Chapter 652: Chapter 650: Old Road (10)_1 Chapter 652: Chapter 650: Old Road (10)_1 “Let’s start from the places we haven’t been to yet.”
Lei hesitated slightly, not expecting Fu Qian’s consent to be so straightforward, and then spoke through clenched teeth.
It seems that all the places we had been active in had already been searched.
Fu Qian glanced at the camping lamp in Lei’s hand and thought to himself that this was not at all surprising.
“Then let’s get started.”
Calling out to Fran, whose expression was stiff, Fu Qian directly gestured for the two to lead the way.
Fran clearly showed some resistance, she would have preferred to go down the mountain to find Jones and the others.
But considering she couldn’t even drive, she hesitated for two seconds and then followed.
…
The building complex halfway up the mountain was divided into three main parts, connected by corridors in the middle, with a gross area that was quite staggering. Searching it would indeed take some effort.
The place where the five of them stayed was just the side closest to the entrance.
The areas that Lei mentioned they had not been to yet were undoubtedly through the corridors.
The problem was that compared to this side, the other areas lacked maintenance and looked much more dilapidated.
Add to that the series of events that had occurred, the whole journey felt exceptionally eerie.
As the four of them crossed the creaking corridor, Fran’s expression visibly tightened.
It wasn’t just her, including Lei and Kateman who suggested this idea, their faces are tight, their steps more hesitant than the last, unsure if they regretted this plan.
Under such an atmosphere, Fu Qian’s behaviour stood out especially glaringly.
He wasn’t taking the lead at the very front, but his demeanor was undeniably relaxed and casual.
As he walked, he observed his surroundings carefully, as if he were simply strolling in a park.
After the initial shock, this leisurely stroll seemed to successfully boost the team’s morale, and finally, someone was willing to speak up.
“It looks like no one has been here for a while.”
Passing through the door at the end of the corridor, a more spacious hall lay before them, and after scanning the area, Kateman was the first to break the silence.
Indeed.
Fu Qian observed the surroundings–the majority of doors and windows were tightly shut, and the musty smell was undoubtedly stronger.
Even though it was around noon, the lighting was still very dim.
And the thick dust on the floor suggested that no one had been here recently.
It was hard to imagine what would compel Jessica to continue walking in upon seeing such a scene.
“Should we go back the way we came and search the other areas first?”
Hearing Kateman propose this, Lei by his side also spoke up, agreeing with his opinion.
“It sounds reasonable, but the description is still not accurate enough.”
Seeing that both Kateman and Fran seemed to agree with this suggestion, Fu Qian suddenly spoke up.
“The current situation is enough to rule out this floor as well as the ones above.”
He pointed to the stairs at the diagonal corner of the hall.
“What if Jessica didn’t take the path we took but entered from somewhere else?”
“You mean we should go from there to the first floor and have a look?”
Lei quickly grasped his meaning.
“Actually, what I meant was the basement.”
Seeing the increasingly serious faces of the three, Fu Qian smiled cryptically.
“After all, based on our previous experiences, we have found some good stuff in basements before.”
Good stuff…
With his expression matching his description, Fu Qian successfully reminded them of the Iron Maiden’s creepy appearance, and their morale took yet another hit.
Unfortunately, the chief culprit didn’t concern himself with these things, and had already walked straight towards the staircase.
A few seconds later, the three people behind him, after a mental struggle, still followed.
…
The staircase was quite stable, and there were no signs of anyone having walked on it either.
Descending to the floor below, the surroundings became even more sinister and dilapidated, with debris scattered everywhere. Even walking as a group, it felt incredibly oppressive.
Fu Qian, however, seemed oblivious, admiring the scene of fallen splendor as he walked without stopping. After circling the area, he successfully found a passage leading further down.
“Are we sure this is necessary? It doesn’t look like anyone has been down here either.”
Even as the boyfriend of the missing person, looking at the dark passage, Kateman couldn’t help but hesitate.
“As the saying goes, since we’re here.”
After giving a reason that lacked any convincing power, Fu Qian took the camping lantern from his hand and led the way down.
In fact, from the beginning, Fu Qian didn’t believe that Jessica’s disappearance was merely a case of her getting lost.
Considering the surroundings, Fu Qian didn’t think she would have had the courage to walk into this place, or any other place, alone.
So in his view, it was pointless to act with the mindset of searching for someone who got lost.
There must be something abnormal that caused Jessica’s disappearance, and that was what they should be focusing on.
Regardless, the basement was something Fu Qian wouldn’t overlook.
At worst, they would come up empty-handed and then, in an undeniable turn of events, they would have to go down the mountain to find Jones.
…
As it turned out, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen.
As the four people arrived one by one at the first basement level, an open door at the end of an even wider corridor captured everyone’s attention immediately.
From its position, it wasn’t part of a normal layout, and the design was simple and plain, resembling the legendary hidden passageways.
…
“Shall we go in?”
Moving forward and after a brief inspection, the team members exchanged glances, hesitant about this unexpected find.
It’s no wonder they hesitated; standing at the door, they could see a passage that led downward in barely sufficient lighting, a dark abyss with no end in sight, and no indication of where it led.
In such a bizarre place, it takes courage to venture into an unknown space like this.
At least, it’s a type of courage Jessica likely didn’t possess.
Here!
In this scenario, Fu Qian gestured with his mouth towards the ground, signalling everyone to look at the marks there.
The prints were quite clear; the door had just been opened.
…
This single action successfully shattered any reason to abandon the search, leaving Lei and Kateman in silence.
“Did Jessica really go down from here?”
At this moment, Fran took a deep breath, staring at the marks on the ground, her face filled with disbelief.
She looked more frightened than at any previous time, but her concern was genuine since her friend might have entered such a place.
“Not certain, but it’s worth investigating.”
As Fu Qian spoke, he handed the camping lantern back to Kateman.
…
Subconsciously taking it, Kateman was taken aback before realizing that Fu Qian intended for him to take the lead.
An instinctive inner resistance made him involuntarily shrink back his hand, but he soon realized that, as Jessica’s boyfriend, he seemed to have no grounds to refuse.
Eventually, under the silent scrutiny of Lei and Fran, he clenched his teeth, lifted the camping lantern high, and stepped down.