At this point, Lin Xia's consciousness stirred. In her diary, she wrote that she realized she was dreaming and about to wake. Desperate to remember every detail, she feared forgetting it all.
She didn't notice the scenery change until the girl vanished. Darkness surrounded her, thick as ink, boundless, her hands invisible.
She screamed and woke.
Tong Suo took a drag of his cigarette. "That dream in her diary is full of meaning."
"What do you think?" I asked.
"From her description, the Immortal Lady manages pregnant women, recording what kind of child they'll bear. It's all fated, cause and effect."
I sighed. "It seems Lin Xia's suicide was inevitable. On the surface, she was abandoned, but her child was an underworld spirit. Poor Guan Feng got dragged into this karma."
Tong Suo shook his head. "You can't say that. Every action has its consequences. If Guan Feng hadn't abandoned her, he wouldn't have faced this fate. One detail bugs me—who was the modern guy Lin Xia saw in the courtyard? Could it be Li Damin?"
I gave a wry smile. "How would I know? But it's likely."
"I almost want to visit the underworld myself," Tong Suo said.
I jumped. "What for?"
"To see if Lin Xia and her family are living happily there."
I nearly spat my water.
Li Yang emerged from the room, waving the diary. "I know how to enter the underworld."
"What?!" Tong Suo and I gasped.
"How?" Tong Suo asked urgently.
Li Yang pointed at the ceiling. "The entrance is hidden in this building. Old Liu, I know how to access the hidden space in the complex."
We asked where—Lin Xia's apartment?
Li Yang shook his head. "We overlooked something. Lin Xia mentioned in her diary that the day she confirmed her pregnancy at the hospital, she took the elevator in the complex and, distracted, pressed the wrong floor."
"The top floor, right? What else?" I said casually.
"She pressed the 22nd floor," Li Yang said deliberately.
I sat up, scalp tingling. "This building only has 21 floors. Where's the 22nd? The elevator doesn't even show it."
"The lobby's passenger elevator doesn't, but the freight elevator does," Li Yang said.
My jaw dropped, recalling when I moved in. My roommate, Old Wang from security, and I used the freight elevator. My roommate frantically pressed the top button, but Old Wang said it was broken, useless.
We didn't think much of it, never imagining a hidden 22nd floor.
I blinked. "Wait, we pressed that button, and it didn't work." I recounted the day.
Li Yang frowned. "That's odd. Lin Xia's diary says she accidentally reached the 22nd floor, so the button worked…"
"What did she see?" I asked.
Li Yang said, "She was distracted, pressed the wrong button, and ended up on the 22nd floor. The elevator door didn't open, and she was lost in thoughts about her child, not noticing anything odd until the elevator stopped. She pressed the open button, but the door stayed shut, and there was no floor indicator. Scared, she thought she was trapped, pressed buttons randomly, hit the 15th floor, and the elevator descended. She clearly saw the '21' indicator flash by and wondered if she'd been to the 22nd floor."
Tong Suo held his breath. "Then what?"
"Nothing," Li Yang shrugged. "Old Tong, how'd you miss such a key detail in the diary?"
Tong Suo smacked his lips. "Her writing's like a lullaby—makes you sleepy. I must've zoned out."
"Should we try it?" I suggested.
Li Yang, unusually cautious, said, "Not tonight. It's been one thing after another. Rest up. Old Liu, can you take a day off tomorrow?"
I grimaced. "I'm on probation. Can't just take leave, or I'll get fired."
Li Yang thought. "Fine, come back early after work. We'll eat and explore the 22nd floor. Tong Suo, you and I will prep tomorrow daytime. No battle unprepared."
It was late, so we dispersed. Back in my room, my mind replayed every event since moving in. I'm the type to overthink, tossing and turning, unable to sleep until the wee hours.
I muddled through work, then rushed home by taxi.
In the living room, gear was scattered everywhere. Li Yang and Tong Suo were checking it. Li Yang glanced at me. "There's takeout in the kitchen. Eat quick, and we're off."
The floor was cluttered with no space to step. I dodged the gear, found a hot box of dumplings on the kitchen windowsill, and ate, warmed by their thoughtfulness.
Holding the box, I looked at the gear: wolf-eye flashlights, helmet lamps, infrared cameras, ropes, trekking poles. Tong Suo had a taser, saying, "If I see that damn Immortal Lady, I'll zap her!"
Li Yang tied his hiking boots, stomped twice, and waved. "Let's go!"
We grabbed our packs and trekking poles, heading out.
I chuckled. "Feels like we're going to war."
Li Yang was serious. "This expedition is dangerous. Be mentally prepared—we might not come back."
Tong Suo sneered. "You and your jinx mouth. Stop with the bad omens."
Li Yang glanced at us, saying nothing.
We walked down the corridor to the freight elevator, rarely used, still on the first floor.
Li Yang pressed the up button. The elevator moved, numbers climbing.
Watching them, I felt a sudden tension, my breath quickening, right eyelid twitching.
Damn, left eye for luck, right eye for trouble.
As I thought this, a "ding" sounded. The elevator stopped at the 21st floor, and the doors opened.
We stepped in. Li Yang pressed the top button—nothing. He turned to Tong Suo. "Do it."
Tong Suo had me hold the open button to keep the elevator on the 21st floor. He opened his toolbox, carefully prying open the control panel's circuit board.
Inside were tangled red and green wires and circuit blocks. Tong Suo fiddled with a screwdriver, and the elevator jolted.
I yelled, "Can you not screw this up? If you break it, we're all dead!"
"Chill, it's easy," he said. "Don't you know my nickname?"
"What, Time-Traveling Flea?" I quipped.
"Screw you, I'm the Thief King," he said, tweaking the board. "Interesting—someone tampered with this, that's why the 22nd floor doesn't work."
"Who?" I thought of a suspect. "Old Wang from security?"
"Who knows? It worked when Lin Xia used it before her suicide, so something happened since." He fiddled more, then shouted, "Got it!"
He told me to release the button.