HM Chapter 17

The basement was a former medical room converted into something else. Curly suspected that the place served as a core area, given its large size and likely important functions. It might be an experimental laboratory or an operating room, and there was a high probability of finding human specimens stored there.

If it turned out to be a central control room, that would be quite advantageous, allowing them to clearly explore the specific areas of the basement and take fewer wrong turns.

They followed the faint glow of the light strips, referencing the map drawn by Yuan Yuxue, swiftly navigating through those narrow corridors that seemed endless.

Perhaps it was the confidence the map instilled in them, even though the long, oppressive, and dark corridors would typically impose a psychological pressure on anyone, knowing their destination clearly left them with no fear of the unknown. The trio moved swiftly, as if they were clocking in for work.

The only oddity was the uncomfortably low temperature.

While the main hall was also cold, it was different from the kind of coldness brought about by external wind and snow seeping in. In the basement's corridor, a peculiar damp chill seemed to seep into their bones, filling every muscle and making their limbs heavy.

To facilitate movement, Gold was not dressed particularly warmly—her outfit was rather normal. She had a camel trench coat draped over her shoulders, yet the damp chill grew increasingly unbearable... It even gave her a terrifying intuition that something might be lurking behind her, watching her, which contributed to the cold.

She pulled her collar up slightly, and curiously remarked, "Do you guys feel like it's getting colder?"

"Hmm?" Curly was different. He wasn't sensitive to temperature changes due to his unique constitution. He shook his head and asked Yuan Yuxue, "Hey, are you cold?"

As a robot, Yuan Yuxue was even less sensitive than humans, designed to adapt to various extreme environments. He answered plainly, "No, not cold."

Curly quickly averted his gaze, shooting Gold a look that was hard to describe.

Though he said nothing, his face was full of, "What a delicate person."

Gold: “……”

She couldn’t help but pinch her fingers in frustration.

However, Yuan Yuxue was aware of the differences between himself and humans. Considering human fragility and observing the textiles that merely served as simple coverings for him—

Although his clothes barely served any purpose for him, Yuan Yuxue spoke up nonetheless.

"I can give you my coat," Yuan Yuxue offered.

Curly: "??"

Before Yuan Yuxue could act, Curly had already swiftly removed his own coat, holding it out in front of Gold. His eyes challenged Yuan Yuxue, "You came too late." This was directed at Yuan Yuxue.

He then told Gold, "You don't have to thank me too much."

Gold: "…Thank you, but I’m not cold anymore. I just meant this place feels a bit strange."

The cold diminished considerably at the end of the corridor, but they couldn’t stop; they still had to pass through two more sections to reach the central area.

The doors at the end of the corridors were uniform in design—massive, white, double doors standing silently closed at about three meters tall, unlocked, with silver metal handles. Though they bore no obvious resemblance to hospital doors, they always brought to mind the scent of disinfectant.

A renewed fear of the unknown began to spread.

As Gold bit her lip, ready to psych herself up to push open the door, Curly had already kicked it open. Dust rained down, and due to long-term disrepair, the wheels emitted a harsh, dry screech.

Gold wasn’t scared by ghosts, but she was startled by Curly’s loud commotion.

She thought to herself, with a pang of pain: This must be what it means to be a pro. It takes some skill to be this bold and not get killed.

Yuan Yuxue showed no reaction—machines were hard to startle, after all.

With the door open, Yuan Yuxue followed them inside.

The division of this area wasn’t complicated; there were no walls sectioning it off. Upon entering, the contents were immediately visible.

The sight of silver instruments reflected in Yuan Yuxue's eyes was like snow settling within his gaze.

These instruments were of a terrifying design, almost nightmarish.

There was a mechanical chair with shackles, and above it hung numerous strangely-shaped blades. A variety of long knives and short daggers, dozens in total, were on display. Some were as thin as a cicada's wings, others heavy and sharp, all carrying an air of menace.

At the top of the mechanical part hung a sharp spiral drill bit, akin to a dentist’s tool. The lower part connected to a U-shaped groove, with several tube-like slots extending down to the bottom of the device.

Yuan Yuxue lowered his eyelashes and stared at the scene for a while—the tubes contained traces of a faint red substance, as though dried blood had left a grim mark.

Besides these, there were many other bizarre instruments as well. Electric shock equipment was affixed to the machinery beds, and hanging bottles of red liquid were suspended in the air. There was even a gallows-like contraption with chains wrapped around it, dangling heavy iron weights, which bore an indescribable sticky residue, as if covered with scorched human tissue.

