Chapter 13-Resentment X

Unlike Yang Jiahui's normal appearance which was a cute look, she looked bolder right now. She was wearing denim ripped short, black off-shoulder crop top, high heel boots, and heavy make-up. 

She beckoned him with a subtle curl of his index finger, motioning for her to come closer, but he didn't move immediately and instead, stared at her.

Lu Xiyun sensed a difference in her demeanor compared to when she was at the cafe. He felt like he shouldn't get too close to her at the moment, even though he didn't know exactly why. 

Yang Jiahui didn't gesture for him to hurry. She simply stood there, waiting. 

After a few minutes, Lu Xiyun took a step forward, indicating he would follow her. She smiled faintly, turned around, and began to walk. He trailed a short distance behind her, his hand in his pocket where he kept the metal scraps. As they walked, he occasionally glanced behind him, but there was no one in the hallway, not even a shadow.

Yang Jiahui paused at a door, about to turn around to face Lu Xiyun. However, the teenager suddenly bolted, catching her off guard, as well as two men lurking around the corner. The three individuals swiftly regained their composure and began pursuing the teenager.

Unable to rely on his sense of hearing, Lu Xiyun heightened his reliance on his other senses. He detected a distinct scent, a combination of disinfectant and rusty smell of blood, lingering in the air – a scent shared by all the men present. Throughout his walk with Yang Jiahui, this scent lingered around him, emanating from behind. Coupled with her suspicious demeanor, Lu Xiyun hesitated to enter the room, knowing it was likely not an exit.

As he ran, he scanned the surroundings for a potential hiding spot but found nothing aside from the doors lining both sides of the corridor. Hastily, he tried the door handles of several rooms, but they were all locked.

When he rounded a corner, he spotted something.

Yang Jiahui and the two men underestimated the teenager's agility and speed. By the time they reached the corner, he had already disappeared. Aware that Lu Xiyun lacked access to locked rooms, they pursued him down the hallway. Sometime after they had left, a sudden gasp for air echoed from the ceiling.

When Lu Xiyun was wandering around earlier, he noticed exposed pipes snaking along the ceiling and walls in certain areas.

He realized he would eventually be caught in this predicament. With no other option, he leaped onto the lowest horizontal pipe on the wall, then jumped forward and grabbed the lowest pipe on the ceiling. Hanging onto the pipe, he swung his legs toward a higher pipe since he couldn't reach it with his arms. After bending his legs on the pipe, he released his hands, now hanging upside down. Pulling himself up, he adjusted his position. Finally, he held his breath to minimize his presence. The entire sequence of movements took him approximately 7 seconds.

If anyone in the pursuing group had looked up, they would have easily spotted him. Luckily, they didn't pause or check their surroundings as they sprinted forward.

After spending some time up there, Lu Xiyun jumped down. He looked at his red hands caused by the cold pipes and moved his fingers. Though his fingers felt stiff for a brief moment during one of the movements, the stiffness had gone away now. 

He walked in the opposite direction of where Yang Jiahui and the two men were running. Considering that the two men were following from behind, they must have emerged from either one of the rooms or an entrance. He hoped it was an entrance, as that would mean a way out. 

He didn't dwell on Yang Jiahui much, as his priority was to escape first.

Lu Xiyun encountered several dead ends before finally coming across a door that seemed like an exit. Through the window on the door, he could see a staircase leading upward. Climbing the stairs, he reached another door at the top. With a deep breath, he cautiously opened it. After slipping through, the door closed behind him with a click. He checked his pocket for the long wire, but it was missing, likely dropped during his escape. This meant he couldn't go back if this was the wrong route. 

On this floor, which was notably brighter than the one Lu Xiyun had been on before, there was a strong scene of disinfectant. The air also felt fresher, lacking the dampness from below, despite the absence of windows.

Lu Xiyun had a hunch he wasn't underground anymore. Now, he had to figure out whether he could find an exit on this floor.

– 

An individual carefully placed the ball of their foot down first, followed by the heel, for quieter steps. They also distributed their weight evenly on both feet, avoiding leaning to one side to minimize the impact noise of their footsteps. Though it sounded simple, it required a certain degree of balance and control. Lu Xiyun couldn't hear his footsteps, but based on past experiences, walking like this made it harder for others to locate him.

Simultaneously, he walked while bending his knees, requiring even more stability. In the corridors, there were doors with windows. To prevent anyone inside the rooms from seeing him, if there were any, he lowered his height. With a height of 1.5m, his head barely reached the lower edge of the window, but it was better to be safe.

On these doors, there were no handles. They resembled the sliding doors he had encountered in large supermarkets before, but even when he stood in front of them, they didn't open. Lu Xiyun wasn't familiar with the type of locks on the sides of these doors, but he noticed a hand icon flashing on and off on the black part of the lock.

He debated whether to look inside the rooms, considering it could be a way to find an exit. 

Stopping at a corner, he checked if anyone was walking in the corridor. Choosing the nearest door, he tiptoed and peeked in through the window.

The moment he looked inside, he saw a group of people, but fortunately, they were not facing toward the door. Everyone was wearing loose blue clothing that covered them entirely except for their eyes. The material seemed unique, different from what Lu Xiyun typically wore.

The group stood in the middle of the room, their attention fixed on something. From Lu Xiyun's vantage point, he couldn't see what it was.

Apart from the people, he saw a series of unusual white machines, each differing in size and shape. One of them emitted a beam of light directed towards the group.

After glancing into several more rooms, all appearing mostly identical except for one vacant chamber, he concluded that the exit likely wasn't within these rooms. With this realization, he halted his inspection and continued onward in pursuit of an exit.

However, Lu Xiyun's footsteps were starting to be heavier, and his breathing quickened. 

He lost track of time, unsure whether hours or days had passed since he fled the room. The constant state of tension had left him physically and mentally exhausted. Moreover, his physical condition wasn't optimal to begin with. While he had been eating and sleeping more in recent months, improving his health, it was still insufficient. The exertion required to execute the movements on the ceiling pipes, coupled with the previous running and ongoing walking, had thoroughly drained his energy.

As he peered around another corner, Lu Xiyun caught sight of someone in blue attire pushing a small bed at the opposite end of the corridor. On the bed lay a woman, her profile vaguely familiar to him, though he was certain he didn't recognize her.

While he focused on the woman, a flower scent, distinct from the disinfectant, suddenly reached his nose. He swiftly turned around, but it was too late. Before he could react, he felt the same sharp sensation on his neck that had previously caused him to lose consciousness. His vision blurred, and just before darkness enveloped him, he glimpsed a woman and a man engaged in conversation.

The woman, Yang Jiahui spoke first. "Is the anesthetic stronger this time?"

"Yes, it's more potent. He'll be out for the entire day. This is the first time someone has given us so much trouble. Hopefully, someone will choose him soon." replied the man as he hoisted Lu Xiyun onto his shoulder and began walking.

During their previous encounter, they had intended for the sedation to last five hours, but Lu Xiyun woke up nearly three hours earlier than expected. Fortunately, they had managed to transport him to their location and secure him in the room before he regained consciousness. Hence, they opted for a stronger sedative this time.