After walking for about ten minutes, the wind became calm and the tense nerves of everyone couldn't help but relax a bit, and they started whispering.
Di Ya had a simple understanding of the others, except for the middle-aged man whom she knew nothing about. She didn't like such an unstable factor, so she took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. "I noticed your professional skills earlier. Are you a forensic doctor or a physician?"
The middle-aged man smiled helplessly. "I used to be a doctor, now I'm just a salesman."
"Real estate agent?" Di Ya smiled. "No wonder the housing prices in Haicheng are so high. Real estate agents must be making a fortune."
The middle-aged man said bitterly, "I had no choice. Two years ago, a surgery I participated in went wrong. The patient's family came and caused a scene. One of the female doctors in our department had a miscarriage on the spot. I was unlucky too. Although I saved my life, my hand was crippled. What future can a surgeon have if they can't handle a surgical knife? I had to change careers."
The doctor-patient relationship nowadays is quite terrible. You can see related news every other day, and everyone sympathized with him a bit more, with a hint of trust and understanding. Wang Dong said, "Being a doctor is getting harder and harder. My uncle is a doctor, but he can't afford to buy a house despite working so hard. He's rarely at home, and my aunt couldn't take it anymore, so they got divorced."
"That's all in the past. I don't want to talk about it anymore," the middle-aged man sighed. "It's just that it's late now, and my wife and children will worry. Look at those few kids over there. When we have signal later, remember to call your parents."
"We all left home and came to Haicheng. There's no one at home. The four of us rented a room together," Wang Dong said.
"Are you classmates?" Di Ya asked.
"No, we're a band called Hurricane," Mao Xiao said excitedly. "We're currently performing at a bar, but we've already been contacted by a manager. We might be signing a record deal soon!"
That was indeed good news, and the other three members of Hurricane couldn't help but smile at the thought.
Discovering that chatting could relieve the tension, the conversation never stopped. Somehow, Xiong Baobao suddenly changed the topic while speaking and asked Hai Baihe, "Baihe, are you and the boss dating? You seem to have a good relationship."
"I wish," Hai Baihe made a regretful gesture. "I'm not that fortunate."
"Then why were you whispering to each other earlier?"
Hai Baihe casually brushed it off. "High heels are uncomfortable to walk in, and the boss is a gentleman."
Xiong Baobao was at a loss and returned empty-handed.
Liang Xiao smiled ambiguously. "Are you in a rush to distance yourself from me? What about the unresolved feelings between us?"
Hai Baihe didn't rush to reveal the truth, and said sweetly, "You'll thank me."
Liang Xiao felt something was wrong. What did she mean by that? He couldn't help but turn to look at Hai Baihe's expression, but the underground was too dark, and the light from his phone could only illuminate the immediate surroundings.
He couldn't see her expression.
After some time had passed, Li Hao—the middle-aged man had mentioned this as his name—hesitated and spoke, "Is anyone familiar with this generation?"
"What's wrong?" Di Ya asked. "Did we take the wrong path?"
"I'm not
familiar with this area," Li Hao's forehead was covered in sweat. "But we've been walking for quite a while now. Did we overshoot our destination?"
Hai Baihe said, "The Line 4 train runs pretty fast, with about a 3-4 minute gap between each station. Even if it's traveling at 60 kilometers per hour, it would still cover three or four kilometers."
Di Ya calculated, "The train stopped due to a malfunction about two minutes after it started. That's a considerable distance."
"The train might be moving slowly due to the malfunction, and we've been walking slowly as well," Hai Baihe said, trying to console herself more than others.
"But we've been walking for so long, and we haven't heard the sound of another train," Zhuang Yijian's calm voice rang out.
Wang Dong was frightened, and his hairs stood on end. "Could it be that we're lost in a maze?"
"Maybe the entire subway system is shut down due to a malfunction," Hai Baihe, who had experienced it before, handled the situation effortlessly.
Not many people believed her words, but until they witnessed the truth themselves, even if they knew it was self-deception, they preferred to continue believing.
After walking for five minutes, just as they were about to turn a corner, Mao Xiao fell behind the group. Liang Xiao looked at him in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"You guys go ahead, go ahead," Mao Xiao awkwardly smiled. "I had too much to drink and couldn't hold it anymore."
When nature calls, there's nothing one can do. Everyone considerately stepped aside and slowed their pace, waiting for Mao Xiao to finish.
Initially, they could still hear the sound of his urination echoing through the tunnel. But suddenly, a scream resounded, "Ah!"
Liang Xiao and Hai Baihe, who were already at the back, immediately turned back. They only needed a few steps, which took less than a second, to shine their lights towards the tunnel. But as soon as their lights reached the tunnel, the scream disappeared, and there was no one there.
The entire tunnel was empty and silent, and the faint light from their phones could barely resist the thick darkness. Unidentified creatures lurked silently in the darkness.
The footsteps of the others became chaotic, and they all gathered around. Several beams of light swept up and down the tunnel, but it seemed like Mao Xiao had disappeared into thin air, not even a single hair left.
Hai Baihe took the lead and walked over. "There was urine here; he should have been here... Huh?" The beam of light stopped. "There's a hole here."
