"Cough... Cough, cough..."
A low, suppressed coughing sound resonated unhurriedly from behind the wall.
It was a male, and judging by the voice, he seemed to be advanced in years. He felt to be at least forty or fifty, perhaps at most around fifty or sixty.
Was it another person imprisoned here?
Kaguya climbed up from the ground and carefully approached the direction the sound was coming from.
"Who's there?"
Kaguya originally thought she had been careful enough and shouldn't have made much noise, but she had only drawn slightly closer when a nervous inquiry immediately came from the other side of the wall. Vaguely, Kaguya could even hear the sound of chains vibrating and colliding.
The girl stopped in her tracks, standing motionless in place.
The power of the "Blessing" did not perceive anything. Perhaps it was because of the wall acting as a barrier, but Kaguya had no way to judge what kind of thing was locked up on the other side. However, after some thought, Kaguya believed the possibility of a player being locked behind the wall was likely slim. There was no guarantee it wasn't another role played by an anomaly; in that case, one wrong word could extremely likely result in her being killed on the spot. Therefore, it was better to remain silent and not respond.
"Are you... also imprisoned here by those bastards?"
Although he received no response, the person behind the wall seemed to have already decided that Kaguya was a "companion" in some sense, so he quickly began to chatter incessantly.
"My name is Howard. I... I am a firefighter. I remember I should be a firefighter."
Within the muttering voice, the man's mental state seemed somewhat lost and trance-like.
"I don't know how long I've been locked up here. Every day, every single day, I've been kept here, unable to go anywhere."
"What time is it outside? How many years have passed? Do you know the situation with the City X Fire Department?"
"Also, is the Red Nut Gray Hole still operating? Are those goddamned bastards still keeping that place open?"
The man's voice gradually became agitated, and Kaguya could even hear the sound of him forcefully pounding against the wall.
But she just stood in place, positioned about a meter away from the wall, remaining motionless like that, silently listening to the other person's voice.
"Please, just give me one answer..."
The voice of the man behind the wall approached a near-total breakdown.
"I haven't... I haven't spoken to a human in a long time..."
"No, no, no... is it a hallucination? Is it a hallucination again? Is there anyone there at all..."
Muttering voices and neurotic, low roars rang out in an alternating mix.
Kaguya heard the person behind the wall smashing the wall continuously, heard him pacing back and forth ceaselessly, his breathing incredibly heavy. Then, he quickly fell silent, as if no human voice had ever sounded from start to finish; everything descended into dead silence.
What exactly was the situation behind the wall?
Amidst the silence, Kaguya Shinomiya quietly retreated, moving to the very center of the room, and then sat down on the floor.
The next moment, her pupils involuntarily constricted.
She felt something touch her leg—soft and limp, with a texture like a cloth doll.
What is it?!
For a split second, Kaguya Shinomiya could not help but panic. But immediately after, she reacted, because that tactile sensation moved slightly on her leg; it was obviously writing something. Relying on her excellent spatial imagination and memory, Kaguya very quickly understood what the transparent thing was writing on her leg.
Maki... I see. It's the invisible doll controlled by Maki-san. Did it follow me at some point? Because it concealed its form, I never noticed its presence.
The tension at the bottom of her heart suddenly relaxed.
realizing that she still had companions to rely on, Kaguya couldn't help but feel a wave of relief, followed by a slight daze at her own emotional shift.
She would not forget the Shinomiya family motto. To rely on others, to be dependent on others—this kind of emotional change represented "inferiority" to the Shinomiya family. The Shinomiya family could only utilize others, could only treat anyone other than themselves as objects to be used at will. And her current behavior, no matter how one looked at it, could not be considered in line with the motto; as a member of the Shinomiya family, she was extremely unqualified.
Truly laughable. At a time like this, am I actually still wondering if I count as a qualified Shinomiya family member?
Kaguya couldn't help but feel a trace of self-deprecating helplessness rise in her heart.
Regardless of what she thought or did, the fact that she was currently trapped alone was already laid out before her. Therefore, what she could do in this situation was the most important thing right now.
