Translator: Reina Editor: Killian
Sun Zheng flipped through the record book in his hand, he said after a beat, “I didn’t find anything related to this room or the child in these records… Instead, I just discovered a larger problem.”
“What problem?” Lu Xia moved, turning his face sideways.
Sun Zheng handed the record book in his hand to Lu Xia, then opened another book to the first page, and pointed to it, saying, “Look, the first book only has records until about May or June in 2001. There are a total of ten entries. However, the second book begins from February or March 2002, that is to say, there is no record of what happened in between them.
Lu Xia snatched both record books over and flipped through them from beginning to end, then from beginning to end again, before slamming them down onto the table, and turned with a solemn expression. “This isn’t just a larger problem, it’s a serious problem, Zheng! This means that our most useful clue at present, these record books, are also incomplete!”
“But there are still records in the second book!”
“Those records can only let us know where the incidents occurred and what happened in each incident, but the only record left related to my brother who knows how to get out of this chasm is not here!”
“Why didn’t Yan Yang record it down too?”
Lu Xia glared at the record he threw on the table again. “How would I know!”
Sun Zheng frowned and thought for a long time. “The clues which Yan Yang left behind were taken away, the materials in the archives were also taken away, and the records are missing several entries too. Does this mean that we have no clues at all now?”
Lu Xia nodded, his face was ghostly pale. He turned the key in his hand over and said in a frustrated tone, “Now I have no way of knowing what this key is for…”
Sun Zheng had yet to fully accept the state of their predicament, and he opened his mouth to confirm again. “So you mean to say, we no longer have clues about how to get out? So we can’t get out of this place now?”
Lu Xia nodded again, refusing to speak this time.
Sun Zheng’s hands trembled. Ever since he knew Lu Xia, that person was always smiling with one deep and one shallow dimple, always immersed in a lackadaisical atmosphere. Even after entering the chasm, his eyes were still shining with hope, and he never said a single disheartening word. He was so optimistic that it made people suspect his mental age, yet his excellent judgement and analytical ability at critical moments amazed even Sun Zheng.
However, at this moment, the bright gaze of the person beside him gradually dimmed, and his tightly pursed lips made Sun Zheng finally realise that maybe they’d really met a dead end.
Even Lu Xia was helpless.
Numerous scenes of their time after entering the chasm were rapidly spinning through Lu Xia’s mind. There were still many mysteries, too many mysteries which have not been solved and cannot be solved. He loved the thrill of escaping from moments of desperation, he enjoyed the joy of solving puzzles. But now they were completely stuck here, have come to a real dead end, and lost all their clues.
The corridor on this third floor was extremely dangerous. On their journey down from the fifth floor, they’d met the most unknown “monsters” and aggressive things on the third floor, and the situation got increasingly complicated. Who knew if something even more terrifying would appear on the second floor? What’s more, the information they currently have is incomplete and it is still doubtful whether they can safely complete the rest of the journey.”
Although the watch stopped working, he could still estimate that it had been at least six or seven hours since they’d entered the chasm, and this was the most exhausting time for humans. The two of them had been in a state of high tension all the way, except for Lu Xia who ate some bread, Sun Zheng had yet to touch a single drop of water, let alone eat anything.
Could he still hold on? Lu Xia turned to look at Sun Zheng, and met Sun Zheng’s eyes.
Both of them were thinking of the same question.
The pale face of the other party was reflected in each other’s eyes. The dimples had disappeared from Lu Xia’s face, and the composure had also disappeared from Sun Zheng’s face.
The room was terribly quiet. The darkness outside seemed to have finally gotten to them, sneaking into their nerves and penetrated deep into their bones at this moment.
Lu Xia felt uneasy under Sun Zheng’s gloomy gaze, and shifted her attention to the door.
