Days as a Spiritual Mentor in American Comics Chapter 5681 - 4705: Deadly Escape (38)

The specifics of who faces elimination each round, and who avoids it, remain undisclosed; participants are privy only to their personal circumstances and can make educated guesses about those immediately before and after them, but no further.

Since the individual marked for elimination is the one most frequently targeted, participants are strategizing not only to evade becoming a target themselves but also to strategically increase the number of times others are preyed upon.

Consequently, when other creatures fall into one’s grasp, some individuals are contemplating the benefits of remaining stationary. They reason that by waiting for the next round of clockwise progression, they might fall victim to the one positioned above them, thereby escalating the predation count for others and, by extension, bolstering their own prospects of survival.

Thus, a decision was reached: three teams opted to remain, while the remaining three resolved to venture out. An agent was dispatched to collect the votes after they were cast, but this time, the agent took the liberty of inspecting the contents of the box.

A quick perusal revealed a dead heat: three for staying, three for going out. In such a scenario, someone was inevitably destined for elimination. Without hesitation, the agent drew a dagger from his hip, made an incision on his hand, and with the bloodied tip, proceeded to alter the existing votes.

Altering written words, especially in English, presents a considerable challenge; it’s not merely a matter of adding or removing a minor stroke to shift the meaning. A complete alteration would necessitate erasure and rewriting. However, the unique circumstance here was that the inscriptions were not made with any special ink, but rather with blood.

Blood, given its fluid nature, does not solidify rapidly and can be readily obscured by additional applications. The agent, using his wounded hand, wiped away the existing marks, leaving no trace. He then flipped the paper and rewrote on the newly cleared surface.

A secondary complication arose: the agent was uncertain about the preferred writing conventions of this particular group, as the organizers had neglected to provide a standardized format. 'Go out' could be rendered as "Go out", while some might abbreviate it to simply "Go" or "out".

The agent lacked visibility into the documentation from the initial round and was unaware of the precise terminology each group intended to employ. Critically, everyone else had access to the prior records. Any deviation from the established writing style observed in the previous round would undoubtedly trigger suspicion.

However, inspiration struck the agent moments later. While altering the 'go out' designation proved complex, modifying the 'stay in' directive was remarkably straightforward. The standard expression for remaining in place was typically singular: 'Stay'.

Admittedly, some might opt for phrases like 'Stay here' or 'Stay put,' which carry the identical meaning of 'stay in.' Yet, such phrasing tends to be more verbose. Without a fine-tipped writing instrument, and with participants generally using their bare hands or rudimentary tools like iron picks, fitting such extended phrases onto the limited space was practically impossible. Therefore, the likelihood of participants simply writing 'Stay' was exceedingly high.

Acting on this insight, the agent proceeded to erase all notations indicating a departure and replaced them with terms signifying an intention to remain. The presence of bloodstains on the paper was peculiar, yet upon a cursory examination by the agent, it was clear that such marks were common across many of the submitted notes.

After all, no participant would inflict a fresh wound solely for the purpose of inscription; most drew blood from pre-existing injuries. These old wounds, often located around the collarbone area, proved inconvenient for precise bloodletting, leading to frequent spillage.

While a few groups delegated the writing task to an uninjured member, which resulted in cleaner entries, in other cases, the group leader bore the injury. With hands thoroughly coated in blood, they inadvertently saturated the entire document. This chaotic application, although contributing to the organizers' intended atmosphere, inadvertently created a vulnerability – the possibility that alterations to the notes might go undetected.

Yet, it was highly improbable that the architects of the game ever foresaw the possibility of tampering with the records. Their original design presumed that no one would access the notes before the designated time, with all processes managed by automated systems. Who could have predicted the extreme measures taken by previous participants, so much so that Stark himself hesitated to deactivate his mechanical hand, thereby presenting the agent with an opportune moment?

As for the agent's motivations, they stemmed not from any particular affinity for the players or animosity towards the organizers. Rather, some individuals possess an inherent desire to witness chaos unfold – to simply 'watch the world burn'.

Once submitted, the notes were put aside, unread, which served the agent's purpose of camouflaging his actions. By the time the entries were re-examined, the blood would have long since dried, rendering any chronological sequence impossible to ascertain.

This cycle, the direction of rotation reverted to clockwise, and the organizers' tally of votes indicated another step forward in their plan. However, the Joker, already anticipating the outcome, began rubbing his hands together with a sinister chuckle, exclaiming, "Someone is bound to choose to remain; I wonder who shall meet their end?"

With palpable eagerness, he flung open the box. One revealed 'Stay in'; another, 'Stay in'; a third, yet again, 'Stay in'. Every participant had opted to remain stationary, resulting in another fruitless round.

The Joker, in a fit of rage, slammed the box onto the ground, his voice cracking with frustration. He had hoped the players would act decisively, perhaps prompting Batman to sever a digit or an ear; how could these individuals refuse to make a move?!

