Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5669 - 4693: Desperate Escape (26)

The exact moment Anatoli shattered the device, the ceiling's operation ceased. Miraculously, everyone evaded injury, with the exception of Stark, the very engineer behind the contraption.

"I must go and mend it," Stark declared, his tone suggesting a minor fix would suffice. "It doesn't appear significantly damaged, just a bit of repair work..."

His companions hastily restrained him, even the Joker offering a hand. Greed, clutching at him, voiced his concern, "Are you out of your mind? If you barge out there, what if he decides to hand you a crowbar?!"

Stark made a motion to dismiss their worries, intending to invoke his design copy privileges. However, a sudden recollection stopped him: the architect's teammate was none other than Lucifer, who possessed the authority to redesign the entire cosmos. Stark instantly relented.

"But we can't simply leave it in this state, can we?" Stark inquired, his anxiety still palpable.

"Leaving it as it is might actually be the best course of action," Mephisto observed, surveying the condition of the few chambers. "The secret passages in all the rooms have now been unearthed. One only needs to crawl beneath the steel needles, enter the hidden corridor, step onto the ceiling, and wouldn't that resolve the issue?"

"You make it sound remarkably simple," Stark retorted with a frown. "The mechanism is malfunctioning. How can you assure us there won't be complications later? What if they are halfway through their climb when the ceiling abruptly gives way, and the steel needles impale them? What recourse do we have if they lodge complaints after exiting the instance? Or perhaps, while traversing the ceiling, the misaligned mechanism below fails to support their weight, leading to a sudden collapse, and the fall is too great for them to escape?"

"In such a scenario, unless one possesses a profound understanding of mechanical engineering, no one would detect the broken mechanism. They cannot see it, nor can they feel it, and there would be no evidence of a fault. But if this malfunction impedes their progress, or even expels them from the instance prematurely, it would certainly lead to considerable embarrassment before the entirety of the Multiverse."

It was only then that Mephisto grasped the gravity, admitting his limited expertise in mechanical engineering. "So, is it feasible to maintain this precarious stalemate?"

"Who can provide a guarantee that it will hold indefinitely?" Stark countered. "At this precise moment, they have all succumbed to exhaustion; no further actions are being taken, and no one is interacting with the ceiling. Thus, it is merely in a state of temporary equilibrium. But should someone decide to step upon it, who can predict its resilience?"

"It ought to hold," Greed interjected. "I am familiar with Anatoli; he would not proceed without absolute certainty. Yet, your apprehension is not unfounded. In the event of an accident and our subsequent discovery, who knows the extent of compensation we might be compelled to pay in points. Consider Loki, Batman, and Harley; those three will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to extort us. We must prevent such an outcome."

"Agent!" Greed called out, "Could you perhaps examine the machinery?"

Shortly thereafter, the designated agent procured a ladder and positioned himself in the room's center. Gesturing towards the camera, he instructed, "Cease the power flow first."

The Scarecrow had already proceeded to cut the electrical supply. Once confirmation of safety was received, the agent meticulously set up the ladder and inspected the now-askew mechanism. Shaking his head, he conceded, "I confess, this apparatus baffles me. This matter requires a professional."

Before long, Stark also arrived at the scene. He ascended the ladder, retrieved the tools from the agent, and proceeded to remove the casing, revealing the internal workings. As Anatoli had predicted, it was indeed a straightforward lever-based mechanism, designed to support an object. Above, a clip was present, intended to automatically secure itself once raised to a specific elevation.

However, the metal rod above was noticeably bent, and the lever component was lodged firmly within the ceiling. After a brief examination, Stark expressed his surprise, "Huh, it's actually holding?"

He climbed higher on the ladder, reaching out to grasp the end of the ceiling-jammed lever. He found it to be unexpectedly robust. The fact that its base was also secured meant there was virtually no risk of dislodgement, forming a remarkably stable triangular structure. The materials employed were exceptionally strong, unlikely to fracture, and capable of bearing the weight of several individuals.

Nevertheless, Stark remained somewhat unconvinced. He resolved to introduce two additional metal rods for enhanced reinforcement, opting for caution over potential regret. Consequently, he ascended another rung on the ladder, his head nearly brushing against the ceiling.

"Exercise caution," the agent advised.

"Hah, when I was constructing colossal mechs towering three stories high, pray tell, what were you engaged in?" Stark remarked, a distinct note of sarcasm coloring his voice. "If you lack understanding, it would be best to refrain from interfering, officer. Kindly proceed with issuing your citations."

Before his pronouncement concluded, a small amount of sand suddenly trickled down from the gap between the metal rod and the ceiling. Stark's instinct drove him to look upwards. With a sharp clang, an iron spike descended with great force, piercing directly into the crown of his forehead.

"Aaaahhh!!!!"

Stark tumbled from the ladder, a descent that thankfully occurred off the main voice channel, sparing him an audible yelp. Nevertheless, the monitoring room staff registered the commotion. Harley, with a hint of bewilderment, inquired, "I sense a presence below. I’ll step back and enlarge the opening…"

"Tony, run, escape!" Greed’s voice blared through the intercom.

The jarring impact of the fall left Stark disoriented, unable to rise even within his mecha. An agent quickly pulled him into the employee passage.

"The ladder! We need the ladder!"

The agent, unable to retrieve the ladder, hastily kicked it into a corner, hoping Harley’s limited view wouldn’t catch sight of it. Upstairs, Harley’s voice grew insistent, "There’s someone, isn’t there? I spotted movement! Is anyone there? Tell me!"

"This is problematic," Greed muttered, a grimace on his face. "We were so focused on Arrogant and Batman, we completely overlooked Harley Quinn!"

