"You took the picture?" Mu Yiran took the phone Ke Xun handed back and opened the photo album.
"You took that half-inch photo in the toilet?" Zhu Haowen looked at Ke Xun.
"I don't know if you've ever played escape room games," Ke Xun patted Zhu Haowen's shoulder, then paused as if remembering something, and then naturally put his hand down, "One of the rules of these games is that everything that seems useless or insignificant could be the key to passing the level, so I think even half a photo thrown in the toilet bowl shouldn't be overlooked."
Zhu Haowen glanced down at his hand, then turned his gaze to Mu Yiran's phone screen.
The screen displayed the photo Ke Xun had taken, thoughtfully blurring out the dirty area next to the half-photo with a mosaic.
The photo showed half of an ordinary-looking man. Because it was old and a photocopy, his age was hard to tell, but he wasn't very old, as he had thick, fluffy hair, regular features, and a faint smile on one side of his lips.
"Haowen, the phone," Ke Xun said.
Zhu Haowen immediately understood his intention, took out his phone, turned on the camera, and then the three of them compared the two phones, searching for faces similar to the half-photo in these grayish figures.
They carefully examined every face—it was a very uncomfortable process. The longer they looked at these grayish figures' faces, the more terrifying they became, because while you were looking at them, they were also looking at you, staring at you with those lifeless, dull eyes, devoid of all human emotion and liveliness.
"These people are probably test subjects who underwent lobotomy and failed," Zhu Haowen said coldly.
"But remember, one test subject succeeded and entered the second phase of the experiment," Ke Xun said, looking at Mu Yiran.
Mu Yiran nodded: "Test subject number 282."
Ke Xun: "He's not among these figures, and the numbers on their clothes aren't 282."
Zhu Haowen: "Could he be outside, like in another lab, or in the corridor, or even up there?"
Ke Xun: "Don't let any possibility slip by. Get the others to help search."
Ke Xun had everyone take pictures of that half-photo with their phones, and then began searching the entire research institute.
Time waits for no one, and darkness gradually fell.
No one had even had dinner, and they still hadn't managed to find all the gray-white figures before 11 PM.
Mu Yiran and Ke Xun went to Lab B, knocked Wei Dong unconscious, and then returned to Lab D.
The three sat side-by-side in a corner, just like every night in the painting, waiting for death to come.
"This is probably the one we're least confident about," Ke Xun broke the unbearable silence, trying to make his tone sound calm and even relaxed. "It seems like there's absolutely no way to avoid it, huh?"
Mu Yiran didn't speak, only feeling the warmth emanating from the person beside him in the darkness.
This man devised ways to prevent the deaths of all his friends, but couldn't come up with one for himself.
"Don't you guys think Huang Pi and Qi Qiang are a bit strange?" Zhu Haowen suddenly asked.
"Qi Qiang may be fierce, but he's just a hoodlum at best," Ke Xun said. "The real troublemaker is Huang Pi; he's from the underworld, a real ruthless character."
"Why would those two go to a place like an art museum?" Zhu Haowen questioned.
"I suspect Qi Qiang went in to steal something," Ke Xun said. "But it's definitely not the painting or anything. He's probably aiming for the onlookers' phones or bags. But why Huang Pi was there, I don't know."
Zhu Haowen didn't ask any more questions, but continued from where he left off: "What I find strange about the two of them is that Huang Pi suddenly suggested drawing lots today, and secondly, after they got the C lab number, they didn't seem dissatisfied at all. That's not like them. I thought they would at least try to switch to a earlier number, since the B lab seems to be the safest right now."
"You're right, those two are indeed a bit strange," Ke Xun said. "I remember Qi Qiang threw a tantrum when he drew the C number, throwing the card on the ground and stomping on it. But then he suddenly went quiet, and just now he obediently went to the C lab. Could it be that he was bewitched by something, like in the painting?"
"No." Mu Yiran replied coldly, "I think Huang Pi's first choice for the card was never Lab B. Someone like him is extremely vigilant and wary; he would never trust anyone to knock him unconscious. So Lab B was never his intended destination. Lab C
was his ultimate goal, especially after he saw that Zhang Hanrui, who was already in a vegetative state, had also been assigned a card. This played right into his hands."
Ke Xun frowned: "You mean, during the experiment in Lab C, Huang Pi wanted to be in a group with Zhang Hanrui. Since Zhang Hanrui was immobile, if the electricity was applied, Huang Pi would definitely be the first to let go, thus ensuring a 100% chance of survival."
"Obviously, that was his purpose." Mu Yiran said coldly, "The order of the draw this time should have perfectly aligned with his intentions, which is why he didn't say anything afterward. If he had drawn an earlier or last card, I think he would likely have revealed his domineering nature and forced others to switch orders." "
Ke Xun cursed under his breath.
"As for Qi Qiang," Mu Yiran continued, "as someone similar to Huang Pi, he guessed Huang Pi's intentions earlier than us, and after seeing Xu Zhen, who also drew Lab C, he gained confidence.
"Firstly, women's physiological reaction speed is naturally slower than men's—of course, Zhang Hanrui and Deng Guang's group is an exception;
"Secondly, Qi Qiang makes a living by stealing, and pickpocketing speed is their livelihood. Even if Xu Zhen's physical functions are at their peak, she probably can't outrun Qi Qiang's speed.
