Chapter 44 Chapter Forty-Four

A sour smell wafted from the stairwell.It floated out from the soil cultivation area below, and I hadn't noticed it before.Juliet just woke up and started going down the stairs in a daze. At this moment, she finally noticed the smell.She did not know how long she had been asleep--perhaps several days, but perhaps only a few hours.When she woke up, she found herself lying on her stomach with her face pressed against the grid floor, leaving a red net mark.She was so hungry that her stomach was sick, so as soon as she smelled the smell wafting from the plowing area, she hurried downstairs.When she came to the twenty-eighth floor, the stench floating in the air became stronger and stronger, as if she could swim in that smell.She knew it was the smell of death, the smell of a funeral.The place where the corpse is buried, the soil will be re-turned every once in a while, and the pungent smell will waft in the air.

When she came to the hydroponic area on the 30th floor, she stopped and opened the door.It was dark inside, but she heard a sound in the corridor.Sounds like a fan or motor.Hearing that faint voice, she suddenly had a very strange feeling.For the past day, all she heard was her own footsteps and breathing, other than that, there was no sound in the entire bunker.The green light of the emergency lights in the stairwell is not a sign of life, because it just means that the battery has residual power, as if the body is still warm after a recent death.But this sound is different, it means something is moving.Now, besides her own breathing and footsteps, there was finally another sound in the bunker.Moreover, it was the sound from the depths of the hydroponic area, along the corridor.

So, as before, she stuck the knife in the grid floor to block the door, letting the light from the stairwell shine in.She tiptoed in and found that the smell of vegetables and fruits had faded, not as strong as the stairwell.She walked down the hall, leaning on the wall with one hand.The service counter and the office were dark and completely silent.The air is very dry.There were no flashing lights on the turnstiles, and she had no ID on her to put under the scanner.So, she put her hands on the brackets of the revolving door, turned over and jumped over.There was something provocative about this small gesture, as if in this dead world, she could be lawless.Here, civilization and norms have been completely destroyed.

The light in the stairwell was too weak to reach the first conservatory.She stood there and waited, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.She secretly rejoiced that, fortunately, in the mechanical and electrical area, she often drilled into the dark interior of the machine to repair parts, so she was able to train this kind of eyesight.After a while, her eyes gradually became able to see, but what she saw in front of her eyes made her heart sink.The entire greenhouse has been abandoned, and countless vines are wrapped around the water pipes like ropes, but unfortunately, they are all bare, and half of the fruit cannot be seen.Seeing the scene in front of her, she could vaguely guess how long this hydroponic area has been deserted.Hopefully that doesn't mean the entire bunker has been deserted for as long.Maybe less than a few hundred years, but it is not a day or two.Although she couldn't estimate it accurately, it was considered very precious information to her.For this mysterious place, she finally found the first clue.

She tapped her knuckles on the bracket's water pipe to see that it wasn't hollow.There is water in it. There are no fruits and vegetables here, but there is water!The sight in front of her already made her thirsty.Juliet climbed over the railing and jumped into the greenhouse.There are several holes at the upper end of the water pipe, which were originally used to grow vegetables and fruits, but now there is nothing.She moved her mouth to the hole, sealed it tightly, and sucked hard.The liquid inside tasted salty and had a foul smell - at least there was moisture, anyway.Also, it didn't taste like poison or chemicals, but a rancid, organic smell.It was earthy.Speaking of which, the smell was not much different from the oily sewage in the mechanical and electrical area, and she could bear it.For the past twenty years, she has been used to soaking in that kind of dirty water all day long.

She just kept drinking like this, and she didn't stop until she didn't feel thirsty anymore.At this time, she suddenly thought that since the water problem was solved, she would be able to live and have enough time to find out more clues, more clues. Next, Juliet removed a piece of the water pipe at the end.One end of the water pipe is sealed, about three centimeters in diameter and sixty centimeters long, not big, but it can be used as a kettle.Then, she bent the original water pipe downwards, aligning the break with the water pipe in her hand, and the remaining water flowed out to fill the water pipe in her hand.While waiting to fill up the water, she scooped up some water in her palm and washed her hands and arms.She was still a little worried that there were still toxins left on her body.

