Future
No one spoke. Zhou Luoyang, Du Jing, and Lu Zhongyu stepped into the hallway beyond the prison.
“What do we do now?” Zhou Luoyang’s voice trembled.
“What a clever design,” Du Jing murmured to himself. “Four players were eliminated in the first stage.”
Lu Zhongyu looked around. The other four were still quiet.
The professor spoke up. “Well done. The rest of us will be trapped here and starved to death.”
It suddenly occurred to Zhou Luoyang why Hong Hou had repeatedly emphasized the importance of wit in this game. As long as he hadn’t mentioned it, no one would have known that the lock-and-key cycle ended with him. In other words, if the botanist had saved him first, everyone besides the tourist would have been eliminated.
The timing of his turn determined how many people survived the first stage.
“Let’s find a way to fix this.” Zhou Luoyang was beside himself. “There must be a way.”
“Not necessarily,” Du Jing said impassively. “Let’s go.”
Du Jing reached the end of the prison hallway and pushed on a flagstone. A long passage revealed itself behind it. They had found the exit to the first challenge.
“No, no,” Zhou Luoyang protested, looking back. “We can’t leave. We’ll need the things they brought in upcoming tasks.”
“We can just search them once they’ve starved to death. Let’s check out the passage up ahead.”
Zhou Luoyang: “……”
The archeologist in cell four cursed. “We’re all countrymen here! We’re all hostages! You’ll go to hell for this!” When he was done, he was promptly shocked.
Lu Zhongyu said, “Don’t curse at us. We’ll check what’s up ahead, then come back for you soon.”
Du Jing gave Zhou Luoyang a small shove. “Listen to me. Let’s go.”
Zhou Luoyang couldn’t bring himself to allow these people to stay trapped here awaiting death. But Du Jing grabbed his hand and placed it over his watch. Zhou Luoyang suddenly came back to himself, gave a nod, and followed Du Jing into the long, narrow passage.
Lu Zhongyu brought up the rear. As he stepped into the passage behind them, he shut the stone door, then pushed it experimentally to determine whether they could return to the prison.
“It won’t budge,” he said.
“Then they’ll just have to hope for the best,” said Du Jing.
Zhou Luoyang couldn’t help looking back. He saw Lu Zhongyu’s face in the dimness.
He knew Lu Zhongyu must have plenty he wanted to say but kept quiet for fear of the earpieces’ “penalty.” Lu Zhongyu must have recognized his and Du Jing’s voices from the get-go.
He should have been able to surmise that they were here to rescue him, or else he wouldn’t have opened Zhou Luoyang’s door as soon as he got his key.
“There’s no food or water in the prison,” Zhou Luoyang said. “They really might starve to death.”
Unbothered, Du Jing replied, “The game will garner bad reviews and demands for refunds if four people are eliminated in the first task. If I’m not wrong, someone will remind them very soon that there’s a backup key.”
Zhou Luoyang was quiet.
At the same time, in one of the remaining cells, the professor let out a sigh and sat down.
“We still have another key,” the botanist in cell one suddenly said. “But I don’t know where it is. Let’s look for it together.”
With freshly renewed hope, they all stood back up.
“It’s in cell five,” the archeologist in cell four said, one hand over his earpiece. “Five, did you hear me? It’s in your cell. Look for it carefully.”
“Check every last thing in there,” the professor added.
Nothing stirred in cell five for a while. Then there was the sound of foam ripping, followed by the soft clatter of keys hitting the ground.
“Open mine,” the botanist demanded. “I have a key on my lock!”
“We all do,” the professor said. “We won’t have the same issue as before. Throw the key to any one of us.”
But the player in cell five used the key to open his own door. Then he pulled the other key out from the lock and left.
Du Jing pushed open a second door and entered a cavernous room.
It was quite cold underground. Lit braziers were situated in the four corners of the room. In the center stood a statue: the strange-looking monkey god. Eight arms and four heads, wielding a mace, his long tail forming a twisted shape behind him.
The three of them could now clearly see each other’s faces. Zhou Luoyang glanced at Lu Zhongyu. He was wearing a military uniform. He had a naturally tall build, but now he looked more like a mercenary captain than ever.
Only, in comparison to before, he was more wan and haggard. Presently, he was watching them with gratitude on his face.
Zhou Luoyang remembered that Lu Zhongyu had mentioned he enjoyed hiking and outdoor activities, and figured that he must have decent physical strength.
“What is this?” Lu Zhongyu asked. “Sun Wukong1?”
“Give us an intro,” Du Jing told Zhou Luoyang. “Do you know what this is?”
“Hanuman.” Zhou Luoyang took off his cap. The underground space was well-ventilated, but he still felt tired out as a result of the stifling environment. “The Hindu monkey god2.”
“His tail moves.” Lu Zhongyu tried to wiggle it but wasn’t able to take it off. “Let’s look for some sort of pry bar. Maybe we can pull out the bars from the prison.”
