Organ

Inside the clinic, a young doctor sat at a computer desk, fiddling with something. Hearing the footsteps of a customer entering, he didn't even look up, saying, "Any illness, big or small, costs ten thousand Federation credits. No guarantee of a cure. If you want treatment, pay a nine-thousand deposit first. If not, leave quickly."

Such a spiel would be enough to send every customer packing.

"Xiao Jiu, I've brought the person. The rest is up to you. I'm off." The mechanical-headed man finished speaking, didn't even glance at Tu Ran, and turned to leave.

The man called Xiao Jiu finally looked up.

He swiftly jumped down from his chair and hurried over to Tu Ran, saying eagerly, "Ah, you're here. Come on in, they're all waiting for you."

All?

Tu Ran caught that word.

Wasn't it just Xie Xu? Why say "all"?

Xiao Jiu led her to a cramped storage room at the back of the clinic. The space was so small that only two people could stand at once, and turning around was a problem.

Tu Ran tilted her head slightly to avoid Xiao Jiu's back of the head and saw a large dusty medical instrument piled in the far corner.

Beside her, the wall was plastered with a sexy photo of a beauty.

A star who had been quite popular a few years back.

This place looks like a junk pile. Could there really be a secret mechanism?

Tu Ran surveyed the area, guessing where the mechanism might be hidden.

Xiao Jiu pressed his finger onto the red lips of the beauty in the photo.

The dusty machine began to rise slowly.

Tu Ran: "..."

The design of this mechanism was quite distinctive.

Fortunately, it wasn't placed in an even more unusual spot; otherwise, her impression of Xie Xu would plummet to the level of a sleazy man.

Just imagining Xie Xu pressing that spot every time he came here felt like an eyesore.

The machine rose to a certain height, revealing a staircase descending behind it, pitch-black and lightless, as if leading into an endless abyss.

Xiao Jiu coughed, and the sensor light came on, illuminating the stairs.

"I still have the shop to mind, so I won't go down with you. They're already waiting below. Just head down the stairs." Xiao Jiu said with a grin.

Tu Ran felt his smile held a hint of ill intent.

She nodded, slightly bent down, and stepped into the stairwell.

Behind her, Xiao Jiu pressed the mechanism, and the door slowly descended.

These stairs seemed endless. Every few steps, Tu Ran had to cough or stomp her foot to make some noise to trigger the light for the next level.

After what felt like seven or eight minutes, she could clearly sense the surroundings becoming more spacious.

Still pitch-black, but the sound of her footsteps grew louder and more echoing. Listening carefully, there was even a hint of reverberation.

This was a very large space.

But didn't they say someone was waiting for her? Why were the lights off, and where were the people?

Tu Ran took off her backpack, remembering she had a flashlight inside.

Just then, a faint sound rapidly approached.

Accompanied by a barely perceptible wisp of wind.

A small strand of hair on Tu Ran's forehead swayed.

At the same moment, Tu Ran swung her backpack strap with force.

"Thud!"

It struck something.

That thing was knocked over and fell to the ground.

The sound indicated a wooden floor.

All the lights in the entire space came on simultaneously.

Tu Ran squinted to adjust to the sudden brightness, and after a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked around.

This place resembled a massive underground cavern, with a ceiling over ten meters high, which explained the echo of her footsteps.