Lu Yunfei stood in front of Li Yecheng.
The man before him was tall, with broad shoulders and a straight posture, exuding the competence and authority of a soldier. His short hair was neat, his facial features sharp, with a darker complexion. His arms were tightly muscled, a sign of years of training. His eyes were calm and strong, and though he had not spoken yet, every move he made radiated a sense of reliability.
Lu Yunfei broke the silence, saying, "You look like you're from the military."
The man nodded slightly, his voice deep and brief, "Yes, I'm a Marine Corps soldier."
Lu Yunfei nodded and glanced toward the pitch-black corridor, frowning. "Looks like we'll have to keep looking for an exit, or at least figure out where we are."
Li Yecheng did not speak further. His gaze swept the corridor, evidently assessing his surroundings quickly. He looked up at the ceiling, where there was no light, and the cold, hard floor beneath his feet echoed their footsteps.
Lu Yunfei recalled the directions. "The nearest door after coming out of my room is the one you were in. The distance between the two rooms is at least fifteen meters," he said, looking further ahead. "Such a long corridor—there's no choice but to keep moving forward."
The two of them began to explore the corridor. It felt like a massive maze, the air stifling, only their breathing echoed in the hallway. They moved cautiously forward, the darkness seemingly endless. After walking about a hundred meters, Lu Yunfei suddenly stopped.
"There's a door here!" he whispered, his hand touching the cold metal doorframe.
He took out the access card and swiped it across the door lock. After a soft sound, the door slowly creaked open.
A burst of light suddenly shone through, causing both of them to squint. As their eyes adjusted to the light, the sight before them stunned them both—behind the door was a dense forest. Towering trees stretched high into the clouds, thick canopies blocking the light above. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and the scent of plants filled the air. The ground was covered in soft moss.
"This… how is this possible?" Lu Yunfei murmured, his eyes full of doubt.
The two exchanged a glance, realizing that this place was even more complicated and bizarre than they had imagined.
Standing in front of the door, they faced a thick forest. In stark contrast to the cold corridor, this place seemed to lead to another world entirely.
Lu Yunfei cautiously stepped forward, his foot landing on the soft moss, feeling like real earth beneath him. The air was moist, and the trees stretched high into the sky. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground, and the air had a refreshing chill to it.
"This is really a forest… a very primitive one," Lu Yunfei murmured.
Li Yecheng followed, silently observing his surroundings. He reached out and touched the rough bark of a tree, its texture so real it made him frown slightly. He stepped back two paces, staring at the door. The door appeared as if it had materialized out of nowhere, standing alone, with no trace of the corridor's structure visible from this side.
"This door… it doesn't seem to belong here," Li Yecheng said, his voice low. "It looks like it was forcibly inserted to connect this place."
Lu Yunfei looked back, and sure enough, behind the door was only dense forest, with no trace of the corridor's architecture. He tried pushing the door, but it wouldn't budge. "The door's locked. Looks like we can't go back."
Li Yecheng surveyed the surroundings and slowly stepped into the forest. He gently stepped over fallen leaves, his movements cautious. "The corridor is gone. We can only move forward and see if we can find any clues."
Lu Yunfei glanced at Li Yecheng and casually broke off a branch to clear the bushes ahead. He spoke quietly, "You said you were a soldier? How did you end up here?"
Li Yecheng looked down at himself, as if still not fully adjusting to his environment. "I'm a Marine Corps soldier. My last memory was being shot during a mission. My teammates put me on a plane to return home. When I opened my eyes again, I was already in that room."
Lu Yunfei frowned, hesitation in his voice. "As for me… a car accident. The headlights from a car on the opposite side of the highway blinded me, and then…" He paused. "I remember the last moment—excruciating pain, especially in my neck."
The two walked side by side through the forest, the ground soft with soil and scattered leaves, the distant chirping of birds filling the air. Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting mottled shadows on the ground, and the air was infused with the unique fragrance of plants basking in sunlight.
"Do you think… where are we?" Li Yecheng asked in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the path ahead.
"Who knows," Lu Yunfei sighed softly. "Maybe someone found us, saved us. Sounds like a medical miracle…" He shook his head self-deprecatingly. "But my neck injury… I was dead, how could they have saved me?"
Li Yecheng fell silent for a moment, his frown deepening. "No matter how advanced medicine gets, they can't bring me back from nothing. Besides, there's no sign of surgery on my body."
The two exchanged a glance, and the air grew quiet for a moment.
"So," Lu Yunfei broke the silence, "this is an experiment?"
Li Yecheng didn't respond directly, his voice low as he said, "No matter what it is, I need to figure it out."
They continued walking, and the deeper they went into the forest, the denser it became. The towering trees grew thicker, their roots tangled, and vines hung down, almost completely blocking the path. The door to the corridor was long gone, as if it had entirely separated them from another world.
"This place feels real," Lu Yunfei said casually, picking up a fallen leaf and rubbing it between his fingers. The texture and moisture were no different from reality. "If this is fake, how advanced would the technology have to be?"
Li Yecheng didn't reply, his gaze suddenly sharpening. "Up ahead."
Lu Yunfei followed his gaze, and to their surprise, there was a small red wooden house standing deep within the forest, looking utterly out of place.
"A forest cabin?" Lu Yunfei was stunned. "How could there be something like this here?"
Li Yecheng tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "Let's go take a look, but don't get too close. We need to observe first."
They slowed their pace and approached the cabin, taking cover behind trees. From a distance, they could see that the cabin's windows were partially open, and there was no step in front of the door, just a rough stone slab as a doorstep. Strangely, there seemed to be light inside, with the faint glow of a yellow lamp reflected on the curtain.
"Do you think someone lives here?" Lu Yunfei asked in a low voice.
Li Yecheng didn't answer, his expression cautious. He raised a hand, signaling Lu Yunfei to stay quiet, and continued moving closer to the cabin.