Shi Xinxin felt an unsettling atmosphere the moment she walked into the room.
She scanned the furnishings, a sense of familiarity inexplicably welling up within her.
The walls were covered in wallpaper, but to Shi Xinxin, these were familiar medical documents and clinical case studies.
The bookshelf beside it was filled with all sorts of neurology books. Perhaps due to the escape room's effect, the books on the shelves were in disarray.
However, neurology was not Shi Xinxin's strongest subject; she only had a superficial understanding of it.
At first glance, there were no clues in the room, making it seem like a mere exhibit for tourists.
Suddenly, she seemed to recall something and inwardly exclaimed, "Oh no," a faint panic rising in her heart.
"No clues!"
Xiao Jue had been watching her face since he entered. Noticing her expression change, he followed Shi Xinxin's gaze towards the direction they had come from and suddenly realized something himself.
"It's too late!"
Shi Xinxin and Xiao Jue immediately bolted out of the room and rushed towards the corridor.
Several hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Shi Xinxin could feel people moving frequently in the corridors of the surrounding rooms.
She frowned, her footsteps quickening as she ran forward.
Just as they thought the door would be shut by some unknown people, they reached the door with the previous combination lock.
Xiao Jue gasped for air, his hands wearily supporting his knees, but he still looked around.
"You all figured it out?"
Shi Xinxin glanced at Yun Rou and Sheng Chenjin beside her, then at Bai Bin and Ye Xun who arrived shortly after.
Gu Lin and Long Keyu were nowhere to be seen.
Unbeknownst to them, the two children were already lost in their own imagined clues.
"The place we were in before was not like this."
Shi Xinxin looked at the noticeably different room, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
"It's indeed different. One room has been divided into two parts, and our previous section is on the other side of the wall."
Yun Rou spoke coldly, and everyone began to notice the seemingly ordinary wall before them.
They discovered faint cracks at the junction where the walls met.
At this moment, the sound of crackling electricity emanated from somewhere in the room.
It was exactly like the previous broadcast.
"I'm not sick, I'm not sick, I told you I'm not sick, why don't you believe me!"
A pathetic, hysterical female voice filled the entire room.
Following that, the sound of footsteps echoed from the broadcast.
The footsteps were erratic, accompanied by a slight dragging sound against the ground, fading away with the woman's sobs.
One could vividly imagine a scene of a frantic woman, her mouth gagged, being forcibly dragged away.
"I just stole something? Hahaha, why do you say I'm sick? You just want to lock me up in this cage!"
"This is no life for a human, living without sunlight. Even if I wasn't sick, I'd be driven mad!"
"Unless you let me die!"
At this point, a hoarse, aged male voice spoke. His words were logical and clear, sounding anything but ill.
"Hmph, do you think begging and talking your way out will prove you're not sick?"
A fierce and deep voice, accompanied by the sound of paper being crumpled and thrown onto something.
"A certificate from the hospital. Even if the King of Heaven himself came, you'd have to come with us!"
The man's voice was vicious, laced with a palpable sense of gritted teeth.
Every detail of these recordings could be heard clearly, indicating they were deliberately made.
This was likely another clue.
Then, the human voices became a cacophony, with shouting and car horns. The sudden amplified sound made them involuntarily cover their ears.
Piercing electrical hums mingled with curses and laughter.
"Where did that little brat go? Does he think we can't find him just because he ran to the market? Huh?"
It was the same fierce voice, but this time filled with utter rage.
The sound of footsteps thudded, and one could faintly hear the sounds of people smashing vegetable stalls with tools, searching for the person.
"That was all my livelihood, don't smash it! Don't smash it! Please!"
An aged voice, sounding like a grandmother in her sixties, cried out anxiously and fearfully.
"What's going on? Is that a person? What kind of skill is it to smash an old lady's things?"
Some passersby shouted, siding with the old woman.
"None of your business. If I find that little brat, I guarantee you'll all be quiet here, no one will bother you!"
The man felt no shame in his actions; he would do anything to complete his mission.
Silence surrounded them. Shi Xinxin felt as if she could see the hesitant expressions of the crowd through the small recording device.
"I'm here."
A timid, childish voice spoke, filled with apprehension. He spoke up voluntarily, not wanting to cause trouble for these innocent people.
Inwardly, he didn't want to hear others "righteously" abandon him and give him up again.
"I'll go with you, but compensate them for the damages." In the little boy's tone, a rare trace of resolve could be heard.
It seemed that if they didn't compensate, he would truly run away again and refuse to go with them.
"Heh, you little brat, trying to blackmail me now? If I couldn't catch you, I could smash the entire market right now!"
"I never said I wouldn't pay!"
"You don't need to threaten me, you'll come back with us obediently!"
The man spat on the ground, saying dismissively.
The audio then emitted crackling static again, finally falling silent.
"I've discovered many things here that weren't mentioned in the rules."
Gu Lin and Long Keyu walked in from the corridor, one after the other.
Their expressions were not good.
"We seem to have just listened to the same audio."
What did Long Keyu mean by this statement?
Either this audio was playing in all the rooms on this floor, not specifically for them to gather and listen.
"Then what is our purpose for being here?"
Shi Xinxin spoke, her mind feeling like mush, a vague, unidentifiable something swirling around them, leaving her feeling bewildered.
As they racked their brains for answers with no success, Director Fang, who was observing them through the cameras, also scratched his head.
"Brother, look at them, they don't know anything. How are we supposed to start the next round?"
Director Fang spoke with concern, looking at the leisurely man who was drinking tea and smoking.
"Your group of young actors are very clever!"
The man smiled enigmatically, not directly answering his question.
The subtle threat in his eyes made Fang Qi dare not act rashly.
Having navigated the world for so many years, if he couldn't see the other party's intentions now, he'd be an idiot.
Director Fang silently prayed that this man wouldn't be cruel to the children.