Hai Baihe sat down and pinched her ankle, feeling a bit painful. It would greatly hinder her movements. She decided to keep quiet and observe the situation.
Li Hao didn't dare to go out alone. In order to save power, they didn't use any lighting equipment, so they couldn't see each other's expressions. Li Hao spoke firmly, "We'll stay here and wait for death."
Xiong Baobao was very angry. "Uncle, don't talk nonsense! Someone will come to rescue us!"
"Don't you realize it?" Li Hao said coldly. "This world is completely irrational. People in the subway disappear inexplicably, strange creatures appear out of nowhere, and even when it's time for the subway station to open, nobody comes. We've been fooled by the lie of subway malfunctions and no one coming to work. But deep down, you all know that it doesn't make sense. Something unknown is happening."
Xiong Baobao asked sarcastically, "So, Uncle, do you know what's happening?"
Li Hao took a deep breath and hesitated, "I don't know, but..."
"If waiting here means death, then going into the tunnel means seeking death," Wang Dong said calmly. "At least here, we can hold on for a while."
"We might not last until rescue arrives," Di Ya threw a calendar in front of them. "Take a look."
A few people glanced at their phones, and Li Hao's eyes widened. "20...18?"
The others couldn't believe it. "Is this calendar real?"
"It should be. Look, it has the logo of Hai Cheng Metro. It seems to be an internal issue," Di Ya said. "It seems like we've really traveled through time."
Liang Xiao's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he glanced discreetly at Hai Baihe, who was folding paper airplanes from the printer. Her attitude was unacceptable.
But when she heard the terrifying concept of time travel, she seemed uninterested, unwilling to even spare a glance. He recalled that she was the first one to arrive at the duty room last night, which meant she might have already seen this calendar.
Knowing such a thing and choosing to keep quiet, pretending it never happened, was definitely abnormal.
As for the others, they had already completely broken down. Xiong Baobao grabbed Zhuang Yijian's sleeve. "2018? What does that mean? Have we been in the tunnel for over two years?"
Hai Baihe glanced at her and suddenly felt that this girl had some ideas.
But Zhuang Yijian rejected this speculation. "Maybe we traveled during a power outage, so everyone else disappeared."
Compared to the younger ones who quickly accepted this premise, Li Hao, at the age of thirty-seven, hadn't even watched the popular time-travel dramas. He clearly had some trouble accepting this unconventional reality.
But it didn't matter. He asked a crucial question, "How do we go back?"
"We should focus on how to survive for now," Hai Baihe finally finished folding the paper airplane. "Time travel has always been a matter of fate. Don't think about it. Even if we're unlucky, our hope can no longer rely on rescue. The fact that nobody came to work at the subway station likely means it has been abandoned. We have to find our own way out."
Xiong Baobao felt uncertain and panicked, "Why are you saying that?"
"Those monsters can attack us in the tunnel, so they might attack others as well. Maybe the whole city has already fallen? The end of the world doesn't only come from tsunamis and earthquakes; monster invasions are also possible," Hai Baihe thought. If there
was anything strange about these two time travels, it must be the end of the world.
Whether it was zombies or these monsters, they posed a great threat to humanity. But she couldn't figure out the special connection between them, yet.
"The end... of the world?" Zhuang Yijian hesitated, "Even if those monsters are strong and cannibalistic, once the military intervenes, they will die."
Hai Baihe shrugged, "You're right, but what if they were born deep underground, in large numbers, making it difficult to eradicate them? Would sealing off the subway stations be the best solution?"
Everyone's faces turned pale.
"We need to prepare for the worst," Hai Baihe summed it up. "I think Li Hao's suggestion is right. Staying here will only result in death."
After a long silence, Wang Dong said, "If what you're saying is true, then other subway stations might have also been sealed off. Maybe they haven't found a way out and were killed by those monsters. Can you guarantee that we will find an exit?"
"I can't," Hai Baihe said. "I can't take responsibility for your lives. Let me make it clear: everything I've said is just my personal speculation. Maybe I'm completely wrong, maybe there will be rescue, maybe we can return to our original world without going anywhere. Every choice has the possibility of life or death."
"Everyone is responsible for their own lives."
They were all adults, not partners bound by fate, nor friends who had known each other for decades. Was Hai Baihe close to Liang Xiao? In reality, they were just running buddies, nothing more.
And even though he and Di Ya were no longer boyfriend and girlfriend, they were still comrades. Their trust in each other went without saying.
They hated tests of character because character couldn't withstand tests.
Li Hao was the first to speak up, "I want to give it a try, but I can't do it alone. Is there anyone willing to go with me?"
Hai Baihe raised an eyebrow, "What if you run away like you did before?" She acted as if Li Hao, Wang Dong, and Xiong Baobao running away had never happened. The others also felt awkward and silently kept it to themselves. But now that she mentioned it, they couldn't help but remember.
What if this person abandons you and runs away to save themselves when you're attacked by monsters?
Xiong Baobao and Wang Dong looked embarrassed. They averted their gaze.