Should they go out?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Qbeiv atfs wffa atja aklrafv gerailcu mgfjaegf, bg atf kjcvfglcu rbei bo j mtliv atfs tjv cb miefr jybea…
Ktflg mbegjuf kjr rffwlcuis rjqqfv jkjs ys atf rlifca vjgxcfrr, jcv la yfmjwf wbgf jcv wbgf vloolmeia obg atf akb wfc ab fnfc lwjulcf wbnlcu atflg offa jcv kjixlcu bea ab ojmf atf gfra bo atlr tbgglyif kbgiv.
They were tired, hungry, and sleepy. Their entire body seemed to be drained in an instant, and they felt weak, powerless.
If they went on like this… Lu Xia suddenly realised that his current state of mind was inflicted with despair. He turned his head around, trying to chat with Sun Zheng to lift his own spirits.
But he found that Sun Zheng was lying on the table, fast asleep.
Sun Zheng pillowed his head on his arms, breathing shallowly. His back rose and fell slightly with his breathing, and his face was covered with a layer of sleepiness and uneasiness.
To think that he could fall asleep under such circumstances. He must have been really pushed to the limit!
Lu Xia’s lips curved into a wry smile as he stared at Sun Zheng’s sleeping face.
He tightened his grip on the key in his hand. Lu Xiaoyun, where are you?
The name that he hadn’t seen for a long time gradually snuck into his thoughts along with his memory of the other person.
An old winery with the strong scent of liquor, wet walls covered with moss, broken blue glass windows and crooked railings.
The chill in the corner of the walls, and a darkness where you can’t even see your five fingers.
“Xiao Chuan, Xiao Chuan, where are you?”
His voice echoed throughout the empty room, and those broken wine jars seemed to have turned into ferocious claws, grabbing at him in all directions.
“Xiao Chuan, Xiao Chuan!”
His own panicked voice echoed all around him. He stumbled, and all he could think of was the dilapidated walls and half-open doors of the winery. Behind each door, there seemed to be a pair of hidden eyes.
In the darkness, there was only the sound of his one pair of running footsteps, no, not just one pair. There seemed to be countless people following him, silently…
“Xiao Chuan, we are not looking for Xiao Cai anymore. We’re going back! Let’s go back!”
Xiao Chuan had disappeared. There was no sound at all.
His fists swung around, but nothing came of it. The darkness surged up and swallowed his fists, his voice, and even his body.
Brother is a liar! He said Xiao Cai was here!
No… Brother warned him before. Don’t come to this winery, it’s a haunted winery.
A haunted winery…
“Lu Xiaoyun, get out here! Lu Xiaoyun!!” He smacked and banged at the door.
He shouldn’t have bragged about his brother being able to see ghosts. He shouldn’t have bragged about being fearless.
“Lu Xiaoyun, Lu Xiaoyun!!!”
His voice suddenly caught in his throat, and stared straight ahead with his eyes wide open.
……
That person’s figure was completely hidden in the darkness. If he hadn’t spoken, he would have been completely unaware of this person’s presence.
“Get lost!”
The cold voice was full of impatience. It was a very familiar voice.
Something hastily released him, and he flung himself into the darkness, onto that person’s legs.
That person’s body seemed to be covered with this kind of icy chill, and he clung to it.
“Brother!”
He felt like being picked up and tossed over a shoulder onto the person’s back.
He leaned on the person’s back and they walked slowly forward, along the wall, along the gloomy darkness.
Walking silently, walking…
Until…the sun…
Lu Xia was dazzled by the bright sunlight and snapped his eyes open. Only then did he realise that he had also fallen asleep too, right next to Sun Zheng, lying on the table.
However, there was no actual sunlight in this place. The gloom and darkness of a cemetery was still enveloping Tonghua Hospital as usual.
He held his forehead in his hands, as if he couldn’t believe that he fell asleep.
How long had he slept?
He looked around with the flashlight, but everything was still the same. He felt his own body, it was still warm, the touch was still real, and he hadn’t turned into those ‘things’ either.
