Chapter 125: Wooden Table
The dusty electric lamp flickered faintly, brightening and dimming like breathing.
Looking back along the corridor, he could only see two rows of iron doors extending into the darkness along with the corridor, countless rooms in number.
Most doorways were covered in rust spots, but still fit tightly into the door frames without leaving even a crack.
But there were exceptions among them.
Apart from the room he was in, several other doorways visible in his line of sight had been opened, with dim yellow light from inside passing through the door frames and shining on the filthy dark red carpet.
There were no shadows in those lights, and it was unknown where the “people” in the rooms had gone after opening the doors.
Fortunately, the nearby doorways showed no signs of being opened, and the one directly across from Zhang Qian had its door handle completely rusted, clearly not having been opened or closed for a long time.
After observing for a moment, Zhang Qian stuck his head out through the door crack and began checking the situation on the other side.
But the left side of the room was also a bottomless corridor, nothing particularly different from the other side.
A normal corridor would definitely have an entrance, but neither side looked like it.
“Am I this unlucky? This room of mine isn’t right in the middle, is it?”
Muttering to himself, he quietly stepped out of the room, his foot landing on the carpet in the corridor.
“Squeak—”
The thick carpet seemed saturated with moisture; even a light press caused much black liquid to surge out from the fibers.
The liquid had just emerged when it was immediately sucked back by the carpet. The carpet showed no sign of being polluted, remaining that unchanging dark red.
It seemed impossible to move without making a sound.
But this wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
His actions would make noise, but so would others’; at least he didn’t have to worry about being ambushed from behind.
Moreover, hearing this sound in the future would allow him to avoid in advance, a small convenience.
Staring into the unfathomable darkness, it was silent inside, like a void.
From the looks of it, there shouldn’t be anything else moving in the corridor.
After waiting a moment, still no danger occurred.
“I thought there might be traps or something in the corridor, looks like I overthought it…”
Another squeak; Zhang Qian, now fully in the corridor, involuntarily held his breath.
Now truly in this corridor, he suddenly felt an indescribable sensation.
It was an inexplicable oppression.
Like losing the shelter of the room, facing the narrow endless corridor, he always felt that something in the darkness could devour anyone in the corridor at any moment.
Moreover, the surroundings offered no room to maneuver, and there were no cabinets or furniture in the corridor; if real danger came, there’d be nowhere to hide.
The surrounding temperature had dropped a few degrees, gusts of chilling wind carrying a rotten stench into Zhang Qian’s nose, but upon closer feeling, the air was dead still, without the slightest flow.
Glancing back at the brightly lit room, though rundown, it seemed much safer than this corridor.
But returning to the room was impossible; without food supplies, his mobility would decline over time, and eventually he might not even have the strength to explore.
Taking a slightly disgusted breath of the foul air, Zhang Qian looked at the two similar stretches of corridor and chose to head right.
The room’s main entrance wasn’t closed; with the door handle outside covered in rust, Zhang Qian wasn’t sure if he could open this iron door from the corridor.
Leaving the door open, at least if real danger came, there’d be a place to hide.
Thinking it over, he tore a fragment from the bed sheet and tied it as a mark on the door handle.
Though just a small action, it might save his life in a crisis.
“For now, both sides look about the same, and I have no clues, so I can only pick one at random.”
He walked very slowly, each step placed carefully, afraid of triggering any danger.
Even so, the carpet in the corridor still squeaked, announcing his position like a signal.
“What a strange feeling…”
Zhang Qian observed the surroundings while paying attention to his own condition.
No external injuries, but his mind felt weighed down by a giant stone, making every action feel full of pressure.
Like walking a log bridge, one misstep and he’d fall into the abyss.
The corridor’s sides were unchanging iron doors, unmarked, looking identical in the dim space, almost blending with the similarly rust-spotted walls.
If not for the open iron door behind him gradually receding, Zhang Qian would suspect he was caught in a ghost wall, circling in place.
Though most doorways were locked, Zhang Qian didn’t approach rashly, walking in the center of the corridor, wary that one of the iron doors might suddenly open.
If possible, he’d want to check each one for danger. But thinking of the captain somewhere unknown, and his mere seven bullets…
Better not; if there really was a ghost after opening one, whether he could beat it was a problem.
“All fear stems from insufficient firepower; the senior wasn’t lying.”
Shaking his head slightly, he refocused, looking ahead at that different room.
His right hand quietly gripped the handgun, safety already off; if things went wrong, he wouldn’t hesitate to use his bullets.
“The first open doorway… here we are.”
On the left side of the corridor, a widely open doorway stood quietly by the wall, dim yellow light spilling out, illuminating a small area at the entrance.
Before reaching the room, Zhang Qian had already pressed against the wall and stopped, listening intently for movement inside.
Without the squeaking footsteps, the entire corridor fell silent at once, even his deliberately slowed breathing clearly audible.
“If I didn’t hear wrong, there’s no one inside?”
After waiting a moment, he quietly poked half his head out, peeking at the situation inside the room.
The room was fully visible, no figures or other strange things.
Damaged wallpaper, filthy bed, old curtain… everything looked just like the previous room.
The only difference was that this room’s bedside had nothing.
Zhang Qian didn’t enter rashly, just standing at the doorway, confirming once more if the room was safe.
His line of sight swept over the previously hidden corner, immediately spotting a special table.
To the left of the bed, a dark red wooden desk was pressed tightly against the wall corner.
The table had no drawers; from its shape, it should just be a simple desk.
Too far to see clearly, he didn’t know more details.
