The NPC walked unsteadily in front of them. There was a bunch of jingling keys tied to his jeans that were almost sliding down to his buttocks. He had led the four of them through many passageways of different sizes, and he seemed to have purposely chosen the corners. The further they walked, the darker and narrower the surroundings became. It was as if they were about to enter a mouse hole.
When he finally stopped, he almost couldn't hold back the smile on his trembling face.
"Did you see it?" He knocked on the wall and pointed at it. The tall, arched wall was pressed against them, stretching endlessly upwards. If they looked up, they would feel as if they were suffocating from the pressure. The NPC waited for a while before he smiled and said, "This wall is the only one with a different shape. It sticks close to the edge of the building."
Lin Sanjiu looked at the long wall that stuck out of the wall. Its top disappeared into the darkness. Even though it couldn't be seen clearly, one could tell that it wasn't a straight line. Instead, it gradually rose higher and higher, becoming narrower and narrower until it disappeared into the arched wall over a hundred meters away.
"If you take a closer look," the NPC introduced the wall like a tour guide, as if he didn't notice their eagerness to leave as soon as possible, he continued, "If you keep going up this wall, you will find a gap that is about this wide. There is no sickroom."
"So what?" The words echoed so loudly in Bohemia's mind that even Lin Sanjiu could hear them.
The NPC gestured with his hands as if he was trying to enlighten a child, "The thickness of this wall, the width of that gap, the overall size … Can't you think of anything? Let me give you a hint. It's related to getting out of here. "
Lin Sanjiu just needed to cooperate with him and get out of here as soon as possible. Just when Lin Sanjiu was about to say something, she heard a sudden "Oh!" from the left of Bohemia. She turned around and saw the former guard looking at her with an enlightened expression, "It's an elevator, right?"
"Where did the ghost elevator come from?" Bohemia pecked at him.
"I think the elevator should be inside the wall." Perhaps he was treating this as a riddle game. His eyes were glowing, and his words sounded clearer. "This wall doesn't have a ceiling to support, so why is it so thick? Then, it blended into the wall vertically, leaving a gap that was just wide enough to fit an elevator. Moreover, there isn't even an exit that we can see. The circular building has a clear view, and there aren't any corners that we can hide in. But people have to go out eventually … This means that the exit is hidden in a place that we can't see. Doesn't that mean that it's behind the wall? "
This was the first time Lin Sanjiu heard him ramble on and on.
Bohemia glanced at Puppeteer and said, "Who cares if they are relying on the elevator or the wings of their imagination? As long as they can send us out of here, stop wasting time!"
The NPC chuckled as he removed the key ring from his belt. He approached the wall and wiped it with his hand. Dust fell off, revealing a dirty keyhole. It was unknown how long it had been since anyone had used it. He inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it. After a few jerky knocks, a door that looked no different from the wall opened a small gap.
"You guessed it right. It's an elevator," he nodded at the former guard, "But there is one thing you are not quite right about … The elevator is hidden in the circular wall. Inside this wall, there is a staircase that will lead you to the elevator. Go in and follow the staircase to the end, and you will see the elevator. "
Lin Sanjiu was a little stunned. The wall extended for at least a few hundred meters. If there was a long staircase inside, how many steps would they have to climb? Fortunately, they were all posthumans, so it wasn't a challenge for them, except for a little tiring.
The NPC asked each of them to look inside, but he had no intention of letting them go in. Other than Puppeteer, who didn't move, the rest of them could see that the staircase was narrow and dark. Other than the first four or five steps, the rest of the staircase was shrouded in darkness. There were handrails on both sides of the wall, and they extended to the top of the staircase. If it was a child or a very skinny person, two people could walk up the staircase at the same time, but for the fat NPC, it couldn't even fit one person.
"Oh, the staircase can accommodate 1.7 adults of normal size," the NPC noticed that Lin Sanjiu was looking at the width of the staircase. He waved his hand and gestured for her to take a few steps back. Then, he said, "Before I let you in, I have a few things to remind you of."
If Bohemia was a monkey, she would have started scratching her ears and cheeks, "Can you tell me now? I'm so anxious!"
The NPC laughed, thinking that he was very humorous, "There's no toilet inside, so it's useless to be anxious." When Bohemia pulled a long face, the NPC coughed and waved the keyhole in his hand, "Considering the safety and convenience of the discharged personnel, this door will not be locked after you go up. This way, for example, if you forget something or change your mind, you can come back at any time. Let's not talk about other things, this staircase doesn't see the light of day all year round. If the door is open for ventilation, it will make it more comfortable for you to climb the stairs. We are very considerate. "
"The door is open?" Lin Sanjiu raised her eyebrows, "Not only is it not locked, but the door is also open?"
