"Men and women, young and old," Mu Yiran said calmly, "just like those people upstairs, just standing there motionless, without any prompting."
Zhu Haowen remained silent.
"But this might prove that what this research institute is studying is related to people." Ke Xun recalled the figure he saw in the window before entering the institute, a figure that seemed to be an illusion, a dark mouth that seemed to be shouting "Don't come in," just like the other figures seen through the cameras in this building.
"If they are studying people," Zhu Haowen continued, "the equipment in labs A and B seems too little, especially lab B. And I paid special attention; there was no blood or human tissue residue in the lab, except for what seemed to be words written in blood on the wall."
Speaking of blood and human tissue, Wei Dong couldn't help but shudder: "So, labs C and D have equipment, and they're probably conducting some kind of perverse human experiments? Like taking parts from four people and assembling them into a new person…"
"Hopefully not," Zhu Haowen said.
"What was the artist's purpose in painting this?" Ke Xun asked. "A dark style? Like some dark comics, using sensationalism, gore, and violence as gimmicks to attract viewers."
"If that's the case," Zhu Haowen said, "then this painting obviously doesn't have any central theme."
"So, where would the artist sign their name if there's no central theme?" Wei Dong scratched his head. "Usually, in the lower left corner, lower right corner, or in the blank space next to the central scenery or figure."
"Lower left corner, lower right corner, isn't that like the basement?" Ke Xun said.
"You've said nothing for so long," Wei Dong muttered. "Two laboratories in the lower left and lower right corners, so none of the four laboratories have been ruled out."
"And this is all just guesswork," Ke Xun said. "We don't know the meaning this painting is trying to convey, and whether the signature is in the lower left or right corner is also a guess. I think it's like some of the previous paintings; we'll only get more clues after the first night."
Thinking of the unknown terror that was about to descend, the group fell silent for a moment.
Time seemed to pass both quickly and slowly in the darkness. After an unknown amount of time, a series of footsteps suddenly broke the silence.
It was the sound of leather shoes stomping on the concrete floor, creating a hollow echo. The sound came from outside the experimental area, descending slowly from the stairwell and then walking unhurriedly down the corridor.
The sound of the soles stomping wasn't a single sound, but several, fast and slow.
They approached, followed by the sound of laboratory doors opening and closing with a creak. The footsteps gradually decreased until the last few stopped outside the doors of laboratories A and B, which faced each other.
The four people sitting against the wall instantly held their breath.
Were the "people" outside coming in?
If they came in, would everyone die?
This was a situation they had never encountered before—judging from the footsteps, it seemed that "people" had entered all the rooms!
The "painting" never allowed anyone who entered to be instantly killed; unless it was the seventh day, there would never be a situation where everyone was killed overnight.
So what does this situation mean now?
Ke Xun's left arm was tightly gripped by Wei Dong beside him, the strength almost breaking it. Ke Xun didn't move; if this gave Wei Dong a sense of security.
Hearing the time clock at the door, Mu Yiran suddenly whispered, "No matter what happens, don't make a sound."
The other three didn't speak, but he knew they had heard him. He was staring at the door in the darkness when he suddenly felt a warmth in his hand—Ke Xun's hand was holding his.
Mu Yiran was about to pull away when he heard the laboratory door being pushed open, two footsteps clattering in and closing the door behind them.
Mu Yiran didn't move again, letting Ke Xun hold his hand. A steady stream of heat emanated from his palm—dry, warm, and full of strength.
Mu Yiran pursed his lips, slightly raising his chin in the darkness, gazing at some empty direction above.
The footsteps entered without turning on the lights, moving about in the darkness with an air of nonchalance and familiarity, as if conducting routine work. This gave the four people by the wall the illusion that they were blind and that these "people" were actually in a bright, high-rise office.
The footsteps continued, interspersed with whispers. Ke Xun strained his ears to listen, but despite being in the same room at such close range, he couldn't make out a single word.
Then, the sounds in the pitch-black space increased: the clanging of metal utensils, the creaking of small iron cage bars, the turning of pages, and the squeaking of small animals.
It was as if a routine, experimental activity was unfolding in this impenetrable darkness.
The four people by the wall remained motionless, trying to keep their breathing as still as possible, and straining to discern the movements in the darkness and the actions of "them."
Perhaps half an hour passed, perhaps an hour, and just as midnight fell, a baby's laughter suddenly echoed in the pitch-black, empty experimental area.
A giggle.
Ke Xun noticed Wei Dong shiver. Another giggle.
