Gu peered through the observation slit. He could see a spirit-glass cylinder on a metal shelf, surrounded by a row of sealed papers. The laboratory door had no handle, only a set of symbols that matched the passages.
Qinghe checked the frame for pressure damage. Yan studied the inscription, following the sequence line by line. It directed the practitioner to complete the destructive circulation once more, then place a palm against the inner plate.
The pattern was complete. Yan understood it and chose to practice it. Its feedback refined his channels and made his control steadier. He pressed the plate, and the lock released.
The door slid inward with a scrape of old metal. The spirit-glass cylinder and sealed papers remained on their shelves. Dust lay undisturbed across the floor, and the room smelled of cold stone.
Gu spotted handwriting that resembled his old research copies. He did not claim the pages as his own before comparing them. Qinghe checked the cylinder’s casing for cracks and prepared insulating cloth. Yan lifted the metal frame supporting the papers so the group could remove them together.
“We should copy the shelf labels first,” Gu said. “If the order matters, the labels may tell us why.”