Du Jing looked back in the direction they came from, then down at his watch. It was ten to noon.
“Are you hungry?” Du Jing asked Zhou Luoyang.
“A little. But I’m thirsty.”
He hadn’t eaten much for breakfast. Worse, he’d hardly drank any water. He had begun to feel thirsty as soon as he arrived underground.
“They’ve probably got food for us, although I’m sure we’ll only be offered lunch once we’ve solved this puzzle,” said Du Jing.
From the earpiece came: “You’ll only get water once you reach the next room. The longer you dawdle, the more you’re at a disadvantage.”
The earpiece hadn’t made a sound in a long time now, so it startled Zhou Luoyang.
“Let’s take a little break.” Du Jing had Zhou Luoyang sit down. Then he turned and saw that Lu Zhongyu had returned to the long, narrow passageway.
“Where are you going?” Du Jing asked, furrowing his brows.
Lu Zhongyu walked back into the large room. “The door is open again.”
Zhou Luoyang looked up. Lu Zhongyu continued, “Everyone in the prison is gone.”
Twelve o’clock.
On Du Jing’s wrist, the Eye of Forseti’s hands overlapped, then separated. Like a mysterious lotus flower blooming deep in the cosmos, the ripples of time spread one after another, and the two of them were simultaneously transported back to noon of the previous day.
“Du Jing,” said Zhou Luoyang.
“Mm.” Du Jing was sitting by the window, lounging in the sun.
“I’m tired,” said Zhou Luoyang. “I’m going to take a nap.”
The following day, Zhou Luoyang prepared himself ahead of time and drank plenty of water. But that led to another problem: the escape chamber didn’t seem to have any restrooms. Where would he pee? Though seeing as they were provided food, there would surely be someplace to use the restroom.
The same twenty-four hours passed. He was once again tossed into the escape chamber, but this time he was prepared. He shielded his head with his hands and slid onto the foam mat. Time had rewound; the same events played out once more. But this time, when the botanist asked, “Whose cell do I open first?” Zhou Luoyang didn’t say a word.
“Open mine,” the professor in cell three said.
“Open seven,” Lu Zhongyu said.
“No,” Zhou Luoyang said anxiously. “Give the key to whomever you want.” He pointed across from him. “Anyone will do.”
In his earpiece, the robotic voice asked, “Tha, what did you mean by that gesture? Have him open the bodyguard’s door, or else I’ll penalize you.”
Zhou Luoyang didn’t listen this time. He understood by now that there must be many viewers watching their real-life escape game unfold. Every one of them had placed bets on the players and were giving them instructions through the translation software in their earpieces.
Zhou Luoyang received a shock.
He cried out in pain. The electric current was more terrible than he could have imagined. The earpiece was tiny, but it could release a surprisingly strong current. As soon as the metal behind his ear zapped him, he fell to the ground, seizing.
Right then, Zhou Luoyang was certain he was going to die.
His collapse was followed shortly by a loud noise from cell six. Zhou Luoyang was still lying prone, catching his breath, when he heard panicked yelling from several of the other cells.
“Save your energy!”
“Don’t be rash!”
“Calm down!”
“Luoyang!” Du Jing bellowed.
Du Jing was ramming into his cell door like a wild animal. Zhou Luoyang knew his own cry had scared Du Jing, and he hurried to reassure him, “I’m fine! I’m fine! I’m fine…”
“They shocked me.” Zhou Luoyang took a deep breath. His heart skittered erratically from the electrical current. It took a while before he was able to calm down.
Because he called Zhou Luoyang’s name, Du Jing was also shocked. He didn’t fall down; he remained stubbornly upright, his eyes blazing with hatred. It was as if the electric current had triggered his manic behavior. He whirled around and abruptly gave the door a hard kick!
Another deafening rumble. The kick had loosened the door. The cement above him shook, and debris rained down.
“Don’t be reckless!” Zhou Luoyang yelled.
“Warning,” a voice intoned from the hallway. “Violators of the game’s rules will incur the death penalty.”
Du Jing grabbed the metal bars and panted furiously, like a rabid dog. Zhou Luoyang knew it was his getting shocked that had set Du Jing off. “I’m perfectly fine! Let’s continue…getting these doors open, was it? Quick, let’s hurry.”
The botanist tossed the key forward to cell three. The professor opened the iron door and came to check on Zhou Luoyang.
“I was shocked just now too,” said the professor. “It’ll wear off soon.”
“Open my door last. Save the others first,” said Zhou Luoyang.
The professor let Lu Zhongyu out. Lu Zhongyu took his key and unlocked door four, freeing the archeologist. The archeologist let out the botanist in cell one. Everyone crowded around door five and opened the door.
“It’s you?” Lu Zhongyu said in the dark.
“Who is it?” Zhou Luoyang asked, startled.