The innocent, joyful laughter of a baby, in this context, sounded chilling. Ke Xun felt a coldness rise from his tailbone, a goosebump creeping up his spine, as if a baby's tiny hand were gently stroking his skin. He thought he might have shivered too, because Mu Yiran's hand, forced to clasp his, seemed to have tightened slightly. Ke Xun loosened his grip, holding him tighter. Having faced life and death side-by-side so many times, fear had gradually numbed them; life and death had become increasingly commonplace. Sometimes, Ke Xun even felt that the calm anticipation of facing death together with the person beside him was all the more enduring and memorable. Footsteps pounded toward the laughing baby, a cacophony of sounds continuing until a voice uttered something, at which point all the noise ceased. The voice was muffled and indistinct, so much so that even though it rose above the other sounds, it was impossible to discern what it was saying. It was neither a dialect nor a foreign language; if a definition had to be given, it was more like… the language of another world. Before the four people by the wall could analyze what language it was, a sharp, piercing metallic clanging suddenly erupted from the darkness. The sound was exceptionally unpleasant, lacking any of the crispness that metal should possess; instead, it was chaotic and disorderly, like a broken gong being smashed madly. This piercing sound instantly filled the entire laboratory, assaulting everyone's eardrums from all directions, making them restless, agitated, and internally churning. The sound was continuous and uninterrupted, giving no respite whatsoever; it felt as if their heads were about to explode. Unable to bear it any longer, Wei Dong loosened his grip on Ke Xun's arm and desperately covered his ears. The other three did the same thing, with Zhu Haowen even covering his ears and burying his head between his knees.
But it was all in vain.
Whether it was his hands or knees, anything he covered his ears seemed nonexistent, utterly unable to block the intrusion of sound. The high-pitched, monotonous, flat, and relentless tearing noise continuously pierced his eardrums, driving him almost to the point of madness, his blood vessels bursting.
Ke Xun's head throbbed with pain, and he even saw flashes of golden light. He gave up covering his ears and groped for Wei Dong, but Wei Dong had already rolled out of his reach.
Mu Yiran, noticing Ke Xun's movements and fearing he might do something impulsive and uncontrollable, was about to press him down when he suddenly felt his hands, which were covering his ears, covered by Ke Xun's dry palms.
Mu Yiran was slightly startled, and after realizing what was happening, tried to push him away, but Ke Xun continued, rising and kneeling before him, pulling his head and upper body into his embrace, firmly covering his ears with his entire body.
Mu Yiran had never known Ke Xun possessed such strength. He struggled, but couldn't break free at all.
Using all his might might have allowed him to escape, but that would likely alert those "things" in the darkness.
Mu Yiran sighed inwardly and resigned himself to his fate.
And indeed, this did have some effect.
Strangely, even in such a noisy environment, he could still hear Ke Xun's heartbeat.
His head was pressed against Ke Xun's chest; even through the arms and hands forming an embrace, he could still hear his heartbeat.
Thump, thump.
Steady, strong, calm, and warm.
Remembering the impetuous, impulsive, and bewildered Ke Xun when he first entered the painting studio, he suddenly realized that this guy adapted better than anyone else, grew faster than anyone else.
Like the sunny, bright boy in the photo in the closet, he had grown overnight into a man who needed to bear all the pain of the world alone, yet still habitually wore a smile, presenting a carefree, playful facade.
The ear-piercing metallic crackling continued to tear at the four men's eardrums and nerves, a terrifying and excruciating sonic torture. Wei Dong and Zhu Haowen were curled up on the ground, desperately resisting the agonizing sound.
Mu Yiran knew it was unbearable, but he was surprised by Ke Xun. Even with nothing to cover his ears, Ke Xun remained motionless, his heartbeat steady and strong.
Mu Yiran recalled that there were a very few people in this world who, in a critical moment, could unleash terrifying, immense potential. This potential could not be cultivated, could not be achieved through training, and could not be attained by an ordinary person. Therefore
, such people were exceptionally gifted, unattainable for ordinary people, the chosen ones.
Ke Xun's powerful resistance and endurance at this moment were beyond Mu Yiran's expectations.
This guy seemed to grow stronger with each "baptism" of "painting," whether in courage, mental fortitude, willpower, endurance, or even his... thick skin.
Just as Wei Dong had reached his limit and was even beginning to let out soft groans, a heart-wrenching baby cry suddenly rang out in the darkness. The tender voice and undulating tone abruptly lessened the nerve-wracking devastation of the piercing metallic sound. The four of them felt a slight relaxation throughout their bodies, finally taking a step away from the brink of madness and collapse.
The baby's cry and the metallic noise intertwined for a while, finally ending with the metallic sound first. Wei Dong and Zhu Haowen collapsed to the ground. Mu Yiran pushed Ke Xun, only to find that he had suddenly lost all his strength and slumped to the ground. Mu Yiran instinctively reached out and caught him by the waist and back, pulling him into his arms.