"What happens if we don't get a number card?" Xu Zhen asked calmly.
"The number cards are used to group us, and based on experience from the previous paintings," Qin Ci said, "those who violate the 'painting's' rules will only have one fate."
The newcomers fell silent, caught in a dilemma.
Getting a number card meant going down into that terrifying underground space. Those dark, enclosed places were already oppressive and unsettling, filled with a sinister atmosphere, let alone now, in this bizarre world within the painting. No one dared to imagine what terrible things or "things" awaited them in those underground experimental areas.
But if they didn't get a number card, they would face punishment from the "painting" for violating the rules.
Wei Dong broke through the girls' encirclement, squeezed forward, and pressed the button on the number machine, seeing that the number was A-185.
Wei Dong sighed and looked at Qin Ci. Among the veteran members, he was the only one who hadn't taken a number yet. Qin Ci raised his hand to press the button, but Xu Zhen suddenly pounced on him and took the lead. The number card popped out, and the code printed on it was B-186.
Xu Zhen was stunned, then looked at the veteran members with a complicated expression: "The letters have changed... Only four people are allowed to enter one experimental area?"
"The last person to take a card will likely be in an experimental area by themselves," Ke Xun reminded the remaining people.
The newcomers were shocked. They didn't care what terrible things or things were waiting for them in the basement. They rushed forward to press the number machine. Qin Ci was the closest and took a number card first. Sure enough, it started with the letter B. Next to Xu Zhen's number was B-187.
The newlyweds rushed forward, vying to press the cards, but suddenly a chorus of cries of pain erupted as they fell backward. It was the same sullen-faced, yellow-skinned man who grabbed several of them by the back of their heads, threw them to the ground, strode forward, and took card number B-188.
Next was Qi Qiang, also with a card starting with B, followed by Deng Guang. From him onward, the cards started with C, then the three girlfriends. Because of the large group, the lonely and helpless Cai Xiaoyan was pushed to the very end.
Looking at the only card in her hand, starting with D, Cai Xiaoyan burst into tears.
Everyone watched her silently, helpless.
"Can we exchange cards?" Xu Zhen suddenly asked the older members.
Qin Ci hesitated for a moment: "There have been similar grouping rules before, but exchanging group badges is not allowed and will be treated as a violation of the rules. The rules for each painting are different according to the content and meaning of the painting, so we can't be sure if we can exchange them. But it's best not to try to challenge it on the first night, after all, we don't understand the meaning of this painting at all."
"Then what do we do next? Are we just going to sit and wait for bad things to happen on the first night?" Xu Zhen's face was grim.
"Before the curfew starts, let's go down and open the other three experimental areas and hurry up and look for clues." Mu Yiran said calmly.
At this point, everyone was forced into it and had no choice but to go down.
So Ke Xun still held up his phone and led the way, with the rest of the group following behind. Huang Pi and Qi Qiang were at the back. They had only gone down two steps when they heard a "bang" behind them. They immediately turned around and saw that the iron gate had been tightly closed behind them.
Qi Qiang rushed forward and shook the door vigorously, but it wouldn't budge. He inserted his SIM card into the card reader, but there was no response. He turned back with a grim expression and continued following the others downstairs.
Qin Ci, holding a B card, swiped open the door to the B project experimental area, and several veteran members followed.
The B project experimental area was divided into four small cubicles. Strangely, the rooms were completely empty.
Everyone turned on their phones and examined the walls, ceiling, and floor. They discovered that the walls, ceiling, and floor of these four rooms were not made of brick or stone, but of a soft, yielding material. Walking on it made no sound, and even pounding on the walls produced no noise, not even the sound of a fist rubbing against the surface.
Deng Guang, holding a C card, opened the door to the C project experimental area.
Inside were two identical machines and four chairs, placed on either side of the machines. There was also a desk, several office chairs, and behind the door was a clothes rack, along with mops, brooms, dustpans, and other miscellaneous items.
The two machines resembled electronic devices, each with a wire extending from one end. Their purpose remained a mystery to everyone.
Cai Xiaoyan, already sobbing uncontrollably, opened the Project D experimental area with Qin Ci's help.
Inside, a specially designed chair sat beside a scientific instrument riddled with wires connected to strange objects. Against one
wall was a medical bed, surrounded by various medical devices. On the other side, against another wall, was a desk with a small projector, along with various office supplies and documents. Of
all four experimental areas, Project D's facilities were the most complex, which terrified Cai Xiaoyan even more, causing her to crouch on the floor, trembling and sobbing.
The veteran members, temporarily ignoring her, focused on searching the room for any useful clues. Qin Ci examined the medical equipment, Mu Yiran checked the instrument beside the chair, Ke Xun and Zhu Haowen searched the desk drawers, and Wei Dong tried to find a power strip to connect to the projector.
The desk drawers were cluttered with items, mostly documents. Ke Xun glanced at them by the light of his phone; they were mostly filled with medical terminology and research logs. Just as he was about to examine the logs more closely, he heard Zhu Haowen next to him slam a drawer he had just opened back into the desk with a loud "bang."
