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墨書 Inktalez
It seems like it hasn't been long since they last entered this building, but now the interior was completely different from the once bright and bustling atmosphere. As they stepped through the front door, a strong, damp mustiness filled the air. The once pristine floor was now covered in layers of dust, clearly showing the traces of people coming and going.
The entire building belonged to Mighty Falcon, housing everything that could be publicly displayed by the organization, resembling a miniature society. It included dormitories, a cafeteria, a hospital, a gym, and more. Except for team members who had their own homes outside and needed to commute, anyone else could choose to live in this building if they wished.
Many families with ordinary backgrounds considered sending their children here for training. After all, it offered not only work opportunities but also rigorous fitness training to ensure participants maintained good physical condition—a very appealing prospect. However, the people inside were a mixed bag; even those with serious criminal records could be accepted without background checks.
The range of the flashlight was limited, so they could only slowly walk around to look for useful information. The power outage made it impossible for sunlight to penetrate the building, rendering it even darker than at night. Song Bunan followed closely behind Xin Yi, keenly sensing whether any spirits were present around them. He hoped to encounter a few familiar faces to inquire about recent happenings in this place.
"I can't believe this," he said as they climbed the stairs step by step. Song Bunan instinctively grabbed the handrail, which left his hands covered in grime. Rubbing his fingers together, he voiced his thoughts aloud, prompting Xin Yi to stop and turn back to look at him. "A place that used to have hundreds of people is now so deserted; it was so glorious just a while ago."
His words carried a hint of pessimism. Upon hearing this, Xin Yi lowered his head and stood silently for a long moment before responding with a soft "mm." The single syllable revealed no emotion, but Song Bunan could sense the sadness emanating from Xin Yi's silhouette. He refrained from further lamenting; after all, for Xin Yi, this felt akin to losing everything.
"If I remember correctly, we used to take the elevator up to the Fifteenth Floor when we came here. Now that the equipment is out of order, are we really going to have to climb all the way up?" Not liking the eerie silence that made him uneasy with someone nearby, Song Bunan changed the subject in search of a clearer answer.
Though they had only reached the second floor.
Xin Yi extended his hand for Song Bunan to grasp. Once their fingers intertwined, he replied that they only needed to go up to the seventh floor; that was where the archives were located.
"Archives? Do they contain information related specifically to your department or is it more general?" Xin Yi's hand was warm; his rough and large palm nearly enveloped Song Bunan's entire hand. He turned off his flashlight and followed Xin Yi's lead as they ascended slowly.
"It should only pertain to our department but is divided into confidential and regular files. I haven't been there often enough to know much about its contents. However, what your brother gave you today definitely won't be ordinary material," Xin Yi answered softly.
Song Bunan rubbed his nose, which was itching from the dust. He clicked his tongue in confusion and said, "That kind of thing shouldn't be circulating; it's a huge liability. Judging by the footprints on the floor when we entered, many people have already rummaged through here. We probably won't find anything valuable in the archives—maybe nothing at all. But then again, I can understand why they'd take things away; why let them spread outside?"
It still came from my brother's hands. Feeling slightly drowsy under the oppressive darkness, Song Bunan yawned and coughed from inhaling dust. "Why is there so much dust in this place? How can it get this dirty in just ten days?" Frustrated, he spat out some dirt from his mouth with anger bubbling inside him.
Xin Yi pulled a mask from his pocket and handed it to him, explaining that this staircase was rarely used, and the cleaning staff often overlooked it. The dust accumulation was normal. Song Bunan put on the mask and frowned, expressing that this was just laziness disguised as work.
The seventh floor posed no challenge for the two of them. As the red number seven appeared, Song Bunan immediately reached for the handle of the fire door. However, just as he was about to touch the iron handle, a wave of fear coursed through his spine, bringing with it a chill and tremor.
"Be careful, it feels like someone is here," Song Bunan instinctively pulled his hand away from Xin Yi's and reached for his baton. After glancing back to see Xin Yi also preparing for a fight, he resumed his attempt to open the door.
The entire seventh floor was cluttered with documents. The multi-tiered bookshelves that should have been neatly arranged were now askew and disorganized, as if something significant had just occurred here. Most of the cardboard boxes were crushed, and various papers littered the ground. Song Bunan picked up a sheet at random; it contained a task report.
"These people are really out of their minds. If they’re looking for something, why destroy this place?" Song Bunan said indignantly. The current state of the seventh floor resembled a spider's web; entering recklessly could easily lead them into an enemy trap. At that moment, he could distinctly feel something watching them from nearby, an unsettling sensation prickling at his back.
