I tapped my head, realizing that I had overlooked something from the beginning. There were footprints on the floor only from the person entering, but none indicating their departure.
I was too focused on his actions, neglecting such an obvious detail. If he hadn't left, a chill ran down my spine, and I turned my stiff neck to look at the room. Could it be that the person... hasn't left all this time?
I took a deep breath, telling myself not to panic. The room was not too big, definitely not enough to conceal a person. But damn it, judging from the footprints, it seemed contradictory – the person hadn't left.
No, I suddenly shivered. I thought, "No footprints don't necessarily mean he hasn't left. No, more accurately, he hasn't left through the door. Eliminating all impossibilities, what's left is the truth. So, there must be another exit in the room!"
There must be another hidden door in this station office!
I rubbed my temples, feeling like I had found the answer. Yet, I found myself in a dilemma. On one hand, this abandoned daylight station was too eerie, and I didn't want to stay a second longer, eager to leave quickly.
On the other hand, this unexpected discovery firmly grabbed my curiosity. Humans are like that; once a strong curiosity arises, that inherent nature urges you to move forward without hesitation. In essence, satisfying curiosity is no different from satisfying any other human desire.
At this moment, I might not necessarily want to see a stunning beauty, but I really want to know where that person left.
I stood there, unsure of what to do. I wondered if that thing in the corridor had left. If I went out, there might be risks. Instead, it was this door...
Now I realized I had a plan. It was said that when a coin is tossed, in that instant, you know whether it's heads or tails. Damn this insatiable curiosity.
Since the decision was made, I didn't want to delay any longer. I approached the room door cautiously, listened for a while, found no sounds outside, and then carefully locked the room door. It was my negligence not to lock the door earlier. I never thought this abandoned station, unused for decades, would still have "people" inside.
After locking the door, I returned to the desk. There was only this area with concentrated footprints. Presumably, the hidden door was nearby.
With this in mind, I opened all the drawers on the desk, checked every item on the desk, even crawled under the desk to see if there was any mechanism, but found nothing.
Perplexed, I sat in the chair, looking at the things I had turned out. It was strange. This mechanism wasn't in the tomb; since it was in the office, logically, it shouldn't be too concealed. It should satisfy the habit of easy access.
I checked again, meticulously, inside and out, but still found no clues.
I sat there, scratching my head, pondering. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck me, and I wanted to slap myself. I stood up excitedly, walked to the bookshelf – I had misunderstood. The person didn't first go to the bookshelf; he went straight to the desk, and the bookshelf came later. Since the footprints ended here, the mechanism must be around the bookshelf.
I opened the glass sliding door of the bookcase. After the layer of dust fell off, I started checking each book. Suddenly, a photo fell out from one of the books. I picked it up, and the image was clear – two people. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to find that one of the individuals in the photo, dressed in military blue, was none other than the young Second Master.
Amazed, I felt quite distant. How could the Second Master's photo be here? Moreover, who was the person next to him in the navy blue military uniform? This person had a strong aura, unmistakably a person accustomed to a high position.
The photo was a bit yellowed, showing its age, but well-preserved. If nothing unexpected happened, the other person in the photo must be the leader of this daylight station. The military uniform seemed familiar, as if I had seen it in a TV series, belonging to the kind only high-ranking officials could wear.
I took a deep breath, realizing I had oversimplified things. Not only my father but even the Second Master had been involved here. I suddenly felt deeply tired. What secrets did this daylight station hold? It involved so many people in this matter.
I kept the photo and, with no time to think it over, decided to inquire about the whereabouts of the other person in the picture after leaving. I continued flipping through the books, and in one of them, I knew I had hit the mark. It was a hardcover book with a book jacket. I removed it, revealing a pull ring inside. I felt excited, took a deep breath, and gently pulled the iron ring. The gear behind the bookshelf emitted a "clatter" sound, and the bookshelf on the right slowly moved, revealing a downward cement staircase.
The gap wasn't wide, just enough for one person. I wiped my cold sweat and, holding a flashlight, entered.
The smell down there was strong, the same as the liquid I found in the plastic bucket in the waiting room. I couldn't understand where they got that viscous liquid from and why they spread it everywhere.
The passage was deep, and I couldn't see the end with the flashlight. I wondered, "How could there be a secret passage in the 'General Affairs Office'?". But it was just a fleeting thought; this peculiar abandoned station had gradually made me accustomed to all sorts of oddities.
