The next room wasn't a room.
It was a tunnel. Straight, narrow, steel-lined. No lights. No exit in sight.
Lucas stepped inside first. The floor shifted under his boot like walking on static.
Ava followed. Her bracer pulsed once, then dimmed again.
[SYSTEM STATE: INTERFERENCE FIELD – PASSIVE SCAN ONLY][CAUTION: ENVIRONMENT MAY BE SIMULATED OR PHASE-SPLIT][NOTE: YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE]
She frowned. "No, I haven't."
Lucas glanced over. "What?"
"My system just told me I've been here before."
"Charming. Mine says it doesn't exist."
He smacked the side of his bracer—no response.
[MONOPOLY SYSTEM: ERROR 502 – VALUE LOGIC UNMAPPED]
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "This place doesn't have values. That's the problem. My system runs on comparative worth. Everything in here is blank."
"So it's a trap."
"It's worse," Lucas muttered. "It's a waste of my time."
They walked ten steps farther.
The tunnel didn't end.