This outcome effectively highlighted a critical oversight in the organizers' strategic planning. Had someone like Arrogant been present, they might have discerned from the bloodstains that the entries had been tampered with. However, the current team lacked the necessary expertise for managing complex, serial-murder scenarios.

As for Greed and Stark, there’s no need to say more; they aren’t Gothamites; they wouldn’t study these perverse things out of boredom. The Joker and Scarecrow should have noticed, but the Joker usually deals with explosives, and Scarecrow uses poisons, so neither engages in a study involving blood. Although Mephisto is devilish and might occasionally paint with human blood, he doesn’t have good control over human blood coagulation time and form, so no one noticed.

If Arrogant were here, he would surely notice at a glance that the blood was covered, and the seepage status was off. But because he didn’t see it, the agent’s vote-changing behavior went unnoticed, and they managed to bypass this level.

However, the players below are all sharp. Being free from arrest for two consecutive rounds, they sensed something was amiss.

Putting other things aside, they could see the direction and the number of spaces the mechanism moved. Two consecutive rounds had the same number, which seemed a bit too coincidental, right?

Actually, one space is the ideal state because it’s easier to deduce, requiring only consideration of the player on the left and right. But if there are more spaces, calculations become hard. With a voter’s pattern so beneficial to the players, this undercover agent really threw themselves into it.

Given the inside player’s dedication, the others couldn’t just sit back. Since it’s Christmas Eve again, they can spare some time to study how to thoroughly clear this level.

Of course, maintaining peace like this is possible; after all, it’s just six rounds, and they can manage through. However, nobody knows when the inside player might step up their game, and if things change, someone might end up having bad luck. Seeking crafty methods is crucial for survival.

Pamela was the first to look up, gazing towards the small opening above. She estimated that she should be able to reach her hand out, thanks to her petite figure; her frame is small, and her palms and forearms are very slender. Though the opening is tiny, she can stretch out at least half an arm.

Judging the length, she might be able to grab the mechanical arm. But if it suddenly lifts upwards, her arm could get stuck, possibly injured, but at least it might hold the mechanical arm for a while.

But merely jamming the mechanical arm isn’t enough, is it? Pamela looked at the seams on the room’s ceiling, presumably welded extremely solidly. Conventional removal is unrealistic, so the mechanical arm must be yanked down. However, their weight isn’t sufficient to overcome the mechanical arm’s strength.

If one team isn’t enough weight-wise, what about two teams? Would pulling jointly manage to bring it down?

No, pulling it down merely in a balanced manner is useless. Because if the mechanism breaks, they can repair it or forcibly make them let go. They have to seize the moment when the mechanical arm stops or gets pulled down to do something. But what action can they take?

Harley recalled the entire structure of the mechanism. It is essentially a large circle, slightly smaller in diameter than the lower compartments but considerably larger than the upper lantern. Pulling one side of the circle down should tilt the other upward, resembling a balance scale, allowing it to nearly reach the lantern.

The problem now is none of them can leave, nor can they execute an Alpha strike, directly leaping into the lantern and eliminating everyone. Thus using the circle as a seesaw isn’t feasible.

Yet someone calculated more precisely than him, that being Anatoli. Before even entering, he had already gauged the circle’s diameter relative to the lantern’s bottom and the ceiling above. He confirmed that tilting the circle wouldn’t hit the lantern’s bottom, because of its smaller diameter preventing contact.

However, the circle couldn’t simply flip over but would get stuck at the lantern’s top. It’s called a lantern because the top is larger than the bottom, creating a top-heavy appearance.

Pushing the lantern from below, attempting to topple it, is virtually impossible due to an arduous lever effect. But pushing from the top makes it easier to overthrow. As long as the pulled-down circle applies lateral force to the lantern’s cap, only two outcomes are possible: either the ceiling flies off, or the lantern collapses entirely, depending on how solidly the bottom is connected.

If the former happens, they do have an escape route. Even if the ceiling suddenly disappears, players will need time to climb up, very likely allowing them to escape. But if the entire thing flips over, the distance to the escape route is worryingly far. Not to mention, the fall would leave them dazed, likely unable to get up for a while.

Presently, with players unable to exit, it means this plan can’t proceed right now. Otherwise, after toppling the lantern, they could still escape through other doors. To proceed, this must happen at the final level.

Anatoli had already confirmed: this cell was completely sealed. There were no other passages besides the main entrance, making it impossible to enter from the sides or below. Eventually, they would have to release them. Even if it was one by one, the doors would have to open at some point.

A barrage of thoughts raced through his mind. Anatoli had already formulated a solid plan, but he first needed to establish communication with his immediate neighbor. As the voting process commenced, he began tapping on the wall once more.

As luck would have it, Harley was his neighbor. Harley had selected the Tiger designation, and by the time he entered, Wolf and Weasel had already been chosen. Anatoli's own group had picked Wolf. Tiger's quarters were situated directly beside Wolf's, their rooms and thinking processes closely aligned.