Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5675 - 4609: Deadly Escape (32)

Taking a deep breath above the water, Erik plunged in once more, propelling the cage forward with significant force in a single direction. With a distinct click, its door sprang open. Charles emerged from the water, his movements powerful and remarkably steady. Together, they broke the surface.

"Your swimming prowess is truly astonishing," Erik couldn't help but comment. "Anyone else would likely rush through this stage, but I'm able to take frequent breaths."

Charles waved a hand dismissively. "Fortunately, this level wasn't designed specifically for me. Otherwise, they would have made it require movement in 28 directions, ensuring I couldn't hold my breath long enough."

Erik and Charles’s approach was straightforward, devoid of any flashy maneuvers, relying instead on a standard solution. However, Charles’s exceptional breath-holding capacity transformed the underwater ordeal into a mere trifle. He could hold his breath for well over ten minutes. Even if Erik ascended for air after each push, their entire effort would only consume four or five minutes. While both endured the electrical shocks, the 'breath-holding king' and the one capable of frequent breaths found the experience far from uncomfortable.

Upon surfacing, they witnessed the cage slowly ascending, rapidly closing the distance between them. Charles boarded first, with Erik following close behind. While awaiting the cage's ascent, their discussion turned to the unfolding scenario.

"I suspect the next phase will be another group challenge, and a late arrival might face difficulties," Charles mused. "If we stick to the standard puzzle-solving methods, we likely won't match their innovative tactics. Who knows what awaits us next."

"I don't see much room for unconventional strategies here," Erik replied, shaking his head. Despite dedicating most of his life to being a terrorist, he possessed a detail-oriented nature and an inclination towards adhering to rules, more so than Charles.

"There are ample opportunities. For instance, Rogue might opt to cling to the underside of the cage. Beast, on the other hand, would probably implement the Exhaustion Method."

"We should have employed the Exhaustion Method," Erik stated. "Once we reached the top, we would have realized only three directions were necessary, and the sequence didn't matter. We could have completed it before the water even began to rise."

"It's not quite that simple. Without the water's cushioning effect, a forceful push from you could send me crashing into the cage. The shock would trigger an involuntary reaction, causing uncontrollable swaying, making precise alignment incredibly difficult. It's hard to say how many attempts it would have taken."

"Then I'll position myself inside the cage," Erik offered. "I can manage the swinging motion myself."

"Don't push yourself," Charles cautioned. "You're still injured, and we've had minimal rest between stages. What if the upcoming challenge is physically demanding? Will you be relying on me?"

Erik remained silent. After so many years together, he had grown accustomed to Charles's limitations in physical exertion. Even in scenarios where Charles's legs were restored within the game, he consciously avoided assigning him physically demanding tasks.

They disembarked from the cage. This time, the passage was unusually brief, or perhaps nonexistent. Before them stood a door to the elevator, larger than typical and adorned with decorations along its sides. The moment they entered, the door slid open automatically, revealing a brightly illuminated interior.

They exchanged a glance; the intense brightness offered no comfort, only amplifying the unsettling premonition weighing upon their hearts. Nevertheless, after a brief hesitation, they slowly proceeded inside.

"Never mind, Professor, I'll handle the swinging myself," Bruce declared. "I'm concerned you might send me and the cage careening into the wall."

"And why would you assume I'd push you?" Shiller retorted with a sneer.

"Hey, you can't retaliate now!" Bruce protested loudly.

"I believe you're the one who should be incensed this round, aren't you?"

Bruce faltered, momentarily confused, before realizing the truth: he ought to be angry. However, a sense of guilt, stemming from his prior academic shortcomings and a recent significant blunder, overshadowed his anger, causing him to entirely forget his indignation.

"Ahem, Professor, please step back a little. Don't obstruct me," Bruce instructed. He adjusted his stance, gradually relaxing his arms, allowing the chain and his limbs to extend fully, enabling him to generate force from his legs.

With a forceful kick, he propelled the cage forward, followed by a backward swing. He continued this pendulum-like motion, causing the cage to sway back and forth.

These two directions proved incorrect, forcing Bruce to wait for the cage to gradually come to a halt. Given his limited contact area with the cage, his movements had to be exceptionally cautious to avoid electrical shock, making a swift stop challenging. This lack of immediate braking capability hindered their progress.

"Professor, Professor, assist me!" Bruce called out. "Just stand there and provide a slight obstruction..."

"Are you suggesting you want to slam me into the wall?"

"How could I possibly!" Bruce exclaimed. "Just a minor buffer. Otherwise, with this stopping speed, the water will rise before we've explored all our options."

Shiller positioned himself behind Bruce, extending a hand to steady him as he swung forward. Due to the momentum, Bruce nearly collided with the cage's bars, but thankfully, Shiller swiftly pulled him clear. Bruce let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Professor. Stand in that spot again, yes, right in front of that wall. Now I’m going to swing sideways..."

Even though Bruce was verbose, he doesn’t slouch during operations. He controlled the force again, swinging the cage left and right, back and forth, the mechanism still not stopping.