I glanced at my phone; it had been over an hour. I hoped the driver wouldn't get impatient and leave. In the middle of nowhere, I was truly at a loss. Thinking about it, I took a deep breath and quickened my pace.
The sides of the dark passage were painted with low-quality white paint. Several three to four hundred square black plastic cables hung from the ceiling, entangled in large bundles. Originally used for wiring when this place was designed, it seemed
to have later been repurposed into a secret passage.
After a few minutes, stairs leading upward appeared at the end of the road. I realized it was the exit, so I cautiously approached.
The exit was above, and I took a glance. It seemed to be a small door pushed upwards. I didn't rush to go out, first crouched in front of the small door and listened carefully for a while. Not hearing any sounds, I gently pushed it upward. It didn't feel locked and wasn't very heavy, so I added some strength, flipping the small door directly.
The surroundings weren't pitch-black as I imagined. The exit led to a storage room, with the door wide open, and a bit of light streaming in from there.
I came out, and there were many wooden boxes stacked next to it, some with seals on them. Some boxes were half open, with yellow sponge inside – the contents already taken. I tried to open other boxes but found that all these boxes were nailed shut. After searching around and finding no pry bars or similar tools, I had to give up.
On the other side, there were many large white plastic barrels. I guessed they contained the strange liquid. These barrels lined up to the door.
Walking along the road, I found it was a semi-underground factory area. There were skylights on the high walls, but they were all nailed with wooden strips. The light came in through the gaps.
I raised the flashlight to observe the surroundings. The area was large, and my flashlight's penetration wasn't enough. Unfortunately, on the ground, there were many scattered footprints, making it impossible to discern the direction the person who came out of the secret passage went. In the end, I had to walk towards the direction of a board house.
Inside the factory area, there were heaps of raw materials. Not far from the storage room was an area with rusty I-beams. On the opposite open ground, there were quite a few crushed railway ballasts. Besides that, I also found a large area covered with oilcloth. I struggled to lift a corner and found various components like axles inside, some still covered in oil and wrapped in parchment paper. I guessed it was the place for maintaining trains or station vehicles.
The factory area was unexpectedly vast. After the area with components, there was another row of white iron cabinets extending far away. I walked over with curiosity and found that these cabinets were filled with tools – shovels, pickaxes, hoes, and axes neatly arranged. But as I looked, my confusion grew. Why would there be such a large and complete set of tools here? Even for maintenance tools in a station, this scale seemed peculiar. Could it be there was a large-scale construction project?
The thought of "Platform 7" flashed in my mind. It must be it. Since Platform 7 was so secretive, they must have secretly built it without the knowledge of the "higher-ups." After this realization, everything suddenly became clear. Now, I just needed to find out what they were transporting and where it ended up.
Thinking about this, I became more determined to thoroughly investigate the daylight station after leaving. I might even need to trace the whereabouts of the previous staff. Initially, there were likely many people here, and although the sea of people is vast, the state-owned enterprise from that year should still have personnel records. If I could find one or two people, I would undoubtedly get some clues.
Since my father and the Second Master were both involved here, I had reason to believe that this station was definitely connected to what they were investigating.
I squeezed through the rows of iron cabinets, and due to having the flashlight on for a long time, my phone was hot, and the battery was not sufficient. I decided to try my luck and see if there were any lighting devices inside. I didn't find a flashlight, but luckily, I found several kerosene lamps. The glass outside the lamp was well-preserved, and there was still oil in the lamp holder – quite delightful. I unscrewed the cover, took out a match, lit it, and ignited the wick, which flared up in no time.
When I walked out, I saw more tools, and all the shelves were numbered. It was unimaginable how large this place was during its prime.
I continued walking forward, and not far away were those board houses. Suddenly, I realized something was wrong. In the blurry boundary of the flashlight illumination, a few strange shadows stood diagonally. I felt a chill, stopped my steps, and carefully observed. Damn it, I suddenly discovered that those shadows were indeed human.
The figures drooped their heads, stood straight, and stared stiffly at the wall without moving. This scene instantly reminded me of zombies in Hong Kong movies from the '70s and '80s – a creepy feeling engulfed my whole body. I began sweating behind me, unable to advance or retreat.