Not much time had passed. With the elderly comrades in tow, the group was moving slowly.
Although a commotion had already broken out in the distance, the passage in front of her remained quiet.
Even the slightest sound would be amplified.
Following behind them, Song Ning soon spotted flickering lights ahead.
She trailed them with light, careful steps.
At every turn, she left a mark on the wall.
Apart from an occasional barked reprimand, the group ahead was fairly quiet.
From a distance, she could see someone carrying the critically ill elderly comrade on his back, with the others hemmed in among their captors.
The group walked in single file. Following behind, she could not tell how many people were ahead.
But when they rounded another corner, they stopped.
Several flashlight beams wavered and converged up ahead.
Then came the heavy grinding of a mechanism. In the wavering light, a large door opened ahead.
From the sound alone, she could tell the door was thick and heavy.
The group filed through.
Song Ning's heart jolted.
She immediately quickened her pace.
There had to be a mechanism here, and this one felt different from the others.
If she were shut in on this side,
she would be completely cut off from them.
Sure enough, the door had a delayed closing mechanism.
Just as Song Ning reached it, the door began sliding shut with a rumble.
Song Ning swiftly drew the dagger Chen Liang had left her.
She slipped sideways through the opening before the door closed, then wedged the dagger's hilt into the gap.
Everyone ahead had just rounded the next corner.
Song Ning broke out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, the power was out throughout the underground complex.
Otherwise, she really feared that preventing the door from closing properly would