Li Hao paused for a moment and said sincerely, "Yes, I did something shameful, but if it were my wife and children, I would definitely fight. But I can't die for you. Everyone is selfish. If you abandon me and run away, I won't blame you."
"I admire your selfish attitude. It takes away any burden in my heart. I'll go with you," Hai Baihe made a jaw-dropping decision.
With two people making their stance clear, it seemed like the scales had tipped. Xiong Baobao was afraid that they would all say they wanted to go, so she quickly said, "I won't go. I'd rather stay here. Dongzi, Zhuang Ge, will you stay with me?"
Wang Dong immediately said, "Don't worry, I'll stay with you."
He and Xiong Baobao looked at Zhuang Yijian, who hesitated for a moment and then said, "I don't think sitting here and waiting to die is a solution, but I'll stay with you. If we leave, we'll leave together. If we stay, we'll stay together."
Mao Xiao had already gone missing. He couldn't abandon
his two teammates here anymore. He was the team leader, and he had to take care of them, just like he had always done.
That left only Di Ya and Liang Xiao.
Di Ya pondered for a moment and spoke first, "I'll give it a try too."
Liang Xiao also thought that sitting and waiting to die wasn't a good solution. "Me too."
The situation suddenly reversed. Xiong Baobao became more frightened. She squeezed Zhuang Yijian's sleeve tightly, leaving bruises on his arm, but he remained silent.
Since they were about to set off, they needed some weapons for their peace of mind. Hai Baihe dragged out a mop she had already set her eyes on from the corner. After a moment of silence, Liang Xiao praised her, "Very practical."
"Or do you want to find me a crutch?" A mop that could be used as a weapon, set on fire, and even serve as a crutch—it was truly a personalized self-defense weapon.
The others took weapons like brooms, file bags, and such, which could be used for assistance when necessary.
While they were searching for usable weapons, Hai Baihe threw a Snickers bar into a drawer. As long as they made an effort to search, they would definitely find it.
Finally, Liang Xiao took a uniform jacket. He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt like the temperature had dropped significantly.
Before leaving, he said to these young kids he had only known for a few days, "After we leave, block the door. Make do with the toilet. If we don't succeed, we'll come back here."
Zhuang Yijian nodded and said firmly, "Okay."
Liang Xiao had confidence in him. He had heard his previous boss at the bar mention that Zhuang Yijian might not talk much, but he was clear-headed. During contract negotiations, Zhuang Yijian would be like this—few words, but unwilling to compromise on price or extend performance time, not even with more money.
In short, he wasn't a restless young man and didn't have the typical quirks of many musicians. That's probably why Hai Baihe couldn't flirt with him anymore.
The subway had two directions, but one side had been disguised as a wall by the monsters using mud. Only one tunnel was broken, while the other side remained intact, as if a subway train would come and take them away from this world at any moment.
People always had a subconscious tendency to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. Without anyone speaking, they all chose the entrance on the intact side, as if it foreshadowed a safe world.
When they arrived, they walked close to the wall to avoid colliding with oncoming trains.
Now, to prevent themselves from being dragged into the underground by the monsters, they walked on the railway tracks.
Liang Xiao led the way, Hai Baihe and Li Hao, the injured ones, were in the middle, and Di Ya guarded the rear. Li Hao didn't know that Di Ya's skills were not inferior to those of a special police officer, and he felt a bit guilty. But since they had proposed it themselves, he was happy to take advantage of it and remain silent.
Because he was slightly distracted by this matter, Hai Baihe suddenly turned around and pushed him. He stumbled backward, nearly falling.
Before he could get angry, he saw Hai Baihe pointing at the tunnel under his feet. "You're welcome."
All his anger instantly turned into fear, and the back of his clothes became damp.
"Thank you," he said sincerely.
Hai Baihe waved her hand. "Have you all noticed something strange? These creatures are clearly strong
, yet they prefer to attack by surprise. Why?"
Li Hao's mind was in a tangle, and his tongue stumbled, repeating, "Why?"
Liang Xiao's eyelids twitched. "They fear light."
"Their characteristics have evolved for underground living," Di Ya added, "Degenerated eyes, sharp claws, scales growing. They resemble humans, but they're not human at all."
Li Hao's tangled mind finally unraveled. "So, as long as we have some light here, they won't dare to come near?" As soon as he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong. "But we had our phones on before."
"There were three of them at the time," Di Ya grabbed a crucial clue. "Perhaps their numbers are small?"
If they had an absolute advantage in numbers and strength, then the few people who died at the beginning wouldn't be enough to satisfy their hunger. They wouldn't have allowed them to spend the night in the subway station so leisurely. They would have eagerly come to hunt for food.
But if their numbers were small, then it made sense. Whether it was disguising the subway station or digging traps, they weren't in a hurry to hunt. Instead, they preferred to stockpile food. After losing one companion, they lurked cautiously in the darkness, not daring to hunt in the subway station.
This seemed like good news, but there was still an unexplained factor. If there were only a few of these monsters left, why would the subway stations be sealed off?
Perhaps it was a limitation of the map? Hai Baihe thought, temporarily putting this doubt aside.