"What's wrong?" Ke Xun turned to look at him.
Zhu Haowen paused, then said expressionlessly, "Nothing, just some inappropriate stuff."
"Things like that are suspicious, aren't they?" Ke Xun looked at him with a puzzled expression, reaching for the drawer he had just closed.
Zhu Haowen didn't stop him, only glancing at the back of Ke Xun's head where a few strands of hair were sticking up, before turning to examine the items on the desk.
"...Oh my god." He heard Ke Xun mutter under his breath.
"What?" Mu Yiran walked over and asked, looking at Ke Xun.
Ke Xun stuffed the things in his hand back into the drawer, then slammed it shut. "Nothing, just some inappropriate stuff."
Zhu Haowen: "..."
Mu Yiran gave him a scrutinizing look. "You should know that things like this are more suspicious."
Zhu Haowen: "..."
"You're right," Ke Xun reopened the drawer and took the things inside. "I'll check them again. You can go back to your work."
Mu Yiran stared at him with a "what are you up to now?" look, walked over, and held out his hand. "Let me see."
"What about trust?" Ke Xun sighed and handed the things to him. "Let's make it clear first, if you get angry, don't take it out on me. It's not my fault."
Mu Yiran ignored him, glanced at the things in his hand in the light of his phone, and then visibly stiffened.
"Ahem, still want to look?" Ke Xun cautiously looked at Mu Yiran's expressionless face. "Why don't you put it back? I think if the signature is on it, this painting will be too nonsensical."
Mu Yiran still ignored him, froze for a moment, then resumed his actions and continued to flip through the pages expressionlessly.
"What's that?" Wei Dong nudged Ke Xun with his elbow, his chin darting towards the object in Mu Yiran's hand.
"A stack of photos," Ke Xun said.
"Whose photos?" Wei Dong asked, surprised.
"Uh, photos of everyone," Ke Xun replied.
"Why put photos in the lab?" Wei Dong asked curiously.
"...Maybe it's a personal hobby?" Ke Xun said ambiguously.
Wei Dong gave him an even stranger look, but didn't ask any more questions, continuing to rummage through the mess on the table.
As everyone was busy, a low beep from an electronic device suddenly sounded. They quickly looked around and finally spotted a flat, rectangular electronic timer on the wall.
The timer displayed fluorescent red numbers, starting from 60 and counting down.
Ke Xun immediately realized something and quickly checked the time on his phone; there was less than a minute left until the usual curfew in the painting—11 PM.
"It's time to stop! Get back to your assigned experimental areas!" Ke Xun snapped out of his daze, shouting at the newcomers. He grabbed Mu Yiran and pulled her outside. "Dongzi, Haowen, follow us."
"No—no—please—" Seeing everyone rushing out the door, Cai Xiaoyan broke down in tears, grabbing Deng Guang and kneeling on the ground, pleading, "Please don't leave me alone! Please, Deng Guang, save me, save me—" Deng Guang
was frantic. He struggled for a long time but couldn't break free from Cai Xiaoyan's grasp. Enraged, he kicked her in the chest, sending her sprawling to the ground. He cursed, "Get the hell out of here!" and hurriedly ran out of Laboratory D.
The veteran members couldn't do anything about Cai Xiaoyan's situation. After all, the power within the painting was beyond human control, and it wasn't something that could be solved by simply helping others.
Everyone entered their respective experimental rooms and closed the doors.
Although there were several cribs in Project A's lab, no one wanted to sit in them, so they found a relatively clean corner and sat down on the floor.
The room was pitch black, with only the red glow of the timer on the wall counting down until the number jumped to 0. After a beep, it was completely dark.
Ke Xun, Mu Yiran, Wei Dong, and Zhu Haowen sat side by side against the wall, silent for a moment. In the darkness, only their soft breathing could be heard: Ke Xun's was light and strong, Mu Yiran's was long and soothing, Wei Dong's was short and rapid, and Zhu Haowen's was shallow and deep.
After a moment of silence, Wei Dong's voice rang out softly, "So, what kind of research institute is this? These four labs are all different, especially Lab B, which is completely empty. What are they researching?" "
Since they're divided into different projects, they must be researching different things," Zhu Haowen chimed in. "I'm certain that Lab A is researching infants."
"How do you know?" Wei Dong asked hastily. "Just because there's a crib, does that mean they're researching infants? There are also small cages in there. Don't they usually use mice or something as test subjects in experiments? Maybe they're researching mice." "
Actually, there's a way to find out what each lab is researching," Zhu Haowen said.
"What way?" Wei Dong asked.
"Turn on your phone's camera," Zhu Haowen said
casually. Wei Dong shuddered. "Never mind..."
"This method," Mu Yiran suddenly spoke up, "I already tried it when I entered the other three labs."
"What did you see?" Ke Xun asked.