"This..." Li Hao's back was soaked in cold sweat. "This...," he stuttered for a moment, but couldn't get the words out.
Di Ya crossed her arms and spoke for him, "It's just enough for one person to be dragged down."
Her words were like a drop of water splashing into hot oil, causing an explosion.
Xiong Baobao was the first to jump up, literally jump up, and took several steps back. "What do you mean? Are there monsters underground?"
"Otherwise, it's hard to explain why people suddenly disappear," Di Ya wasn't as calm as she appeared. She could handle drug lords or terrorists without fear, but an unknown threat made anyone's heart skip a beat.
She glanced at Liang Xiao unexpectedly. Surprisingly, he didn't look away this time. Instead, he comforted her with his gaze, just like he used to.
Miraculously, her inner fear was soothed, and she even felt a hint of moisture in her eyes. It's good, she thought
, he hasn't hated me to the point of disregarding my life and death.
Hai Baihe said, "Let's move on quickly, it's not safe here."
Xiong Baobao widened her eyes. "Then, what about Mao Mao? Are we just going to leave him?"
Hai Baihe hesitated, "..." How the hell am I supposed to take care of it? I could consider jumping into the water to rescue you, but how can I create a hole in the ground?
But thinking about it, her relationship with Mao Xiao was just a fling, unlike the four of them who had been through thick and thin together. If Xiong Baobao didn't mention it, it would have been heartless to leave him.
Before she could say anything, Zhuang Yijian threw down his backpack and squatted down, using his hands to dig at the hole. Wang Dong and Xiong Baobao hesitated for a moment, then gritted their teeth and joined the digging army.
"No need to exert yourselves," Liang Xiao grabbed Zhuang Yijian's arm and helped him up. "It's not safe here. We should leave as soon as possible."
Zhuang Yijian understood that it was all in vain, but a glimmer of hope still lingered in his heart. "Maybe it's just a sinkhole..."
"Sinkholes don't..." Hai Baihe's voice hadn't finished when she suddenly felt a powerful force on her ankle. Caught off guard, she suffered a blow and fell heavily to the ground.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and grabbed onto the railings. The power in her bloodline erupted in the moment of crisis, and with the strength in her hands, she managed to resist being dragged down.
Zhuang Yijian anxiously reached out to help her, but Hai Baihe clenched her teeth. "Don't touch me." Human strength is limited, and the monster below might have consumed some kind of energy, as it was about to crush her ankle. If she let go, everyone would be dragged down.
With her shout, no one dared to touch her. Several phone lights illuminated her ankle, but her lower leg was being pulled into the hole, and nothing could be seen.
Hai Baihe took a deep breath, biting her lip. "Step back, everyone. I'm about to use my trump card."
As if possessed, everyone took a step back, and Hai Baihe firmly gripped the railings. Slowly, she pulled her trapped leg out of the hole. At the moment her ankle was exposed at the edge of the hole, Hai Baihe kicked with all her might, and the sharp heel of her high heel struck the creature's wrist. The monster let out a piercing scream and quickly retreated into the hole.
"That hurt so much," Hai Baihe retracted her leg and looked, her ankle was swollen high and covered in bruises. But even if it swelled into a bun, it couldn't hide the clear handprint on top.
"This looks... like a human handprint," Wang Dong muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts.
Xiong Baobao, like a startled bird, kept stomping her feet as if afraid that the monster would suddenly target her and drag her down. "I don't want to stay here anymore, it's too terrifying." By the end, her voice had a trembling tone.
After such an unexpected incident, no one dared to linger here. Even Zhuang Yijian didn't mention rescuing Mao Xiao again. He just glanced at Hai Baihe and hesitated to look at Liang Xiao.
If the circumstances were different, Liang Xiao would have wanted to laugh. Zhuang Yijian was so obvious that
his thoughts were written all over his face. Considering the situation, he understood what was going on. Hai Baihe had flirted with him at first, but he, being a serious guy, didn't play along and didn't respond. She persisted, and he slowly melted. At that moment, perhaps sensing his genuine feelings, Hai Baihe stopped playing.
He could understand Hai Baihe's actions. People like them, who play games in the mortal world, fear nothing more than getting others to develop genuine feelings while being unable to respond in kind. That would be too despicable, so it's better to keep their distance.
"Are you okay?" Zhuang Yijian finally made up his mind and reached out to support her. Hai Baihe felt that it would be disrespectful to reject him in public, so she took advantage of his support and stood up. "Ouch!" If it weren't for Zhuang Yijian's support, she would have almost sat back down.
Li Hao, who had been exploring the path in front, heard the commotion and returned. "What's going on?" He squatted down and pinched her ankle. "Your bone is dislocated."
"Can you put it back in place?" Hai Baihe winced in pain.
"I'm not an orthopedist. I don't dare to touch it without caution; it would be troublesome if I make a mistake."
"I'll support you as you walk," Zhuang Yijian said, placing her arm over his shoulder. "We should leave here as quickly as possible."
This reason couldn't be refuted, so Hai Baihe could only grit her teeth and follow him, but the tides had turned. She finally understood the hardships that Muge had experienced before.