Finally, when the pipe was finally filled, Juliet walked back into the hallway at the end of the corridor.There are a total of three greenhouses, each of which is independent, and there are several winding passages between the greenhouses.She tried to estimate how long the water would last, but she couldn't calculate it accurately, but she only knew that it could last for a long time.After a while, she found that the water she just drank left in her mouth had an unpleasant taste, and, if she guessed right, she might have a stomachache later.However, as long as she could find enough rags and waste paper, she could build a fire and boil water, and the problem of drinking water would be solved.

She walked back to the stairwell and began to smell the stench in the air again.She picked up the knife and hurried downstairs, taking almost three steps at a time, circled the stairwell twice, and soon came to the downstairs platform.Then, she went to open the door. The stench really came from this soil farming area.At this moment, Juliet heard the sound of the motor again, and it became louder.She put a knife in the floor against the door, leaned the hose against the railing, and walked in. It has a strong vegetable and fruit flavor.In the faint green light of the stairwell, she could see ahead of her a vine sticking out over the railing and across the walkway.She jumped over the turnstiles, walking slowly with one hand on the wall, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness.There must be a motor running somewhere inside, and she heard water dripping.There could be a leak somewhere, or there is still a working faucet.After a while, she felt the leaves touch her arm, and she couldn't help but get goosebumps.Now, she could already smell what that sour smell was.They were rotting vegetables in the soil, and dried fruits on the vines.She heard the "buzzing" of flies.That is the sound of life.

She reached into the clump of branches and leaves, groped for a long time, and found a round and smooth thing.Juliet tore the thing off and held it in front of her.By the light, she saw that it was a tomato.At this time, she realized that the estimated time just now was not accurate.How long can the tilled fields last without being tended by anyone?Don't Tomatoes Need Seeds?Or are tomatoes like beasts that grow on their own every year?She can't remember anymore.She took a bite and found that the tomato was not fully ripe.At this time, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.Did another motor start?

She turned her head to see the stairwell door slam shut, plunging the plowing area into darkness. Juliet's hairs stood on end with fear.She waited a moment to see if she could hear her knife drop down the stairwell.Perhaps, she guessed, the knife had slipped and fallen by itself.Now, with the lights gone, her ears became so sensitive that she seemed to be able to hear her own heartbeat and pulse.The "hum" of the motor is now louder.Holding the tomato in her hand, she got down on her stomach and slowly crawled towards the other wall, groping with her hands out in front of her.She slowly crawled towards the exit, lowering her body to try to avoid touching the plants, so as not to scare herself again.She told herself that there are no ghosts here, and there is nothing to be afraid of.As she ran forward slowly, she reminded herself time and time again.

Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her, reaching from behind her shoulder.Juliet screamed, and the tomato fell to the ground.She was lying on the ground, and the hand held her down, preventing her from standing up.She beat the hand so hard, tried so hard to free herself, that the tablecloth slipped off her head—and then she felt it was a piece of cold metal, and she realized it was the iron rod of the turnstile.She suddenly felt so stupid and scared herself. "Nearly had a heart attack from you." She cursed at the revolving door.She reached out to touch the bracket, then pressed hard with her hand and jumped over it.She opened the door to let in the light, and she would come in again to find more food.Then, she crawled from the front of the revolving door to the gate, leaning on the wall with one hand and groping in front with the other.Juliet wondered if she had started talking to things now and started going crazy.In the boundless darkness, she suddenly realized that her state of mind changed very quickly.The day before, she originally wanted to just die like this, but now, she was actually afraid that she would go crazy. This is a kind of progress. After a while, she finally touched the door.Juliet pushed the door open, cursing why the knife had disappeared.It must have fallen through the mesh in the floor.She wondered how far the knife had fallen, and whether she should go find it or find another one altogether.She turned to get the hose— The plumbing was also missing. Juliet suddenly felt her eyes go dark, and her heart beat so fast.She began to wonder if the door had hit the pipe when it closed.However, the mesh is thinner than the handle, how could the knife fall?After a while, her heartbeat slowly returned to normal.At this time, she suddenly heard another voice: footsteps. From under the stairwell. Someone is running.