While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 70: Underwater Space

The hallway wasn't very long, but it had a few dim, old lights.

We slowly made our way up the stairs and eventually entered a dark room.

"This looks like a dorm," she said, glancing around.

Even though I knew Moon had special eyes, I was still surprised she could see so clearly in such darkness.

"You can actually see in this?" I turned to her the second she spoke.

"I can see just fine," she said, grinning, her gaze shimmering with that familiar, eerie blue glow.

Then, I heard a click, and the room lit up.

I turned around to see that Moon had found the light switch.

It took me a few seconds to adjust to the light and take in the scene.

There were no windows on this floor, and the air felt heavy and oppressive. The rooms did look like dorms, but they were cramped and small.

The smell of seaweed lingered in the air, suggesting no one had lived here for a long time.

"Why do you think this is a dorm?" I still couldn't understand how Moon could tell right away.

"Because of this." Before she finished speaking, she handed me a moldy notebook.

The notebook wasn't thick, but it was filled with names in different handwriting. It was a registry, and the names were likely those of the people who had lived here.

I recognized some of the names from the "Red Nightingale" files.

It seemed the people who had lived here were the researchers—now turned into those strange beings.

"There's nothing special here. Everything's been moved out," Moon said casually, pushing open a couple of doors.

I looked where she pointed, and the rooms were indeed empty, except for a few beds.

The small rooms were crammed with four beds each, which seemed excessive.

I peeked into one of the rooms, and the musty smell hit me. The room was completely enclosed, with only a small vent.

We didn't linger on this floor. We found the stairs to the next level and headed up.

The next floor was similar, with no light. But Moon quickly found the light switch.

The layout was the same, but the rooms were slightly larger, still with four beds each.

The only difference was that there were no stairs to the next floor.

After searching for a while, we found a hidden trapdoor in the ceiling.

"Why is the trapdoor in the ceiling?" I wondered aloud, baffled by the researchers' logic.

They had built the dormitory in this dark, isolated place, and even the exit was hidden in the ceiling.

"I don't think they intended for anyone to leave," Moon said, pointing to the ceiling.

I then noticed faint bloodstains around the trapdoor.

There were no ladders or anything to climb. Even if I could jump and reach the ceiling, I couldn't push the trapdoor open.

It seemed my plan to leave from the other side was unlikely.

Just as I was about to give up and head back, I heard a loud noise.

I turned to see Moon's knife lodged in the trapdoor's seam.

A few seconds later, the trapdoor creaked and fell open.

Moon's knife fell to the floor.

Through the trapdoor, I could see the storage room above.

"Looks like we found the exit," Moon said with a smile. Her eyes, which had been glowing blue, were now dim.

The ceiling wasn't very high, so I could easily reach the trapdoor.

I jumped and grabbed the edge, pulling myself up.

I turned to help Moon, but she was already behind me.

"Let's go," she said, walking ahead.

I looked at the trapdoor, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity.

We had been on this island for over two months, exploring many places, and this was the first real lead we'd found.

I was sure the place was hiding something big, but we were still clueless.

The rest of the way was familiar. I found the light switch and turned it on.

The storage room lit up, and I squinted in the bright light.

Moon quickly adapted and started looking for useful items. We had only brought weapons, so we had no supplies.

"I can't believe there's a space like this under the building!" I said, looking around the familiar storage room.

We decided to head back the way we came. I had thought about leaving through the building's exit, but Moon was right. The path to the waterfall was shorter, and there were fewer obstacles.

We didn't find anything useful, so we prepared to swim back to the waterfall.

As I looked at the water, I remembered Moon giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Her warm lips, the water surrounding us, the air flowing into my mouth—it was hard not to think about it.

When we reached the shore, Charlie was waiting patiently.

I tried to sneak a peek at the notebook Moon was holding, but she was too quick. She got dressed and started scribbling in it before I could catch up.

I lingered, trying to edge closer, but she instantly hugged the notebook to her chest and shot me a look.

Our eyes met, and I froze.