Chapter 675 Underground Dark Room

Just as the soldiers were immersed in intense and fierce combat training, with sweat and breathing interweaving into unyielding pictures, Smith walked out of his office silently, with a bit of solemnity and determination in his steps. His eyes passed through the hustle and bustle of the camp, as if penetrating the barriers of time, and returned to the moment that made him feel uneasy - the diary that was discovered by accident, those vague but thought-provoking clues.

Smith knew that it was not just a book that recorded the secrets of the past, but also the key to open the door to an unknown world. Although the last exploration failed to bring more substantial discoveries, his intuition told him that there were more unsolved mysteries in that place, and perhaps this time he could gain something, even if it was just a tiny fragment, it would be enough to piece together a more complete truth.

Without alarming anyone, Smith set out on the road to the mysterious area alone. The scenery along the way seemed to lose its color in his eyes, and his mind was completely immersed in the unknown that he might face. The area was an abandoned woodland on the edge of the military camp. It was overgrown with weeds and sparse trees. There were few people on weekdays, but it unexpectedly became a great place to hide secrets.

As he walked deeper, Smith gradually felt the oppression of the surrounding environment. There was an indescribable dullness in the air, as if even the wind stopped at this moment. He held the flashlight tightly in his hand, and the beam drew a weak and firm track in the darkness, leading him forward.

Finally, he came to the place where he found the diary last time. It remained the same, but the passage of time made the surrounding scene more desolate. Smith squatted down and searched around carefully, not missing any corner that might hide clues. He used his hands to push away the weeds, turned over the stones, and even used the small shovel he carried with him to dig the seemingly ordinary soil, hoping to find something.

However, as time went by, Smith couldn't help feeling a sense of loss. There seemed to be no new traces left here except weeds and soil. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, blending into the surrounding darkness and difficult to distinguish. But he did not give up and continued to persist, as if he was struggling with himself and fighting against fate.

Just then, a sudden gust of wind passed through the woods, bringing a hint of coolness and blowing away some of the irritability in his heart. Smith involuntarily stopped what he was doing and looked up at the sky. The moonlight shone through the sparse clouds, casting mottled light and shadows, adding a bit of mystery and depth to this silent woodland.

In this moment of silence, Smith seemed to feel some unusual breath. He turned his head suddenly and locked his eyes on a corner he had not noticed before. There was a stone slab half-covered by weeds, and the edge of the stone slab seemed to have been turned over. Smith's heartbeat accelerated, and he quickly walked forward and carefully moved the stone slab away.

Under the stone slab was a small space with a rusty iron box inside. The iron box was covered with a thick layer of dust, and it was obvious that it had not been touched for a long time. Smith's heartbeat almost jumped out of his chest, and he opened the lid of the iron box with trembling hands.

Inside the iron box was a tattered diary, almost identical to the one he found last time. But the difference was that the cover of this diary was more damaged and the handwriting was more blurred and difficult to discern. Smith couldn't wait to open the diary, only to see some more obscure content and some seemingly unrelated symbols and patterns recorded in it.

As he read deeper, Smith's face gradually became solemn. He realized that the content recorded in this diary was far more complicated and dangerous than he had imagined. Those symbols and patterns seemed to hide some ancient secrets, a power that was enough to subvert existing cognition.

Smith felt a chill rising from his spine, and he realized that he might have touched a field that he shouldn't have touched. But at this moment, he had no way out, so he could only bite the bullet and continue to explore. He knew that this was not only to satisfy his curiosity, but also to uncover the mystery that had troubled him for a long time, and to find the answer that could save the city and even the whole world.

However, as the truth gradually approached, Smith also felt unprecedented pressure and danger. He didn't know whether he could withstand all the shocks and tests, and he didn't know whether his choice was right. But what he knew was that no matter whether there was light or darkness ahead, he had to persevere until he found the final answer.

Just as Smith was feeling mixed emotions and was about to close the iron box and leave this unknown and dangerous forest with the newly discovered diary, a subtle sound broke the silence around him. He raised his head suddenly, his eyes were like torches, and he scanned the surroundings, trying to capture the source of the fleeting sound. However, except for the rustling sound of the night wind blowing through the leaves and the occasional cry of night birds in the distance, everything seemed to be calm.

Just as Smith was about to leave again, his eyes inadvertently fell on an old and twisted tree root on the right. The tree root was unusually thick and tangled, as if it was a work of art carefully carved by nature. Under the faint moonlight, the moss and soil covering the surface of the tree root seemed to hide a hint of unusual luster.

Smith's heart moved, and he slowly approached the ancient tree. As the distance shortened, he felt that the luster was unusual, as if it was a trace of artificial carving. He squatted down and gently brushed away the dirt and moss on the roots of the tree, and a hidden secret door gradually appeared.

This secret door was designed very cleverly, blending into the tree roots. It was almost unnoticeable unless carefully observed. The secret door was engraved with complex patterns, which were strikingly similar to the symbols on the diary in the iron box, which deepened Smith's curiosity and desire to explore.

He took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, and then carefully reached out and gently pushed the secret door open. With a slight "creak", the secret door slowly opened, and a cold and damp breath came to his face, making people shiver involuntarily.

Smith did not hesitate, he held the flashlight tightly and took the first step into the unknown world. Behind the secret door was a narrow and tortuous stone staircase, with rough stone walls on both sides of the stone staircase, which were also engraved with those mysterious symbols and patterns. The beam of the flashlight jumped on the stone steps, bringing a faint light to this dark space.