"Phew..."
Taking a deep breath, Kaguya calmed down. First, she used her peripheral vision to glance at the surveillance camera inside the room. Then, she turned her body slightly sideways. After ensuring the angle would block her movements, she extended a finger and made writing motions on the ground.
For ordinary people, interpreting this kind of content would be extremely difficult. However, both Kaguya Shinomiya and Maki Shijo possessed very strong memory and recognition capabilities. Just as Maki had been able to communicate with Gao Hai in the dark environment of the Shirakawa Apartments during the first loop by writing on the back of his hand, Kaguya and Maki could now exchange intelligence through this method. In a sense, this could be considered an unreasonable communication method that only geniuses like them could achieve.
[I will now begin to recount the specific situation I saw in the Power Zone, including the basic structure of the Power Zone and the safety notices inside. Are you watching? If you are watching, tap my leg twice.]
After finishing this sentence, Kaguya felt her leg being gently tapped twice.
[Then, I will now begin recounting what I saw. The following is the content of the notice pasted at the entrance of the Power Zone:]
[This area is the electrical hub of the Cave Research Base, responsible for maintaining the power supply for the entire Power Zone. Maintenance of this area is extremely important. Only personnel with Level 4 clearance or higher may enter this area to participate in maintenance work. For maintenance and repair work in this area, please strictly observe the content of this notice.]
[1. This area has a total of one main circuit system and three backup systems. Every backup system can activate immediately after the main circuit system stops operating, ensuring the safety of the power supply within the base. Please ensure the stability of the backup systems and the main system. Under no circumstances can the base be allowed to face the risk of a power outage.]
[2. Each power system is divided into four distinct power supply systems: Quarantine Zone, Observation Area, Research Zone, and Living Area. Each system can operate independently. Among them, the Living Area and Research Zone systems are Safety Level 2, the Observation Area is Safety Level 4, and the Quarantine Zone is Safety Level 5. No matter what, stability of the power supply to the Quarantine Zone must be ensured; the power supply to this area cannot be interrupted.]
[3. The offices of Professor Fulen and General Shegera have separate power supplies with a Safety Level of 5. Even if the Living Area loses power, these will not lose power. The circuits in this area require separate maintenance. Every maintenance session requires submission of relevant application documents in advance to obtain permission.]
[4. Apart from this area, there are 3 external backup power systems distributed in other areas. When there is a need to completely interrupt the power supply of the Power Zone, a request can be submitted to superiors to have external circuits temporarily take over the base's circuit system.]
[5. Unauthorized circuit connections are prohibited. All repair and maintenance work must be conducted according to designated standards. Adding new lines to the existing circuit system is not permitted.]
[6. Please do not litter in the Power Zone. The patrol team has, more than once, discovered empty cans, cigarette butts, and old clothes thrown on the ground in the Power Zone. These items are not permitted to be brought into the Power Zone. Simultaneously, scribbling or drawing on the walls of the Power Zone is prohibited. If we discover similar situations again, heavy punishment will be imposed on the violators.]
[7. Any personnel who have not obtained qualifications to enter the Power Zone will be locked onto immediately upon entering the area. If you have not obtained the corresponding qualifications and have already entered this area, please do not touch anything in the area indiscriminately. Walk out the main gate and accept the punishment you deserve.]
After writing the content of the notice, Kaguya's finger did not stop. Immediately after, she began to sketch the scenes she had seen inside the Power Zone, providing a simple description of the position, size, and structure of various things inside.
At this moment, Maki and Chika had reached the time for lights out and sleep, forcing them to return to the dormitory and lie in bed. Maki communicated remotely with Kaguya like this, controlling that swaying, wobbly doll to conduct the conversation.
One main circuit plus three backup circuits, and simultaneously three external circuits exist. Tsk... in that case, it's basically impossible to cut off the power to this base. And according to what Hai-kun said, if the circuits are really cut, our side is very likely to fall into a dead end.
It really is quite difficult to handle...
Thinking this, