Original Suspense Novel: "ℬ𝓁𝒾𝓏𝓏𝒶𝓇𝒹 ℳ𝒶𝓃𝑜𝓇" EP43

An old iron key, stained with rust. "The door is behind the old wine cellar," he said. "It's been eighteen years. Time to end this." Chen Mo looked at the key. In his mind palace, the door he had never opened was trembling. He didn't know what he would see when he opened it. But he knew one thing: if he didn't open it, the blizzard tonight wouldn't stop. "Take me there," he said. --- Chapter Seven: The Door Below The key felt cold in Chen Mo's palm. Everyone stood up. The fire in the hearth burned fiercely, casting long, overlapping shadows on the wall like puppets tethered by invisible strings. Chen Mo gripped the rusty iron key and walked towards the hidden door of the wine cellar. "Wait a moment." Lin Jing's voice came from behind, calm to the point of sharpness. "Chen Mo, are you sure you want to go down alone?" "I'll go with you." Fang Guodong stepped forward, standing beside Chen Mo. "I'm coming too." Old Zhou placed his whiskey glass on the coffee table. His movements were slow, but his eyes were clear, unlike someone who had been drinking. "No," Chen Mo said. He turned to look at them. The firelight danced on his face, reflecting the fatigue deep in his eyes and something more stubborn. "You all stay here." "Why?" Lin Jing frowned. "Because I'm not sure what will happen when that door opens," Chen Mo said. He tightened his grip on the key, the metal's teeth digging into his palm. "Zhang Zhenyu's tape said there's nothing I'm looking for behind the door. Old Zhou, you heard that tape..." (To be continued)