novelhk Chapter 24 Pipes
Chapter 24 Pipes
Since both directions lead to dead ends, the only option is to take routes that are not commonly used by ordinary people.
Lu Dan dragged out a dusty desk from behind and placed it directly in the middle of the corridor.
He stepped onto the desk and reached out to pry open the loose access panel above his head.
A damp, foul odor wafted towards him. Lu Dan held his breath, braced himself against the edge, and with a mighty leap, squeezed himself into the narrow ventilation duct.
The pipe was so narrow it was unbelievable; it could only accommodate one person crawling forward.
He had just fully pulled his legs in when, with a crisp "click," the access panel beneath him sprang back and locked automatically.
Lu Dan tried kicking it hard twice, but it didn't budge.
Very well, our retreat is blocked. Now we're truly like steamed buns in a steamer, with no choice but to move forward.
It was pitch black all around, with only the beam of the flashlight casting a pale white path.
The inside of the pipe was covered with thick dust and dense cobwebs. With the slightest movement, the sticky cobwebs would stick all over your face.
Lu Dan could only move forward little by little, like a worm, relying on the strength of his elbows and knees.
After moving for a short while, a dense rustling sound came from the depths of darkness ahead, which made one's scalp tingle, as if countless tiny feet were rapidly tapping on a sheet of metal.
Before Lu Dan could react, the beam of light suddenly exploded—hundreds and thousands of palm-sized geckos converged into a gray tide and surged toward him.
They have no eyes, only sucker-like mouths that emit hissing sounds.
"This is hell for people with trypophobia," Lu Dan cursed inwardly, but his movements were extremely fast. He quickly adjusted the flashlight's focus, reduced the aperture to its smallest size, and switched to high-intensity strobe mode.
A powerful beam of strobe light pierced the group of geckos.
These creatures, who lived year-round in the dark pipes, were clearly afraid of light. When exposed to strong light, they all emitted painful squeaking sounds and scattered to both sides like the receding tide, squeezing into the gaps in the metal sheets, trembling.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Dan sped up, using both his hands and feet, and managed to crawl through the slippery pile of flesh.
The pipe is sloping downwards.
After climbing for an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared ahead—a louvered ventilation vent facing the corridor below.
The land urchin climbed above the exhaust vent and peered down through the gap.
Upon seeing this, even with his strong mental fortitude, he couldn't help but feel nauseous.
This is the corridor on the 3rd floor. The once empty corridor is now filled with a huge shadow.
A burly, deformed humanoid monster, wearing a Zhongshan suit that was bursting at the seams, with arms densely covering its back, shoulders, and even neck.
Dozens, even hundreds, of arms of varying sizes were swinging and grabbing wildly, and in the center of these arms was a huge creature—the very same giant gecko that had previously chased Lu Dan.
This once invincible predator is being pinned against the rough cement wall by this human figure.
"Sizzle—sizzle—"
The sound of friction echoed all around.
The giant human figure was like sharpening a dull knife, grabbing the gecko's head and body and rubbing it wildly against the wall, causing blood and flesh to fly and bones to shatter.
"Huff...huff..." It ground against the ground while making heavy panting sounds, as if venting extreme anger.
"Disobedient... It's covered in dirt... Why are there always stains that I can't seem to wipe away?"
The giant gecko had long since fallen silent, and the remaining half of its body had been ground into a pulp, yet it was still being mechanically rubbed.
Lu Dan felt his throat was dry, and he even deliberately slowed down his breathing.
He carefully looked away, afraid to look again, lest he be noticed.
He must leave this slaughterhouse as soon as possible.
......
Table World, Building B.
"Ring ring ring~" The school bell rang, cutting through the night sky. The sound was like a signal to start some kind of collective clockwork.
Inside the counseling room, Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly flung open the door.
Almost simultaneously, the classroom doors in the corridor opened one after another, and countless students in blue and white school uniforms poured into the corridor like a precise assembly line of products.
