Shannchyuan had no idea how long the passage was. The pitch-black atmosphere could only allow them to see within a very limited range. Although Shannchyuan used a flashlight to highlight the inside of the passage, the part of the passage they could see was no further than six meters. Shannchyuan was contemplating whether or not to go in now to explore the underground passage.
"Dahge, be careful," Shinnshiow shouted as Shannchyuan started to walk down the hall. Hearing Shinnshiow's words, Shannchyuan pulled back the leg he had just stepped on. Yinqyueh, who was standing right behind Shannchyuan, collided with Shannchyuan's body when Shannchyuan suddenly retreated backward. Shannchyuan immediately turned around. Reflexively, he held Yinqyueh's body. Shannchyuan was worried that Yinqyueh might lose her balance and that she might fall. The two of them then took two steps back from the already open door.
"I can feel a stream of air coming out of this open door. So I don't think there's a problem with the oxygen levels in the hallway in front of us," Yihshyong said.
Shannchyuan shone his flashlight towards the corner of the room from which they had come. The two oxygen cylinders were still sitting there. He looked at Yihshyong and Shinnshiow. "You two wait here. I will enter the hall with Yinqyueh."
After saying that, he took Yinqyueh's hand and stepped forward. Yinqyueh seemed trying to keep up with Shannchyuan's footsteps.
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"Dahge! Wait a minute!" Yihshyong said in a loud voice.
Shannchyuan stopped in his footsteps. He turned around. Even though it was dark at that time, Shannchyuan was sure that Yihshyong's eyes were staring at him intently.
"Are you guys really going in there?" Yihshyong's voice sounded confused.
<>
"Of course I'll go in there. Isn't this our goal?"
"I mean, is it enough just to bring a flashlight? Wouldn't it be better if we brought a bigger lamp, like the Kerosene Pressure Lantern." Yihshyong said.
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"Do we have a Kerosene Pressure Lantern we can still use?"
"We have. Even if I remember correctly, there are five lanterns," Yihshyong replied steadfastly, "they're all still in the warehouse."
"I know we have that thing," Shannchyuan said, "but will it still work? I don't think we have kerosene."
"It seems that from the five lamps we have, two of them still contain kerosene. Not much, but I think the lights can still be on for about three or four hours," Yihshyong said.
"Why didn't Shyongge say that earlier? I mean, before we go down the first time?" Shinnshiow joined in on the conversation.
"Sorry. I completely forgot about that. After all, no one mentioned the matter earlier," said Yihshyong.
"Okay. Then don't waste any more time," Shannchyuan said. He patted Yihshyong on the shoulder. "Now, you first come to the surface. Go to the warehouse. Check if it's true that we still have kerosene."
Yihshyong instantly moved to the corner they had come from. He tapped on the iron rod to signal the man standing guard at the edge of the hole above. A moment later, the rope was stretched down. Yihshyong promptly rose to the ground to look for the lamp.
While waiting for Yihshyong to return, they sat and chatted on the stone bench in the basement.
"What are our plans this morning?" Shinnshiow turned to Shannchyuan.
"After seeing what's behind that door, we go back into the house." Shannchyuan said.
"What about Dafeisy Tower? Shall we go there?" Shinnshiow asked again.
"Let's see if this morning there are still people watching our house? If there is nothing suspicious, we will continue with the original plan. If there is something suspicious around our house, I think we should come up with other plans. But what is clear, after going upstairs, we rest first, at least for two or three hours." Shannchyuan tried to stay calm.
"Aren't we going to flee to another place?" Yinqyueh said at a slow tempo.
The girl's words reminded Shannchyuan again of the plan he had outlined when they realized certain people were watching their house.
"Yeah, we'll talk about that later. What is clear, after the sun rises, we'll first check the situation around the house."
Yinqyueh then stood up. He walked around the room. The girl flicked the flashlight at the basement wall. Finally, she stood in front of the door on the east side of the wall that had been opened. She stood and stared at the pitch-black passage beyond the door. Suddenly she shrieked. The girl's scream was loud. Shannchyuan and Shinnshiow ran towards her at once.
"What is it?" Shannchyuan grabbed Yinqyueh's hand.
Yinqyueh was silent. Her breath caught.
Shannchyuan patted the girl's back gently. "Calm yourself. Inhale and exhale slowly."
Yinqyueh did as Shannchyuan said. It was only about seven or eight seconds later that she opened her mouth. "In that passage, there's a flash of light!" Yinqyueh pointed towards the dark passage that had opened wide.