Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 1682

Chapter 1682: Underground vault II
Atlas and Dean stood in the middle of the space near where the table was placed.

“I guess that’s the exit.” Dean glanced at the other path beyond the space they were standing in. He couldn’t see ahead, so he narrowed his eyes, but still saw nothing.

Atlas, on the other hand, stood in front of the vault and studied it. It looked like a locker—but wider. However, it was slim for a vault. Even the small office vaults had more width than this.

“It’s a door,” he said, making Dean look at him.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Dean returned sarcastically. “Only a kid wouldn’t know this isn’t a door.”

Atlas ignored him as he walked closer to the combination lock.

“Three…” he whispered, twisting the lock to the number three, then did the same for the next numbers. “… seven…”

He paused as he moved to the number six. “Six.”

For a moment, the two of them just stared at the vault, waiting for something to happen. Slowly, Atlas reached for the lever and pulled it down.

CLICK!

Their breaths hitched for a second, a mix of relief that they managed to open it and a strange feeling about what was waiting for them inside. Even so, Atlas pulled it open.

The vault creaked open, echoing sharply in the silence of the underground space they were in.

Atlas and Dean took a step back as the vault door opened. And just as they had expected, it was a door. Inside was a space filled with darkness. Even the lights where they were standing didn’t provide enough illumination to see what lay beyond the door.

“This feels like a dungeon,” Dean commented, glancing at Atlas as the latter already walked in. He hissed, thinking they got here because of him. Yet, Atlas was acting as if he had every right to be there.

“Wait, it’s dark in there,” he grumbled as he pulled out his phone. But before he could walk in, he stopped.

Dean flashed a glance at the back of the vault, searching for any button or lever to open it from the inside. There was nothing.

“Atlas, you are going to die alone, you know?” he muttered, pushing the door wider as he walked out again. He then dragged one of the chairs, propping it on the door to keep it from closing.

After all, this vault door was meant to open only from the outside. But inside? If this closed with them still inside, there was no way they could get out. They would both die here, and no one would probably know. Especially since there was no reception.

Once Dean was sure the door would stay open, even if it closed, he turned. As soon as he did, he caught Atlas already holding his phone with its flashlight on. But that wasn’t where Dean focused—he was more interested in the wall that Atlas was looking at.

“What the hell is that?” His eyes moved up to where Atlas’s flashlight could reach, catching what looked like a map plastered on the wall. There were also other papers on it.

They hadn’t seen everything yet, but somehow, Dean had this feeling that there was more to it.

“Find the switch,” Atlas muttered as he moved his flashlight around, catching a long counter not far from him.

Dean followed the light, narrowing his eyes at what looked like cylinders and test tubes—like those from the lab.

“What in the world is he doing here?” he wondered to himself before moving his light around. He moved closer to the entrance, searching for the switch.

There was no switch, but there was a lever.

Dean stared at it momentarily before reaching out and pulling it down.

Despite their flashlights and the light coming from the door, the two of them squinted their eyes. Unlike the warm orange lights from the stairs and outside, the lights in this place were bright—very bright.

“Damn…” Dean breathed out, opening his eyes carefully. “What the hell is that guy…”

The rest of his words rolled back into his throat as he turned, finally getting a glimpse of what this place was. Deep lines formed on his forehead as his eyes scanned the entire room.

The space beyond the vault was bigger than expected. The walls were small tiles of white, with one side where Atlas stood near, full of papers. Not just newspapers, but notes, photos, case files, and a large map in the middle.

It was an investigation board, but instead of using a real board, it occupied the entire wall.

Photos of people were taped next to each other: women, men, children, and a few elderly people. There were also familiar faces on that side: Dean’s photo was there, along with Zoren, William, Old Mrs. Pierson, and Belle’s.

There was a brief family tree of the Pierson family on the side of the wall. From the notes Dean could skim from this distance, it explained the power structure of their family.

Clang…

Dean’s attention shifted when he heard a faint clang of glass. Atlas had flicked the test tube dangling on the holder, now standing by the counter where lab equipment was placed.

“Aren’t you a scientist on the side?” Atlas asked, turning to Dean. “Will you be able to know what’s in here?”

“…” Dean was barely registering the wall of information, and now, this.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen it earlier, but he hadn’t dwelled on it. But now that Atlas mentioned it…

Dean sauntered toward him, stopping by the counter. His eyes scanned it once more before his gaze fell on the clear, small, rectangular box. Even without opening it, he could see the pills inside.

Picking it up, he lifted it before his eyes and furrowed his brows.

“What are those?” Atlas asked, making Dean shake his head.

“I’m not too sure,” he muttered.

“But you have an idea what it is?”

Dean paused as he met Atlas’s eyes. “I do, but I still need to confirm.” He then shifted his attention back to the pills. “After all, these look like… that pill.”

Silence quickly followed his remark before their eyes met again. Even without saying it, both were aware of the existence of a pill that shouldn’t even exist.

“That drug Penny’s been studying for some time,” Dean clarified, even though it was unnecessary anymore. “The lethal drug.”