Chen Ge glanced at Li Xu and Ma Wei, then said in a low voice, "Don't just stand there like idiots. Come help."
The Black Phone's task required him to reach the core area before midnight. He had no map and no idea where the passage leading to the morgue's core was, so he was intensely curious about the hidden tunnels within the underground morgue.
The three of them pushed the cabinet aside together. Behind it was a narrow passage barely wide enough for a single person.
A gust of wind whistled through from the other side, carrying with it the mingled scent of decay.
Chen Ge reached out and touched the tunnel's edge — it was wet and slick, coated with something that resembled moss. But this "moss" wasn't green; it was a deep brown, and when he shone the flashlight on it, it seemed to glow a faint red.
"Give me the flashlight." Chen Ge took it from Li Xu and shone the beam inside. The tunnel was narrow with many turns, and there was no telling where it led. "Why would there be a hidden passage inside the medical school's cadaver storage facility? It looks like it was dug out years ago. What purpose could it serve?"
He glanced back at Li Xu and Ma Wei. The two of them shook their heads repeatedly.
"Should we go in and take a look?"
Chen Ge seemed to be talking to himself, but when the other two heard his words, their faces turned pale. Worried that Chen Ge might force them to scout ahead, Li Xu spoke up cautiously, hoping to protect himself. "I really think we shouldn't go wandering around. Even the school's security guards said this underground morgue is haunted. Ma Wei and I just experienced it firsthand — this place really isn't safe. There could very well be those… foul things people talk about."
Chen Ge didn't particularly want to crawl through such a cramped tunnel either. The space was too confined for him to fight properly. And if a monster pinned them from both ends, things would get dangerous fast.
While he hesitated, the white cat beside him let out a meow, crouched low to the ground, and slipped into the passage.
"The thing that's attracting the white cat is in this tunnel?" Chen Ge gripped his skull-crushing hammer and leaned his upper body into the opening. "There's airflow — at least we won't suffocate."
At the sound of the cat, Li Xu and Ma Wei finally noticed that this fierce-looking man was actually carrying a cat around with him. Their gazes flickered between the white cat and Chen Ge, and their impression of him began to shift ever so slightly.
"You two stay here and don't move around. I'll go in for a quick look and come right back." Chen Ge worried about having his escape route cut off if he went in alone, so he asked the two crematorium workers to keep watch. "You — hand me your phone. If something happens, we'll need a way to contact each other."
He pointed at Li Xu. The poor guy had no choice but to comply. Normally when someone wanted your contact info, they'd ask for your number. Why was this man asking for the actual phone?
But when you're under someone else's roof, you bow your head. Li Xu handed his phone over.
"Don't worry. If we make it out alive, I'll definitely give it back."
Far from being reassured, Chen Ge's words only made Li Xu more anxious.
After a brief exchange, Chen Ge got the two men's names. If something happened, he would use Li Xu's phone to call Ma Wei's phone and alert them.
"If you run into danger, you can call me for help. If you really can't fight off whatever it is, then after you alert me, just run. Don't worry about me." Chen Ge pocketed Li Xu's phone and followed the white cat into the passage.
At first, there was nothing remarkable. But after passing the first bend, Chen Ge gradually noticed the air becoming much thicker and murkier, and the brown moss-like growths covering the walls were becoming more and more dense.
"The white cat swallowed the blood silk that the Ghost Story Society found behind the door. It's rushing inside now — whatever's attracting it is probably connected to the Ghost Story Society."
The passage grew narrower the deeper he went. The innermost section was almost entirely covered by that moss-like vegetation. Chen Ge scraped some of it off with his hammer and found that it was disturbingly like living skin — once the surface layer was removed, a blood-red liquid seeped out from underneath.
He leaned in and sniffed. The liquid had a surprisingly fresh, clean scent, nothing like the stench of blood.
"Something like this can grow inside an underground morgue?"