Gold's pupils constricted slightly at the sight of all this.

It took her a moment before she spoke, uncertainty in her voice, “Are these… torture devices?”

From what she could identify, the equipment was meant for flaying, bloodletting, trepanning, and branding. Even those pale red solutions in bottles looked suspiciously like interrogation drugs, designed to be injected into veins.

Yuan Yuxue silently scanned the area, matching these instruments with his internal database.

Given their antiquated designs and some variations, the analysis took a little longer than usual.

“No, they aren’t,” he stated.

Curly approached, wanting to touch some of the equipment but thought better of it and refrained. Instead, he said, “Isn't it obvious? In a 'medical room,' you'd expect to find 'medical equipment,' just the creepy kind—”

He clicked his tongue, “But you wouldn't be wrong to call them torture devices either.”

Such things would break even the strongest person—they wouldn't last long.

For some reason, the term "medical equipment" made Gold frown even more than the suggestion they were torture devices.

It was all quite horrifying.

With these disturbing instruments, no one wanted to linger in the room any longer. Gold pressed her lips together and said, “Let's move quickly. There aren't any specimens here.”

The others had no objections, and they navigated past these “medical supplies” toward the door on the other side.

Curly moved quickly, reaching the door first. He held it open, propping himself against the doorframe, and only released it after Yuan Yuxue and Gold passed through.

The door soon closed again, sending a thin layer of dust swirling into the air.

Once they had walked far enough that the door was almost out of sight, Yuan Yuxue suddenly remarked, "There wasn't any dust on the equipment just now."

His tone was calm, and his voice carried a cool, steady rhythm that made it hard to feel anxious. Gold paused, and it took her a moment to realize what Yuan Yuxue had said. Her face went pale with delayed shock—

She recalled the scene clearly: dust had settled on the doors, yet those tools, despite their antiquated appearance and grotesque grime, were utterly dust-free.

As if… they had been used not too long ago.

"Whatever," Curly mumbled. Whether he had noticed earlier or not, he added, “At least nothing ghostly popped out to block our way.”

Yuan Yuxue considered it and agreed, "True."

Gold: “……”

You two are remarkably calm.

Yet their unwavering attitude subtly eased her nerves.

Panicking wouldn’t help anyway.

Though the room with the medical equipment was bizarre, the further they advanced, the more ordinary the surroundings became. Still, the temperature began to drop again, and the biting chill from before crept back in.

As they approached the central area, they encountered a locked door for the first time.

The lock was an old-fashioned style, with heavy silver chains binding the door handles together, sealing an opening marked by red runes. Yuan Yuxue stepped forward, about to crush the chain, when Curly said, "Step aside, let me unlock it."

Yuan Yuxue, assuming Curly had some special unlocking technique, stepped back.

Watching Yuan Yuxue move far enough away to avoid any accidental harm, Curly lifted his leg and gave the lock a mighty kick.

The kick was precise and forceful. Despite the lock’s sturdy appearance, the chain trembled and clanged before snapping at a weak point, falling to the ground.

Curly retracted his rather exaggerated action, internally pondering if the move looked impressive.

He quickly shot a proud glance at Yuan Yuxue, only to find him calm and unperturbed.

Curly: “……”

Noticing Curly's focused gaze, Yuan Yuxue turned slightly: “?”

He asked, "Shall we go in?"

Curly: “…Yes.”

The moment the chain was broken, a rush of cold air poured out, crawling up from their ankles to their warm skin. Even someone as insensitive to the environment as Curly noticed it: “Is there air conditioning in here? Feels like a morgue.”

Gold’s lips twitched slightly.

Even if you're a pro, can't you be a little more mindful with your words?

But the lighthearted thoughts vanished quickly, as the next second, Gold's pupils shrank to pinpoints—a reflex born of sudden fright.

Inside the empty, sealed room was a mortuary cabinet. The dense white cabinet slots were labeled with numbers, and the names were scratched out. The most alarming part was that three of the slots at the bottom slowly opened, the creaking sound of sliding trays piercing the silence.

Even from a distance, the glaring crimson and twisted limbs were immediately visible.

The mental strain induced a physical response; Gold felt her stomach churn with nausea, her lips pressed into a tight line—

Then she heard Curly’s contemplative inquiry.

“Would these be considered specimens?”

Beside her, Yuan Yuxue calmly replied, "No, they wouldn’t."

With that, he strode toward the mortuary cabinet.

Gold: “……”

She thought to herself: Thank you. Suddenly, it doesn't seem so tense.

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