Chapter 8 (2/2)

“But after Bando came back from the lab that day, he was like a different person. The bars in the vent duct were also fixed.”

Alice’s continued, horrified. “We wondered what happened. Did teacher find us out?”

Zhou Bai was deep in thought. “Do you want to go outside?”

“You…”

“Then take me to that vent.”

Whether it was the electronic card or the cat associated with the auxiliary system or teacher’s secret—they all seemed to link to the underground laboratory. Zhou Bai decided to see for himself.

So with Alice’s lead, he came to a vent duct on the ceiling of the cafeteria. Then he told Alice to go back.

***

That night, after glancing at Elsa, who was sound asleep, Zhou Bai quietly got out of bed.

As expected, he had to go at night.”

But the moment he reached to open the door, Elsa’s warnings flashed across his mind: “Don’t go out at night.”

“It’s fine, the strange face I saw before was just that cat,” Zhou Bai comforted himself. “And I’m a man capable of telekinesis. Alice and Bando cut open the vent duct at night too. What am I afraid of?”

Walking out of the room, he closed the door softly. Looking into the pitch-black hallway, Zhou Bai frowned.

Because there was no light underground, the hallway was completely dark. Zhou Bai realized he couldn’t see anything.

He had to reach out and feel the wall, walking to the cafeteria from memory.

Zhou Bai swallowed. In the silence and nearly absolute darkness, each second was harder to bear than he had imagined.

After a few steps, Zhou Bai felt like something was watching him in the dark.

After he finally made it to the cafeteria, Zhou Bai felt his way to the vent duct.

In the darkness, Zhou Bai’s hands inched up the sturdy wall. Suddenly, he felt something soft on his fingers.

Zhou Bai was shocked. What was this? His palm climbed up the soft thing, and a hand grabbed Zhou Bai’s mouth. He was so scared he nearly used telekinesis.

“It’s me,” Alice whispered. “I figured you would come at night. How do you plan to go down? I’m coming with you this time.”

Zhou Bai rolled his eyes. Alice continued. “This time, I must see what’s going on with my own eyes. If you don’t take me there, I’m yelling…”

“All right, all right. I’ll take you along,” Zhou Bai said helplessly. “Loosen your hand. You’re hurting my neck.”

Alice went blank, then said slowly, “I’m not grabbing your neck.”

In the darkness, Zhou Bai’s hair stood on end. He used Primordial Spirit power to push off the palm on his neck.

Then he reached out and grabbed Alice, nervously looking around in the darkness.

Alice said fearfully, “What? What happened?”

Zhou Bai asked, “Who’s there?”

He looked at the pitch-black space, his Primordial Spirit power sweeping the space around him. But he didn’t feel anyone else’s existence again.

“Come out.”

In the silent darkness, no one answered Zhou Bai.