Chapter 300: Beyond the Hidden Door
After wiping the blood off her dagger on Firetail Pig’s corpse and returning it to its sheath, Fang Xiaocao turned to Wan Xiaozhou, who was now fully dressed and had her backpack on. Although her face was still pale, her eyes were bright, and she didn’t seem to be seriously injured.
“Take his equipment too!” Fang Xiaocao instructed Wan Xiaozhou, pointing at Firetail Pig’s body.
Wan Xiaozhou nodded, unzipped Firetail Pig’s backpack, stuffed the scattered equipment from the table inside, zipped it up, and held it in her hand. She slung the katana and gun over her shoulder.
“Princess, all set!” Wan Xiaozhou smiled.
“Let’s go!” Fang Xiaocao nodded in satisfaction. She gave Firetail Pig’s corpse one last cold glance and walked out of the room without looking back. Although Firetail Pig was a skilled fighter, Fang Xiaocao despised Korean men from the bottom of her heart. They were all big men, yet more effeminate than she was, arrogant and ignorant, which disgusted her. She didn’t want to waste her mental energy hypnotizing such a repulsive person.
Leading Wan Xiaozhou out of the room, Fang Xiaocao continued her search for Hummingbird. With Wan Xiaozhou as backup, Fang Xiaocao could have checked the wall in the operating room to see if it was the Pawnshop’s disposal chute. However, she figured Hummingbird wouldn’t have gone far, and it would be better to find Hummingbird and check together. If it was indeed the disposal chute, they could leave immediately. If not, it must be hiding some unspeakable secrets. With more people, they would have more help and avoid any unfortunate accidents.
Following the corridor, Fang Xiaocao soon spotted Hummingbird searching at the end of the corridor.
“Hummingbird?” Fang Xiaocao called out softly.
Hummingbird immediately stopped and looked at Fang Xiaocao. When she saw Wan Xiaozhou behind Fang Xiaocao, she instantly became alert, her hand reaching for the gun at her waist.
“Don’t be nervous, she’s one of us!” Fang Xiaocao said, noticing Hummingbird’s vigilance. “Hummingbird, let me introduce you. This is Wan Xiaozhou, one of us. She was ambushed after entering the mountain and got separated from us. I didn’t expect her to be held captive here. Xiaozhou, this is Hummingbird, a new companion. Give her the katana!” Fang Xiaocao smiled, introducing Hummingbird and Wan Xiaozhou to each other.
“Hello!” “Hello!” Hummingbird and Wan Xiaozhou exchanged glances, nodded, and greeted each other.
“Here!” Wan Xiaozhou took off the katana and tossed it to Hummingbird. Hummingbird caught it, unsheathed it with a “whoosh,” twirled it, and, finding it comfortable, nodded in satisfaction. She sheathed the katana and looked at Wan Xiaozhou, “Thank you!”
Wan Xiaozhou smiled slightly, “You’re welcome.”
“Hummingbird, did you find anything?” Fang Xiaocao asked curiously. She had seen Hummingbird tapping on the walls earlier.
Hummingbird shook her head, “No, I just couldn’t find the Pawnshop’s disposal chute, so I wondered if there might be a hidden door in the wall, like in the tomb.”
“I see…” Fang Xiaocao was a little disappointed. She had thought Hummingbird had found a hidden door like she did.
“If you didn’t find it, I did.” Fang Xiaocao smiled mysteriously. “The hidden door is in the operating room. It should be the Pawnshop’s disposal chute. Let’s go take a look and find it.”
“Really?” Hummingbird’s eyes lit up.
“Of course! Let’s go take a look!” Fang Xiaocao said confidently.
The three of them went to the operating room. “The hidden door is in this wall. Let’s look for it together,” Fang Xiaocao said, pointing at the wall.
Wan Xiaozhou and Hummingbird nodded and started tapping on the wall. Fang Xiaocao looked at the decorations in the operating room, searching for anything out of place that might be the hidden door’s mechanism.
Five minutes later!
“Princess, I found it!” Just as Fang Xiaocao was starting to doubt herself, Wan Xiaozhou suddenly shouted.
Fang Xiaocao looked at Wan Xiaozhou, delighted. Wan Xiaozhou had pressed a switch on the wall, resembling a light switch. With a “click,” the overhead shadowless lamp didn’t turn on, but the wall made a “rumbling” sound, slowly opening a passage wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
“Let’s go! Let’s go in and take a look!” Fang Xiaocao said excitedly.
“Princess, I’ll lead the way!” Hummingbird volunteered.
“Okay, be careful!” Fang Xiaocao agreed. Entering the unknown required a scout. She couldn’t do it herself, so Wan Xiaozhou and Hummingbird were the best choices. Wan Xiaozhou wasn’t in top condition, so Hummingbird was the natural first choice.
With Fang Xiaocao’s approval, Hummingbird drew her gun and dagger and stepped into the hidden passage first. Without waiting for Fang Xiaocao’s instructions, Wan Xiaozhou took the second spot, following Hummingbird. Fang Xiaocao drew a dagger and took the rear. This formation ensured that if there was danger ahead, Fang Xiaocao could retreat first.
Inside the hidden passage, there was a similar switch. Fang Xiaocao pressed it, and the hidden door closed automatically. To the naked eye, there was no gap at all. Fang Xiaocao wasn’t surprised. She hadn’t noticed any gap from the outside either. It was normal. A mysterious organization like the Pawnshop, with plenty of money and advanced technology, could easily create such a hidden door.
The passage behind the hidden door sloped downwards. There were no steps, and the passage was covered with anti-slip patterns. Fang Xiaocao suspected they would slide down like on a slide.
Looking at the downward slope, Fang Xiaocao wondered about the Pawnshop’s location. If this passage led to the cannibal rat nest that Tom and the others had burned down, it meant the Pawnshop was located above the nest, probably on the mountainside. However, Fang Xiaocao couldn’t be sure if the Pawnshop had any above-ground structures. She didn’t think they were above ground, even if they were currently above the cannibal rat nest. It would still be an underground structure.
The passage wasn’t straight, but full of twists and turns. Every ten meters or so, there was a bend. But no matter how many turns they took, they were still going down.
