Chapter 15-Resentment XII

In the quiet corridor, shallow, rapid breaths could be faintly heard. The nape of the owner's neck was covered in a thin layer of sweat. His palms grew clammy, so he wiped them on his pants.

A cloth soaked in blood was wrapped around his left arm, and the liquid that had covered his body had dried quickly. Apart from feeling a bit sticky, there wasn't much evidence of him being in a capsule just a while ago. 

Lu Xiyun reached a split at the corridor's end. After glancing at the map for a moment, his hand shook slightly as he decided to turn left.

In the room, the tubes connected to the capsules were visible, but in the corridors, they were hidden within the walls. Without being able to see them, Lu Xiyun had to estimate their locations based on the map's drawings.

Throughout his journey, Lu Xiyun maintained a fast pace. His instincts urged him to escape as fast as possible, especially since the stiffness he had experienced twice before was becoming more frequent. Each occurrence lasted longer than the previous one, heightening his sense of urgency.

Before long, he reached a dead end. He tilted his head slightly upward and examined the wall in front of him for about a minute. There, he spotted a rectangular, white air vent.

Lu Xiyun laid the map on the ground beneath the vent and held onto the vial tightly. He took a few steps back, then sprinted towards the air vent, leaping up as he neared it. With his left arm extended, he inserted his fingers into the small openings of the vent, hanging himself in the air. Blood dripped down to his shoulder, and a few drops landed on his face. With his other hand holding the vial, he uncapped it with a flick of his thumb and poured some of the content into a corner of the vent. Quickly letting go, he watched as the vent melted. After picking up the map, he repeated the same process, this time holding onto the edge of the air vent and pulling himself up.

Once inside, he lay down in the narrow space, gasping for air. Trails of blood continued to flow down his numbing left arm, pooling beneath him. Despite being lightweight, holding himself up in the air with an injured arm took a toll on him.

He used his right hand to pour the vial fluids since he wouldn't spill it. 

His harsh breathing eventually subsided after a while. Ignoring the dizziness, he started thinking his next course of action.

He decided to enter the air vent for safety reasons. It would be difficult for anyone to catch him there, especially since it would be challenging for them to fit inside. Although he had noticed several vents before, they were either too small or located high up in the ceiling.

Following the map's guidance, he proceeded to crawl through the vent. Eventually, he noticed a bright light shining into the duct from a distance. Approaching cautiously, he peeked out through the holes. Once again, he saw nothing but the corridor.

Lu Xiyun continued crawling through the vent, uncertain of how many he had passed until he observed something different.

Two individuals sat across from each other at a table, surrounded by various items including a small TV and a pile of folders. One of them, whose face was partially covered in white fabric and whose clenched fist rested on the table, engaged in conversation with the other person. However, as the air vent was positioned behind the second individual, Lu Xiyun couldn't see her face. Observing their interaction, he concluded it held no significance.

In another room, a family of four sat around a table as a person entered, holding a folder and displaying its contents to the parents. After a brief discussion, the person left and returned with plates of food, which were eagerly received by the children who began eating happily.

In a different room, two individuals with identical faces sat facing each other, chained and with their hands resting on a large button on the table between them. A massive, sharp-edged metal object hung above them, activated by the button's press. As Lu Xiyun watched, the metal descended, impaling one of the individuals, causing blood and flesh to burst out. The other person's chains inexplicably loosened, allowing him to approach the other person, who was twitching, with a smile before leaving the room.

Lu Xiyun's eyes widened slightly in shock at the gruesome scene before him.

He continued to encounter rooms with various activities, some similar to those he had witnessed earlier. As he examined the map, he realized its usefulness had diminished. Uncertain if the tubes connecting to the capsules stopped extending further or if the map only covered a certain area, he faced a dilemma. With few options available, he resigned himself to continue crawling through the air vent duct in search of an exit.

The black dust gradually stained the teenager's once-white shirt and pants, creating a stark contrast against his now-pale face. Even his lips, once a vibrant red, had faded to a lighter shade. His left hand bore a noticeable blue tint, standing out against the other. With each passing moment, disorientation set in, and his vision blurred, forcing him to squint just to see clearly. Still, he never stopped. 

While another person might have succumbed to hopelessness in Lu Xiyun's situation, he maintained a remarkable level of patience despite the seemingly endless cycle of escape attempts. This resilience stemmed from his previous experiences, during which he had endured prolonged periods of waiting.

As Lu Xiyun crawled deeper, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, the accumulating dust tickled his nose, tempting multiple sneezes. Desperate to stifle them, he pinched his nose and clamped his mouth shut, waiting for the urge to pass before resuming his journey.

This time, he stumbled upon yet another peculiar room. The first thing that caught his eye was an enormous tank, partitioned into sections, each filled with a different hue of clear liquid, with tubes connecting to each one. Finding nothing particularly noteworthy about the room, he decided to move on.

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Unbeknownst to Lu Xiyun, as he moved on, blood trickled out of the vent opening and into the tank below. Soon, a series of noises echoed in the room, and the liquid levels decreased slightly before stopping, only to repeat the process. Meanwhile, in the capsule rooms, all the colors of the liquids were now tinged with a reddish hue. In one of the capsules, a young woman's eye twitched before she became still.

When it came time to check on the occupants of the room again, the individuals in lab coats entered and began to scan the area. Soon, they became frantic, rushing to the capsules and pressing various buttons while making urgent calls. 

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As for Lu Xiyun, he spotted an air vent opening in the distance and caught a whiff of fresh air. Crawling faster, he reached the vent and emerged into the blinding sunlight. The invigorating scent of earth filled his senses, signaling his escape into the open air.