The pitch-black corridor began to feel eerie, and Tang Xiaoquan looked around, trying to identify the source of the sound.

His peculiar behavior caught the attention of Lin Junfu, who was squatting by the fire pit, smoking a cigarette.

Immediately, the latter stood up out of curiosity and walked directly toward Tang Xiaoquan's location.

In the darkness, Tang Xiaoquan's eyes flickered with light, like ghostly flames cautiously scanning every place he deemed suspicious. Ultimately, he found nothing, as all that lay in his line of sight was endless darkness.

Looks like I was being a bit too paranoid! Tang Xiaoquan shook his head slightly, feeling a hint of helplessness.

Just as he turned to leave, he accidentally bumped into the oncoming Lin Junfu.

Good gracious, this unexpected collision startled Tang Xiaoquan, causing him to shiver involuntarily in panic and exclaim, "Who!?"

Seeing the young man's wary demeanor, Lin Junfu realized his "mistake" and quickly apologized, saying, "Don't be nervous, young Tang, it's me, old Lin!"

Recognizing the voice, Tang Xiaoquan regained a bit of composure, and the fists he had raised in defense slowly lowered. "So it's old Lin! I thought..."

Perhaps realizing he overreacted, Tang Xiaoquan scratched his head awkwardly and changed the subject, "Why did you come over, Lin? Is there something you need?"

Lin Junfu shook his head while holding the cigarette, "No, I just saw you stop and wondered if you found something, so I came to check. What's the situation?"

Tang Xiaoquan answered directly, "Everything's normal. Maybe I was just too tense. It's fine, let's head back. I wanted to discuss our escape plan with everyone!"

At this, old Lin remained silent for a few seconds, clearly pondering the young man's concerns, which had been on his mind as well.

After a pause, he decisively replied, "Alright! Let's go back."

With that, both of them turned back to move forward.

But after only a few steps, Tang Xiaoquan inexplicably stopped again.

Old Lin, naturally puzzled, was about to ask him.

But before he could speak, Tang Xiaoquan motioned for silence and quietly moved back to his previous spot.

The atmosphere became suddenly tense. Though Lin Junfu didn't know what had happened, knowing the young man as he did, he understood that he wouldn't act with such caution without reason.

Thus...

Lowering his own body, Lin Junfu followed closely behind Tang Xiaoquan, heading towards the end of the corridor.

Step by step, three-paced and the pitch-black corridor, the two of them moved like silent thieves.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment; the feeling of the unknown is not pleasant, especially in such a sinister corridor.

If not for having faced death many times before, Lin Junfu might have already stopped in his tracks and retreated.

Suddenly, the once quiet corridor echoed with a series of "thud" sounds, faint though they were, they didn't escape the highly alert senses of Lin and Tang.

Upon this, they instinctively halted their steps, exchanging a glance that was filled with seriousness.

Gazing toward the security iron door at the far end of the corridor, it was clear that the sound must have come from there based on the direction of the noise.

What puzzled Tang Xiaoquan was why they hadn't noticed anything during the day, yet under the cover of night...

Goosebumps rose involuntarily, and though the City Management Bureau wasn't particularly cold, Tang Xiaoquan felt a sinister chill creeping down his spine.

Fortunately, he rarely indulged in suspense or paranormal films, or else he might have started to associate the scene with horrifying movie scenarios.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to steady himself, Lin Junfu drew out the baton hanging at his waist and held it before him.

Amusingly, his original baton had been confiscated by Lu Rui's group.

Thinking he'd never come upon such an object again, he unexpectedly found a similar tool within the City Management Bureau just moments later.

It truly echoed the old saying: "Fate brings people together no matter how distant they are."

Ready, Lin Junfu took the lead and moved to the door. His hand reached for the doorknob, about to twist it when suddenly a hand shot out and held his wrist.

"Wait! Lin!" Tang Xiaoquan whispered urgently, pulling Lin Junfu away from the door, before continuing, "For safety's sake, shouldn't we inform the others before doing anything?"

"Alright!" Lin's response was straightforward and, having agreed, he returned to gather the main group.

After a brief discussion, Wang Qiang and Dazhuang followed him back to the door.

Upon arrival, Wang Qiang asked in confusion, "Is there something inside the door?"

Tang Xiaoquan nodded affirmatively.

Contrary to Tang Xiaoquan's expectations, Wang Qiang seemed utterly fearless upon seeing the nod.

He pointed nonchalantly at the iron door and said in a dismissive tone, "So the damn door won't open. There might be something inside, but why make such a fuss?"

Wang Qiang shrugged as if to emphasize his stance.

In response, Tang Xiaoquan found himself momentarily speechless, as he had been downstairs the whole time and wasn't aware of the door's condition upstairs.

Therefore, upon hearing Wang Qiang mention the door "won't budge," he felt a bit relieved despite his initial surprise.

Similarly unaware of the situation, Lin Junfu cautiously attempted to twist the door handle with his baton.

But, as Wang Qiang had said, the security door didn't move an inch, confirming it indeed couldn't be opened from outside.

Understanding this, it became clear that investigating the door's interior was unlikely.

"Alright! Can we go back now?" Wang Qiang, preoccupied with Hu Xiaodong, didn't want to waste more time here.

Thus, he impatiently urged to leave.

Exchanging glances, old Lin and Tang Xiaoquan also concluded there was no reason to exhaust themselves over a door that wouldn't open.

After all, if there were zombies inside, they certainly couldn't open the tightly shut security door.

With this, everyone prepared to leave with peace of mind.

Unexpectedly, just when everyone turned to depart, the door, deemed impossible to open, unbelievably began to...

PS: Thanks to the book friends "150321110327342" and "奔跑青春tian" for their support, much appreciated!!

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