The person still didn’t utter a word. After Lu Zhongyu opened the door, the professor nimbly grabbed the key and opened Du Jing’s door. Like a whirlwind, Du Jing flew out and freed Zhou Luoyang.
Now, the seven of them were all free. The first thing Du Jing did was cup Zhou Luoyang’s head and check his neck with brisk movements.
“Gentler,” Zhou Luoyang said softly.
Du Jing released him once he was certain he wasn’t injured. Zhou Luoyang patted him in the shoulder, assuring him he didn’t need to worry.
“Let’s go,” Zhou Luoyang said, turning around—then crashed into somebody.
“It’s me,” Lu Zhongyu said from next to him.
Feeling around blindly, the group slowly made their way forward in the dark. Du Jing didn’t speak. Zhou Luoyang thought, Crap. If he has an episode in the escape chamber, things will get very, very messy.
He grabbed Du Jing’s hand firmly with one hand. He trailed his other hand along the wall and, based on his memory of the previous day, found the stone door. He pushed it open. “Let’s see what’s in there.”
“I’ll go first,” volunteered the archeologist.
The professor told someone, “You two bring up the rear. Look out for each other.”
The botanist voiced his assent.
Lu Zhongyu asked, “Are you alright?”
Ignoring him, Zhou Luoyang opened the door to the large room. The room was brightly lit, and the sudden change nearly blinded them. At last, Zhou Luoyang could see everyone’s faces.
The professor, he had seen before. It was Xiao Wu. In contrast to his filtered appearance on Douyin, the professor looked less put together. His face was wan and drawn. He wore round-framed glasses.
The botanist and archeologist were not among the pictures of the missing people. And then there was Lu Zhongyu and…Ruan Song.
At the sight of Ruan Song, Zhou Luoyang was rendered speechless. Ruan Song silently glared back at the two of them, his eyes full of hostility.
“You’re the priest,” Zhou Luoyang murmured.
“Yes,” Ruan Song said icily. “I have a map.”
Zhou Luoyang wanted to ask why he was in here, but that wasn’t important. He was already here, anyway, and any mention of the outside world would result in an electric shock.
Xiao Wu sat on the ground and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed and looked up, studying the rest of the players.
In the light, a long silence stretched between the seven of them.
“Can we all get out of here?” Lu Zhongyu asked suddenly.
The botanist was a tall, thin young man. He answered, “We can get out, that’s for sure. The question is: dead or alive?”
Zhou Luoyang thought that was funny, though now was no time for jokes.
The botanist showed them the letters embroidered on his shirt. The English letters read, “Kun.”
“We’ll call you Kun,” Xiao Wu said. “And I doubt all of us can get out alive.”
“Some of us will definitely die in this escape chamber. There’s zero chance we’ll all survive. Only one will be able to escape alive. Two at most, if we’re lucky,” Ruan Song said, composed.
“Yeah?” Zhou Luoyang wasn’t sure exactly what circumstances warranted a shock, so he was testing the boundaries more and more. “Have you played before?”
“It’s common sense,” Ruan Song said coolly.
“Your name is too hard to pronounce,” Lu Zhongyu told Du Jing.
“Call him Groot,” Zhou Luoyang said. He waited. There was no second shock.
The others nodded. Du Jing didn’t speak, just stood silently.
The archeologist showed them his collar. “Denam” was embroidered on it.
“‘Deng’ or ‘De’an’,” the archeologist said. “Either should work.”
A voice spoke from Zhou Luoyang’s earpiece. “You’d better get started on the second challenge.”
Zhou Luoyang studied the others. Everyone’s expressions changed minutely; clearly, they had all received directives from their earpieces. He looked up again at the twelve cameras on the ceiling, each pointing a different direction.
He then looked at Du Jing’s watch. 12:03—this time they had not gone back 24 hours. but Zhou Luoyang wasn’t worried. From here, if they wished, they could still return to midnight, and upon activating the watch again, to noon the day before. They could continuously go back in time, just like that.
Since the seven of them had all passed the first hurdle alive, there was no need to force time to turn back.
“Groot.” Zhou Luoyang glanced at Du Jing.
Du Jing hummed. He stood motionless.
“Think of a way,” Zhou Luoyang said, “to escape the second room.”
The group took a quick break and scattered to each corner of the room. Lu Zhongyu inspected the statue carefully, while the others checked the walls.
“What is this?” Lu Zhongyu asked.
“Hanuman,” Zhou Luoyang explained. “One of the Hindu deities.”
Xiao Wu studied the two of them. When Zhou Luoyang met his eyes, he jerked his head away. Du Jing, after a quiet moment, seemed to have recovered somewhat. He walked up to the statue and began to consider the puzzle.
Footnotes:
- The Monkey King in Chinese mythology. [Back]
- Hanuman is revered in Cambodian history and literature. The walls of Angkor Wat have carvings of Hanuman. [Back]
Translated by beansprout. Edited by opal.
beansprout translates 
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