svetikya Chapter 12 Death Penalty Section 3
Chapter 12 Death Penalty Section 3
Liu Runyu's pupils slowly contracted as he slightly opened his mouth. He had overheard other prisoners gossiping about the Third District this morning, but no prisoner knew anything about the area, and the rumors were untrue.
He stumbled upon something by sheer luck.
He walked towards the door and stood quietly in front of the rusty door. Liu Runyu gently turned the handle.
"Hey! What are you doing?" The one who spoke was the curly-haired man who was wiping the food stains off him.
"Have you been inside?" Liu Runyu hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
"Do you want to go in? Hahahaha." The blond man still had that mocking expression. In his eyes, Liu Runyu was both pathetic and ridiculous.
"Quiet." Edwin gave the blond man a warning look. "If I hear you make another sound, I'll rip your throat out."
Upon hearing this, the blond man, who had been laughing heartily just moments before, immediately fell silent and dropped his mocking grin.
"We've tried before, this door can't be opened, don't be curious," Edwin answered Liu Runyu's question, which was quite rare for him.
"So this is where we work?" Liu Runyu said, looking at the group of people sitting on the ground, and then pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
"It's just a sinecure; I don't need to do anything. I can leave when my shift ends."
Liu Runyu nodded and stopped asking questions. He was worried that if he continued to ask, he would anger these lunatics. At the moment, it was more important to save his own life.
Time passed slowly, and the bored prisoners began to find places to lie down, some even snoring.
Liu Runyu leaned against the wall, reflecting on the events that had unfolded since this morning—everything was beyond his expectations. Not only had he failed to help, but he had also caused such a huge mess. If he simply sat and waited, he would find nothing when he returned home tonight.
Old Zeng had told him last night that every second he stayed here was a second of death at risk. The search for clues was, of course, accompanied by corresponding risks; one had to be careful, or else one could pay with their life.
Liu Runyu rubbed his messy hair, his heart filled with conflict: "If I don't look for clues, I can get away with it today, but he won't be able to explain himself tonight." He was timid, but not stupid. He knew how worthless people would be treated, just like at work, they would be fired.
"But if I go..." He looked up at the door that exuded death and desolation, and his heart began to beat faster.
Lowering his restless hands, Liu Runyu took a deep breath and clenched his fists: "I'll fight it out. I'm going to die either way, so I might as well die knowing why." He encouraged himself in his heart.
People often find unwavering courage in dire straits, and Liu Runyu felt a surge of strength within him. He slowly stood up, stared at the sleeping Edwin and his group, and carefully moved towards the door.
I tried turning the handle again to pull the door outwards, but after several attempts, the door showed no sign of opening.
Just as Liu Runyu turned the handle again, a gust of wind came from behind him. He had just turned around to see what was happening when his collar was grabbed and he was slammed into the door behind him.
At that moment, neither of them noticed that the door had been pushed open a crack. It was after the door was pushed open a crack that Liu Runyu's foot was tripped by the person who came in, and his body fell straight backward. The person who pushed him also fell forward due to inertia.
The action seemed to be in slow motion. As the man fell towards the door, Liu Runyu grabbed the blond man by the collar. The man's face, which had initially shown mockery, ridicule, and anger, turned to terror as he and Liu Runyu slammed into the door.
The light suddenly dimmed, and with a dull thud, Liu Runyu's head hit the ground hard. He felt a throbbing pain and dizziness in his head and lay on the ground for a long time to recover. The blond man was better off; he fell on top of Liu Runyu, immediately got up, and started cursing at Liu Runyu, kicking him every now and then.
Because he had hit his head, Liu Runyu couldn't hear what the blond-haired man was yelling, and he just felt extremely annoyed.
Just as the blond-haired man was about to kick him again, he hardened his heart, grabbed the foot that was kicking him, and pulled the blond-haired man to the ground.
The blond-haired man, who had lost his balance and fallen to the ground, grimaced in pain and became much more obedient.
After calming down, the blond-haired man sat on the ground, staring blankly at his surroundings. They were now in a narrow corridor with five rooms on each side. The doors had no windows, only a long, narrow food delivery opening at eye level. The rusty, dilapidated cell doors seemed to tell them that life inside had ended.
The air was filled with the smell of decay and mold. The only light source in the entire space was a dim light bulb that emitted a buzzing sound and flickered occasionally, as if it could go out at any moment.
Large areas of the wall plaster have peeled off irregularly, revealing the dark gray cement wall underneath, resembling a patient suffering from a skin disease.
The corridor wasn't very long. An old elevator stood at the end, its doors wide open like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast, and the red display screen on the top of the elevator resembled a countdown to death.
A deathly stillness pervaded the air.
The color drained from Huang Mao's face, turning ashen. His breathing became rapid, and he suddenly stood up, lunged at the door, and began pulling on the handle.
Seeing that the door remained unmoved, he began pounding on it again. But there was no sound from outside. He pressed his face against the door, listening intently to the sounds outside—utter silence, as if this place and the outside world were two separate realms.
"Don't bother, it's useless." At this moment, Liu Runyu also calmed down. He felt uneasy here, but fortunately he was not alone. Although he felt disgusted by this person from the bottom of his heart, he might as well cooperate with him for the time being.
Just as a sheep sensing that the wolf pack was approaching, Huang Mao's expression became increasingly frantic. His eyes were wide open, and upon closer inspection, one could see a few tears glistening in them. He was trembling with fear, clearly starting to feel terrified.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have run into this mess. Is it so hard for you to just stay put?" The blond-haired man gritted his teeth and was about to grab Liu Runyu's collar.
But Liu Runyu reacted faster this time, slapping the blond-haired man right across the face.
"This isn't outside anymore. You're all alone now, and no one can help you except me. If you hadn't pushed me, neither of us would have gotten in. If I die, you won't be able to get out alive on your own." Liu Runyu's previous timid demeanor was completely different now. He appeared very strong, but in reality, he was also very uneasy. He knew that if he showed any fear now, he would definitely die, and die an unexplained death.