"After figuring this out, Qi Qiang readily accepted the C card."
Ke Xun was silent for a moment before speaking: "So, tomorrow, Huang Pi and Qi Qiang will be the ones who survive Lab C."
"If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the case," Mu Yiran said.
Ke Xun remained silent, lost in thought in the darkness. After a while, he suddenly switched on his flashlight and shone it on the wall to his right: "I saw someone write a sentence in blood on that wall. Guess what it is?"
Mu Yiran, sitting to his right, turned to look, but Ke Xun abruptly raised his hand and swiftly struck Mu Yiran on the back of the neck. Mu Yiran immediately slumped to the side, but Ke Xun caught him in his arms.
He gently rubbed the spot on Mu Yiran's neck where he had been struck, then helped him lean against the wall.
"Why did you do this?" Zhu Haowen's voice came from behind.
Ke Xun turned to look at him: "Remember, Dr. Qin said that during a lobotomy, the patient is kept conscious because the doctor will explain the procedures to the patient."
"So you knocked Mu Yiran unconscious, so that when those 'things' do experiments later, he won't be the first choice for the test subject." Zhu Haowen looked at Ke Xun with a complicated expression.
"Bingo. Do you want to join in too?" Ke Xun gave him an innocent smile. "No need to be polite, just call me Red Scarf."
"But Dr. Qin also said that if the patient doesn't respond, the doctor will use an electric shock to wake them up," Zhu Haowen said.
"The premise is that they use a conscious patient for surgery, and only use electric shocks after the patient falls into a coma during the surgery, instead of choosing a comatose patient for surgery from the beginning. Zhang Hanrui is an exception; she woke up halfway through," Ke Xun said. "Look at those who use animals for experiments, don't they always choose lively animals that can at least move? When have you ever seen an animal that's as if it's dead being used for experiments?"
"But if the three of us all pass out," Zhu Haowen said, "what if they have to choose one person to experiment on?"
"Haowen, you and Dongzi both passed out in Lab B, and we didn't see those 'researchers' wake you up before the experiments," Ke Xun's eyes shone like two summer night stars in the dim light of the flashlight. "I'd rather take a gamble; maybe Lab D has the same rules. Do you believe me?"
Zhu Haowen looked into his eyes, and after a long while, he spoke in a low voice: "I believe you. But what about you? You can't knock yourself out."
"Of course not," Ke Xun winked at him. "I'm only telling you this. I've already privately asked Dr. Qin about the principles behind Boss Mu's choking technique, and I've learned it." He pressed a spot on his
neck with his hand. "As long as I press here, the person will pass out in no time. I'll just find something to hold myself down and knock myself out."
"Find something suitable first," Zhu Haowen said expressionlessly.
Ke Xun got up, moved a chair over, then grabbed the mop behind the door. He stepped off the mop head, leaving only the handle, and inserted it into the gap in the chair back for support and fixation. Finally, he took off his T-shirt, wrapped it around the head of the handle, pressed it against his neck, felt it, and gave Zhu Haowen an OK sign.
Zhu Haowen was speechless: "Are you sure this stick won't just kill you?"
Ke Xun laughed: "Making traps and stunts is something I've been good at since I was a kid. Don't worry, I've got the angle and force just right. Once I lose consciousness, my body will definitely tilt to the side, and my neck won't get hurt."
Zhu Haowen looked at his smile and fell silent again. After a long while, he calmly said: "Don't chop my neck, just pinch it."
Ke Xun rubbed his thumb: "Perfect, let me show you my new technique. Just to be safe, let me give you my last words, maybe include your Taobao payment password or something."
Zhu Haowen: "..."
"Come on, sleep until dawn." Ke Xun placed his finger on his neck. "Goodnight."
With this calm and warm, ordinary greeting, Zhu Haowen sank into unconscious darkness.
Ke Xun placed him next to Mu Yiran, and let him lean against the wall, then stood up and walked around the room.
He wasn't sure if the fainting technique would successfully escape the death selection in Laboratory D. If not, regardless of how many of the three of them survived tomorrow, or if none of them survived, he didn't want to die in vain.
He had gone from the initial fear of death to a calm acceptance of it, from initially relying entirely on Mu Yiran to now being able to fight alongside him and even stand on his own.
He was no longer afraid of death, but he didn't want to submit to fate.
Even if he died tonight, he couldn't die empty-handed. Perhaps Mu Yiran and Zhu Haowen would survive; even if not, there was still Wei Dong. Therefore, he couldn't die in vain.
Ke Xun stood in the center of the room, his eyes lowered in thought.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. He hurried to his desk, rummaged through a drawer, pulled out a large roll of transparent tape, and found a ruler, pen, and plastic folder. He cut and slashed with scissors, then wrapped and tied with tape, creating a simple, crude phone stand.
Finally, Ke Xun took their phones from Mu Yiran and Zhu Haowen's pockets. He had already asked for their screen unlock passwords beforehand. He first turned on Zhu Haowen's screen, activated the camera, and turned on the flashlight function to try and look around.
The flashlight was too dim, only allowing him to see an area of one or two meters in front of him. Ke Xun turned on all the flashlights and shone them all on the desk and experimental equipment.
This way, the light was barely adequate, and the visible area was slightly larger. Ke Xun then fixed the phone stand in a position where he could capture the area around the desk and experimental equipment.