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At that time, while Li Nan was using a homemade incendiary device to observe whether there were any Zombies behind Gate 6, Han Guang's eyes caught something unusual on the side of the Corpse Storage Cabinet. When everyone entered through the gate and focused their attention on the sealed iron door, Han Guang was instead observing the anomalies in the Ceiling.
When Han Guang pointed it out, Li Nan couldn't help but gasp, "So that's how the Zombies entered the underground Ventilation Duct system!"
Zhang Li had previously dismissed Li Nan's idea, believing that with the Ceiling being over three meters high, those Zombies couldn't possibly reach it. Moreover, based on the current information, those Zombies did not seem to possess any jumping abilities.
The reason for this was simple: it was just over three meters in height. Subtracting the one and a half meters of the Corpse Storage Cabinet left a distance that the Zombies could easily climb.
Li Nan felt a chill run down his spine. "Why would those Zombies want to climb up?"
In Li Nan's understanding, these Zombies were merely a group of Walking Dead with no intelligence. However, considering the situation behind Gate 6, this assumption seemed shaky. Would something devoid of intelligence exert effort to climb the Corpse Storage Cabinet and then crawl into the Ventilation Duct?
Li Nan mentally dismissed these thoughts one by one. Besides the explanation that Zombies might possess some intelligence, there was another possibility: perhaps something in the Ventilation Duct was attracting them. Their crawling into the Ventilation Duct might not be a conscious decision but rather an enticement from objective conditions. If that were true, what could be attracting the Zombies?
As a science-oriented individual, Li Nan excelled at thinking critically. However, faced with such questions, he felt utterly perplexed. If he could truly deduce past and future events from these subtle clues, he wouldn't be Li Nan; he would be Sherlock Holmes.
Li Nan immediately shared Han Guang's discovery with Zhang Li, drawing their attention as well.
The remaining Wolf Eye Flashlights all shone towards the direction pointed out by Han Guang, revealing the exposed opening clearly.
Inside the eerie opening, nothing could be seen. However, some saliva-like substance at its edges indicated that Zombies had crawled through here.
Perhaps all the Zombies that disappeared from Gate 3 had made their way to Gate 6 and devoured all the corpses inside. Then, due to some change among them, they crawled into the underground ventilation system under some kind of enticement. Subsequently, due to some random factor, they damaged the underground power system, leading to the current situation.
Did these ideas hold any validity? They seemed overly idealistic!
Li Nan's speculation clearly lacked explanatory power. In this situation, such information didn't seem important; knowing where the Zombies were might be sufficient.
At that moment, Li Nan suddenly had a bold idea. He wanted to check behind the other four gates as well; perhaps there would be more discoveries waiting for him.
Li Nan's idea was immediately rejected by Zhang Li. Dealing with the zombies at Gate 6 had already put them in a difficult position, and given the current situation, they really shouldn't take any more risks with the other gates.
The only staircase leading to the surface was blocked, and Zhang Li and the others were truly at a loss regarding the iron door. They were not prepared to test the other four gates either. At this moment, there was only this empty Ventilation Duct; were they supposed to just wait here to die?
Zhang Li furrowed his brow, clearly troubled by the situation. Should they continue to explore the other gates, try their luck with the ventilation duct, or wait for rescue? Each of these three choices could lead to vastly different outcomes. Among the group of brothers, three had already died, and he could not tolerate any more sacrifices, so his decision had to be made with great caution.
Li Nan suggested they first check out the other gates, while Han Guang proposed that they could climb into the ventilation duct to explore. Li Xiaofan's opinion was to stay put and wait for the surface team to rescue them.
Each choice had its supporters, and as the leader of this team, Zhang Li was clearly indecisive.
At that moment, Han Guang said, "Li Nan mentioned that there are winding ventilation pipes above us. Although the space inside is small, it allows for crawling. If we enter through the Ventilation Duct, we won't have to worry about those zombies. In close quarters, I believe we have an advantage. We might be able to infiltrate the Underground Power Supply System and possibly restore power; then we can save ourselves."
Han Guang's words were indeed persuasive, so after a moment of contemplation, Zhang Li said, "Alright, let's go through this Ventilation Duct; there might still be a chance!"
Although Li Nan felt they should first check the other four gates, he couldn't refuse Han Guang's reasoning. So he agreed that going through the Ventilation Duct might be a possibility.
Zhang Li was the first to jump onto the Corpse Storage Cabinet and used his Wolf Tooth Flashlight to peek into the Ventilation Duct. Confirming that there was nothing inside, he jumped in first.
