Chapter 74 – The Mechanism
Inside the clinic, a young doctor was sitting at a computer desk, fiddling with something. Hearing the footsteps of a customer entering, he didn’t even look up and said, “Big illnesses or small, it’s 10,000 Federal credits. I don’t guarantee a cure. If you want treatment, pay a 9,000 Federal credit deposit first. If not, leave quickly.”
Such words were enough to drive away any customers.
“Xiao Jiu, I brought the person. The rest is up to you. I’m leaving,” the man with the mechanical head said. Without looking at Tu Ran, he turned and left.
The person called Xiao Jiu finally looked up.
He quickly jumped out of his chair, ran to Tu Ran, and enthusiastically said, “Ah, you’ve arrived. Come inside, everyone’s waiting for you.”
‘Everyone?’ Tu Ran caught this word.
Wasn’t it supposed to be just Xie Xu? Why use “everyone”?
Xiao Jiu led her to an even smaller storage room at the back of the clinic. The space was so cramped that only two people could stand at the same time, and turning around was difficult.
Tu Ran slightly tilted her head, avoiding Xiao Jiu’s, and saw a large, dust-covered medical instrument piled in the far corner.
A photo of a sexy woman was stuck to the wall beside them.
She was a popular star from a few years ago.
This place looked like a storage dump. Could there be a secret mechanism?
Tu Ran looked around, guessing where the mechanism might be hidden.
Xiao Jiu pressed his finger on the red lips of the woman in the photo.
The dust-covered machine began to slowly rise.
Tu Ran: “…”
The design of this mechanism was quite unique.
Fortunately, it wasn’t set in a more unique position, or Xie Xu’s image in her mind would have dropped to the level of a lecherous man.
Imagine, every time Xie Xu came here, he had to press that spot. She found it quite an eyesore.
Once the machine rose to a certain height, it revealed a descending staircase behind it, pitch-black and seemingly leading to a bottomless abyss.
Xiao Jiu coughed, triggering a sensor light that illuminated the stairs.
“I have to watch the shop, so I won’t go down with you. They’re already waiting for you below. Just follow the stairs down,” Xiao Jiu said with a sly smile.
Tu Ran felt there was something slightly malicious in his smile.
She nodded, bending slightly to enter the staircase.
Behind her, Xiao Jiu pressed the mechanism, and the door slowly descended.
The staircase seemed endless. After a few steps, Tu Ran had to cough or stomp her foot to trigger the next light.
After what felt like seven or eight minutes, Tu Ran noticed her surroundings becoming more spacious.
Though it was still dark, her footsteps echoed louder and longer, and she could hear a faint echo.
This was a very large space.
But weren’t there supposed to be people waiting for her? Why were the lights still off, and where were the people?
Tu Ran took off her backpack, recalling there was a flashlight inside.
Just then, a faint sound rapidly approached.
Accompanied by a barely perceptible breeze.
A small tuft of hair on Tu Ran’s forehead swayed.
At the same moment, she swung her backpack strap heavily.
“Thud!”
She hit something.
It toppled over and fell to the ground.
Judging by the sound, it was a wooden floor.
All the lights in the space suddenly turned on simultaneously.
Tu Ran squinted to adjust to the sudden brightness. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked around.
It was like a massive underground cavern. The ceiling was several meters high, explaining the echo of her footsteps.