Unexpectedly, he also dreamed of his brother from many years ago.
He thought it would be useful to yell for Lu Xiaoyun in a critical moment, but now that Lu Xiaoyun had disappeared for many years.
If it was Lu Xiaoyun…how could he leave him without a way out?
He faintly felt that he had an inkling of something, and grabbed the record book on the table.
Sun Zheng felt that someone was pushing him, calling him Zheng, Zheng. He hated that intimate address so much that he rubbed his eyes impatiently, trying to tell the man to shut up.
Then he completely woke up all at once.
“Lu, Lu Xia?”
The man was very close to him and was looking at him amusedly. “What’s wrong? What did you dream about?”
Sun Zheng shook his head, his mind finally became clear.
“I fell asleep?” He seemed unable to believe that he had fallen asleep under such circumstances, and even slept so soundly.
Lu Xia spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders: “It can’t be helped. Talented scholar Sun Zheng must be full of confidence!”
Sun Zheng gave him an aggrieved look. Why did this guy start using this weird tone again?
Lu Xia didn’t take the other man’s expression too seriously, and pushed him good-naturedly. “Zheng, what if… what do you want to do after you go out?”
Sun Zheng was dumbfounded. Why would he suddenly ask this?
“Tell me…” Lu Xia squeezed him again.
“I…I don’t know…” Sun Zheng was still in shock
After going out? Going out… He was taken aback by the blankness in his mind. He didn’t know what to do after going out. What could he do? His mind was already full of Tonghua Hospital.
He concealed his expression, and asked Lu Xia, “What about you?”
Lu Ya pursed his lips, “Go on a blind date.”
“Why a blind date?”
“I heard that people who have entered the chasm have a short life, so I’ve got to rush to complete mankind’s basic mission and leave my excellent genes behind, lest my mother lament her eldest son all day long.”
Sun Zheng felt more and more ominous in his heart. Why did Lu Xia start talking nonsense like this? The previous him would’ve never talked about these first, and would do whatever he wanted to directly. Could it be that Lu Xia also thinks that we are really at a dead end? And this was small talk to help them pass time?
Thinking about this made Sun Zheng feel sad, and he decided to test waters by asking Lu Xia, “Then what if we can’t get out?”
Lu Xia stared at Sun Zheng, then opened his eyes to look in detail. Those two bright eyes stared unblinkingly at Sun Zheng’s face, making Sun Zheng’s heart shudder.
Then eventually, he suddenly said earnestly. “Then it can’t be helped. We’ll have to find someone, then with Liu Qunfang as the matchmaker, Lao Zhang and Lao Mao’s ghosts as witnesses, do our three bows in the archives room, use the operating room as a nuptial chamber, adopt the little ghost outside the door as a son, and become a ghost couple.”
Ghost, ghost couple?!
Sun Zheng was stunned for a moment, then with a blushing face, cursed, “Crazy!”
Lu Xia laughed and clapped his hands: “Why is your reaction so large, we didn’t even go into the details of who your partner is. Besides, I made a new discovery.”
Smiling, Lu Xia took out the record book and put it in front of Sun Zheng. He was in a very good mood, and cracked his earlier joke to liven up the atmosphere, but failed to notice Sun Zheng’s very uncomfortable expression.
“Since Dr. Yan can write this record, he will definitely not leave us without any clues. My brother will also definitely not just leave us alone like this. Take a closer look at this record.”
Sun Zheng took Yan Yang’s record over, his hand still clasping the edge of the table.
“Yan Yang did leave us a last clue, but our previous guess was wrong. His last clue was not with that child, but here.”
Lu Xia: You, you, you, and you! All of you are invited to my wedding!
Author is giving us so many cliffhangers 😭😭 But I will gladly attend your wedding Lu Xia!!
Even if it means you’ll be trapped in the chasm too? 😇
Oh, well..
AAAAA THE CLIFFHANGER TT
Great translation as always!!
Thank you!