Chapter 026
Beeihae Shinnshiow
The five of them were standing in the back corner of the wall in the backyard. In front of them was a hole covered by a circular iron plate. Shannchyuan looked one by one at the friends who were standing there. Shinnshiow, who was still sleepy, also stood there.
I hope this won't last too long. I really wanted to lie down on the bed.
"Is everything ready?" The words slid out of Shannchyuan's mouth. Even though the words were spoken in a half-whisper, Shinnshiow could hear clearly.
The four friends of Shannchyuan, including Shinnshiow, nodded firmly. Together, they lifted the iron plate in the shape of a circle. Once the hole was fully opened, Shannchyuan was ready to go down there. He carried a bag on his back. The contents of the bag vary. Among them was an iron hammer. Shannchyuan carefully stomped his foot on the iron stuck in the hole's wall. The object served as a rung. From above the hole, Yihshyong shone on Shannchyuan with a large flashlight. Previously, they had warned Shannchyuan to come down slowly and carefully.
About ten minutes later, those above could clearly hear the sound of an iron rod being hit three times. Shinnshow was relieved to listen to that voice. According to their plan, when Shannchyuan got to the bottom, he had to give a signal by hitting the iron rod he had used as a foothold with a hammer. The voice was a notification that he was fine. Shannchyuan didn't want to shout because, in the middle of the night like that, shouting could be heard from far away. It would certainly raise the suspicion of people watching their house. Shinnshiow looked at the faces of the other three friends. Their faces looked tense, but they conveyed relief. Just like Shinnshiow, they must have been grateful that Shannchyuan had reached the bottom of the roughly thirty-meter bottomless pit.
What is the function of space that is thirty meters below ground level? Underground warehouses weren't that deep!
Hearing that signal, Iren nodded towards Yihshyong, Jenqyih, and Shinnshiow. He prepared to descend into the dungeon to catch up with Shannchyuan. Like Shannchyuan, He also carried a bag on his back. This time, they didn't have to wait too long. It took them about three minutes to hear the sound of an iron rod being hit three times. Iren went down much faster than Shannchyuan. Maybe because he was sure that the situation below was quite safe. After that, Yihshyong hit the iron rod at the top of the inner side of the hole. He hit five times. The sound that was made was a sign that Shannchyuan and Iren had to get away from the iron ladder because they were going to lower the two oxygen cylinders that they had previously prepared.
They had tied the oxygen cylinders tightly with ropes. To be more secure, they use three ropes at once. Each person holds a rope. Slowly, they lowered the oxygen cylinders. They lowered the tubes one by one. They successfully lowered the first tube in about twelve minutes. While the second tube only took about five minutes.
In accordance with Shannchyuan's instructions, Yihshyong and Jenqyih then guarded the backyard. Yihshyong sat on the hole's edge, while Jenqyih sat in front of the kitchen door. Shinnshiow went to the living room to keep watch there. According to the plan, after a few minutes, Shannchyuan would ask one of them to come down if he saw it necessary. However, if it turned out that Shannchyuan had given absolutely no further news, and within forty minutes, Shannchyuan and Iren had not returned, then Yihshyong would have to go down to catch up with them.
Even though Shannchyuan had ordered them all to remain calm, it was difficult for Shinnshiow to control his feelings. He felt so tense. He didn't know what Shannchyuan and Iren would find down there. Feeling uneasy, he sat down on the sofa in the living room. No matter how much he tried to calm himself, it was still difficult for him to concentrate.
Shinnshiow met Shannchyuan for the first time some seventeen years ago. At that time, Shinnshiow was on vacation in Yehjing, the metropolitan city where Shannchyuan lived. While in the city, Shinnshiow lived with a distant relative who had lived in Yehjing for several years. Shinnshiow’s distant relatives comprised the father, mother, and two daughters. The father was a distant relative of Shinnshiow. Actually, the family relationship between them was not too far away, but the relationship seemed to be more distant because there was rarely contact.