Without saying a word, Xin Yi moved deeper inside, while Song Bunan discreetly placed a sticker on the main door before following him. He didn’t know what Xin Yi was searching for but realized he could easily gather a lot of information about the Mighty Falcon mission at this moment. He kept a safe distance behind Xin Yi, occasionally picking up interesting documents to glance at.
Perhaps they truly had some connection; just as Xin Yi stopped walking, Song Bunan happened to find a relatively intact document among a pile of tattered papers. The name on it was Xin Yi—his adoption paperwork.
"Bunan, if you go further in, you’ll reach the Confidential Vault. Do you want to go in?" Upon hearing the question, he quickly stuffed the paper into his pocket and raised his hand with a flashlight, answering that he definitely wanted to enter.
"Come on, it's confidential! I love peeking into other people's secrets," Song Bunan said with a smile as he turned on his flashlight and directed its beam into a room that remained tidy amidst the chaos, clearly separated from the rest.
This room must have been added after the seventh floor was built. Although its entrance featured a cash password lock and similar security measures, the surrounding walls were made of ordinary particle board covered with a layer of conspicuous metal sheeting. Inside was exquisite; not only were there cabinets for storing documents but also an entire set of tables and chairs placed in the center.
The Confidential Vault had clearly been rummaged through as well, but those who had done so were quite polite—they only took what they needed without being as rough as those outside. Song Bunan and Xin Yi split up to check both sides simultaneously, hoping that each might find something overlooked or unwanted by the other.
The cabinets were specially designed; their exterior felt significantly cooler than room temperature. Upon opening one, it felt like an icebox inside, with each shelf equipped with buttons whose purpose remained unknown.
The first five cabinets in Song Bunan's section had been completely emptied; even the dividers were polished to such a shine that no fingerprints remained. There was nothing in the gaps between the cabinets until he opened the sixth one and spotted a small card wedged in a corner. After some effort to pull it out, he discovered it was a bookmark.
Song Bunan could hardly believe his eyes. The card, the size of a business card, bore the emblem of Mighty Falcon on one side, while the other side displayed an incomprehensible pattern and was missing a corner. Judging by its level of oxidation, this card had seen some years; it had yellowed and become brittle around the edges, yet it remained flat and unbent, suggesting it had been preserved within a book all along.
Could this be a key card or access pass of some sort? Song Bunan tucked it into his pocket, reasoning that at this moment, anything he discovered could rightfully be considered his.
He had more luck at the seventh cabinet, where he found an entire box of stored documents that felt reassuringly substantial in his hands. He called for Xin Yi to come take a look but realized after several attempts that his companion was not in the Confidential Vault.
The space was not large; each cabinet was pressed against the walls, and standing at the central desk allowed him to see every corner. At that moment, Song Bunan stood beside the desk, and no matter how he looked at it, he was the only living person in the room. When had Xin Yi left? And why hadn’t he said anything? He distinctly remembered calling out to him when he found the card and receiving a response…
However, unlike before, the sense of being watched had vanished in this Confidential Vault. Song Bunan did not rush to search for clues; instead, he pulled out a chair and sat down. He turned off his flashlight and briefly closed his eyes to adjust to the darkness before looking around. Various shades of gray formed the world before him, even allowing him to see the clutter outside the door clearly.
A place devoid of any ghosts felt even more dangerous; either there was something here more formidable than ghosts or this place was specifically designed to evade them. But would people from Mighty Falcon believe in such things? He vividly recalled how Xin Yi’s eyes reflected helplessness and disdain whenever they discussed supernatural topics; others were even less tolerant of such matters.
Leaning back in his chair, he began to meticulously recall every detail he had seen since entering the building, hoping to uncover any important information he might have overlooked while moving about.
The first floor was simply furnished; aside from the security room and Cleaning Room, all other spaces were ordinary storage compartments. The transparent design allowed one to see clearly what was inside—nothing special. They had gone directly to the stairwell, where aside from floor markers, there were no other posted signs until they reached the seventh floor.
Unable to extract any useful clues from his memory, Song Bunan stopped reminiscing and got up to examine the dust on the floor. Xin Yi’s footprints stopped in front of the Sixth Bookcase; Song Bunan stepped onto them and scanned his surroundings but found nothing unusual.
Given Xin Yi’s agility, if he wanted to leave quietly, Song Bunan’s rummaging through the bookcases would indeed mask any sound he made. But with footprints stopping here, there was only one place left to go…
Suddenly, Song Bunan looked up. Atop one of the cabinets was a patch that appeared darker than the surrounding blackness. As his gaze swept over its center point, a pale, translucent face flashed briefly with a strange smile before disappearing.
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