svetikya Chapter 10 Tian Tian is here!
Chapter 10 Tian Tian is here!
The two men, Lao Zeng and Lao Chen, also heard the sound and looked up nervously at the ceiling.
The three followed the sound and eventually arrived at the bottom of a ventilation shaft.
Immediately afterwards, loud knocking and the sound of screws being turned came from the ventilation vents. At that moment, all three had only one thought in their minds: "Run!"
Without any prior agreement or the word being uttered, the three of them simultaneously stepped back and then turned and ran towards the door.
By this time, the newcomer had already removed the metal plate used for concealment, but as soon as he peeked out, he saw the three people frantically trying to escape, and he was speechless: "They're really cautious."
"It's me, it's me! Don't run away." She didn't dare to speak too loudly, so she could only shout in a low voice.
The person who came was Tian Tian. She gently placed the barrier in the empty space opposite her and carefully leaned out half of her body, afraid of startling the other person.
After examining the man for a moment and confirming that he was indeed Tian Tian and not some kind of ghost, Lao Zeng hurriedly went to meet him and signaled Ron and the other man to come back.
He went down to the bottom of the ventilation shaft, raised one hand high so that Tian Tian could help him step onto the ground by stepping on her shoulder.
Tian Tian was extremely agile. She bit the paper in her hand and leaped down, her toes barely touching her shoulder before she landed silently, just like a cat.
Although the three were quite surprised by Tian Tian's arrival, they reacted quickly.
Ron arrived at the bathroom door, gently closed it, leaving only a crack to keep an eye on the prison guards outside, ready to alert the three of them at any time.
Old Zeng and Su Zixu were responsible for exchanging intelligence with Tian Tian.
"We were terrified! We thought some ghost was crawling down here."
"By the way, how did you get here? You didn't even have a flashlight to light your way. It's quite impressive that you managed to crawl here in the dark."
Su Zixu now held the woman in higher regard. Judging from her skills just now, he could tell that she was indeed quite capable and not an ordinary person.
"I've learned some martial arts, so I'm quick and have an excellent sense of direction, so I rarely get lost. Also, this tunnel isn't very wide, and my size makes it easier for me to move around in here compared to them."
As Tian Tian spoke, she unfolded the piece of paper she was clutching. "This is the clue Lizzie found. She drew a diagram of the prison ventilation ducts, and I was able to climb over here by memorizing this."
"Did you draw this down?" Old Zeng asked, taking the drawings with a puzzled expression.
Tian Tian nodded, and then quickly recounted to the two what had happened that morning.
"Didn't you bring that watch?" Su Zixu asked.
"Oh, big brother, it's so dangerous for us to go to the library. Who knows what will happen if we bring that thing out? Sister Xi almost died inside because of this watch."
but......"
"But what?"
Su Zixu saw that Tian Tian looked troubled and didn't want to continue, but he vaguely felt that this matter was very important. If Tian Tian was hiding something, it might be detrimental to them.
"We're a team now. If we all die because you don't speak up, you won't survive either."
"Okay, I'm worried that if I tell you, you won't be willing to take on the task of going to the library."
Although they have scheduled a fixed week of activities, it is impossible for us to spend the whole week in the library.
Because the watch face has side effects, I believe that anyone who starts using that watch face and stands within its range will experience these effects, including accelerated aging even after they stop using it.
In order to get through this dream smoothly, Tian Tian told him about it.
"No wonder you seemed a little unfamiliar to me earlier; so that's why." Old Zeng's eyes lit up, and he stroked his chin before asking, "Have you looked like this ever since you came out?"
"Hmm... I think that's true. When I left the library, I looked in a small mirror and I looked much older than before."
When we arrived at the bathroom in the afternoon, we looked in the mirror and we looked even more haggard than before.
I can clearly feel that I'm not as agile as before, and look how much gray hair I have!
As she spoke, Tian Tian lowered her head and brushed her hair aside.
Sure enough, just as Tian Tian said, her originally jet-black hair was now mixed with many white hairs.
"More importantly, Zhang Qingxi is aging the fastest among us. She was originally in her 50s, but you haven't seen her. She looks like she's in her 80s now."
She needs our help to walk now, but we're unsure if she'll continue to age. The three of us haven't aged any further so far.
Hearing this, Lao Zeng was actually alright, since he knew Tian Tian and was naturally willing to share the work, but Su Zixu and Luo En might not be so sure.
This is risky; if the watch is used improperly or excessively, it can damage your life.
Aging itself is nothing, but in this kind of place, dragging a decaying body around makes it almost impossible to do anything, which is tantamount to being indirectly sentenced to death.
"And all the prison guards seem oblivious to our aging, as if we've always been like this." Tian Tian's pupils constricted slightly. "We won't be assimilated, will we?"
"What is assimilation?" Su Zixu asked.
"You might gradually lose yourself and become one of them. Those who are assimilated will become vegetative in reality."
Old Zeng looked at Su Zixu and explained, then continued:
"But I don't think it will happen this time. At least I didn't feel any strange sensations like memory loss or a sense of belonging. So I don't think that happened in this dream. Don't be nervous."
After saying that, Old Zeng gently patted Tian Tian's shoulder, signaling her to relax.
"Okay, I noticed earlier that there are only three of you. Could it be that..." Tian Tian had noticed this when she came in, but time was of the essence, so she wanted to get to the point first.
"He's still alive. He was kidnapped by the prison bullies and forced to work for them."
However, I think this might be an opportunity. It's inefficient for us all to be gathered here. He'll be going tomorrow too, and that kid is timid, so it'll be good to have someone to look after him.
As Old Zeng spoke, he pointed at Su Zixu with his finger.
"Okay, do you know what mission they're going to do?"
Seeing that the two shook their heads, Tian Tian stopped asking questions, took out a piece of white paper and a pen and handed them to Lao Zeng, indicating that Lao Zeng should make a copy of the ventilation duct diagram.
While Lao Zeng was drawing, Su Zixu also told Tian Tian about what had happened that morning.
"Anyway, I think if we go to the library again, we'll need you guys to go. What are your plans?" Tian Tian looked at the two of them, and at the same time looked at Ron at the door.
Ron spoke first: "I'll go tomorrow morning. Old Zeng shouldn't go; he's not getting any younger, and there's still a risk. Su Zixu still has to deal with Edwin's group this afternoon, so it's not good for him to be too tired in the morning."
Ron chuckled and joked, "I'm still young, I won't be drained into an old man. It's alright, I can afford to wait."
"Okay, we'll meet you in the corridor. Just follow the map and climb up the pipes," Tian Tian said.
Seeing that Ron wanted the screwdriver in her hand, she added, "There's a storage room in the laundry room; both men and women should have it. You can look there. I still need this."
"Understood. It's getting late, the prison guards will be coming to inspect soon, you should go back quickly." Ron reminded him, seeing that Old Zeng had already drawn the pipe diagram.
Having done what needed to be done, Tian Tian didn't waste any more time and climbed back into the ventilation duct by stepping on Lao Zeng's shoulders.
No sooner had Tian Tian left than a prison guard entered about half an hour later: "Why is the door closed? Are you all done?"
"I just didn't want to disturb your peace. It's all done, so please come and check it."
Old Zeng still wore that forced smile. After speaking, he stretched out his arm and gestured for people to enter.