Puzzle Madness

Chapter 169 Autumn is the Hunting Season (Part 5)

That's not all:

Boom, boom, boom.
A deep, muffled thud came from deeper inside the air-raid shelter; it sounded like a heavy object colliding with the ground. Without light, smell and sound were the only remaining means of perception.

And the musty smell faded—
Something even more pungent was spreading. A metallic smell gradually filled the air: the stench of blood. The smell of blood overpowered the odors of mold, rat droppings, and stagnant water.

Besides the blood and odor, it also contains a foul smell—smelling like feces and greasy grime, usually from animals.

The smell grew stronger and stronger, filling the nasal cavity and making people want to cough; but no one dared to cover their mouth and cough out the taste stuck in their throat.

The muffled sound was no longer dull, but loud; the ground trembled, and puddles in the darkness rippled.

The thing in the darkness is getting closer.

Some people's fingers were trembling and their palms were sweaty; others had cold but steady hands, showing no signs of being frightened.

But one thing is certain: the thing in the darkness is moving much faster than they can move, and it will be upon them soon.

Clang clang clang: The sound of concrete being scraped by a sharp object, which sounds quite strange.

Four adults were trapped in a passageway that was only about three meters wide, with no suitable shelter. The doorways on either side might offer some protection, but stepping into them without proper guidance could easily lead to disorientation.

Whatever is lurking in the darkness, judging from this terrifying commotion, it cannot be small; therefore, it will be even more difficult to escape its search.

If we continue to move forward little by little, we'll soon be coming into close contact with that stench.

"Turn on the flashlights! Let's go!"

There was a voice in the darkness, it seemed to be Huang Youtian's voice.

啪：
As soon as Huang Youtian finished shouting, Suantang Bak Kut Teh quickly turned on his flashlight to point out the escape route for everyone; with his other hand and bare feet, he pushed off and kicked, shouting as he went—
"Follow me! Run straight back!"

No one even turned around to observe where the strange sound was coming from; risking one's life for curiosity was not a worthwhile deal.

The group started running from their crouching positions and sprinted at full speed, each one more agile than the last.

Through this gradual increase in pressure, they adapted to their fear; this time, no one lost control of their body due to tension.

dong dong dong dong!
But amidst the increasingly intense and rapid collisions behind them, a completely different, strange sound suddenly erupted:
Buzz buzz buzz--bang!
With a tearing sound, a ray of light pierced the darkness, passed over everyone's heads, and crashed down in front of them.

It was something no one expected to see in this situation, even bordering on absurd and comical:
It was a kitchen knife, a huge kitchen knife. Square and with a thick back.

Similar to those used at home, but magnified many times over—like half a door panel, spinning and hammering into the concrete wall of an air-raid shelter; fragments flying everywhere. The huge wooden handle, wrapped in dark red cloth, was still trembling, buzzing like a bee.

No one doubted that if this behemoth were to fall on them, it would either cleave their entire body in two—or crush them into a pool of blood and flesh.

Mong Cai TV broadcast a compilation of accidents to warn viewers: one segment showed a propeller breaking off and flying out, severing half of a person's head.
The impact of this giant cleaver was even greater than that scene.

No one screamed; everyone was running away, faster than their best physical test score in their student years.

Running through this dimly lit air-raid shelter was no easy task, and the presence of pursuers whose identities were unknown behind them made it an even greater challenge.
-
The escape lasted for an unknown period of time.

They looked like an eight-legged monster running through the air-raid shelter; their footsteps were dense and scattered.

The sounds of pursuit behind them slowed slightly, and the volume decreased again, just like the adrenaline gradually fading from everyone's circulation. The rope left behind by Big Head Hong still came in handy: whenever they encountered a fork in the road, the four of them simply continued running along the rope's directions; in such a tense chase, there was absolutely no time to stop and check the direction.

But at this point, Big Head Hong had no time to boast. He ran slower than the other three and got tired faster, gradually falling behind the group:

"Fuck me, I can't take it anymore--pull me up."

Huang Youtian slowed his pace slightly—he was the one with the best stamina—and grabbed Da Tou Hong's sleeve:

"Alright! Almost there!"

The boy with the eyepiece was panting heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows; his saliva was dry, almost turning into mucus.

"Almost there, we're almost at the entrance."

Turn off the flashlight at the sour soup bak kut teh – it's no longer complete darkness; there's a faint light in the distance.

But it seems much dimmer than before.

"Your mother, having affairs with three men?"

She stopped in her tracks, pointing towards the entrance. For the first time, she swore, her purple lipstick trembling.

The once empty entrance now has a steel security door that has appeared out of nowhere, filling the void.
The gaps may have been caused by long-term dampness and oxidation of the hinges on the security door; or they may have fallen off due to the rubber sealing strips that originally sealed the gaps.
The hazy light pierced through the gaps around the door frame, scattering into luminous lines and drawing hazy, glowing squares; it was as if the door had always been there, never having disappeared.

Huang Youtian rushed up the steps to the door in three strides and kicked the security door:
Benedict.

There was only a barely perceptible creak, and the iron gate didn't even shake.

Huang Youtian tumbled down the stairs with the impact, then rolled back up. He was panting heavily, his thin chest heaving.

"No! It's completely blocked, not even a slight movement! What do we do? Should we... what do we do now?"

The man in the sour soup bak kut teh was kneeling on the ground, picking at something with his bare feet.
"Let's find a place to hide first, that's the only way—"

"Hey! Come here, you can hide here."

They jumped in fright, turned around at the call, and saw a face hovering in the doorway not far away:
It's the girl who ran away before.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light of the flashlight; her cheeks were covered with red, wrinkled burn scars.

Listening to the heavy footsteps echoing in the distance behind them, the four knew they didn't have many other options.
-
The space behind the doorway is not large, but there is a deeper passageway inside.

They closed the rusted door and walked inside. On both sides were rooms, each about ten square meters in size; perhaps they had been used as dormitories.

The five people chose a more spacious corner and closed the door tightly; however, they couldn't find anything to block it up in the empty room.

For a moment, the room was filled with the sour smell of sweat, like a backpack full of changes of clothes; but there were no complaints, only the crisp sound of teeth clashing.

The trail might lead to a dead end or another exit, but no one was willing to venture in to explore: the air-raid shelter was not what they had imagined, and perhaps some other dangers lurked inside.

(End of this chapter)