mtl008 Chapter 4635 Desperate Escape (7)
Chapter 4635 Desperate Escape (7)
Chapter 4635 A Deadly Escape (Part 7)
Schiller temporarily suppressed his plan to return to the tower to cause trouble for someone and said, "I think speed might really be important."
Bruce turned to look at him. Schiller said, "This isn't a competitive version, so I'm leaning towards cooperative gameplay. However, judging from the design of previous puzzles, cooperation might not be as simple as just working together."
"You mean, speed isn't necessarily a good thing?"
Schiller nodded and said, "Perhaps the order in which we arrive at a certain checkpoint is important. Those who go first need to pave the way for those who follow, and may have to make more sacrifices."
"So what?" Bruce seemed somewhat nonchalant. "Since it's not a battle royale, there won't be a zero-sum game. Therefore, in cooperation, who contributes more and who contributes less isn't that important."
“I’m just worried it won’t be a physical or mental exertion,” Schiller emphasized. “Starting by putting a collarbone nail in one side and leaving the other side in the water is a warning shot. The mastermind behind keeping us here—if there really is such a person in the story—is telling us that it’s impossible to leave this instance without bleeding. Physical harm is essential.”
“Since bloodshed is inevitable, there’s no escaping it if you fall behind, is there?” Bruce said, looking at Schiller.
Schiller shook his head and said nothing more. Bruce saw a hint of worry in his eyes, but couldn't quite grasp what he was worried about. The atmosphere became somewhat heavy.
Bruce wasn't comfortable with the atmosphere, so he tried to console himself: "We're not necessarily the fastest either. If that guy in the metal armor is here, he'll definitely be the one leading the charge. I've never beaten him in the fighting world."
"Besides, since it's a collaboration, we can always work together to find a solution; we don't necessarily have to go to such an extreme situation."
Schiller didn't speak, but simply walked towards the open door. Bruce had no choice but to follow behind him. Behind the door was a long corridor, probably several tens of meters long. The corridor was very narrow; even for one person to pass through, one had to turn slightly to the side.
Fortunately, the dungeon's designers didn't seem to intend to create a fatal trap. There were no traps or mechanisms in this long corridor; otherwise, one would have been utterly helpless.
At the end of the passageway was a door. As Schiller approached, he could see through a small, fist-sized window into the doorway. More precisely, he could see the opposite wall. On either side of the wall stood a torch, illuminating a line of text written on it: "Those who enter this door will not shed blood."
Schiller took a deep breath. He began to think quickly.
The phrase "Those who enter this door will not bleed" provides two key pieces of information: one is that what lies behind the door is safe, and those who enter will not be harmed. The other, implicit meaning, is that those who do not enter are likely to suffer.
If this statement were completely false, it would be incredibly simplistic; one might as well simply fire a crossbow bolt into the passageway and shoot them both through. Therefore, Schiller is more inclined to believe that the statement is true, that there is no danger behind the door, and that the first meaning is certainly correct.
However, whether the implied meaning is correct is worth considering. This is a classic psychological trap. "It's safe inside the door" makes people think "it's unsafe outside the door." "Those who go in won't get hurt" makes people think "those who don't go in will definitely get hurt."
The human brain automatically expands the idea of "gaining safety by entering the door" to "safety can only be achieved by entering the door; not entering the door means certain unsafety." This creates a sense of crisis.
This door was clearly designed intentionally. Only the first person to walk through it can see the writing on the wall through the small window. The second person to walk through it will have their view blocked by the head of the person in front, and will not be able to see the window at all. This information is only available to the first person.
Typically, when facing unknown and dangerous environments, the stronger one will step forward and take the risks of exploration. Such people tend to be more protective.
When a sense of crisis and a protective instinct are at play, the person in front who sees this message is more likely to let those behind them go in. This is because the previous puzzles have shown that a certain degree of self-sacrifice is necessary to pass the test. The inertia of thought will make people feel that this time will be the same.
The problem is that the passageway is too narrow. It's extremely difficult to switch places. Even when standing normally, you have to turn slightly to the side to move forward. Even if you turn completely to the side, there isn't enough space for another person to pass through.
The way to exchange positions is to switch places. One person climbs up so that another person can pass underneath, or the person behind climbs over from above.
Schiller looked up. There was about half a meter of space overhead. If you really wanted to, the person below could crouch down and the person above could climb over. It seemed to be the optimal solution at the moment.
However, since it has been realized that this statement is very likely a psychological trap, exploiting the protective instincts and sense of crisis of the person in front to create a potentially dangerous situation, then this act of switching positions is absolutely wrong.
But where is the problem? Is there a mechanism above or below? Will the wall collapse if force is applied?
“Time…keep up with me.” Schiller glanced back at Bruce.
Schiller abruptly pushed open the door in front of him and went inside. It was another revolving door. And after rotating 180 degrees, the door closed automatically. Bruce followed closely behind Schiller, managing to enter the room together during that brief moment of rotation.
wow——
The sound of rushing water followed. With a loud bang, the door shook violently. A large amount of water splashed in through the cracks in the door, forcing the two of them back.