Bruce sighed, "Professor, your luck isn’t great, and mine isn’t much better. Combined, using the Exhaustion Method might take forever."

"Let’s try again. It’s impossible that it’s only the last three directions."

Shiller’s words turned out to be prophetic. They really did exhaust all the possibilities and barely made it past with the last three directions, and as the cage door opened, Bruce was directly thrown out. He let out a yowl, rolled on the ground, and then got up.

Shiller was puzzled and said, "From such a height, it could make you fall like that? Besides, there’s water on the ground to cushion the fall..."

"No, I got shocked." Bruce said, "The instant the door opened, there was still electricity! My muscles stiffened for a moment, and I couldn’t adjust my posture."

"I’ll just assume you’re not making excuses." Shiller said, "There’s a delay between the device determining the level is passed and the cage losing power. What could be the reason for this?"

Bruce knew this was a knowledge gap for Shiller, as it involved electrical engineering. This field has a strong professional barrier, and theoretical knowledge alone isn’t enough; without practical experience, one can’t really make sense of it. Luckily, Bruce was quite the electrician, only second to his tractor repair skills.

Looking at the slowly rising cage, he understood and said, "This is because the electric pulley system that lifts the cage also needs power. The designer of this level was too lazy to make another series circuit, so they used the simplest circuit form for transfer."

"That doesn’t sound very safe."

"It’s actually very dangerous. But since they already wired electricity in the water to shock fish, you can’t expect them to have any sense of safety." Bruce shrugged and said, "This also indicates one thing: the puzzle mechanism and the pulley system mustn’t be far apart."

"Isn’t it on the ceiling of the upper level?"

"Theoretically, yes, but for wiring purposes, it’s not impossible to place it below." Bruce thought for a moment and said, "I’m planning to go up and try to jam the pulley system. Professor, you stay below and listen for any noise. If the pulley system has a problem, there’ll definitely be sounds within the walls. We might be able to find their mechanism."

"But this carries some risk," Bruce said truthfully, "If the pulley system isn’t jammed, you might not be able to get up there."

"What do you plan to use to jam it?" Shiller asked about its feasibility first.

"Do you see that disc above?" Bruce pointed upwards, speaking quickly as the cage was slowly rising, "I initially thought the cage was just hanging from the disc, but since it acts as an elevator, the chain is definitely fixed higher up. The chain passes through the disc, so there must be a hole. Besides the hole, there should also be a passage for when the disc moves to avoid the chain. We just need to figure out how to bend the disc back so the chain returns through the passage into the round hole, and the cage won’t be able to go up. The pulley system will get jammed, and there will definitely be some noise."

"How do you know the disc can still be bent back?"

"You’ll have to answer that, Professor. Did you hear a clicking sound from the mechanism, similar to a locking sound?"

"I was too busy watching you fall to the ground," Shiller said, somewhat speechless, "With your howl, what could I hear?"

However, Shiller still tried to recall carefully and then said, "I didn’t hear any mechanism sounds, or I would’ve noticed it. But are you sure the latch would definitely make a sound?"

"Not necessarily. But from the structure of the puzzle mechanism created by the designer, he’s a very mature mechanical engineer. This means he would lean towards making simple mechanisms fit perfectly, because this is the essence of mechanical engineering. Those who make a bunch of complex mechanisms that don’t fit are amateurs. Determining whether the latch is in place naturally requires some audible cues. This isn’t an industry standard, but a personal style. I lean towards him doing it this way. If you didn’t hear it, he probably didn’t make a fail-safe measure."

"But if he’s a master mechanical engineer, why wouldn’t he implement a reverse fail-safe?"

"For starters, being a professional whiz in mechanical engineering doesn't equate to a broad mindset. He might not fathom that someone would attempt to tamper with that disc, seeing as it appears utterly pointless. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of the level designer, the situation presents differently. They'd probably assume that after a narrow escape, the two protagonists would swiftly utilize the elevator and depart, never imagining that anyone would expend the energy to cause sabotage."

"It appears he lacks skill in the realm of psychology," Shiller remarked. "Then again, it's unrealistic to excel in every single aspect."

"This indicates you've grasped the art of self-acceptance, Professor, which represents a monumental leap forward."

"This is attributable to the caliber of students Brainiac selected for me. When they refrain from causing me distress, I naturally have no inclination to bother others."

"What? Are you implying that my past troublesomeness is your fault for why you used to cause trouble?"

"I must credit your involvement in my teaching endeavors, Bruce, for forging an image of me as someone not to be trifled with. This has consequently spared me from a great deal of hassle in subsequent daily life. At times, I ponder if this might be the divine opportunity granted to me."

"Good heavens," Bruce exclaimed, a look of horror on his face. Spreading his hands apart, he paced a few steps forward before turning back to face Shiller. "How many exceptionally gifted psychoanalysts did you encounter to achieve such a profound and enlightened perspective?"

"Not an abundance," Shiller responded with a soft hum and a discreet nod. "However, there have been a couple."

Bruce's countenance conveyed a silent question: "Is that truly all it takes?" Shiller, in turn, met his gaze with an unspoken retort: "And why are my standards considered so modest?"