American homeless people, surviving in the city

Chapter 132 In the Basement

Enduring the stench, Lin Qi frowned and quickly scanned the kitchen.

As expected, after a quick scan, he found no trace of the car keys, nor any items that could be of any help to the two of them. Only a rusty kitchen knife lay in the sink, which could barely be considered an emergency weapon.

"...Perhaps you could take that with you?" Lynch turned to Sylvia and pointed to the kitchen knife.

"Hmm, actually I still think that lumberjack axe was cooler..."

Sylvia's face was etched with reluctance, but she still picked up the kitchen knife with a look of disgust and gripped the handle tightly. After all, it was indeed the most suitable weapon she could find for self-defense.

The two then quickly walked out of the kitchen. Lin Qi slammed the door shut behind him and rushed into the opposite bedroom, opening the window.

The fresh night breeze from the valley blew into the house like a savior, finally carrying away the stench. Only then did the two dare to breathe deeply.

"Huff...huff...I can't take it anymore!"

Sylvia stood by the window, took a deep breath, then closed the window behind her and hid in the shadows of the room. While wiping the handle of the kitchen knife with the dirty blanket, she muttered under her breath, "Ugh... I can't stand disgusting places like this. What kind of place is this? I want to get out!"

Lin Qi also sat on the bed, taking a breath while checking the equipment in his hands.

Realizing that the cabin might not be normal, he could no longer explore it with the same relaxed attitude as before. No one knows when danger might strike; he had to be prepared.

Of the three most crucial pieces of equipment in his possession, the hunting knife and flashlight go without saying, but Lin Qi was particularly focused on checking the hunting rifle.

He didn't really know much about guns, and he wasn't familiar with gun models or bullet calibers. He could only vaguely tell that the shotgun was a rather old-fashioned design.

Fortunately, he seemed to have seen this gun in a shooting game based on World War I, and he roughly remembered some of the basic ways to use it. So, after fiddling with it for a while according to his memory of the game, he successfully confirmed the status of the shotgun.

The situation is not optimistic.

There was only one bullet in the shotgun's magazine.

Seeing this, Lin Qi could only manage a dry laugh.

With only one bullet, if the cultists were to surround him, the number of maneuvers and strategies he could employ with that gun would be greatly reduced.

But in any case, it's already a blessing to have a gun and a bullet in your hand.

After checking his weapons and equipment, Lynch looked up and stared seriously at Sylvia standing by the window: "Now, I'm going to explore the basement and second floor of the cabin again to look for the car keys."

"However, based on what we see here so far, this wooden house is probably not safe either."

However, there's been no movement around for the time being, so it might take some time for those cultists who were chasing us to find this place.

"So, why don't you wait for me here? Although I don't know what might be in this cabin... but you should be safer on the first floor."

Upon hearing this, Sylvia shook her head decisively without the slightest hesitation: "No!"

Her eyes were firm and resolute: "To be honest, the wounds on my body have been hurting for so long that I feel a little numb... But because of this, I feel like I have more strength than before."

"Please let me go with you! If we run into trouble, we can find a solution together." Hearing Sylvia's firm words, Lynch took a deep breath and nodded: "I understand."

"Then, stay close to me from now on."

He rubbed his temples, trying to relieve the headache caused by the intense tinnitus, then sighed deeply: "If I can find the car keys... I can escape this terrifying night... but, it's precisely at times like these that I can't let my guard down."

He was saying this to Sylvia, and also to remind himself. His physical strength was already nearing its limit; he had only managed to get this far thanks to a strong will to survive.

...We've come this far, we absolutely cannot afford to fall because of some moment of carelessness!

Lin Qi got up from the bed in the bedroom and strode towards the door.

Besides the living room, kitchen, and bedroom on the first floor that have already been searched, only the two staircases leading to the basement and the second floor remain.

Whether it's the stairs leading upstairs or downstairs, there's no light at the end; it's pitch black.

Lynch and Sylvia exchanged a glance, both seeing hesitation and fear in each other's eyes, but in this situation, there was no time for them to hesitate.

Lin Qi gripped the hilt of his hunting knife, making up his mind: "Let's start by exploring the basement!"

He then took the lead up the stairs to the basement.

For some reason, ever since he stepped onto this staircase, Lin Qi could smell a strange stench coming from the basement with every few steps he took down.

It was a different smell from the pungent, sour stench of rotting food that permeated the kitchen on the first floor. The stench in the basement was more like the smell of something gradually rotting in a dark, damp place, mixed with a familiar smell of excrement.

In short, from Lynch's perspective as a student from the University of Tokyo, the smell in the basement was somewhat like the smell of a pigsty in the countryside. It was equally unpleasant, but not as pungent as the smell in the kitchen.

...Could this family be raising pigs in their basement?

Lynch tried to stay optimistic, trying to find humor in the situation. Although the idea was rather strange, it was the most positive possibility he could think of.

Besides, every possibility would be worse than this.

Braving the stench, Lin Qi cautiously moved forward.

The staircase was narrow and steep, each step accompanied by a creaking sound of wood scraping against each other. The further down he went, the more damp and cold the air became, and the stronger the stench, reminiscent of a rural pigsty, grew, forcing Lynch to breathe through his mouth.

Throughout the journey, Lin Qi proceeded with extreme caution. Every few steps, he would not only scan the area in front of him with his flashlight but also carefully sense the feedback from his "Rat Senses" to ensure there was no danger before continuing.

Soon, the two reached the end of the staircase.

Before them stood a half-open iron door. Like the iron barrels in the kitchen on the first floor, this door was also rusty.

There were also many dark red marks on it, which looked like marks left by a person scratching it with bloody fingers, making it look even more sinister and terrifying.

Lin Qi took a deep breath and gently pushed open the iron door with the hilt of his hunting knife.

As the beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness behind the door, a hellish scene appeared before the two of them.

Behind the iron gate was a dark and damp basement.

And in this basement, the clanging of chains echoed incessantly.

A dozen or so figures were chained to the wall. Most of them were disheveled, dressed in tattered clothes, and covered in bruises and wounds.

...The good news is that the stench was indeed coming from the animals the homeowner kept in the basement, and there was no other danger involved.

The bad news is, it's about supporting people.

...it's like a pigsty.

The thought involuntarily rose in Lin Qi's mind again.