"Leave a gap." The NPC pinched a gap between his thumb and index finger. "When you enter the elevator and the elevator door closes, I will come over and lock the door again. This door can't be closed before it is locked. "
In other words, when they crawled into the darkness with their backs facing the door, there would be nothing behind them. Whether it was wind or people, nothing could come in …?
"There are quite a number of patients," the NPC guessed what they were thinking. He nodded and pretended to be serious, "Because they don't have any hope of leaving the hospital through normal means, they will start to use all kinds of unusual means to leave the hospital. As I said, this wall is different from the others. If someone thinks about it, it's not difficult for them to guess that there's an exit here. Even if they can't guess it, at least they know that this place is different. So, when you climb up the stairs and enter the elevator, you must be extra careful. Someone might sneak in. "
"Then why didn't you lock the door?" Bohemia flung her sleeves, "Don't you care if the patients escaped?"
"Very much." Only now did the smile on the NPC's face fully spread, "So, you can't let others enter the elevator with you. When the elevator starts to move, if there are people who shouldn't be there, you will be disqualified from leaving the hospital. "
Just when everyone was shocked and didn't know what to say, Puppeteer spoke for the first time.
His lips curled into a sneer, and his voice was both sinister and soft, "... Let's see who is willing to be our guest."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about him." Lin Sanjiu's heart, which had just been hanging in the air, calmed down. If the danger only came from other posthumans, then she would be at ease with Puppeteer by her side. Even if Puppeteer's combat power had not fully recovered, the fact was that other posthumans could only be suppressed by him.
"Ah, if it were me," the NPC shook his head and stepped aside from the door, gesturing for them to enter, "I wouldn't be so confident. These people who have lost all hope are different from the patients you have met before. As long as there is a chance for them to leave the hospital, they will fight with their lives on the line. Besides, they might not be unable to leave the hospital just because they aren't as good as the others. Those who dare to use this method to leave the hospital are actually stronger than the average patients. "
"Why can't they leave the hospital even if they are stronger than the others?" Bohemia asked as she took a step toward the door.
"Maybe they are unlucky, easily tricked, or the final mission is too difficult …" the NPC thought for a moment, "There are even some who are too strong and attack the NPC, so they are disqualified from the hospital. There are all kinds of reasons."
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"Let's not talk about others," the NPC laughed, "Let's take you guys as an example. If it weren't for the special reasons that you and I both know, which one of you would be able to leave the hospital? But, is your combat power that bad? "
The "special reasons that we both know" was referring to the chaos caused by the flood? The deal that Wei Xing made with her before he died? Or was it a cheat given to her by Gong Daoyi? Lin Sanjiu didn't plan to ask any more questions. She hoped that the NPC would drop the topic as soon as possible.
"Alright, good luck to all of you."
Watching the NPC's back gradually disappear into the distance, the ex-guard shivered, "My ability is just average. If you put me last, I'm afraid I can't do it …"
Lin Sanjiu was worried that he would be the last. "You go second," Lin Sanjiu ordered. Then, she asked, "Between me and Puppeteer, who should go last?"
"Of course it's Lord Puppeteer," Bohemia did not give Lin Sanjiu any face. "Think about it. What if someone sneaks in and follows behind us? If Lord Puppeteer turns his head at him, wouldn't he be scared —"
Bohemia suddenly realized what she was saying. She quickly bit her tongue, and her face turned pale.
"Let me check if there's anyone around," Lin Sanjiu pretended that what Bohemia said was not a big deal. Before Puppeteer could react, Lin Sanjiu took over the conversation, "Give me a few minutes …"
"Magus asked you if you know how to pull a chewing gum," Puppeteer said abruptly.
"What?" That was the only answer she could come up with.
When Bohemia spoke, Magus must have spoken at the same time. Puppeteer didn't seem to hear what Bohemia said. He repeated Magus's words to Lin Sanjiu reluctantly, as if he wanted to cover his nose when talking to Lin Sanjiu, "Use a bit of your Higher Consciousness to suck on one side of the door, and keep the other side under your control. You can stretch the other side as you walk up. That way, you can hold the door from the inside … Why don't you know how to do that?"
"I know how to do that!" Lin Sanjiu slapped her thigh. It was rare to hear someone who knew how to use Magus's Higher Consciousness. "Since my Higher Consciousness has recovered quite a bit, it's decided. I'll go last. I'll go last. Otherwise, there will be more people in the middle. "
In the time it took for Lin Sanjiu to sense her surroundings again, she could vaguely sense the presence of a few blurry humans in the vicinity. This was only what she had noticed. She didn't know if there was anything else she couldn't. She cleared her throat, looked around and said, "Let's go in."
Since the danger would only come from the back, it was reasonable to put the stronger ones at the back. Bohemia led the way, and the former guard walked behind her. After Puppeteer entered the stairway, Lin Sanjiu was the last one to go in. She used her Higher Consciousness to stick to the inside of the door and stepped on the first step in the dusty air.
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