Smith slowly walked down the stone steps, and every step was extremely cautious. He didn't know where this stone staircase would lead to, let alone what was waiting for him. But the desire for the unknown and the courage to explore made him unable to stop.

As he went deeper, the stone steps gradually became steeper, and the air became more humid and colder. Smith could clearly hear his heartbeat and breathing echoing in the narrow space. The flashlight in his hand began to tremble slightly, but this was not because of fear, but because of excitement and expectation.

Finally, the stone steps came to the end, and a heavy stone door appeared in front of him. This stone door was completely different from the previous secret door. It was larger and stronger, as if it could withstand all the power in the world. The stone door was also engraved with those mysterious symbols and patterns, which flashed strangely in the weak light.

Smith stood in front of the stone door, staring at those symbols and patterns, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity surged in his heart. He seemed to be able to feel the power and wisdom behind these symbols, which was an existence beyond his cognition.

He took a deep breath, reached out, and gently touched a symbol on the stone door. At that moment, the whole space seemed to tremble. Then, a low and long mechanical sound came from the stone door, as if a giant beast that had been sleeping for a thousand years was slowly waking up.

Smith's heartbeat accelerated to the extreme. He stared at the stone door that was slowly opening, his heart full of expectation and anxiety. He didn't know what secrets and dangers were hidden behind the door, but he knew that this moment had come and he could no longer escape.

As the stone door was fully opened, a stronger breath came to his face, a mixture of ancient, mysterious and dangerous breath. Smith took a deep breath and took the last step into the unknown. He didn't know what he would face, but he knew that this would be the most important and unforgettable adventure in his life.

The creaking sound of the door hinge reverberated in the empty underground space, accompanied by a stale and humid air, and Commissioner Smith stepped into the unknown hidden behind the heavy stone door. The beam of the flashlight swayed in the dimness, barely illuminating the scene within a few meters in front of him. This space seemed to be colder than the outside world, and the air was filled with a long-lost silence and desolation.

Smith walked forward cautiously, making a dull sound with every step on the hard and cold ground. As he went deeper, the surrounding scene began to become clear. This was a small room that looked abandoned for many years. The walls were made of rough stones, and the surface was covered with thick moss and mold, showing the traces of time. The ceiling was low and almost within reach, giving people a sense of oppression.

There were all kinds of debris scattered in the room, the most eye-catching of which was a pile of empty cans and used plastic bags. These items were thrown on the ground casually, some of which had rotted and deformed, emitting an unpleasant smell. Smith frowned, full of doubts. He didn't understand why there were traces of human life in this isolated underground space, and he didn't understand why these traces were abandoned so carelessly.

He squatted down and carefully examined the cans and plastic bags. The labels on the cans were already blurred, and the original brands and contents could not be identified, but from the remaining traces, it could be inferred that they should have existed for a long time. Most of the plastic bags were transparent and empty, with only a few still retaining some dried stains, making it impossible to imagine what they had once contained.

Smith stood up and looked around, trying to find more clues from other parts of the room. However, apart from these messy items, the room was almost empty. There was no furniture, no tools, and not even a bed for people to rest. This seemed to be a temporary shelter, or a stronghold abandoned in a hurry.

He walked to a corner of the room, where some worn-out clothes and shoes were piled. These clothes were also in tatters, and some had even rotted into pieces. Smith gently flipped them, hoping to find some useful information or clues. But apart from the dust and musty smell on his hands, he found nothing.

Just as he was about to give up the search, his eyes suddenly fell on an inconspicuous corner. There was a rusty iron box, the surface of which was covered with thick dust and moss, almost blending into the surrounding environment. Smith's heart moved, and he realized that this iron box might hide some important secrets or clues.

He approached the iron box carefully and shone the flashlight beam on it carefully. There was no keyhole or handle on the iron box, and it looked like it was welded shut. But Smith did not give up. He began to look around the box for possible ways to open it. After some effort, he finally found a tiny mechanism in a hidden corner.

He gently pressed the mechanism, and with a light "click", the lid of the iron box slowly popped open. A stronger musty smell came with the opening of the box, which made Smith frown. But he did not retreat, but stared at the inside of the box, hoping to find something valuable.

However, when he saw the scene inside the box, his face became gloomy. There was no gold, silver, treasure or important documents in the box as he imagined, only a pile of more worn clothes and some seemingly insignificant sundries. What shocked him even more was that among these sundries, there were actually a few yellowed old photos and a few letters with blurred handwriting.

Smith picked up the photos and letters and looked at them carefully. The people in the photos were blurry, but from their clothes and background, it could be inferred that this should have happened a long time ago. The letters were some private correspondence, mostly about family trivia and emotional entanglements, which seemed to have no direct connection with the purpose of Smith's trip.

However, just as he was about to put the photos and letters back into the box, his eyes were suddenly attracted by a word on one of the letters. Although the word was blurry and difficult to distinguish, it gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity. He had a strong urge to find out the story behind the letter and the secret it concealed.

So Smith began to read the captions behind the letters and photos more carefully. As he got deeper into it, a complex story about betrayal, escape and hiding began to emerge in his mind. He realized that behind these seemingly insignificant items, there might be an unknown history and an amazing secret.

However, what exactly is this secret? How is it related to the purpose of Smith's trip? How can he solve this mystery? These questions were like huge stones pressing on his heart, making him feel unprecedentedly heavy and depressed. He knew that he had to keep moving forward and continue exploring this underground space full of unknowns and dangers until he found the truth that could answer all the questions.