The old television tower in the north of the city stood behind an area slated for demolition.
As the convoy drove in, the road was full of potholes. Muddy rainwater had pooled outside the old factory buildings, and the tires splashed murky water as they rolled through it. The television tower in the distance had been out of use for years. Rust covered its iron framework, and several faded warning signs hung halfway up the tower. When the wind blew, the signs tapped against the iron poles, the hollow sound chilling.
The members of the Seventh Team who had arrived first had already sealed off the perimeter.
The Deputy Captain approached with a tablet, his expression taut.
"Captain, the maintenance shaft for Zone C is on the west side of the tower. The entrance is covered with an old steel plate, and there's an energy reaction below. The number of living-person signals is still increasing. There were twenty-one just now. Now there are twenty-four."
Lu Wenchuan got out of the vehicle, gauze still wrapped around his right wrist, and secured the Short Knife at his waist with his left hand.
"Where are the new signals coming from?"
The Deputy Captain handed him the tablet.
"There are partitions underground that the scan can't penetrate. It's as though someone is releasing the signals layer by layer."
Xu Zhihan got out on the other side, his coat draped over his shoulders, his face paler than on the way over. Song Zhixia followed with a medical kit, watching him the whole time.
"You stay aboveground," Song Zhixia said. "You can't go down."
Xu Zhihan looked toward the television tower.
"I'm not going down."
Lu Wenchuan turned to look at him.
Xu Zhihan said coldly, "What's that look for?"
Lu Wenchuan looked away. "Surprise."
"Then