Const Orphanage 22

Elvira moved the medicine cabinet aside, pressing his ear against the wall and cautiously knocking.

Thump thump thump—

Thump thump thump—

Clang clang clang—

This was the entrance. Elvira observed the wall at knee level, which was evidently hollow behind it.

His gaze sharpened, convinced this was the place. The wall looked ordinary but concealed a secret passage.

The wall was smooth, devoid of any handles or keyholes, yet he decided to try pushing it. Surprisingly, the wall retracted inward.

Crouching down, Elvira continued pushing forcefully. After about half a meter, a dark passageway opened up on his right side, large enough for a person to crawl through. The air inside was filled with a musty, stale odor, suffocating.

He turned on his phone's flashlight and, after ensuring no one was around, cautiously crawled into the passageway. As soon as he fully entered, the section of the wall automatically sprang back to its original position.

A chill ran down Elvira's back as he suddenly felt the wall behind him turn into an impenetrable stone barrier. He attempted to turn and move the wall, but it remained immovable.

With no choice but to press on, Elvira continued to crawl forward. The secret passage was dark, cramped, and sloped downward steeply. Carved out of rough stone walls, its uneven surface scraped painfully against his knees and hands.

After advancing about a dozen steps, he encountered two branch roads in the path with no signs to guide him.

At that moment, a vibration echoed from not too far away. Something else was crawling through the secret passage, its sound amplified within the confined space.

"Tap, tap, tap-"

The song came from afar, rough as a crow hissing, but a hint of freckled joy could be felt.

"I keep a record, won't step out at twilight,"

"Tap, tap, tap-"

"The god of death with a scythe, a peculiar sight."

Elvira quickly turned off his phone's light and curled up in the narrow passage. He pressed his ear against the stone wall to listen more intently.

Sound travels faster and clearer through solids than through air. It must be close.

Hurry!

Elvira didn't turn his phone light back on but chose the branch road, continuing forward with gritted teeth. Behind him, the "tap—tap—tap—" sound followed at a steady pace, making it impossible for him to gauge the distance.

Every time he paused, the sound would immediately cease, eerily as if someone in the shadows was watching his every move.

Elvira held a flying knife in his palm, tapping the stone walls to mimic the sound of crawling. Darkness enveloped him, void of any light, with only the "tap—tap—tap—" sound echoing in his ears.

Getting closer—

Elvira closed his eyes and swiftly threw the flying knife, sending it slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh.

"Clang—"

The flying knife struck the stone wall and fell to the ground, producing a clear sound.

Elvira abruptly turned on his phone's light, illuminating the secret passage. The empty corridor revealed no sign of the creature.

The monster had not yet shown any intent to kill him.

Therefore, Elvira turned on his phone light again, picked up the flying knife, and continued fearlessly along the secret passage. Soon, he reached the end of the passage, ascended a few steps, and arrived at a door.

Listening intently and deducing from the layout on the blueprints, he assumed that across from him should be the second floor's washroom. After pushing and pulling for a while, he found the door wouldn't open. Shifting it to the left, the door slowly opened.

He carefully crawled out from the low door opening, finding himself in the storage room of the washroom.

So, the door had always been there, cleverly concealed. No wonder he hadn't noticed it before.

...

Altair hadn't entered that secret passage; instead, he merely moved his hands apart, and the stone wall quietly shifted, sealing the passage shut.

To think the Orphanage hid a secret passage.

Clasping his fists tightly, he struck the mechanism forcefully until he was certain that section of the wall wouldn't reopen the passage. Only then did he relax and turn to leave.

Approaching the infirmary door, he found it tightly wrapped with iron chains, one end locked with a padlock. Altair rubbed his wrists, then grasped the chains, veins bulging, yet his expression unchanged.

"Pa—"

The chain broke under the force, and Altair released his grip. The two ends of the chain collided mid-air, producing a crisp sound that echoed through the dim basement.

Pushing open the door to the infirmary, it was pitch black inside. Yet, to Altair's eyes, everything was visible. He saw many children gathered at his knees, arms outstretched, longing for an embrace.

Altair gently touched their heads; these children were no longer among the living. In this Orphanage, they all died in this very room.

He walked over to the secret door, the thick, filthy odor furrowing his brows. He groped around trying to open the door, attempting various methods without success.

Just as Altair considered breaking the door down forcefully, those cheerful children came running over, waving at him to follow.

They gathered around a piece of equipment, stacking up like a human tower, striving to touch a switch—presumably the one to open the door.

Following the children's guidance, Altair felt the hard object. Pressing the switch, the door finally opened.

With a clang, the laboratory door slowly swung open before Altair, revealing its interior.

Compared to last night's expansion area in Laboratory 1, today's Laboratory 2 was even quieter, as if harboring countless secrets. Perhaps due to the preparations for the investors' banquet, experimental activities here were temporarily halted.

Stepping inside, Altair entered what seemed like a horrific exhibition of children and monsters.