Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 390; Lin mansion 1

With steady hands, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

At first glance, the room appeared ordinary and empty. A thin layer of dust covered every surface, floor, sparse furniture, windowsills. Nothing obviously disturbed or suspicious. Just a neglected room that hadn’t been opened in months, maybe longer.

"Mama, the room’s empty," Yuyan observed, stepping in and looking around with visible confusion. "There’s nothing here at all."

Lu Yuze followed, carrying Chen Xiao in his arms to keep the boy’s feet away from the dusty floor. "Just unused space," he agreed, though his tone carried questions. Why lock an empty room so thoroughly?

"That’s true," Shuyin murmured, running her fingers along a dusty table’s edge. But the question persisted in her mind. Why waste elaborate locks on emptiness? She was probably overthinking, seeing conspiracy where only neglect existed.

She turned to leave when a sound froze her in place. Faint, barely audible. A gasp. A caught breath. Something human and frightened.

Her gaze swept over everyone present. Lu Yuze, Yuyan, Chen Xiao, the maid hovering nervously in the doorway. None of them had made that sound. Her chest tightened with sudden certainty. Something was wrong here.

Shuyin activated her jade eyes again, this time scanning deeper, looking beyond surface appearances to underlying structure and hidden spaces. The truth revealed itself with horrifying clarity. Beneath the seemingly solid floor existed a hidden chamber. And in that darkness below, she could see them, children, dozens of them, huddled together in confined space. Their wide eyes stared upward, drawn by the sounds of people moving above, reflecting fear and confusion in equal measure.

But how? Where was the entrance? How did anyone access the space below without visible stairs or trap doors?

Shuyin took a careful step backward, anger coiling in her chest like a living thing ready to strike. "Call the police immediately," she said, her voice sharp with barely controlled rage. "This is a crime scene. There are children imprisoned beneath this floor."

"Crime scene? What are you talking about?" Lu Yuze’s voice carried worry as Ting Fei and several other workers, who’d been preparing to force the second locked door, gathered closer to hear.

"There’s a hidden chamber beneath this room," Shuyin explained, words coming fast and tight with fury. "And there are so many children down there. Trapped. Imprisoned in here."

"No! Don’t call the police!" Yuyan’s voice rang out suddenly, sharp and urgent, drawing everyone’s surprised attention.

Shuyin turned to her daughter, reaching out to brush back a strand of silver hair with gentle confusion. "What’s wrong, sweetheart? Why shouldn’t we call authorities?"

Yuyan’s silver eyes were deadly serious, her expression carrying wisdom beyond her twelve years. "Mama, the police aren’t always honest. Not everyone in positions of authority can be trusted." Her gaze swept the room, haunted by understanding most children her age never developed. "If police come here without proper oversight, these children might end up in worse situations than they’re in now. Some of them were probably kidnapped. But others, their families might have sold them. Imagine the trauma if they’re just sent back to people who betrayed them. If we call the police without thinking this through, these children could be trapped in the same nightmare all over again, or worse."

Shuyin felt simultaneous pride and sorrow at her daughter’s insight. Yuyan had learned too young that systems meant to protect people often failed those most vulnerable. But her wisdom might save these children from being shuttled through a bureaucracy that didn’t actually care about their wellbeing.

"You’re right," Shuyin said quietly, her mind already working through alternatives. "We need to be more careful. More strategic about who we trust with their safety."

A tense silence fell over the assembled group. The hidden chamber below was no longer just a mystery to solve, it was a profound responsibility. They had to act quickly but intelligently, protecting these children from both their current imprisonment and the systems that might fail them afterward.

"We need to find the entrance to that chamber," Shuyin said, her eyes scanning walls and floor with renewed focus. The tiles appeared uniform, the color unbroken, but her jade-enhanced vision caught subtle irregularities, a faint shadow, an almost imperceptible difference in depth that suggested the wall itself concealed secrets.

She stepped closer to the western wall, running her hand along its surface. The tiles were smooth, cold, unyielding under ordinary touch. But then, beneath her palm, she felt a slight depression. Not damage or wear, but deliberate design. A trigger mechanism.

Pressing gently, she heard a soft click echo through the room. The panel rotated silently on hidden hinges, revealing a narrow passage beyond that descended into darkness.

"Follow me," she whispered, slipping through the opening. The others hesitated only a moment before following, Lu Yuze carrying Chen Xiao carefully, Yuyan flanking Shuyin with protective determination, Ting Fei and the workers bringing up the rear.

Inside the passage, dim light filtered from somewhere below. A staircase descended into shadow, its steps narrow and worn at the edges as if countless footsteps had traveled this path before, though none recently based on the dust accumulation.

"Any normal person would have walked past this a hundred times without noticing anything wrong," Shuyin muttered, her voice tight with anger. The sophistication of this hidden space suggested professional construction, significant investment, careful planning. This wasn’t improvised. This was infrastructure built specifically for imprisoning people.

And beneath her feet, children waited in darkness, having no idea that rescue was finally coming.

Shuyin descended the narrow staircase slowly, each step deliberate and careful. The passage was steep, the walls close enough to brush her shoulders on both sides. Lu Yuze followed behind her, Chen Xiao still cradled in his arms, the boy’s eyes wide and silent as he processed what was happening. Yuyan came next, her young face set with determination. Ting Fei and several trusted workers brought up the rear, their expressions shifting from confusion to growing dread.