Regrettably, the glow stick's illumination was far too weak; even straining with all my might, I couldn't make out what the thing actually was.

As I wrestled with this uncertainty, Boss Wu stopped again, fussing once more with the small square object in his hand.

This time, however, something different occurred.

I noticed that every time Boss Wu rubbed the object in his grasp, a faint, rustling sound—a ch-ch-ch—would emerge from the surroundings.

The sound was incredibly faint, like something scratching the wall in the deep dark.

Boss Wu had clearly discovered something, and he resumed walking forward, his pace notably quicker than before.

I hurried to keep up, observing that the further Boss Wu advanced, the louder that strange rustling sound grew.

The sound felt vaguely familiar, and it took me a moment to place it, but then it struck me—it was the static noise from a walkie-talkie.

Could it be that Boss Wu already knew where the exit was and had placed another walkie-talkie there, and he was now using this noise to pinpoint the location he’d previously marked?

While deep in thought, Boss Wu suddenly made two or three quick leaps and landed near the base of the eastern wall. He then pushed against the stone with his hand, and his entire body vanished right in front of the wall.

As Boss Wu disappeared, I let out a silent gasp: There truly was a secret door here!

With Boss Wu gone into the darkness, carrying the light source, my surroundings instantly plunged into an absolute blackness, a place where I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face.

However, I wasn't worried about being shrouded in darkness; having found the way out, fear no longer held me.

If I followed Boss Wu immediately after he entered, there was a good chance he wouldn't have gone far.

So, I squatted in place for a moment before slowly approaching the cave wall where Boss Wu had vanished.

Because a certain distance still separated Boss Wu and me, and there wasn't a single speck of light, I couldn't pinpoint the secret door’s location immediately.

My only option was to hug the wall, inching forward step by step, trying to feel out where the hidden entrance lay.

That was my plan, but putting it into action proved far trickier than I had imagined.

I don't know if I moved too close to the wall too soon, or if the mechanism for the secret door was just incredibly well-concealed, but as I meticulously scanned the wall inch by inch, I still couldn't find the entrance.

A wave of alarm washed over me. Secret doors, I recalled, could open in countless ways.

Some opened with a simple shove; others required pressing a button or fitting something into a groove. Still others were far more complicated—I’d even heard tales of doors that only opened after someone shouted loudly in front of them.

But I hadn't clearly seen how Boss Wu had opened the door just now, so even standing right where it should be, I might not be able to trigger it, let alone the fact that I couldn't even locate it yet.

As I continued running my hands over the wall, my anxiety mounted.

If I truly couldn't find the secret door, I would miss a crucial lead. If Boss Wu had vanished for good, I risked being trapped here to die.

The thought made me deeply regret not immediately following him; at least then I would have been closer to see how the door was opened.

Just as despair began to settle in, my hand seemed to brush against something fuzzy.

I flinched violently, snatching my hand back.

The object felt bristly, like human hair, yet it had no warmth, almost resembling a dead body.

I cursed inwardly, thinking how ill-omened it would be to actually touch a corpse in this place.

But then I paused. I hadn't seen any corpse earlier; if there had been one, it would have been obvious, unless this body had appeared suddenly.

The realization sent a jolt through me. Could what I touched be Boss Wu’s hair? Had he extinguished his light and slipped back out?

But Boss Wu was a living man; he shouldn't feel like that.

At that moment, the earlier idea—that Boss Wu was just a scarecrow disguise—raced back, and my heart began to pound wildly.

I retreated two steps, putting more distance between myself and the object.

I reasoned that if it were a living thing, touching it would surely provoke a reaction, perhaps an immediate lunge toward me.

Yet, this thought lasted only a few seconds, because after I stepped back, there was no movement from ahead.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down slightly.

Then I began searching myself for any source of light.

But after patting down every inch of my clothing, I found nothing that could illuminate the area.

In my haste to follow Boss Wu, I hadn't thought to bring anything; my pack and other gear were still back at the tent.

I was consumed by regret, but I knew that if I turned back now to retrieve my things, I would surely never find the location of the secret door again.

After much deliberation, I hardened my resolve, murmuring to myself, "Since there’s been no reaction, whatever is ahead must be inert. Even if it's a corpse, it won't jump up and bite me. I might as well feel it out and know for sure."

With that, I reached forward again, moving like a newly blinded man.

Though the action felt somewhat awkward, it was the safest approach; if one hand encountered trouble, the other could immediately provide support.

I moved forward tentatively, every muscle taut, holding my breath low, my feet coiled beneath me, ready to retreat instantly if anything felt wrong.

After shuffling forward cautiously for just two steps, I bumped into the same thing again.

This time, I didn't pull back, but a shiver still ran down my spine.

Because what I touched truly did resemble human hair.

The hair was short, unlike Boss Wu’s long strands, but I was certain it belonged to a man.

My hand trembled slightly as I guided it upward, intending to explore this person’s face, to check for breath, to determine if he was dead or alive.

But as my hand moved lower, the object seemed to shudder. A metallic clinking sound, like the sway of a chain, echoed right in front of me.

I startled, intending to jerk my hand away.

Instead, the thing opposite me suddenly clamped down on my hand.

Terrified, I cried out, "Mother of God!" and began struggling violently.

But the grip was immense; no matter how I twisted my arm, I couldn't break free.

At that moment, the person opposite me spoke, his voice incredibly deep and low: "Hold still. What are you doing wandering around out here in the middle of the night? I’ve been following you. Your strange behavior has been quite unsettling."