SFTD -Chapter 394 White Spots Reappear (Part 35)

As they spoke, the two of them ran back to the old manhole. Old Wang examined the manhole, which rose about thirty centimeters above the ground, clearly puzzled at first. After circling it once, he suddenly stopped Xu Biao from making another move.

“Wait. This definitely doesn’t open that way. Judging from the design, it was probably built by Germans. And look here—on the cast-iron rotating shaft of the lid—there’s a word engraved: Gully.”

Following Old Wang’s finger, Zhou Hai could vaguely make out a raised marking, though he couldn’t actually read the word.

Covered in confusion, he asked, “It’s all rusted over. How can you tell?”

Old Wang smiled calmly and lightly ran his fingers over the engraved area. Zhou Hai immediately understood—Old Wang wanted him to feel it himself.

Stretching out his hand, Zhou Hai touched the spot. Sure enough, the raised lettering was far clearer to the touch than to the eye.

At that moment Huang Zhongsheng and the others still hadn’t arrived, and nobody knew what was below. Zhou Hai didn’t even dare let Zhang Wenqi bring over a wire brush to clean the rust away, afraid it might trigger something.

But Old Wang continued speaking.

“We dealt with these a lot in the army. Construction like this wasn’t used for drainage systems. Real drainage manholes are level with the ground, usually near roads, connected to sewer pipes below.

But this type—hidden away and raised more than thirty centimeters above the ground—was usually built as an escape route or an entrance to some kind of underground fortification.

As for the space below, there’s usually no room to hang explosives. That iron chain is probably just part of a spring-lock mechanism.”

As he spoke, he carefully felt around the edge of the manhole. After a moment, he found a slightly loose stone. Pulling on gloves, he spat out the gum in his mouth and stuck it onto the stone. Pressing his gloved hand firmly against the gum, he yanked outward, pulling the entire brick free.

Zhang Wenqi quickly shined a flashlight into the opening. The cavity behind it was surprisingly spacious—large enough to fit the whole flashlight through. Instantly, light illuminated the area beneath the manhole cover.

Xu Biao looked up and grinned.

“Master Wang, you’re amazing. Solved the problem right when we needed it. Looks safe enough to me. There seem to be steps down there—though they’re pretty steep.”

Old Wang turned the brick over. On one side was a J-shaped groove. He lightly knocked it against the ground, and something fell out. Unwrapping the oil paper around it revealed two delicate metal hooks, still brand-new and coated in anti-rust grease.

Xu Biao tossed one hook to Fengzi.

“Xiao Liang, hold onto the chain. The moment you hear a click, don’t move. Fengzi and I will lift the cover.”

Xiao Liang readily agreed and grabbed the chain. With almost no effort, a sharp click sounded.

Old Wang chuckled softly. From where he had stood earlier, he had seen clearly what happened. The reason the chain hadn’t moved before was probably because Xu Biao had been lying on top of the cover.

Xu Biao shot him a glance, instantly understanding, then winked and hurriedly took the hooks.

Fengzi and Xu Biao pulled upward together. Slowly, the heavy manhole cover lifted open.

A cold, moldy smell instantly billowed out. But when they leaned close to the opening, they could clearly feel air blowing upward from below.

“Leave it open for a while. Once Captain Huang brings the equipment, we’ll go down.”

Everyone gathered around the opening to peer inside.

Old Wang picked up the flashlight from the ground, leaned over the shaft, and shone the beam downward. Hu Nan also became interested and stood on the stone edge of the opening to look below.

Only then did they notice something unusual.

There seemed to be another cover farther down the shaft.

But after so many years in such a damp environment, it had corroded completely, crumbling into reddish-brown flakes scattered across the bottom. Only traces of its rim remained.

No wonder they hadn’t seen anything earlier.

The shaft widened downward like a funnel. About 1.8 meters below the entrance, accessible by a simple metal ladder fixed to the wall, there was a small platform.

The platform itself wasn’t large. Beyond it, the structure expanded outward into a funnel-shaped spiral staircase descending deeper underground.

Shining the flashlight farther down, they could vaguely make out several passageways branching in different directions, though the light wasn’t strong enough to reveal everything.

“This looks… like an emergency escape exit.”

