```
"What's going on?"
Mist couldn't see what was happening ahead, but from the tone of Song Heping's voice, it was clearly not good news.
"I want to hear some good news."
"There's still a way forward."
"And the bad news?"
"We can't go up the passage; we have to crawl down."
"Doesn't that mean we have to go back inside the cave?"
"Exactly." Song Heping said with a smile: "That's why I'm telling you it's bad news."
"Down is down! It's better than no way at all!"
"Great minds think alike."
Song Heping went to the downward passage and looked down.
It was another fan, but it wasn't spinning.
That meant there was no one in the cave room below.
Song Heping ripped off its wires, then placed both hands on the fan, pushing down like doing push-ups.
Sand and soil particles rustled down.
It seemed that the installation of the exhausting fan had been shoddy, with no anchors such as expansion screws drilled into the wall.