Everyone wore the same smile, the corners of their mouths curving upwards perfectly, their eyes staring blankly ahead. There was no talking, no pushing or shoving, only the sound of synchronized footsteps.
The footsteps of hundreds or even thousands of people overlapped into one sound, causing the floor to tremble slightly.
"Where are they going?" Bao Ping huddled at the doorway, swallowing hard as he watched the scene unfold.
Zhang Kai, who had just woken up, was pale and leaned against the door frame, glancing at the clock on the wall.
"Time is up."
"It's time to go back to the dorms now; they're going to 'sleep' in the dormitory building. The security guard will probably be patrolling too."
Lin Xiaoxiao's heart tightened.
Lu Dan is trapped in the inner world. If he cannot reach the dormitory building on time, the consequences will be unimaginable.
"Let's go too."
Lin Xiaoxiao made a quick decision, turning to look at the dazed Su Ke and the blank-faced Li Mu, and quickly put on an anxious expression, "Su Ke, it's so late, I'm really worried about you going back to the dormitory alone. What if you run into bad students on the way? I'll take you back."
While this reason may seem a bit far-fetched, it perfectly aligns with her public persona under the banner of protecting students.
"Thank you, teacher."
Su Ke nodded mechanically, her smile returning to its perfect form.
The group went down the stairs.
When Lin Xiaoxiao reached the third floor, she paused for a moment.
The spot that should have been the location of Class 4 of Senior Three is now a ruin—the walls have collapsed, the desks are shattered into pieces, and there are several dark red stains left on the ground.
The surrounding students ignored it, smiling as they stepped over the ruins as if it were just a slightly uneven paving stone.
Lin Xiaoxiao looked around; the terrifying headmaster wasn't there.
"Hurry up!" she urged in a low voice.
......
The Inner World, deep within the pipes.
Lu Dan felt like a stone wriggling inside his intestines.
He is venturing deeper into the area.
Suddenly, a chill ran straight up to the top of my head.
Without warning, a pale, enormous hand reached out from the darkness behind him. The hand was abnormally large, with long, thin fingers and black nails, carrying a foul stench, and it reached directly for Lu Dan's ankle.
It came too fast, too quietly.
Lu Dan's reaction had reached its limit. He suddenly pulled in his abdomen, arching his body like a shrimp, barely avoiding the fatal grab.
"Rip—"
A large piece of fabric was torn from the pant leg, leaving several stinging, bloody marks on the skin of the ankle.
The large hand grasped at empty air and did not pursue further, slowly retreating into the darkness. Immediately afterwards, a deep voice echoed in the pipes: "No matter how long... there are so many geckos here again."
The figure clearly mistook Lu Dan for another darting little gecko.
Lu Dan lay on the sheet metal, his heart pounding, cold sweat soaking his back—if he had been half a second slower, he would have been dragged back and ground into mincemeat like that giant gecko.
Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to care about going into the pipe to chase a "gecko".
Taking advantage of the moment when the other party stopped, Lu Dan dared not hold back in the slightest.
While remaining silent, he used his elbows to exert tremendous force, moving towards the faint light ahead.
Closer, even closer, the maintenance cover for the exit is just ahead.
Once you open it, you can jump down and escape this suffocating cage.
Lu Dan held his breath, reached out, and his fingertips touched the cold cover.
The latch clicked open with a soft "click," and Lu Dan carefully pried open the cover with his hand, revealing a gap, ready to observe the environment first.
Through the slightly open slit, what came into view was an eye that occupied the entire field of vision.
The pupil of that eye shrank to the size of a pinhead, staring intently at Lu Dan from a distance of less than a few centimeters.
The moment their eyes met, a large, wrinkled face slowly twisted into a distorted smile, revealing a set of gleaming yellow teeth: "Got you."
"Why are those naughty kids still playing hide-and-seek up there?"