Due to the overcast sky, it was about to get dark.
Apart from Nan Yu's disappearance, they had obtained another piece of information: Nan Yu was injured.
It was just unknown whether only her finger was hurt.
If there were other injuries on her body, the later the rescue, the more dangerous her situation would be.
Moreover, the rain would wash away the bloodstains, greatly reducing the possibility of finding her.
"Is there a possibility that classmate Nan isn't in this house at all? Maybe that old geezer Shen Suhai just pulled a fast - one on you," Liang Yi began to make wild guesses. "I've rummaged through this house. Apart from that trap just now, there's nothing else."
Tan Linyuan glanced at the time. His calm eyes were as black as ink, surging with agitation.
He still said calmly, "If we still can't find her before it rains, send people to demolish this house."
"What if we still can't find her then?" Liang Yi asked daringly.
"If we can't find her, dig up the land of the Shen family's property and see if she's underground!" Tan Linyuan growled, with a fierce look in his eyes and a cold glint like frost in his pupils.
Liang Yi also turned around impatiently. "That old bastard is really something. He's on the verge of death but still causing trouble every day!"
Not satisfied with just scolding, he lifted his leg and kicked the sofa placed in the tea - room on the other side as if to vent his anger.
The sofa was moved a bit instantly, making a rubbing sound against the carpet.
"I think you shouldn't wait until it gets dark. Just call people to demolish the house now. I'm tired..."
"Sofa," Tan Linyuan turned around, staring straight at the sofa that Liang Yi had just kicked. His tone was calm and detached. "The sound is wrong."
"Huh?" Liang Yi was stunned. "What's wrong with the sofa?"
As he asked, he kicked the sofa again. Sure enough, he noticed something different.
When normal furniture was moved, the sound from the floor should be dull. But when this sofa was moved, the sound from the floor was hollow.
Liang Yi immediately exchanged a look with Tan Linyuan.
The two walked over, moved the sofa away, and lifted the carpet on the ground.
Under the carpet was a square iron cover.
Liang Yi was shocked for a second, then sighed, "Tan Linyuan, you're really something! I can see now that we should take you with us when we go tomb - raiding."
"I can also see that your so - called skills are just half - baked. You're not well - learned at all," Tan Linyuan said without looking up. He bent down to lift the iron cover. "It's good that I didn't go with you, and I won't go with you in the future either."
Liang Yi: "..."
It was really hurtful.
After lifting the cover, there was a secret passage inside.
Tan Linyuan saw a few drops of blood at the entrance. The killing intent in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
It was easy to guess that these drops of blood must be the same as those on the window just now, all from Nan Yu.
"Wait. What if there are traps inside? Don't go in rashly..."
Before Liang Yi could finish his sentence, Tan Linyuan bent down, felt for the ladder, and climbed down.
"I'm not going down. What if there's danger inside? I'll guard up here," Liang Yi said nervously, shouting into the passage.
There was a quick response from inside: "Call an ambulance for me."
Since they didn't know the extent of Nan Yu's injuries yet, it was necessary to prepare medical facilities in advance to be on the safe side.
Liang Yi was just talking big. Seeing that Tan Linyuan didn't care whether he went in or not, he was so angry that he stamped his feet. "Tan Linyuan, you really don't treat your buddy like a human being!"
Although he said so, he still took out his phone to call an ambulance.
"Damn it! No signal!" Liang Yi cursed again. He walked out of the room with his phone, called the ambulance, and then came back.
Looking at the pitch - black secret passage, Liang Yi gritted his teeth. "Tan, I really owed you in my previous life."
After saying that, he bent down, held the ladder, and crawled in.
---
Tan Linyuan climbed down the ladder first. The secret room was extremely dark, without a single ray of light.
He wasn't completely ignorant. First, he checked whether there were combustible gases in the air of the secret room. After making sure the environment was safe, he took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
When he turned on the flashlight, he found that this secret room was quite large, and there were even several rooms.
Tan Linyuan tried to call Nan Yu's name, but there was no response.
He had no choice but to hold his phone and search room by room.
During the search, Tan Linyuan also noticed that this place wasn't just used for imprisoning people.
There were many boxes and cabinets in each room, which contained account books and contract records.
However, Tan Linyuan had no time to check what these contents were.
The top priority was to find Nan Yu.
...
It was impossible to see the whole picture in the dark environment. Tan Linyuan was patient and searched calmly, leaving no stone unturned.
Unfortunately, even after he had checked all the rooms, he still couldn't find any trace of Nan Yu.
The whole secret room was filled with an eerie silence.
The more silent it was, the more impatient Tan Linyuan became. He knew that every extra minute of delay meant an extra minute of danger.
Liang Yi also came down. Holding his phone, he walked towards Tan Linyuan. "Did you find her?"
"No," Tan Linyuan's voice was cold. "I'm going to search again."
"It's so dark here. You'll be lucky if you can find her," Liang Yi couldn't help but complain. "Moreover, don't forget that this is an underground secret room. I observed just now that it's directly connected to the whole empty space under the study."
"That old Shen is really sly. He even dug such a big secret passage under his villa. Is he planning to use it as his tomb?"
"He hid the Shen family's information here," Tan Linyuan's tone wasn't very good, but he was still calm. "Ordinary people can't find this place, and those who do find it usually can't get out."
"What does that mean?" Liang Yi was surprised. "We can't get out?"
"..." Tan Linyuan rolled his eyes in the dark, but Liang Yi couldn't see it at all. "If the Shen family hadn't been taken away by the police, who do you think could get in and out of here unscathed?"
Just that long ladder was enough for people to climb.
Even if someone dared to sneak in here, they would have to pass through the study when they went out. Once they alerted the enemy, it would be a dead end.
Liang Yi also realized this and couldn't help but nod. "I've read historical records. Some ancient officials also liked to do this. Shen Suhai really lives up to his reputation as a conservative."
"He just doesn't trust anyone," Tan Linyuan squinted his eyes. "And we're not here to discuss these things."
"Got it. We're here to find your classmate Nan," Liang Yi said with a smile. But after just a few joking words, he couldn't laugh anymore.
He felt weak, and his legs began to go soft. "Tan Linyuan, do you feel uncomfortable? I feel dizzy and my vision is blurry..."
Tan Linyuan lifted his phone to look at Liang Yi's face.
His face was pale, and his breathing was rather heavy. It was a symptom of oxygen deprivation.
"You're suffering from oxygen deprivation."