Chapter 13: Early Spring (8)

When Li Yuanfang was counting about a hundred steps, the alley turned in front of him and a faint voice came from a vague voice. After turning, the alley in front of him suddenly became wider. On both sides of the alley with about thirty steps, there were cells one by one behind the iron bars. The light was very dim. Only figures were shaking in the cell, but the prisoners could not see clearly the appearance of the prisoners. There was a prisoner standing at each end of the alley.

Pan Dazhong stopped and said softly, "This is the Tianzi prison area." Wu Xun asked, "Are they all dead prisoners?" Pan Dazhong grinned: "Person Wu, there is actually no difference between death row prisoners and not death row prisoners in Yibotai. It depends on whether they can survive." Wu Xun glanced at Li Yuanfang with a gloomy face and found that his face was paler under the dark light. Wu Xun said, "Person Li, do you have anything to ask?" Li Yuanfang shook his head.

So Pan Dazhong led them to move forward, turning around, and every few narrow alleyways, a lane with prisons on both sides appeared. Li Yuanfang finally realized that this underground prison was built like a maze, with all the lanes connected and intertwined, and the prisons were scattered irregularly. This design made it impossible for those entering it to distinguish the direction without guidance. Similarly, it was almost impossible for prisoners to find a path to escape conveniently. They were either lost in the alleyway or captured by ubiquitous guards. Thinking of this, Li Yuanfang couldn't help but admire the clever intentions of the builders of the prison, but also felt incredible: Since Yibotai was in the middle of the desert, it was difficult for prisoners to escape. Why did they build the prison underground and design so complicated? Is it really necessary?

Before they knew it, they had been wandering underground for a long time. Wu Xun could not stand the dirty air anymore, so he asked, "Pan Huochang, if there is nothing else to see, you might as well take us up." "Let's wait!" Pan Dazhong was stopped by Li Yuanfang before he agreed. Wu Xun asked impatiently, "What else does Li Zheng want to see?" Li Yuanfang asked slowly, "How can you get up to those five fortresses?"

Pan Dazhong slapped his forehead: "Oh! Look how I forgot this. It's so damn!" Then he quickly explained: "Well, those fortresses are for ventilation and there is nothing to see. Come with me, the two captains." He led the two of them around again and finally walked to the front of a stone staircase. There was a lot of light thrown at the end of the stone staircase, and there was a gust of fresh wind blew. Li Yuanfang quickly took a few deep breaths, slowly opened his tight fist, and on the cloth strip tightened with his right hand, the blood stains and sweat had already mixed together.

Pan Dazhong took a relaxed step and walked up the stone stairs quickly. Wu Xun and Li Yuanfang followed closely and went to the ground. Sure enough, they were in the middle of a round brick and stone fortress. There was nothing except a large stone slab in the fortress. Obviously, the stone slab was the cover of the entrance to the steps. Slow breeze blew into the row of ventilation windows at the top of the fortress. Wu Xun and Li Yuanfang felt much clearer in their minds. Pan Dazhong looked at the faces of the two and smiled and said, "The two lieutenants can't stand it. Haha, we have lived in Yibotai for many years, and we have to get used to it even if we don't get used to it. This is really a place that can torture people to death."

Li Yuanfang asked, "Are we in the smallest fortress?" Pan Dazhong nodded: "Person Li has good eyesight, yes. This is the small fortress farthest from the Iron Gate. The other four are exactly the same as this one, but the layout is slightly larger." Then Pan Dazhong asked again with a smile: "Do you want the two lieutenants to see the other four fortresses?" Wu Xun looked at Li Yuanfang and frowned and said, "Well, if the same is the case, there is no need to look at it carefully. Let's stop here today."

Going down to the ground again, he turned several turns with Pan Dazhong. The alley in front of him was very similar to the first part he came. When he walked to the end of the lane, there were indeed stone steps upwards. When the guards next to the stone steps saw the three of them coming, they quickly saluted, and then ran to the head of the stone steps diligently, flipped up the cast iron cover, and watched the three of them return to the ground. When they came out, they saw that this was the small barracks on the left side of Lu Jia's barracks, which were exactly one left and one right as the barracks at the entrance. It turned out that they had circled a big circle below the ground.

The three of them were dizzy at this time and were desperately breathing the fresh air on the ground. After finally recovering, Wu Xun called the other two to his barracks and sat down.

After drinking a sip of soju, Wu Xun said with great emotion: "I didn't expect this to be inside Yibotai. Today, this school captain opened his eyes. Pan Huo Chang!" "Here!" Pan Dazhong bowed respectfully. Wu Xun asked: "How many people in the outsourcing team fully understand the situation below Yibotai?" Pan Dazhong said: "Because the underground work is too hard, every soldier in the outsourcing team has to take turns to be a prisoner and guard. Wow, most of them were originally prisoners here, and they were selected to serve as a sub-staff team, which was considered a glimmer of chance." "So everyone is still familiar with the layout of the lower head?" "Not all, Yibotai's layout of the lower head is too mysterious. Even if he stays in it for a year or two, he will still go the wrong way. If outsiders enter, then you can't even think of it."

Li Yuanfang suddenly interrupted: "Pan Huochang, do you know when this prison was built and who designed it?" Pan Dazhong smiled slightly: "I don't know this." Li Yuanfang then asked again: "Does there be drawings for the layout below?" "No. Everyone relies on their brains to remember. But... since I have said this, I can draw a picture. Here is what I know about the whole situation." Li Yuanfang clasped his fists at Pan Dazhong: "Please trouble Pan Huochang." "It's easy to say, it's easy to say. Haha."

As he was talking, the guards came to invite the three of them for lunch. After a whole morning, everyone was hungry and didn't hesitate to eat. They sat around the table and continued to talk. Wu Xun broke off a piece of naan, sprinkled with ground beef and chewed it with relish. Suddenly, he asked Pan Dazhong: "Dazhong, I remember you came to Yibotai seven years ago, right?" Pan Dazhong's mouth was stuffed with food and said vaguely: "Yes, cough, so many years have passed in a flash. People can't stay in this place, and everyone who can leave has left. Now I am the oldest here. There was Lu Jia, but now..."
Chapter completed!