694 SHE SCREAMED
The six people in pairs left the small open space and stepped into the laboratory. This time, Yagi and Shi were at the forefront. The two of them were usually bold, decisive and clear about their path. Unfortunately, in this situation, they were filled with uncertainty.
After stepping into the escape room, they felt a chill. The first thing they noticed was the low ambient temperature, almost freezing. It was unsettling.
Emi and Inei followed them without hesitation because of the scare from the elevator. They did not want to tarry and end up as meat patties. Unfortunately, their thinking was too simple. The escape room was much more dangerous.
Hu Lei and Zhong Feng were deep in their minds, but their thoughts were the same, even in sync. The moment they saw the visible part of the open laboratory they knew the escape room was modelled after that laboratory in Antarctica.
The appearance was not a replica, but the builder had done a pretty good job recreating the old place. It was creepy. Hu Lei felt like she was transported back into that place of nightmares. The operating table, the monitoring screens, the benches…
They were all so familiar.
Zhong Feng tightened his hold on her hand. “We do not have to go in. You know I can find another way out.”
He would never go to a dangerous place with Hu Lei without adequate preparations. Since that time he lost her, he swore to never let his guard down. And coming to the Anarkh was no different. He had already infiltrated all the computer systems.
If he wanted, he could hijack the building, including the malfunctioning lift. However, he wanted to see how this game would end up. Perhaps, he had been influenced by his little wife who liked to watch disasters up close.
.....
Hu Lei took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
For a moment, she allowed herself to feel the helplessness she felt when she was trapped in that place. She remembered her father’s betrayal, the pain of each experiment and the despair when her father died before her eyes.
She had never felt trapped anywhere as much as she did in Antarctica. And she had been captured and imprisoned several times in her life. Antarctica was the one place she failed to escape because she was trapped by more than the cold desert and the solid walls.
She was held hostage by her father and her loyalty to him. It was the one place she failed to escape. And sometimes, she wondered if she should have left. If she could have left…
It was not something that truly burdened her.
But it was like a small itch of wonder.
She opened her eyes. “No. I want to see.”
Zhong Feng lowered his head and looked into her eyes. She was wearing dark contacts to hide her distinct golden eyes. They did not want to be remembered during their little visit. If her eyes were exposed, some might guess her identity.
“If you cannot hold on, just say the word.” Zhong Feng said. “Do not hold back.”
Hu Lei felt the chill that had entered her bones seep away. She lifted her arms and pulled down Zhong Feng’s head lower. She kissed him with a smile.
“You have my word.” Hu Lei responded. “We do not get to do a lot of fun things anymore. Let us just try to enjoy this.”
Zhong Feng was still worried, but he nodded in agreement before the two stepped into the laboratory. The wide door closed behind them immediately. It seemed that the escape room had features to monitor movement.
Or a game master was watching.
When the door closed, the group became a little more. Zhong Feng and Hu Le looked around the room and found that the details in the other parts of the lab were quite accurate. Hu Lei saw a familiar door to one end of the room.
She felt like her mind was filled with white noise when she remembered what used to be there. It was that place where tall glass cages held the horrific monsters created by Frankensteins like her father. The same creatures that killed her father.
She wondered what was hiding there in this hell designed by Yuan Haoran.
“It seems we are all here for the exhibition, and it is a little more immersive than we might have imagined. I think we all have the same idea on what is going on.” Inei was the one who spoke up.
As a business fixer, he was quite familiar with being a mediator. He wanted to take control of the situation and make everyone work together. Based on his assessment of these people, no one was going to take the first step.
Moreover, he was worried because his sister would be talkative. If she offended someone, she might get in trouble. It was better if he was in charge.
“This is an escape room, so we will need to find clues to get out,” Inei said. “We will have to work together.”
“What kind of keys are we looking for?” Emi asked.
“There is only one door, so I guess we should find out the type of lock there,” Inei said. “But before that, maybe we can get to know each other?”
He paused. “I am Inei, and this is Emi.”
He did not announce their relationship because he was cautious by nature. It was better not to share unnecessary information that might be used against them in the future. But he still told people their real names to avoid awkwardness.
Surprisingly, the next person to speak was Shi.
“Shi,” His clarity could not be faulted.
“I am Yagi.” The other man said.
The next surprise was from the mysterious people Inei had never met. He thought the man would introduce himself, but he did not speak. Instead, the woman beside him smiled at the group while still holding on to the man.
“I am Neko. He is Tori.” Then, she looked at the man with a sly smile.
Everyone could tell the names were fake, but the two did not owe the group anything.
“Alright,” Inei maintained his amiable personality. “Our first step is to find out the type of lock on that door.”
“I’ll go.” Emi volunteered to inspect the door.
Before Inei could say anything, she started walking to the door on the far end. However, as soon as she stepped past the main lab area to a section with laminar flow chambers, an unbelievable thing happened.
The tile she stepped on sunk into the ground. No, it was more accurate to say it disappeared.
One of her legs plunged into the dark hole.
Emi screamed.
