"What the fuck?!"
"My puzzle just scattered."
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
'It can't be,' Min-ho thought, his limbs going numb.
As for Ji-su, he barely reacted to it. He just got back to solving it again. This time, he was much faster, yet still precise.
"Start solving again," Ji-su said, without once slowing down his pace.
Min-ho raised a brow.
"What?"
"Are you kidding?"
"What the fuck are you talking about? We're all fucked!" Pink-hair yelled, panic consuming his voice.
Min-ho took a step closer.
"Did you figure something out?" he asked, his heart thumping.
"I believe the cubes will stay in place if…" Ji-su paused, his hands shaking. "We put them… together at the same time."
"How sure are you?" Min-ho asked.
Ji-su shook his head.
"I'm not," his voice grew weaker. "But what choice do we have?"
Min-ho turned to the timer.
1:00
"What do we do?"
"We're cooked!"
"Damn, I should've taken my chances out there."
Balling his fists, he turned to the holes on the wall, then he screamed.
"Shut the fuck up!"
It took a second before the voices quieted down.
In that moment, Min-ho's heart pulsed.
He had realized something.
Ignoring it for now, he continued.
"Fucking solve the puzzle, now!" he commanded, his voice stern yet leaking with fear.
No one said anything. Knowing what was at stake made them continue.
After all, it was better to die trying.
"I'm solving the puzzle," Pink-hair's voice rang out. "But what will make this any different than last time?"
"This time, all of you will pause at the final piece of the puzzle. Ji-su believes we have to do it together for—"
"Hahaha!" Pink-hair laughed, his voice shaken.
"Your friend believes? So this is all speculation then?" Pink-hair asked, but did not stop solving.
Min-ho paused.
"I don't see you coming up with any ideas," Min-ho bit back, and Pink-hair laughed once more.
"We're all fucked," he said—his words so grim, they killed whatever spirit the other Z-Streamers had.
Anger welled within Min-ho as he also felt despair seeping into his heart.
He bit down on his lip, drawing blood. The pain made him a bit somber.
"I'm not dying here," he said, his voice determined.
After that, no one said anything. Min-ho turned back to Ji-su, the realization he had a second ago gnawing at his mind.
"Did you notice it?" Ji-su whispered.
Hearing this, Min-ho's eyes widened.
"Do you mean… the delay in their voices?" Min-ho said, his dread growing.
"I wasn't sure at first, but the longer we talked, the more it became obvious," Ji-su whispered.
"That means, we can't sync the last piece of the puzzle," Min-ho said, his words somehow creating a vacuum that sucked out any hope left in his and Ji-su's hearts.
He peered at the timer, feeling completely lost.
0:40
Outside, the Spectors had pushed the Z-Streamers much further back—so much so that the distance separating the horde from the glowing finish line was almost nonexistent.
Sae-wee, Im-hee, and the others that couldn't fight watched helplessly as the Spectors drew closer and closer.
Everyone's heart raced, fear front and center as they felt death loom over them—reaching out its ghastly fingers for each and every one of them.
Most of the wounded had already lost hope. Those that were fighting had no choice but to keep fighting. If they were to die anyhow, better to do it on their feet.
Inside the room, Ji-su and the others worked as fast as they could.
Pink-hair tried his best, but ended up messing up and scattering his puzzle.
"Fuck!"
The same happened for one other Z-Streamer.
"Try again," Min-ho said, weakness overcoming him.
No one said anything, but he knew they were trying again.
Just then, Min-ho heard the scattering sound, causing something to shatter within him yet again.
Feeling his energy seep away, he turned to the sound—only to find Ji-su frozen, his puzzle scattered and his hands shaking.
He didn't linger too long before trying again. But after placing two pieces together, it scattered.
He tried again, ontl to get the same results.
Min-ho forced his feet forward. Then he placed a hand on Ji-su's shoulder, causing him to flinch.
"Look at me," Min-ho said, turning him around, placing both hands on his shoulders and staring into his eyes.
"You can do this," Min-ho said—genuinely believing in Ji-su, and Ji-su could feel it.
Ji-su nodded frantically, repeating the words in his head.
'I can do this.'
He turned back to the puzzle and tried once again, no longer looking at the timer.
But the same could not be said for Min-ho, whose eyes were fixated on the timer.
0:30
Shaking the fear off, Min-ho tried to put his mind to use. He began to think of how to sync the crescendo of their puzzle mania.
He didn't have to think for long before falling on the timer.
It wasn't a problem, all they had to do was use the timer to check...
Min-ho peered at the timer. When he did, his heart stopped.
It was gone.