I shook my head vigorously, unsure where my thoughts had wandered. It was so pointless to be examining this hidden compartment. However, just as my attention focused on the interior of the compartment, I noticed a significant amount of bloodstains and, surprisingly, two severed fingers. My eyes widened, and I instantly understood what was happening: this thing had a mechanism inside!
Fortunately, I hadn't reached in, or I would have met the same fate as those people. I quickly retreated and grabbed a bottle, tossing it inside. As soon as the object entered the compartment, several blades appeared and began to slice back and forth. This time, however, the bottle seemed sturdy enough, and the blades couldn't cut through it, getting stuck in the middle. I cautiously moved closer and saw a magnetic card lying beneath the compartment.
I had no idea how it got there. If this was part of the original hospital design, it seemed unlikely, as such a mechanism felt too cruel. If it was the work of those scientists, how could they not know about the traps they had set?
I was puzzled. Could the people who had been here before not be the "sinners" they mentioned?
It was useless to dwell on these thoughts now. I took the magnetic card with me, believing it to be a key to some crucial entrance. I turned and left the room. The hospital's injection room was now before me. I discovered some remains here, and they were in a strange posture: hands raised, skulls contorted abnormally, jaws agape as if they had witnessed something terrifying in their final moments before dropping dead. They had all been gathered around a corner of the injection room, still wearing their work uniforms. Their deaths had occurred about two years ago. Since bodies more than 48 hours old cannot be accurately dated, and these had been dead for so long, I couldn't determine the precise time of death.
It seemed this hospital had been abandoned for at least two years; otherwise, how could these people be explained? They were likely patients receiving infusions, but due to some incident, they had all been scared to death here. While this seemed far-fetched, I trusted the evidence. What I saw before me, coupled with my investigation, suggested that this scenario was indeed plausible.
I opened the doors to several offices. This was the infusion preparation area. I fumbled around and found another magnetic card in a desk drawer. I took out the magnetic card I had found earlier from my patient uniform and compared them. Damn it! They were identical. Could they all be fake?
At that moment, I almost facepalmed. But I reasoned that if they were all keys to public areas, it would be normal. After all, places accessible to any doctor wouldn't likely have different access levels. However, operating rooms or the director's office might require a higher-clearance pass.
This hospital must have been quite large, but for some reason, it had been abandoned. The reason was likely connected to those scientists. I pondered for a moment and left the infusion room office, moving to another. After finding similar magnetic cards in other offices, I quickly realized my earlier speculation was correct. There was no need to collect more; I could just take any one of them.
I intended to leave the infusion room and proceed further, but I encountered a coded door. I didn't turn back to look for the entrance I had just come from because I had to move forward. This coded door couldn't be opened with a magnetic card, and there were no clues. I looked around from the counter to the infusion room chairs, even the floor, but then I discovered a notebook on top of a counter. Opening it, I found several lines written inside: "Dr. Li, I've prepared a hamburger for you. You can get off work early today. I'll be waiting for you at home! Order number '203523'. Ahahaha, I forgot to tell you, I've changed the password again."
"203523?" Could this order number be the password?
I hurried to the door and cautiously entered the numbers. To my surprise, I had guessed correctly. I had no idea who Dr. Li was, but the writer was likely his (or her) significant other.
As I passed through this door, a familiar figure slumped weakly against me. At first, I thought it was someone else, but it turned out to be He Xin!
I had been looking for her. I held her up firmly and found myself here. She exclaimed joyfully, "Dad, you're really here! Let's go quickly! Everyone is in the central laboratory, tied up. Those people are going to turn them into nutrients for the plants!"
"Damn it, how could this happen? Did you see Cao Xiangchen?"
"The boss is at the company. He's not in the lab."
I didn't have time to ask more. He Xin and I passed through a corridor. When we reached the end, He Xin swiped the identical magnetic card I had found earlier, and the door before us opened. So, this type of magnetic card was used to open the laboratory doors.
We finally made our way from the hospital to the nearby laboratory. As soon as we entered, I saw that the walls were covered with all sorts of unknown instruments, emitting strange beeping sounds. Numerous screens displayed data I couldn't comprehend. Electronic arms were constantly rotating, seemingly processing and mixing substances before putting them into separators and extractors for refinement. Seeing me observing the machines, He Xin said, "These machines are all refining nutrients for plants. However, plants are afraid of ultraviolet light. This is something I discovered later while staying here!"
"Oh, really? It seems you've done your homework during this time. Where is Grandpa?"
"He's still communicating with the 'sinners.' You should know about our situation by now."
"Mhm. Won't you attract attention by being with me like this?"
"They spared you because I vehemently argued, telling them I could persuade you to join. They believed me, so..."
I never expected the truth to be like this. It seemed that if it hadn't been for He Xin, I would have been taken away by those scientists, just like the person who wrote the diary, then tied up and turned into nutrients for that plant. That thing was said to absorb blood and brain fluid. It was terrifying.
When asked about it, He Xin nodded vigorously, as if suddenly remembering something. She said nervously, "During our time here, we've seen many people being harmed, of all ages. Cao Xiangchen seems even more malicious than the previous scientists. After inheriting the company, he gained immense manpower and financial resources, allowing him to do whatever he pleased. We all know he's not the original boss, yet he has a sharp business mind. The company was doing moderately before, and without his reorganization, it wouldn't be where it is today. However, he's been doing evil deeds. Father, we must find him quickly!"