Bruce lowered his arm and turned to look at the illuminated wall. "Those who enter this door will not bleed?"
He looked back at the door again; water continued to pour in. This proved that the outside space was completely flooded. The passageway was probably full of water. He went over and pushed the door hard, but it wouldn't budge. Bruce understood the mystery almost immediately.
If they had just chosen to switch places, it would have wasted a lot of time. Then the water would rush in, and both of them might end up in the water.
If you try to push the door open again at this point, the water will slow down your movement. The door will automatically close after rotating 180 degrees, taking only about a second to close. So basically only the person who pushed the door can be swept inside by the water; the person behind them will have a hard time getting in and will be soaked in the water again.
“There must be a mechanism in the room to open the door, otherwise there would be no need for water. It’s the same as the first puzzle. If we hadn’t figured it out at the beginning, there would still be a chance to save us. The water is just to prolong the life of the person outside the door. Otherwise, a crossbow would have been better,” Bruce said. He looked around. The room was empty, without any furniture, only torches and writing on the walls. So he began to stroke the parts of the wall with writing on them.
"No blood for entrants... Is this a riddle?"
“Wait, Clark.” Batman stopped in the middle of the corridor. He glanced back at the way they had come and called to Superman, who was walking ahead, “This isn’t right.”
Superman shuddered: "What's wrong?"
“This tunnel is ridiculously long,” Batman said. “We’ve already gone more than ten meters. Judging from that bright spot in front of us, there are probably still dozens of meters to go. Why did we have to build such a long tunnel?”
"Uh, what's the problem?" Superman asked.
"Judging from the style of the previous two rooms, the puzzle designer prefers simplicity. There was nothing in the water dungeon. In the room I was in, every piece of furniture was useful. He wouldn't have created such a long passage for no reason without serving any purpose."
"What if there are traps or something?" Superman stretched his body and said, "It's so narrow here. If there are traps, neither of us can escape."
"No, Clark. The key is length. If you're going to set up an inescapable trap in the tunnel, there's no need to make it dozens of meters long. Two meters is more than enough."
"That's a chase scene, like in the movies?"
“That should be longer,” Batman said. “Chases are meant to exhaust people. A distance of a few dozen meters probably wouldn’t be enough to wear anyone down. And if it’s a chase, the passageway should be designed to be more winding and circuitous, rather than a straight path. That way, people might stumble and fall when they turn.”
"Oh, come on, Batman, just give us the answer." Superman rubbed his arms. "You're making me cold."
“Time,” Batman said, “you can think of this passage as a time delay device. Something is coming through such a long passage to harm us.”
“I don’t understand,” Superman said, somewhat puzzled. “If it’s going to harm us, why delay it? Why not just launch it directly?”
“This is a puzzle, Clark,” Batman emphasized. “Just like before, he’s not trying to kill us, but to test us. The extended time created by the passage is the time we have to solve the puzzle.”
Superman suddenly realized, but then he asked, "What can both harm us and extend time through a portal?"
“Water,” Batman replied, “Let’s go back.”
Then he turned and walked back. Superman didn't react for a moment, but he obediently followed behind him. They went back through the door that had separated the two spaces.
Superman couldn't help but turn his head for a glance at the other side of the door, where steel nails were driven deep into the wall. He almost walked over there, but thankfully Batman called him back.
Batman strode to the drain in the room he had been in and shouted, "Clark! Come help!"
Superman rushed over. Batman immediately dismantled the drain's railing, grabbed a crowbar, and yanked it down. With a clang, the drain was blocked.
Batman turned the crowbar around, inserting the curved end downwards, seemingly hooking the edge of something. He stepped on the other side of the drain and pried the object upwards with force.
After a few prying attempts, he switched to Superman. After Superman pried a few times, he switched to Batman. He pried violently a dozen times, and then there was a cracking sound; something broke. Batman then used the crowbar to poke downwards, and the cracking sound continued. The thing blocking the drain seemed to have been completely smashed. He then went to the water dungeon room and closed the door, leaving only the door to the room containing the drain open.
“Pinch your nose, Clark,” Batman said, pulling Superman against the wall until their backs were against it. “Try to hold your breath. If my calculations are correct, we probably…”
Boom! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Before the words were even finished, the ceiling of the water dungeon collapsed completely. Floodwaters poured down like a waterfall, directly breaching the wall between the two rooms and rushing towards the passage at incredible speed, quickly submerging the connecting passage between the two rooms.
Sensing the water flow gradually stop, Batman swam towards the door, found the doorknob in the murky water, and slammed the door shut, completely isolating the two rooms from the outside corridor and passageway. The water in the rooms began to drain away through the drains. Soon, a gap appeared between the water surface and the ceiling, allowing them to breathe. The two swam to the surface, exposing their mouths and noses to the water, gasping for air.