"What is she even thinking?" Mephisto sounded exasperated. "The mechanisms have ceased operation, yet she persists in prodding with that iron spike. It seems, even if the Soviet operative hadn’t sabotaged the machinery, this group wouldn’t have let the secret chamber remain intact."

"Harley is clearly quite agitated," Greed observed. "Some individuals vocalize their excitement, while others exhibit an insatiable curiosity. Harley falls into the latter category. Still, it must have taken considerable effort for her to generate the force to drive that iron spike in so deeply."

"Quick, check her strength metrics," Scarecrow implored, unable to contain his impatience. "This clearly indicates the affliction has circumvented her muscle limitations. There are deranged individuals every year, but this cohort is particularly dense; why do they all choose this location to descend into madness?"

Greed accessed the data panel for a quick review and then raised an eyebrow. Indeed, as Scarecrow had noted, Harley's strength readings were somewhat anomalous. Not to the extreme degree of Arrogant, but undeniably elevated.

The underlying principle was likely akin to Arrogant's. Emotional arousal triggering a surge that bypassed muscular restraints, thereby bestowing abnormal strength, enabling her to directly impale the iron spike into the seam.

One could conjecture that had Stark been an inch higher at that precise moment, the iron spike would have pierced his forehead. Stark, having retreated in a daze, still appeared shaken, his hand reflexively touching his forehead.

"You should consider yourself fortunate," Greed remarked. "Had that implement possessed sufficient length, you would have been the inaugural designer dispatched by a contestant."

Greed made a minor adjustment to Harley's strength data, refraining from reducing it significantly, thus maintaining an elevated level as a form of equilibrium. She had succumbed to madness through her own volition, hence her enhanced strength was a consequence of that condition. Other contestants aspiring to such power were implicitly encouraged to explore their own descent into madness, as it was a state theoretically accessible to anyone.

"What's the next move?" Stark asked, a throbbing headache intensifying.

"Aren't the devices within these chambers interconnected?" the agent interjected. "Proceed to the other chambers and reinforce the mechanism."

"It’s our sole viable course of action, preferable to the ceiling collapsing midway," Greed conceded with a wave of his hand.

Consequently, the agent procured a bucket and returned to the room housing the balance mechanism. It was revealed that the balance mechanism was not singular but comprised three units. Theoretically, had their blood donation scheme been successful, the balances of all three rooms would have been elevated in unison, providing sufficient support for each team's designated ceiling — a structural design engineered by Stark, purported to be stable enough for an elephantine ballet.

However, the plan had faltered. Apart from the compromised balance, the units in the two remaining rooms had not been elevated, thus preventing the securing latches from engaging. All rooms depended on the single, supposedly functional balance, and its failure put the entire structure at risk of imminent collapse.

Now, the agent ascended a ladder, positioned himself above the protective shield, and began pouring water into the side of the balance using a basin. This action served as an artificial compensation for the missing 'blood donation,' causing the balance to rise and allowing the latch to secure, thereby completing the support structure.

Although only two rooms could be properly stabilized, with one corner missing, the compromised support would still be sufficiently robust. Its completion would prevent immediate collapse.

Following the water transfer, the balance did indeed ascend and engage its lock, accompanied by a subtle vibration as the latch clicked into place. This minute event, however, did not escape the perceptive attention of the remaining teams.

"Someone is indeed manually intervening," Harley observed, still clutching the iron spike. "The abrupt halt earlier was unnatural; it must have been sabotage. Now, it appears irreparable—going with the flow—this should count as our advancement. Yet, fearing the compromised structure might fail, they proceeded to activate the other mechanisms as well."

"It appears our prior hypothesis was accurate," Pamela stated. "There is indeed more than one chamber containing a balance."

"This suggests another possibility," Harley's mind raced. "That the number of participants exceeds our expectations. It's the only logical reason the designer would be concerned about the structure's load-bearing capacity."

"So, how many teams are there? Four? Five?"

"I believe there are at least five teams," Harley stated. "The room above is shaped like a pentagon, and the one below is a triangle; this configuration ensures the support structure remains stable."

While the concept was somewhat complex, Pamela could still picture it. She realized the steel pin chamber they occupied was situated above the balance room. Earlier, after passing through the balance room, they had paused briefly in a hallway, which might have been an elevator that transported them upwards. However, the door had sealed shut the moment they entered, leaving no chance for confirmation.

Nevertheless, upon analyzing the structure of the steel pin room, it became clear that the balance room must be directly below; otherwise, the supporting framework could not have been constructed. Therefore, to segregate each team, three balance rooms would be situated at the three vertices of the triangle. Each of the five teams would have its own steel pin room, forming a pentagonal arrangement. A pentagon positioned above a triangle, thereby completing the entire mechanism's design.

"I must admit, the designer of this contraption is an engineering marvel," Harley exclaimed. "While the structure isn't overly complicated, it incorporates elevators that control five elements, requiring a mechanical system for conversion. Furthermore, they avoided elaborate transmission mechanisms, effectively concealing the underlying workings, which points to a profound elegance in simplicity. That's the true brilliance of understated design."

Stark, observing from the monitoring room, almost leaped out of his seat. "Good heavens, just look at this brilliant woman, her insight is astonishing! I can even overlook the fact that she nearly impaled my forehead with a steel pin!"

The Joker and Scarecrow both let out exasperated sighs, turning away as if unable to tolerate Stark's behavior any longer.

"Frankly, I suspect this psychological challenge bears the Joker's signature," Batman commented, attempting to interject. "It bears resemblance to the perplexing riddles he used to present me with."

"Enough, all of you, just be quiet!" the Joker bellowed. "I declare Batman the most intelligent man alive! Let's hear Batman's profound wisdom for once!!!"