The factory had already shut down.
As far as the eye could see, the grounds were almost pitch-black, apart from a few scattered streetlights.
Gu Zheng left his flashlight off and cautiously made his way toward the center of the factory grounds with Song Ning.
After they skirted several workshops, a faint yellow light came into view.
They exchanged a glance and crept toward it.
Only when they drew closer did they realize the light came from a red-brick office building.
It was in the room at the very end of the ground floor.
They crept up to the window and peered inside.
This was clearly a duty room.
Beneath the dim incandescent bulb stood a table, a chair, a bed, and a cabinet.
That was all.
The entire room could be taken in at a glance.
Peanuts, dried peas, and other snacks for drinking lay scattered across the table in oil-paper packets.
An empty liquor bottle had been tossed beside them.
A man lay fully clothed on the bed, snoring thunderously.
Gu Zheng gently pushed the door. It had only been pulled to and swung open at his touch.
Song Ning followed him inside and approached the bed.
The room reeked of alcohol.
She reached out to check the man's pulse, then nodded to Gu Zheng after a moment.
The man really was asleep.
Gu Zheng looked around the room. A row of nails had been driven into the wall, with several large bunches of keys hanging from them.
There was also a frayed folder.
Its originally blue cover had been handled so much that it had turned black.
He took down the folder and examined it. It was a patrol log.
It listed the places the duty staff had to patrol each day and the times they had