Chapter 140: The Air-Raid Shelter

"Is this what they call a prestigious school? Insufficient concern for students, poor management—this is a dereliction of duty by both the teachers and the principal."

After reviewing the documents Zhen Youcai sent to Katerina, Shi Chengjin, a man built like an iron tower, was so furious he broke into a heated tirade.

"They’re all a bunch of freeloaders, just thinking about coasting through the days and collecting their meager monthly salaries."

"Isn't helping every student grow up healthy in body and mind the very thing they are supposed to be doing?"

"Most schools in this country are like this now," Katerina said with a sigh of resignation. "Hao Qifu isn't the only one, and he won't be the last."

"Bullying is becoming increasingly serious in many schools. It’s hard to avoid, and even if we wanted to intervene, we don't have the authority to do so."

Katerina knew that this was the general environment of many domestic high schools. But knowing it was one thing, and feeling sympathy was another; beyond that, there was little she could do to help.

Katerina thought to herself that it was no wonder she felt his eyes were so hollow and cold the first time she saw Hao Qifu.

Those were eyes that only an adult who had seen the vicissitudes of life should have; they had no place on such a young boy.

A young boy’s eyes should be innocent and carefree.

At such a wonderful age, where they don't have to worry about their livelihood and their parents take care of their every need, schoolwork should be the only external pressure they have to consider.

Katerina could understand why Hao Qifu had that look in his eyes.

Because although this boy was young, he had already experienced the ugliness of the world.

He was like a creature living in the shadows, his life never touching the sunlight.

He had witnessed a hell that most people in this world would never see, and he had seen the dark side of life.

Due to his past experiences, his heart was inevitably riddled with holes and covered in scars.

Just then, her phone chimed again. Katerina received another message, again from Zhen Youcai.

This time it was a voice message, not a file.

Zhen Youcai’s original words were:

"There is something that’s been bothering me, and after thinking it over, I feel I should mention it here."

"This school was actually built on top of an air-raid shelter."

"The shelter is vast, with tunnels extending in all directions; it was constructed in the fifties and sixties."

"At the time, to ensure public safety and defend against a potential war crisis, many places in H City excavated such shelters to protect against aerial bombing."

"Later, as the international situation trended toward peace, these shelters were abandoned, losing their original purpose."

"Because so much time has passed and the shelter has been neglected for so long, not many people know about it now."

"Even those who do are mostly elderly; the younger generation has never even heard of it."

"You mentioned earlier that Chang Yu suddenly disappeared and couldn't be tracked—it is highly likely that he entered the underground shelter beneath the school."

"You can try to use this map to find the entrance to the shelter and go inside to find Chang Yu."

After speaking, he sent an image to Katerina. It was a map detailing the internal structure of the shelter and its entrances and exits.

"Because of the long passage of time, the terrain here will certainly have changed," Zhen Youcai added.

"It might look a bit different from the geography marked on the map, so you will need to put in some effort to find the entrance."

"Additionally, according to my investigation, two students went missing at this school a short while ago."

"And those two missing students happened to be the ringleaders who spearheaded the bullying of Hao Qifu."

"I feel this might be related to Hao Qifu; perhaps those two students are also trapped in the shelter!"

"While you are looking for Chang Yu, keep an eye out and see if you can find those two students as well."

"Understood," Katerina replied, as concise as ever.

Putting down her phone, she turned her gaze to Shi Chengjin, who was picking at his feet, and Feng Sanpao, who was happily eating a grilled cold noodle snack he had swindled from a young fan.

"You both heard that. Let’s get moving," she said.

...

"This must be the place, right?"

The trio stared at the large willow tree in front of the men’s restroom, looking at each other in confusion.

"We found the entrance to the air-raid shelter so easily? Isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Feng Sanpao pointed at the willow tree, which had been growing for at least several decades, feeling they had come to the wrong spot.

"The map indicates the entrance is right here; it shouldn't be wrong," Katerina said, comparing the map repeatedly.

Shi Chengjin, wearing slippers he had bought from a street stall, kicked a pile of dirt at his feet.

"We can't just dig up this entire patch of land, can we?" he said. "Besides, I’ve looked all around, and I don't see any entrance."

"Perhaps the entrance is in a place we see often but subconsciously ignore." Katerina stared intently at a hollow in the willow tree.

"Are you saying there’s something wrong with this tree hollow?" Looking at the hole, which was less than half a meter high, Feng Sanpao’s expression became quite comical. "But the problem is, a hole this size is only big enough for a dog to pass through, right?"

