Female NovelThose mice appeared reluctant to venture into different areas. Only after Rachel escaped did the mice peek out from the gap.
The room's wall abruptly shifted again, completely blocking the path we came from. The confined area became saturated with the unmistakable scent of blood.
Steven was undoubtedly exhausted. After an entire day and night of relentless killing, he simply couldn't hold on any longer.
"Stephie..." I approached him, and he glanced up at me.
I remained silent and simply rubbed his head. His body seemed to tense up. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his gaze at me grew increasingly intense.
"Take a rest. I'll be right by your side for the remaining journey," I assured softly. I then turned around and glanced at the surroundings of the room.
Steven stood up, steadying himself. He slowly walked to the wall. "I utilized the wall-tracing technique to carefully follow the edge of the solid wall all the way ahead. There are a total of 187 small rooms on the entire floor. The central position serves as the exit. Our current location is due north."
I agreed with him and sketched the entire maze's floor plan on the wall using blood. In the last room with the mice, there was a floor plan of the maze. It felt like I had memorized it just by looking at it.
I pointed due north. "We're here now. The maze undergoes automatic changes every ten minutes, maintaining the same overall structure. But the path to our exit is often subject to random variations.
"So, we can't simply wait for the maze to change on its own. We must proactively search for the mechanism that unlocks the specific wall we require."
I gestured toward the center, indicating the shortest straight line between the two points. To reach it, we'd need to head all the way south to the center point.
Rachel looked at me in shock. It took her a while to react, and then she asked in a low voice, "Stephie... did you memorize the floor plan of the maze on the ground just now?"
I nodded without further explanation.
Rachel took a deep breath and asked once more, "We don't have watches. Why are you so certain that it changes every ten minutes?"
"My resting heart rate is 68 beats per minute. From the first time the wall automatically moved to the second time, my heart beat 683 times. Excluding any discrepancies, it should've been ten minutes," I whispered while observing around cautiously.
Rachel looked at me with a blank expression and remained silent for a long time. Meanwhile, Steven was leaning against the wall, devoid of any visible emotional expression. He stood there in silence. "Indeed... The mechanism automatically activates every ten minutes in a clockwise direction." Steven's voice came out hoarse. He relied on automatic activation to eliminate obstacles and made his way here. "How can we determine the direction in this cage?" Rachel asked, puzzled.
Everything was dark with no
windows, only artificial lighting. Time was measured by the rhythm of heartbeats. How could we possibly discern direction in such a place?
"From the vents on the 18th floor, I could spot a glimmer of light emerging with the sunrise, transitioning from darkness to dawn," Steven explained. This was how he determined the direction.
"How many days and nights have you been awake?" I inquired, furrowing my brows as I reached out to touch Steven's forehead.
His eyes were bloodshot and filled with exhaustion. He said with a hint of nervousness, "I'm utterly exhausted, Stephie."
"Trust me. Get some sleep," I comforted him.
Steven gently tugged at my clothes. "Stephie..."
He didn't seem certain that I was worried about him. He asked, "Are you concerned about me?"novelbin
"I am," I replied firmly. I was indeed worried.
After I fell, I couldn't understand why, but I started feeling emotionally numb. Yet, I also experienced every emotion more intensely.
He was taken aback for a moment, his gaze intensifying as he looked at me. "Do you truly worry about me as much as you do for Georgie?"
He appeared extremely determined to get an answer.
I was stunned. Gazing into his eyes, I shook my head. "It's not the same."
His Adam's apple shifted as his gaze intensified.
"Close your eyes and rest for a while." I turned around to search for clues about the room.
Rachel rushed to Steven's side, her eyes wide with shock. She asked in a hushed tone, "Steven... have you noticed Stephie's transformation? Is she truly the same Stephie we once knew?"
Steven's voice was hoarse but resolute. "She is. Regardless of whatever changes, it's still her."
Rachel glanced back at Steven, her mind filled with a whirlwind of emotions.
"Are Zion and the others okay?" Rachel asked quietly as she squatted on the ground.