Based on his experience, Old Wang gave his conclusion.

Zhou Hai nodded. His thoughts were similar.

“I’m guessing there’s an underground structure beneath the Third Hospital. I just never expected this to be an access point. Those vines and the covered walkway became the perfect disguise. Who would imagine such a secret hidden here?”

As Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes and spoke, he suddenly paused and glanced toward the archive room to the left.

The place was only a little over thirty meters away in a straight line.

Could the real entrance actually be there?

Old Wang lit a cigarette at that moment and tied a string around the cigarette butt before lowering it into the shaft.

The white smoke drifted horizontally toward the east.

Though part of it still floated upward toward the manhole opening, most of the smoke flowed eastward—in the direction of the archive room.

Only then did Old Wang look toward Zhou Hai and Hu Nan.

“Deputy Director Zhou, let me go down first. The smoke’s moving steadily in one direction, which means there’s proper airflow. Germans paid the most attention to underground fortifications, especially ventilation, so it should be safe.”

Before Zhou Hai could respond, Hu Nan pushed past him impatiently.

“I’m going down with you!”

Zhou Hai immediately grabbed her wrist.

“Anyone can go down except you. You still have Elder Hu to take care of. Right now, your safety matters most.

Xiao Liang, stay with Forensic Doctor Hu. Fengzi and I will go down with Old Wang. Xu Biao, contact Huang Zhongsheng. Also tell Xiao Hu to investigate the history of this land immediately.

What stood here before liberation?

Who used it?

Trace everything back to the German occupation around 1900. If anything is unclear, discuss it with Forensic Doctor Hu—she seems to know that period of history very well.”

Without waiting for Xu Biao’s reply, Zhou Hai tossed the investigation kit down near the opening and followed Old Wang onto the iron ladder.

Though Zhou Hai’s tone wasn’t especially harsh or loud, Hu Nan thought about it and ultimately stopped insisting.

She knew that going down might only become a burden.

Xu Biao, meanwhile, became anxious. Pacing back and forth while making phone calls, he repeatedly urged Huang Zhongsheng to hurry.

He especially emphasized the need for lighting equipment.

Judging from the situation tonight, they would probably be working outdoors all night, which meant they’d need a huge amount of illumination.

After arranging everything, he turned around and discovered Hu Nan and Xiao Liang already lying beside the opening.

The concern on Hu Nan’s face was impossible to hide.

Xu Biao pursed his lips.

Could it be that Hu Nan actually liked Hai Zi?

Meanwhile, the three men had already reached the bottom of the shaft.

Zhou Hai’s and Fengzi’s investigation kits had been lowered down, and Xu Biao’s camera had been brought along as well. Fengzi slung it around his neck.

Old Wang had already surveyed the area once.

“This is a rectangular junction connecting multiple tunnels. There are currently three passages leading out from here. Which route should we take?”

Fengzi let out a startled cry.

“Three?”

Zhou Hai opened the compass app on his phone. Near the shaft entrance, they could still receive a faint signal.

Pointing toward the western passage, he said:

“We’ll go this way first. The archive room is directly above it. I feel Yang Duxiu chose this place for a reason—we just haven’t discovered why yet.”

Old Wang had already performed a quick inspection of the tunnel.

Aside from being filthy, the air seemed fine, and there were no traps or mechanisms.

Looking at the piles of dirt and broken bricks near the entrance, along with the traces of mud still clinging to the tunnel walls, Zhou Hai narrowed his eyes.

It looked as though this tunnel had once been deliberately sealed shut.

The interior walls of the tunnel were arched structures made of brick and stone. The ceiling stood over two and a half meters high, and the width reached nearly two meters.

Not only could people walk through comfortably—even large objects could easily be carried inside.

“Alright. We’ll head west.”

As he spoke, Old Wang raised the flashlight and shone it into the western tunnel. He also took the investigation kit from Zhou Hai and carried it on his own back before the three men advanced deeper into the passage.

Though the lighting was limited, all three could clearly feel that the farther they walked, the deeper underground they descended.

There were no stairs—only a gradual change in elevation beneath their feet.

Fengzi swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly in the eerie darkness.

“Boss… why does it feel like we’re going lower and lower? Don’t tell me there’s another level beneath this one?”