Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

X Beijin quietly watches the scenes flashing like a mirage, like a kaleidoscope before his eyes.

It makes him feel a sense of wonder. He didnt know his past at all, but his brain is able to recreate it so vividly.

Then, a stranger thought hits him.

Is he, dying?

Theres that thing about seeing delusions right before death, replaying the persons life before their eyes like a zoetrope. Letting them reflect on their life just before passing over.

X Beijin is laughing.

Hes not really laughing, but instead, just some terribly amusing trigger that makes him want to cackle spreading through his mind. Something is amusing to him, but what?

He doesnt know either. Its just so funny, so farcical, so tragic, so poignant.

So its better to smile.

Then, he remembers what Lin Qin said.

You dont have to smile if you dont want to.

So the urge to laugh is gone, just as mysteriously as when it came.

Now, only an apathy remains. Its like a lucid dream. Its time he woke up.

But he cant.

Something has trapped him here. Something thats always

What, inside the Tower, could actually trap him?

So X Beijin suddenly understands. He speaks, or perhaps, imagines speaking in his mind, NE, let me go. I have to resolve everything.

Its like some kind of veiled idea slowly lifting up from his chest, but he doesnt want to think about them. He just repeats himself, let, me, go.

Then his consciousness feels as if something silky has brushed past his face, and something left his brain in response. Then, he opens his eyes.

Lin Qin is all ready to go berserk when he suddenly sees X Beijin opening his eyes.

At the same time, he hears X Beijin complain with this suppressed and painful tone, damned NE

NE? Lin Qin wonders, then quickly asks, are you awake? How do you feel?

Little apple? X Beijin finally noticed that Lin Qin was here, as it were, saying, why would you well, I suppose its the almighty instincts again. Im fine, dont worry.

Lin Qin sighs in relief, but his brows stay knitted.

Standing nearby, A-Two is also relieved X Beijin woke up, though the sudden term of address of little apple makes him rather regretful he didnt block his ears up just now.

Oh, dalao, please enjoy your more private moments somewhere less like this.

Though what else could A-Two do but shift his footing a little ways away from them, while also keeping a close eye on Chen Simiao so that he doesnt run away.

Neither X Beijin nor Lin Qin notices what A-Two did, though.

Lin Qin is now looking at X Beijin doubtfully, asking, youre fine? Youve even fainted!

X Beijin has no response. He knows hes not got much credibility here, so he quickly starts calming his little apple instead, saying, dont worry. It was an unexpected accident. It was Hesitant, but he pushes on, NE. NE made me faint.

NE? Lin Qin asks, but the others were saying that NE is on our side.

X Beijin is quiet for a moment, before bitterly smiling and telling Lin Qin, its difficult to say. It might be helping us right now, but I doubt its actually on humanitys side.

Lin Qin furrows his brows, confused.

This time, its X Beijins turn to alleviate the wrinkles formed.

X Beijins tone is gentle and slightly throaty. Looking intently at Lin Qin, he tells him, believe me, Lin Qin. I wont ever lie to you. It was really an accident, and I guarantee that there wont be a next time.

He didnt lie to Lin Qin about how he can withstand the amount of dizziness striking him, as it was so in the grey fog.

So the sudden severity of the last headache just now was completely unexpected, as he didnt realise how bad it was going to be.

Lin Qin mumbles, you just always say that Then he moves on from the topic, and just proclaims, but Ill not leave your side anymore.

X Beijin turns to A-Two then, with a slightly embarrassed expression.

When A-Two is about to talk, audible chatter starts to drift into the area from the outside. Looking at each other, nonplussed, they see Mu Jiashi and his companions have found the four other Missiontakers, and have returned here with Fei and Wu Jian.

Theyre communicating about the information they have received. He Shujn is quite audibly surprised with what theyve discovered so far.

When they turn the corner and notice that several people are already here, theyre all surprised.

Mu Jiashi asks, youre already back? We didnt see you outside, and thought wed wait for you to come back here

Then he stops talking.

He can see that X Beijin is sitting on the ground with his back leaning on the wall, and with an expression of deep exhaustion. Meanwhile, Lin Qin is kneeling with one leg on the ground, propping X Beijin up almost with a hug.

Mu Jiashi quickly turns rather serious and he asks, are you alright? Are we out of time?

Are they out of time?

X Beijin cannot answer. In fact, he also wants to know if thats the case. Otherwise, has NE gone mad?

He averts the question entirely, answering, a little accident happened.

Mu Jiashi appears surprised, but then he looks like he understood what X Beijin meant hes assumed this is another of those things X Beijin cannot answer directly. In fact, X Beijin doesnt know the answer either.

In any case, after the interlude, Mu Jiashi quickly turns his gaze over to Chen Simiao.

Then he thinks and asks, whos going to use the Devils Mask?

The Missiontakers look at each other, then moves their gaze onto Mu Jiashi in tandem.

Mu Jiashi

Has he spoiled these Missiontakers a bit too much?

Feeling a little tired, in his mind, he is dissing these Missiontakers for being so unreliable!

So he just takes the utility card from Shen Ynjs hands. The way Shen Ynj hands it to him would almost make him think that the utility card is like some terrible curse that hed rather hot potato it away Mu Jiashi is speechless.

When hes about to use the utility card, though, Chen Simiao suddenly says, Ill tell you where the gap is.

Mu Jiashi stops, and looks at Chen Simiao, falling into thought. Then, looking at the utility card he smiles. Its better not to have to rely on utility cards to cheat anyhow.

Because of Jiang Shuangjies incident, he also doesnt feel comfortable with this utility card at all either, even though its only one of the tools in this game.

He hands the card back to Shen Ynj without another word, then stares right at Chen Simiao.

Everyone is staring, too except Lin Qin, who is staring at X Beijin, though the young man himself is also staring at Chen Simiao.

Chen Simiao says, the gaps position, is right at the right side corridor from the entrance, on the outside wall. It is 370 metres from the entrance, about 30 centimetres long, and stretches from 150 to 180 metres off the ground.

After saying all that, he breathes out, like he just found solace in something.

He looks like he still wants to say something, but now, his audience have already moved on hurriedly, to go where he just said.

Thrown away as soon as Ive no value, huh

Chen Simiao mumbles, with a sad smile. He knows, he deserves it.

Its like theres a missing piece in his mind; he just admitted something, but also denied something, he thinks.

And, after standing there gormlessly for a while, he quickly follows after the people who left.

He also wants to know, how X Beijin is going to use this gap to fix humanitys current predicament.

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