Shinnshiow was on vacation to Yehjing because the city was hosting a sports event attended by a contingent from all regions of Yeuandong. That’s not to say that Shinnshiow was so passionate about sports that he should take a vacation there. There was something else causing it. Shinnshiow had an older sister who was passionate about sports. Two months earlier, Shinnshiow had just graduated from university, so he still had plenty of free time. Shinnshiow’s older sister was unemployed. Previously, she worked for a company that produces soft drinks. Several months earlier, there had been a problem at the company so that the company could not afford to pay so many employees. As a result, they had to reduce the number of employees. Shinnshiow’s sister was one of several hundred employees who had to lose their jobs.
Because they don’t want their daughter to be stressed because she is unemployed and just sitting at home, Shinnshiow’s parents suggested their daughter take a vacation to find a new atmosphere. Yehjing was hosting a sports party, and they had relatives there. However, Shinnshiow’s parents did not allow Shinnshiow’s older sister to go alone. They asked Shinnshiow to accompany his older sister there. Shinnshiow had no other choice but to agree to the request. Shinnshiow’s father immediately called his relatives to ask if they would not mind having guests over for the night. Their relatives were delighted to hear that. They welcomed Shinnshiow and her older sister with great joy.
The two daughters of Shinnshiow’s relatives also liked sports-related things. So the two of them got along very well with Shinnshiow’s older sister. One day, the three of them took Shinnshiow to watch a swimming competition. Shinnshiow could not swim, nor did he really like to play in the water, but since he had nothing else to do, he accepted the invitation.
The race was fun. At least that’s what Shinnshiow’s older sister had said. However, after all the competitions held that day were over, there was a bit of chaos. A group of people who suddenly appeared alleged that there had been systematic cheating in the race. The accused parties were angry because they did not feel they had cheated. This has become a big problem because supporters affiliated with the accusing party and supporters of the accused party were then provoked. The commotion that started out as just an argument quickly developed into a fistfight between the various parties presented.
Shinnshiow’s older sister and the two relatives escaped from the enraged crowd. However, Shinnshiow was not so lucky. He was caught between the warring parties. Unfortunately, Shinnshiow had to accept a terrible fate. Someone was pushing Shinnshiow. It was so hard that Shinnshiow fell into the swimming pool, which was quite deep.
What happened next was even worse because other people also jumped into the pool and fought there. Shinnshiow, who couldn’t swim, almost drowned because it was so difficult to save himself. Luckily, at a critical moment, a pair of hands grabbed him. That pair of hands belonged to Shannchyuan. He was also in the pool because someone pushed him.
Shannchyuan actually couldn’t swim either. Shinnshiow found out about the fact a few hours later when they were all at the police station to testify. He survived, even could help Shinnshiow, because he was wearing a life jacket. Shannchyuan explained that his presence at the venue was to provide support to one contestant, a student who attended the school where Shannchyuan taught. Shannchyuan certainly didn’t come alone. He came with a group from the school where he taught.
Regarding the life jacket, actually, it’s just symbolic. Students attending the school where Shannchyuan worked must bring the object, which was one of the mandatory equipment when they were taking swimming lessons. That day, one student brought the life jacket. So, not that Shannchyuan knew that something like that would happen. One teacher confiscated the life jacket and left it with Shannchyuan. That was why the life jacket was in Shannchyuan’s hand.
After that incident, Shinnshiow became friends with Shannchyuan. Because they live in different cities, they haven’t seen each other in a dozen years. When Shannchyuan came up with the crazy idea of traveling, Shinnshiow just frowned at first. But in the end, he had to admit that there were things worth trying. Either way, it’s much better than not trying at all. That was why Shinnshiow was now in that place, together with the rest of Shannchyuan’s friends.
Shinnshiow straightened his back. He sat alone on the sofa in the living room. The atmosphere was dark because their living room lights were turned off. They don’t want to look so flashy. If it was confirmed that people were watching them, at least they would try to keep them from becoming more suspicious.