Liu Ziming followed closely behind, and soon after, Li Xiaofan and the others entered in succession. Li Nan was the last one to jump up. The 1.5-meter-high Corpse Storage Cabinet was easy for everyone else, but Li Nan struggled a bit; as he climbed up, his center of gravity shifted backward almost causing him to fall.
Just when Li Nan couldn't find his balance, a hand suddenly reached over and grabbed his arm to pull him up.
With that support, Li Nan steadied himself and immediately thanked Han Guang: "Thanks!"
Han Guang continued to hold onto Li Nan's arm as he stood on top of the Corpse Storage Cabinet. With both legs firmly planted on it and using all his strength, Li Nan finally managed to crawl into the duct.
It was dark down there; unexpectedly, it was even darker inside the Ventilation Duct. The surrounding space barely allowed for them to crawl around without any room for other movements. Since there were over ten people connected one after another, only those at the front turned on their Wolf Eye Flashlights. As Li Nan was at the back, he couldn't see any light at all and had no choice but to lower his head and follow Han Guang's movements as he crawled forward.
In terms of intellect, Li Nan felt he was only slightly inferior to Sherlock Holmes. However, when it came to physical strength, Li Nan was too embarrassed to speak up, making his climb quite difficult. He pressed both hands against the metal sheet beneath his chest, straightened his legs, and pushed with his toes against the metal, moving forward slowly like a caterpillar.
Han Guang, who was ahead, seemed to notice Li Nan's struggle and said, "The key to crawling is using leverage. Although the space here is narrow, there’s still room for you to lift your butt. Your hands, butt, and toes should form a triangle. Push with all three points: your butt on top and the other two below. This way, it will be easier and more efficient!"
After Han Guang finished speaking, Li Nan took his advice to heart and immediately put the theory into practice, feeling a bit lighter as a result.
"You’re a police officer; how do you know how to crawl? Do you guys practice this?" Li Nan asked, feeling particularly stifled in the ventilation duct.
"Well, I saw it on a military website. That's how they train soldiers!" Han Guang replied casually.
Li Nan responded with an "oh," secretly lamenting, "Why is it that everything comes from military websites? How come I've never seen any of this?"
As they spoke, someone crawling in front posed a question. After hearing it, Han Guang turned back to Li Nan and said, "Captain Zhang Li said he encountered a fork ahead and doesn't know which way to go."
Li Nan suddenly stopped and began to think. After crawling for about seven or eight minutes, he deduced that they were likely still above Mortuary One's ceiling. Based on their route, he figured that the fork Zhang Li encountered had the left path leading towards Door 2 above and the right path leading towards Door 4 above. Therefore, their current position must be above Door 3 that they had previously checked.
According to Han Guang's plan, they should follow the ventilation duct towards the Underground Power Supply System. Thus, they needed to head back towards Door 1 since that was where the Underground Power Supply System was located.
"Go left!" Li Nan instructed.
Han Guang relayed the message: "Go left!"
One after another, Zhang Li at the front followed Li Nan's direction and crawled towards Door 1 on the left.
The twelve of them were not crawling slowly; after another minute or two, Li Nan also reached the fork that Zhang Li had mentioned earlier.
Li Nan slightly raised his eyes and turned left. At that moment, Han Guang warned him, "Be careful; the cover has already fallen off in this area!"
Hearing this, Li Nan looked down and indeed saw a ventilation duct exposed at waist height. As he passed by, he leaned down to peek through the gap, looking around.
Since it was dark below, Li Nan couldn't see anything and called out to Han Guang ahead of him, "Officer Han, can you lend me a Wolf Eye Flashlight?"
Han Guang knew that the opening would pique Li Nan's curiosity, so when Li Nan asked him, he had already extended his right hand to pass over a Wolf Eye Flashlight.
"Thanks!" Li Nan said.
Han Guang didn't respond, but Li Nan didn't mind. He used the flashlight's beam to illuminate Area 2.
The environment in Area 2 was similar to that of Area 6, with many Corpse Storage Cabinets scattered on the ground. Clearly, all the bodies here had also mutated into Zombies. Li Nan clicked his tongue, "Could it be that the other three areas are the same? Have all the bodies in Mortuary One turned into Zombies?"
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Li Nan felt a jolt of fear; this situation was truly terrifying!
Then he thought further and felt even more horrified. The Zombies in Area 2 were also missing, and one of the covers for the ventilation duct had been removed. Could it be that all these Zombies had crawled into these ducts?
Li Nan's hand trembled, nearly dropping the Wolf Eye Flashlight. Fortunately, his fingers were nimble enough to keep hold of it. Just as he was feeling uneasy, he looked up and realized that there was no one in front of him.
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