"Before attempting the third ward trial, I'll bring a stray cat into the Muyang Middle School scenario first and test if it actually works. If it does, then I'll have basically mastered a method for dealing with dirty things." Just this one takeaway alone made Chen Ge feel today's trip had been well worth it.
He glanced at the young man and handed over the rusty key in his hand. "Have you ever seen this key before?"
"I have." The young man nodded. "During daylight hours, I clean out the animal carcasses from Room 303. I once found this key inside one of the clothes."
"Did that man in the dream ever mention anything related to the key? A special door, or a room?"
The young man thought for a long time before speaking. "Once, when they were talking to themselves, they mentioned a place. I think it might be connected to the key."
"What place?"
"One of the faces said he'd dropped something very important in the third room. He also said the passage behind the cabinet wasn't locked — they shouldn't have left through the front door; that way they wouldn't have been discovered." The young man's account wasn't particularly clear, since these were things he had only vaguely overheard in his dreams.
"The third room?" Chen Ge recalled the bloodstained note his parents had left behind — it contained only one address, the third room of the third ward.
"Could he be referring to the same room? If so, this information is incredibly valuable! The passage behind the cabinet isn't locked — that's essentially an extra escape route for me!" Chen Ge couldn't yet determine whether the young man was lying. He kept his expression neutral and committed every detail to memory.
After asking a few more questions and confirming nothing had been overlooked, Chen Ge stepped out of Room 302 and returned to Room 304.
"How's Men Nan doing?"
"He fell asleep, but he's running a fever. I'll take him to the hospital tomorrow and have a proper talk with his family." Dr. Gao was keeping watch by the bedside. "Go get some rest — I've got things covered here. I put that doll on the sofa for you. There are band-aids under the coffee table, so patch yourself up if you've got any small cuts."
"Thanks." Chen Ge realized with a start that Dr. Gao was actually a pretty warm-hearted guy — very attentive to others.
He walked over to the sofa. Little Xiao was lying belly-up, looking stuffed and completely unwilling to move.
"What a lazy thing." Chen Ge set an alarm for seven, cradled Little Xiao, lay down on the sofa, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
For reasons he couldn't explain, his sleep that night was restless. He kept dreaming — in each dream, he was trapped inside a labyrinth-like building, seemingly being pursued by something. The situation was dire. He clutched the key and tried door after door, but without exception, none of them opened.
……
"Wake up."
His body was being shaken. Chen Ge opened his eyes to find Dr. Gao supporting a weakened Men Nan, standing beside the sofa.
Chen Ge glanced out the window. The sky had just barely begun to lighten — it was six at the latest.
"Men Nan's fever won't come down. He has to go to the hospital. Something's off about this room, so I think we should all leave together." Dr. Gao hadn't slept all night and looked haggard. As for Men Nan, he was in even worse shape — he looked like he could collapse at any moment.
"Alright, let's go now." Chen Ge quickly stuffed his things into his backpack, then took hold of Men Nan's other arm. "Take it easy."