Underground Kingdom

After retiring, Old Wang's greatest pleasure was taking an evening stroll in the community garden. He always felt that the ground beneath his feet was a bit strange; not soft, but rather hollow. He tried stamping on it, to confirm he wasn't just seeing things.

Old Wang lived on the first floor and had suffered from dampness for years. He mused that it would be great if he had a basement. This thought, like weeds growing wildly in a corner, spread in his mind each day.

Rumor had it that Old Li in Building Two had dug a basement. Old Wang didn't believe it. He thought Old Li looked like an honest fellow; how could he have the guts? That is, until he saw a pile of dirt in Old Li's backyard, covered with a green tarpaulin.

Old Wang’s heart pounded, just like when he was a young man peeking at girls. Every day, he detoured past Old Li's backyard, observing the pile of dirt. The pile changed daily, sometimes higher, sometimes lower, like a living thing breathing.

Finally, one day, Old Wang couldn't resist. He pretended to casually walk to Old Li's door and knocked.

“Old Li, I’m just here to check on you, how have you been lately?” Old Wang asked with a smile.

Old Li looked a bit unnatural and stammered, “Fine, fine.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Old Wang noticed a newly installed exhaust fan in the yard, whirring. This further piqued Old Wang’s suspicion.

Over the next few days, Old Wang began his planned reconnaissance. He noticed that every night, Old Li would carry several large sacks out, he did not know where to. He even secretly shone a flashlight into Old Li’s backyard late at night and, sure enough, saw a dark hole.

Old Wang’s blood boiled. He also wanted a basement, a secret space of his own. He began searching the internet for information on digging basements and contacted several construction teams. After some haggling, they finally agreed on a price.

Half a month later, a pile of dirt also appeared in Old Wang's backyard. To avoid suspicion, he even bought a few pots of flowers and placed them on top of the dirt.

The excavation began, the sound like mice gnawing on wood, but to Old Wang, it sounded like a symphony. Every day he took a small shovel, dug out some soil, and then secretly put it into a sack, dumping it in the garbage bins outside the community under cover of darkness.

A month later, Old Wang's basement was taking shape. He excitedly climbed down, turned on his phone's light, and illuminated this simple space. The walls were bumpy, and the air was damp and cold. But he was very satisfied; this would be his little kingdom.

However, the good times did not last. One day, several police cars suddenly arrived at the community, and then several uniformed people rushed into Old Li's house, taking Old Li away. Old Wang was so scared his legs went weak. He knew his secret would soon be exposed.

Sure enough, the next day, several people came to Old Wang's door. They knocked, the sound urgent and forceful. Old Wang opened the door and found the leader was a young policeman.

"Sir, we received a report that your house is suspected of illegally digging a basement. Please cooperate with our investigation," the policeman said sternly.

Old Wang did not refute, only sighed helplessly. He led the police to the backyard, pointing at the hole covered by the flower pots.

The police turned on their flashlights, inspected carefully, and then climbed down. After a while, they climbed back up, their expressions a bit strange.

“Sir, this basement of yours, it's a bit special,” one policeman said.

Old Wang asked curiously, “What do you mean?”

“The basement you dug, it's connected to Old Li’s basement,” the policeman pointed at the hole, “and both of your basements are connected to the community’s underground parking lot.”

Old Wang was stunned, his mind buzzing.

The policeman continued, “You and Old Li have dug a maze underground. This is no longer just illegally digging a basement, it's a public facility. You two are suspected of damaging public facilities, and you will have to bear other responsibilities.”

Old Wang was completely dumbfounded. He had tried so hard to have a secret space of his own, but in the end, he had dug himself into someone else’s “kingdom”. He stared blankly at the hole he had dug, unable to understand, what had happened to the world?

It turned out, when Old Li was digging his basement, he accidentally dug into the community's underground parking lot. He had a flash of inspiration, and turning a mistake into a plan, he used the underground space to sell some unpermitted goods. He used the excavated soil to disguise the hole. Old Wang’s digging had completely exposed his underground kingdom to the sun.

Old Wang thought this was the most absurd day of his life.