silently

Every office, every drawer must be checked. That thing will glow, " said Old Jindou.

The vehicle arrived at its destination, and Chen Zhi was the first to get out. He saw that the youth forge in front of him had been completely destroyed by fire.

We have no use for him! He has never been down to that basement either," the fat man said to Lord Leopard

As soon as the fat man finished speaking, a loud shout suddenly echoed in the eerily silent basement. Everyone was startled. Chen Zhi's muscles immediately tensed up, and his right hand instinctively reached for his knife

Chen Zhi felt a twinge of sympathy and thought to himself that this old man was indeed quite unfortunate. He then asked, "Sir, did you know there was a cellar in this warehouse back then?"

The ghostly blade flipped over the mattress on the bed, sniffed it, and said in a low voice: "There is blood energy!"

"Do you think you're going to an underground nightclub? Still looking for a light, haha!" the fat man laughed, "Little Orange, just don't speak and follow me."

With a creak, the door opened, and a pile of wood shavings fell to the ground. A pungent musty odor wafted from inside the room, causing the stout man to cover his nose and wave his hand, signaling everyone to enter.

It seems that the people here have disappeared very suddenly..." Chen Zhi said softly

What is it that can glow in Dingxi? The luminous pearl? Chen Zhi thought to himself, and could only search together with everyone, as he did not even know what they were looking for.