It was the same tunnel. The man walked towards the room deep inside the tunnel.
The innermost room is obviously different from the outer rooms; most obviously, the door is more than 20 centimeters lower than the others.
The man was tall, so he had to bend down to see what was inside.
Because it's located at the very back of the room, the light is even dimmer.
The man tapped his flashlight, not in a hurry to check inside. He took out a cigarette and leaned against the door to smoke it.
The red light flickered in the darkness, its momentary brilliance brighter than a distant light bulb.
Although the man didn't look into the house, he kept his ears open to the sounds coming from inside.
It was quiet inside; if it weren't for the occasional faint breathing sound, you would have thought no one was there.
Even after smoking a cigarette down to the butt, the man couldn't bear to throw it away. He took two deep drags, then casually tossed it on the ground and stomped on it a few times with his toes.
Bang, bang, bang, the man tapped on the window frame a few times with his flashlight, the beam of the flashlight waving wildly inside.
This is a room that is 1.5 meters long, wide, and high. Living in it, whether lying down or standing, you cannot stretch your body comfortably.
A skeletal figure emerged from the flickering light, hunched over, lying on a makeshift bed on the floor with its back to the door.
In one corner of the room stood a chamber pot, which hadn't been emptied for a while, emitting a pungent stench, and there was a ring of yellow stains on the floor.
The man, overwhelmed by the stench, turned his head to the side, fanned himself vigorously, and cursed:
"Damn it, only one meal every two days, and he still has so much diarrhea."
Holding his breath, he took out his key and opened the door.
He crouched down and reached out to grab the skeleton, but it smelled too bad inside and its head was still outside the door. He tried two or three times but couldn't catch it.
The man grew impatient and yelled, "Get up! Are you lying there like a corpse? If you don't get up, I'll beat you up!"
The man didn't move. He raised his flashlight to smash the person, but stopped halfway, muttering something.
"You old bastard, if it weren't for the fact that you're still somewhat useful, I would have smashed your bones to pieces."
He knew exactly what the situation was like inside, and he was afraid that if he smashed it down, he would crush the person to pieces, so he refrained from doing so.
Holding his breath, he stuck his head in to grab the skeleton. The skeleton was weightless; the man grabbed it with one hand, as if it were nothing.
The beam of the flashlight shone on the person's face. She hadn't seen light for a long time, and the bright light made her very uncomfortable. She instinctively closed her eyes, her brows furrowed, and she looked like she was in pain.
The camera zooms in, revealing the face of a woman in her seventies or eighties. Her cheeks are sunken, her lips are dry and cracked, and her skin is wrinkled and loose, hanging loosely on her bones. Her disheveled white hair is tangled like weeds.
The man snorted, pulled a large syringe from his pocket, lifted the woman's sleeve, and roughly stuck the needle into her arm.
The bright red blood flowed slowly into the syringe, but after drawing less than a third of it, no more blood could be drawn.
The man impatiently grabbed the woman's hand and squeezed it harder for him, seemingly hurting her. She groaned softly, her eyes remaining closed and unwilling to open.
The man wanted to try a different spot, but looking at the woman's withered body, which seemed to yield no benefit, he frowned and ultimately gave up.
In that instant, the woman opened her eyes. Her gaze was empty and confused, lifeless, as if her soul had left her.
The camera lingers on the woman's lifeless eyes.
The screen displays the following message:
Pei Nansheng, ever since you betrayed the Ding family, this house has become her prison. She has spent ten long years in this cramped space, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, regardless of the scorching heat or bitter cold.
Day after day, year after year.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