After a while, Jenqyih appeared in the living room. He said that Shannchyuan asked one person to come down. Shinnshiow and Jenqyih walked to the backyard and joined Yihshyong, who had been guarding the edge of the hole. Turns out it wasn't Yihshyong who had to step down. The people down there asked Jenqyih to come down. Shinnshiow guessed that those at the cellar needed a person of great physical strength to do something. For example, to move heavy items.
Soon Shinnshiow and Yihshyong helped Jenqyih down to the basement. Jenqyih descended faster than Iren, so he quickly reached the bottom. After that, Shinnshiow did not return to the living room again. Together with Yihshyong, he stood guard at the edge of the pit. Just like before, after a while, the people in the dungeon pounded on the iron rods. It was a sign that they would return to the top.
Shinnshiow and Yihshyong immediately stretched two ropes down. In fact, they could have climbed to the surface just by relying on the stairs made of iron rods. But Shannchyuan said that they still had to use the rope, even if it was only for added safety. Who knew, the iron rod they used as a foothold, and the handle suddenly detached from the wall where it was stuck? They did not know when the underground chamber was built. It was not impossible that there was damage to the iron rod. It could be because it was rusty or because it was too old. In fact, it was also possible that the walls of the hole were no longer strong enough to hold the iron rods when people who climbed to the surface stepped on the iron rods.
Their three friends took turns rising to the surface. The first to emerge from the hole was Iren. Then followed by Jenqyih. Shannchyuan was the last to arrive at the top. They did not bring the things they had brought down. They left their oxygen cylinders and backpacks down there. It was a sign that later they would come down again.
Ah! It means we'll be doing this until morning! Clearly, I had to forget about wanting to lie down on a soft bed.
Yihshyong looked thrilled to see his three friends. Shinnshiow, although somewhat disappointed, still rejoiced in welcoming them. Soon after, they all went inside the house. They headed straight for the living room. There, the five people gathered to discuss what they had just discovered in the dungeon.
Shannchyuan, Iren, and Jenqyih took turns telling the things they found in the dungeon. They found another way out of the dungeon. There were two doors in the room. The doors were on the walls on the west and east sides of the crypt. Back then, when they entered the crypt for the first time, they couldn't see the doors. The doors were hidden behind objects, such as cupboards, covering all four sides of the crypt. They had to slide objects such as cupboards to find the door behind the cupboard. However, it turned out that the doors were locked. They didn't know how to open the doors.
"It's a shame that we have to move out of here soon." Shinnshiow sighed.
This is an exciting thing. But we don't have time anymore!
"We should have checked the dungeon more carefully from a few months ago," Yihshyong replied.
"Yes, but we never expected something like this to happen," said Iren.
"If it weren't for this incident, maybe we would never have known about the door in the basement," said Shannchyuan. "At least there is something positive about what happened to us."
"Do you think the owner of this house knows about that room?" Iren looked at Shannchyuan.
"Are you talking about the new owner?" Shannchyuan asked.
Iren nodded.
Shannchyuan took a deep breath before answering. "It's possible that his uncle, the former owner, had already told him."
"What about the other door?" Shinnshiow was curious.
"The old owner had plenty of time to inspect his property thoroughly. Most likely, he already knew about the two doors on the west and east walls. It's possible that he even knows how to open it," said Shannchyuan.
"I think we should go down there again," Yihshyong said. "I mean, I want to get down there. Maybe after seeing that door with my own eyes, a useful idea will come to my mind."
Shannchyuan and Iren looked at Yihshyong. Instantly, Shannchyuan seemed to frown. But his face immediately changed. While touching both palms to his cheeks, he smiled. "Maybe you're right. But you shouldn't be alone down there." Shannchyuan turned to Shinnshiow. "Would you like to go down there?"
Shinnshiow was surprised at Shannchyuan's question. He felt a little doubtful.
"If you're still sleepy, let me take your place. I'm ready to go down there again." Jenqyih immediately opened his mouth before Shinnshiow could say anything.
"It is not like that." Shinnshiow straightened his body. He couldn't find the words that matched what he was thinking.
"Then what do you mean?" Jenqyih asked.
I have no other choice.
Shinnshiow took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll come down." Finally, Shinnshiow complied with Shannchyuan's request.
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