Ling Yichen's fingers ached from frantically searching for the door mechanism, but the cold iron door remained unmoved. The footsteps of the men in black behind him grew closer and closer, each step feeling like a ticking beat on his heart, as if counting down their lives. And the decoder that held the secrets of the new drama remained out of reach.
Large beads of sweat rolled down Ling Yichen's forehead. His vision blurred with tension and anxiety. The iron gate in front of him appeared exceptionally cold and solid in the dim light. The girl beside him gripped his arm tightly, her nails almost digging into his skin. An aura of fear emanated from her trembling body, mingling with the stale smell permeating the passageway, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.
"What do we do? They're catching up soon!" the girl said, her voice trembling with tears, echoing in the silent passage with a hint of despair.
Ling Yichen took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, even though his heart was pounding wildly in his chest, making it almost impossible for him to think. He examined the iron door carefully again and noticed a very thin crack along its edge, through which a faint light seemed to be filtering through. He pressed himself against the iron door, trying to peek inside through the crack, and a faint smell of machine oil wafted out from the crack and into his nostrils.
"Don't panic, let's keep looking, we'll definitely find a way to open this door." Ling Yichen comforted the girl, but his own voice trembled slightly. He felt along the iron door, his fingers tracing the cold metal surface, making a faint scraping sound. Suddenly, he noticed an inconspicuous little hole at the bottom of the door, like some kind of keyhole.
"Look, there's a small hole here, it might be the key," Ling Yichen said excitedly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. But he searched his entire body and couldn't find anything to insert into the small hole.
The footsteps of the men in black grew closer; Ling Yichen could even hear their heavy breathing and the clanging of weapons. He was frantic, his mind racing as he considered a solution. Just then, he suddenly remembered he had a paperclip in his pocket; perhaps he could try using it to pick the lock.
Ling Yichen trembled as he took out a paperclip, straightened it, and carefully inserted it into the small hole. His fingers trembled slightly with nervousness, and sweat dripped from his forehead onto the cold ground. He gently turned the paperclip, trying to find the lock cylinder, but failed several times.
"Hurry up, they're almost here!" the girl urged anxiously.
Ling Yichen took a deep breath, calmed himself, and tried again. Finally, he felt the paperclip touch a hard object. He was delighted, knowing he had found the right direction. He concentrated and slowly turned the paperclip. Suddenly, with a "click," the lock seemed to loosen.
"Looks like there's hope!" Ling Yichen said excitedly, quickening his movements. With another crisp "click," the iron gate finally opened slowly.
Ling Yichen and the girl didn't even have time to cheer before rushing into the room. A pungent chemical smell filled the room, causing them to cough involuntarily. In the dim light, they saw the room filled with various instruments and equipment; on the central table sat a small metal box, its surface emitting a faint light.
"Could that be the decoder?" the girl asked, pointing to the metal box.
Ling Yichen strode forward, picked up the metal box, and examined it closely. A small display screen on the box showed a string of encrypted numbers. "This should be it. We need to get out of here quickly," Ling Yichen said.
Just as they were about to leave, another door to the room suddenly opened, and a group of men in black rushed in. The leader was a man wearing sunglasses, whose expression turned extremely grim when he saw the decoder in Ling Yichen's hand.
"Hand over the decoder!" the man roared, his voice echoing through the room, filled with boundless rage.
Ling Yichen gripped the decoder tightly, shook his head, and said, "Impossible. You can't stop us from uncovering the secrets of the new drama."
The man sneered, "You think you can unlock the secret just by getting the decoder? You're too naive. This decoder requires a specific password to activate; without the password, it's just a pile of scrap metal."
Ling Yichen was startled; he hadn't expected such a twist. "Where's the password?" he asked.
The man didn't answer, but waved his hand, and the men in black surrounded them again. Ling Yichen and the girl stood back to back, warily watching their enemies. A tense atmosphere filled the room; besides the rapid breathing of the people, there was the hum of the medical equipment.
Ling Yichen knew they had to find clues to the code before the enemy could act. He quickly scanned the room, trying to find a hint in the surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a note on the table with some strange symbols written on it.
"Could this be a clue to the password?" Ling Yichen picked up the slip of paper and began to study it carefully. But the symbols seemed to have no pattern, and he had no idea where to start.
The men in black drew closer, and Ling Yichen's heart pounded faster. He knew time was running out. In this critical moment, could he decipher the code from the symbols on the note, activate the decoder, and uncover the secrets of the new drama? And after the men in black made their move, could they escape unscathed in the fierce conflict? Everything remained uncertain, and Ling Yichen and the girl stood at the crossroads of fate, awaiting an unknown judgment…
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