Chapter 91: Forgery—And the True Backrooms

He took out the food item; the expiration date was still one or two hundred years away. He then retrieved the medication, which was labeled "Chlorpromazine."

"A tranquilizer..." He frowned slightly. It seemed that this type of drug shouldn't be used in the Backrooms; she should have chosen something with a milder effect but a faster onset.

His gaze shifted to the sticky note, which bore the handwritten script of a young girl. The handwriting was beautiful, not at all like something scribbled in a state of panic.

"What on earth happened to her..."

Jiang Wan's expression turned grave. She leaned in closer, reading the words on the note alongside Chen Qing.

"Do not let them discover you; do not attempt to blend in. (Verification: False)
They will imitate the actions of outsiders; you must distinguish your teammates... (Verification: True)
I will leave messages outside to guide you, but the information I leave may be discovered by them. It does not matter, however; they cannot alter messages left by outsiders.
Be wary of the authenticity of the information you find; they may forge false messages. (Verification: True—I have seen notes I did not write.)
The bedroom is safe. (Verification: True)
My parents... I have to save them.
There is medicine in this place that can restore them to human form; I must find it."

He flipped the note over, and a few shocking words caused both of them to hesitate. Written on the paper in a twisted, trembling hand were the words: "I cannot drag anyone else down with me anymore."

She opened her mouth, but some things remained unsaid.

She looked toward the bed, walked over to it, and pulled back the quilt. The mattress underneath was brand new, and the bedside table was filled with drinks and food.

"She was preparing to..."

"Tackle this Backroom alone." Chen Qing’s expression was solemn. He tried to pull the large central cabinet, and this time, perhaps because the mechanism had already been damaged, the drawer moved with ease.

He pulled it open to find a large book inside. Beside the book lay a vast collection of used needles and medication, and deeper within, some moldy glass bottles.

He opened the book, which contained detailed records of usable intelligence gathered by their former group—things like essential supplies and methods for cracking the rules when first entering the Backrooms.

As Chen Qing flipped through the pages, he suddenly caught sight of a few words that were bolded and underlined: Ren Mingcheng—Ren Mingcheng.

He still had an impression of this name: a strange, enigmatic student who had shown signs of being a bit of a stalker.

He frowned, looking at the page that had been torn by a fingernail.

"This person is problematic..." He turned his head to ask Jiang Wan, "Do you remember this guy?"

Following Chen Qing's fingertip, Jiang Wan’s gaze rested on the name for a moment before she nodded immediately. "I remember. I let him go after I led him out back then..."

"He..." Jiang Wan looked at the note, not for a second believing that this was just someone Zhang Lan happened to resent. Given her conduct, that would be out of character.

"Is he a problem?" Jiang Wan asked.

"As of now... we don't know where the problem lies."

Chen Qing frowned and closed the book. He walked to the drawer on the left and took out several items.

"Try not to use non-relics and special traits if possible..." He clicked his tongue, looking troubled. "As for weapons... you have a gun."

He gathered the bandages and medicine, tucked the flashlight into his pocket, and nodded at Jiang Wan. Only then did the two of them head back toward the door.

This time, the world they saw after pushing the door open was no longer a complete "lobby."

It was a corridor. Opposite the wall was the door Jiang Wan and Chen Qing had just exited, and every twenty meters or so, another door appeared along the same side. Each room had no distinctive markings; it was as if every doorway had simply been added onto the wall.

Jiang Wan’s expression was one of shock. She turned to look the other way, and sure enough, as far as the eye could see, these doors were a repeating pattern.

"Are we going to be unable to return here?"

Chen Qing frowned and nodded hesitantly.

"It's possible..." He looked at the door before him, pressed his fingernail lightly against it, and then tore a strip of fabric from the ankle of his trousers and tied it to the doorknob.

After finishing, Chen Qing did not stand up immediately. He walked to the wall in front of him and carved one long and one short symbol. Then he walked to the door on the left and tied another strip of fabric to that doorknob.

Once that was done, he signaled to Jiang Wan: "That should do it. This way, there shouldn't be a problem."

Jiang Wan watched with curiosity, but she did not ask any more questions. She simply nodded and began to walk down the corridor with Chen Qing.

Using the door they had emerged from as a point of reference, they walked forward. After about sixty or seventy meters, a staircase leading up and down appeared before them.