Chapter 11-Resentment VIII

In the dim light, the teenager walked quietly down the hallway. He stopped at a corner and peeked out to make sure no one was there. Lu Xiyun had been trying to find a way out for a long time. He thought the place might be underground because there were no windows, and the air felt damp. He passed by an elevator that showed it was on the 7th floor and still going down, so he avoided using it. He hadn't seen any cameras, but he wasn't sure if there were any in other rooms. He managed to escape from the bedroom because it seemed like no one was watching him closely.

This morning, Lu Xiyun woke up after sleeping for a few hours and reviewed the plan he had thought of the night before.

He switched off the lamp on the cabinet and, once the light bulb had cooled down, removed it. Holding it carefully, he proceeded to the bathroom, where he intentionally shattered the light bulb on the floor. Afterward, he retrieved the broken bulb, found a spot free of glass shards, and utilized the sharp edge of the metal scraps to pry out the wires from the center.

While trying to evade the grip of the two men yesterday, he grabbed several pieces of metal scraps in his vicinity and discreetly stashed them in his pocket. Their attention was fixated on restraining him, and they remained oblivious to this subtle movement. 

He cautiously extracted the wires from the light bulb. Tying them together with small knots, he created a longer wire. By the time he finished, there were red cuts on both of his hands due to the small glass shards still attached to the base of the light bulb. He paid little attention to these cuts, as they inflicted minimal pain on him.

He refrained from leaving right away, thinking someone might come to check on him soon. As expected, a woman brought his meal. He quickly ate for energy, not wanting to waste it. The experience of starving for days, to the extent of resorting to eating grass, naturally made him appreciate the value of food.

As he ate hastily, Lu Xiyun felt anxious. 'What if the wire wasn't enough to unlock the door? What if it broke? What if someone was in the corridor the whole time and caught him trying to escape? What if they punished him for attempting to break free?'

After finishing his meal, he knew he had some time before someone would enter again. Seizing the opportunity, he skillfully threaded the thin wire through the narrow gap between the wall and the door, maneuvering it into the door lock. With precision, he attempted to unlock the door. Click!

Lu Xiyun shut his eyes and took several deep breaths before cautiously cracking the door open. He scanned left and right to ensure there was no one nearby. He opted not to go back to rescue Zhang Tongtong, uncertain if she had been relocated to another room like him. Considering she had been confined without harm for a prolonged period, there was a possibility they wouldn't harm her for the time being. Furthermore, there was no guarantee of a safe escape, making it wiser to find a way out and seek help.

Lu Xiyun kept trying to find a way out but wasn't making much progress due to the large and maze-like nature of the place, plus the need to avoid encountering people.

When he turned a corner and saw three people approaching just five feet away, he quickly retreated. With no time to backtrack down the long hallway, he urgently looked around for an escape and chose the nearest room. Holding the door lever, he hoped it wasn't locked and pulled it down.

Click. He hurriedly went inside the room and closed the door.

The teenager didn't even get a chance to relax when he noticed an expressionless woman standing and staring directly at him with her bulging, big eyes. He instantly froze, feeling his heartbeat racing even faster.

The two of them didn't move or make a sound. Lu Xiyun couldn't hear, but he didn't see the woman moving her mouth.

He didn't know how long he had been staring back until he noticed something was off.

The woman wasn't blinking at all.

Lu Xiyun slowly moved to his right, and he saw that the woman's gaze didn't follow him. He grabbed a piece of metal scrap from his pocket and accurately threw it at her face. The woman didn't blink or evade the scrap; it hit her squarely on the face.

Earlier, he was too anxious to notice his surroundings. Now, he scanned around the room, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.

He saw several people standing in the room, all facing in random directions. On the shelves, there were transparent containers in all sorts of sizes and shapes. Inside them were body parts like torsos, arms, and feet, but he saw it wasn't limited to these.

He collapsed on the floor after the adrenaline rush was over.

Lu Xiyun squeezed his eyes shut, bit his lip, and clenched his fists tightly while counting up to 60. Ignoring the blood on his lip and hands, he slowly stood back up. He had learned how to suppress his emotions using this method, but it wouldn't work when his mind was overwhelmed, like last time at the mall.

Although the sight in front of him was disgusting and creepy, it wasn't too bad. At least it couldn't hurt him. He decided to stay in this room for a while since he wasn't sure if the three men were still around.

Lu Xiyun walked to the woman in the white, long dress. A nameplate hung on her neck, but he couldn't recognize the characters. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the person's eyes were lifeless. After hesitating for a second, he touched her arm with the tip of his finger. It felt warm and hard.

He proceeded to check the other people in the room. Apart from the difference in clothing – the men were wearing white shirts and pants – they all shared the same features: nameplates, lifeless eyes, and a warm, hard touch.

Turning his attention to the containers, Lu Xiyun observed that the body parts were submerged in a clear, purple liquid. From afar, he hadn't noticed, but upon closer inspection, the body parts were hollow. They were just floating skins. He knew that beneath the skin, there should be flesh, bones, and nerves, as he had seen them before, although they were more fresh at that time. 

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lu Xiyun thought it should be safe to leave now. He peeked outside, and there was no one in the corridor.

He knew that wandering around aimlessly was ineffective, but he had no other choice. There were no directional signs like the ones he had seen in the mall before. His phone had been taken away, so he couldn't call Zhao Bojing for help.

Abruptly, a hand firmly grasped his shoulder, causing him to jolt and turn around. It was Yang Jiahui! She gestured for him to be quiet by placing a finger in front of her mouth, and a smile appeared on her face. Lu Xiyun looked at her for a moment before taking a step back.