Jing Minghe and Chi Hao arrived at the Grand Theater. Jing Minghe recalled that Wan Zuo had mentioned a hidden space beneath the stage. Without wasting any time, the two headed straight for the theater's stage.
Jing Minghe found the spot Wan Zuo had described. He lifted the two layers of boards and turned to Chi Hao, who was following closely behind him. "Brother Hao, there's a small space here, but we'll have to crawl in."
As Jing Minghe spoke, he handed the small expansion bag in his hand to Chi Hao. "Here, you hold this. I'll crawl in and check inside. You don't need to follow this time. If there's anything in there, I'll call you."
Seeing Chi Hao's brow furrow slightly furrowed, Jing Minghe smiled. "Brother Hao, the reason I want you to stay outside is because I'm worried if there's danger inside, you'll be able to rescue me. If we both go in, and something happens, who will save whom? You see my point, right?"
Chi Hao took the expansion bag Jing Minghe handed him. "Go ahead. I'll save you."
Jing Minghe raised an eyebrow and smiled with satisfaction. "That's right. Trust me, good partner."
With that, Jing Minghe turned and crawled under the grand stage.
Chi Hao sat down, knees bent, his eyes fixed on Jing Minghe as he slowly crawled beneath the stage. He let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Partner?"
He worried about Jing Minghe and wished he could handle all the dangerous tasks for him. But knowing Jing Minghe's personality, he suspected that if he did so, it might displease Jing Minghe.
Jing Minghe was not weak; he didn't need constant worry and protection. Excessive worry and protection could be perceived by Jing Minghe as a lack of trust or underestimation.
Therefore, Chi Hao had to suppress his desire to protect Jing Minghe to the lowest possible level.
His Minghe needed his trust and tacit cooperation, never protection.
Meanwhile, Jing Minghe crawled into the small hidden space beneath the stage. He turned and sat down, leaning against the inner wall, using the spotlight in his hand to carefully examine every corner.
The wooden boards surrounding the small space were covered with fine moss, and the damp air carried a hint of blood, yet no bloodstains could be found.
He reached out and gently tapped the surrounding walls. The sound in one particular spot was distinctly different from the others.
Could there be another space behind this?
Thinking this, Jing Minghe removed the shapeshifting ball from his neck. He pictured a dagger in his mind, looked at the shapeshifting ball in his hand, and slowly transformed it into the dagger he had imagined.
"Heh, it really is a good thing."
After his exclamation, Jing Minghe used the dagger to pry open that section of the wall. He shone the spotlight inside. Indeed, there was another space, but it was even smaller, likely only passable by a child.
A child?
Jing Minghe's eyes widened abruptly. He immediately pried the opening larger, allowing half of his body to fit through.
Once the opening was large enough, Jing Minghe first placed the spotlight inside, then stuck half of his body in to observe. Sure enough, he saw something directly below the side closest to his current space. Jing Minghe reached for it, pulled it out, and retreated to his own space to examine it carefully. Sudan Novel Network
It was a piece of cloth, red. Only after unfolding it completely did Jing Minghe realize he was holding a small red dress. Its vivid red color, illuminated by the spotlight, was striking.
Looking at the small dress in his hand, Jing Minghe wondered. What age child could wear such a small dress? Three or four years old? Or five or six? It was likely within that age range.
Just as Jing Minghe was about to put the dress away, his vision suddenly blurred, and everything went completely dark.
When he saw light again, he realized he was no longer himself.
His body was out of his control, his voice was not his own, and he was holding a picture book.
Jing Minghe could see his surroundings. He was no longer beneath the grand stage, but he was certain he was still on the cruise ship.
However, this cruise ship was not sinking to the bottom of the sea; it was floating on the water. He was standing on the deck, looking out at the distant sea.
What confused Jing Minghe, though, was why his field of vision was so low? It seemed he wasn't even as tall as the ship's railings.
"Come play with us."
A childish voice came from behind him.
Jing Minghe, his body out of his control, turned to see a little girl with a ponytail, wearing a princess dress, looking at him haughtily.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Come play with us."
Jing Minghe saw that behind the ponytail girl stood five other children of the same age, three boys and two girls, making a total of six children including the ponytail girl.
These six children had one thing in common: their clothes looked incredibly opulent and expensive. Their young faces, though tender, were uniformly adorned with arrogant expressions. Even the words "Come play with us" sounded like an act of condescending, malicious charity.
Seeing this, Jing Minghe formed a guess.
It seemed I've entered someone's memory. But who could this child be?
"I don't want to play with you," the child whose body Jing Minghe inhabited finally spoke. It was a little girl's voice, but it was thin and high-pitched, as if her voice hadn't fully developed.
"No!" The ponytail girl stepped forward and grabbed the girl Jing Minghe was inhabiting. "You have to play with us!"
The ponytail girl tightly held the girl Jing Minghe was inhabiting, while the other children also crowded around, some pulling, some dragging, allowing no resistance.
The little girl was dragged by these children into the Grand Theater.
As Jing Minghe had suspected, the little girl was pushed by the other children into the even smaller space beneath the grand stage. Another boy forcibly took away the picture book she was holding.
"Give it back!" the little girl shrieked, but she was held down by the others and couldn't move.
The ponytail girl poked her forehead and said, "Sit here obediently and don't move! And don't cry! When the time comes, we'll give you back that tattered picture book. Otherwise, we'll burn your tattered picture book. Do you hear me?"
The little girl wanted to resist, but the boy who had taken her picture book glared at her. "If you dare disobey, I'll tear this tattered picture book to shreds right now!"
"No!" The little girl had no choice but to sit back obediently. "I won't move. Just give me back the picture book."
The ponytail girl smiled in satisfaction. "Wait here. We'll be back to get you soon."
With that, she left with her companions, using wooden boards to block the little girl in the small space beneath the grand stage.
Once the small space was completely sealed, it became extremely dark. The little girl sat inside, her body trembling uncontrollably. She dared not cry loudly, afraid the children outside would hear. She could only sob quietly, hoping they would come back quickly to let her out.