"We must not underestimate this hole," Katerina’s expression turned serious. "If you crouch down, an adult man could squeeze through here."

Katerina’s suspicion was not without merit. Chang Yu had disappeared right near this men’s restroom, and the time between his disappearance and the moment everyone noticed he was gone was actually very short.

In such a short time, Chang Yu could not have gone far. Katerina had reason to believe the place where he vanished was in the vicinity of this restroom, and this large willow tree was her prime suspect.

"Sanpao, do you want to go over and try? Among us, you’re the thinnest." Katerina’s words were intriguing, laced with a hint of goading.

"Forget it, I don't want to crawl through a dog hole, it's too embarrassing..." Before he could finish, Feng Sanpao suddenly stopped talking.

"Did you guys hear something?" After a moment, Feng Sanpao whispered to the group.

"It sounds like there is some noise," Katerina tilted her head to listen.

"Slap, slap, slap!"

"Slap, slap, slap!"

The sound became clearer now. It sounded like someone clapping—the kind of... non-stop clapping.

"That sound..." Shi Chengjin paused, a grin that every man understood appearing on his face. "It sounds a bit like an adult film from Japan."

He immediately turned his gaze toward the tree hollow and muttered, "The sound seems to be coming from there."

For a moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the hollow, listening intently.

Just then, a dark object "whooshed" out of the tree hollow, kicking up a flurry of fallen leaves.

"Wow, Big Yellow is out!" Feng Sanpao was startled by the sudden movement, his mind involuntarily recalling the fear of being dominated by Big Yellow.

Big Yellow was a large wolfdog kept by their psychiatric hospital. It was particularly vicious. He used to be chased by Big Yellow when he was a child, and he couldn't stop until he had run several laps around the courtyard.

Therefore, Feng Sanpao’s fear of Big Yellow was deeply ingrained.

"What Big Yellow? It's your Grandpa!"

The dark object actually spoke, and as soon as it opened its mouth, it had a thick Northeast accent.

Everyone squinted and realized it was none other than Chang Yu.

He looked extremely disheveled, his face smeared with dust from who knows where, leaving him with black and white patches.

Most importantly, his head and face were covered in mosquito bites—bright red bumps that looked incredibly itchy, itchy enough to reach the bone.

"Where have you been for so long?" Shi Chengjin asked instinctively.

"Guys, I’ll explain this to you later. Don't say I didn't warn you—get out of here, now!" Chang Yu’s mouth twitched as he prepared to bolt.

It wasn't Chang Yu’s fault for being so desperate to escape; there was a massive swarm of "pursuers" behind him.

If they waited too long and got entangled with them, they would all end up looking like mummies.

Unfortunately... despite his well-intentioned warning, someone didn't appreciate it.

"Hey, what’s the rush?" Shi Chengjin grabbed Chang Yu. "Tell us, what exactly happened down there? And the bumps on your face, how did you get those?"

"Ai-ya, there’s no time to talk about this! The most important thing right now is to save our lives!" Chang Yu struggled a few times, but couldn't break free from Shi Chengjin’s iron-like grip.

Shi Chengjin was the kind of man whose strength was in no way inferior to Chang Yu’s.

"I don't get why you’re so scared," Shi Chengjin said, completely failing to grasp Chang Yu’s current agitation.

"You’ve found your organization now; you’re no longer fighting alone."

"Even if we run into some powerful character, there are so many of us—are you worried we can't beat him?"

Facing Shi Chengjin’s obstruction, Chang Yu could only offer a bitter smile: "It’ll be too late if we don't run now. No... it’s already too late."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dark, swarming cloud of mosquitoes flew out of the tree hollow—dense, thick, and heart-stopping.

They gathered together, emitting an overwhelming buzzing sound that made everyone’s scalp tingle.

Anyone with trypophobia would likely take one look and faint on the spot.

"Mother of God, I’ve never seen so many mosquitoes in my life," Shi Chengjin’s eyes widened.

"This isn't Africa, where did such a huge swarm of mosquitoes come from?" Katerina was also stunned by the sight.

Before they could react, the swarming cloud of mosquitoes flew toward them.

Chang Yu didn't know what the mosquitoes were thinking, but he guessed they must be feeling quite happy.

Originally, there was only one piece of "blood-meal," and they were worried there wouldn't be enough "food."

But nature’s surprises often come too suddenly; who would have thought that as they chased, the "blood-meal" would suddenly turn from one into four.

Now they could finally have a feast!

And so... with all their might, they enthusiastically pounced on the fresh, lively "meal tickets."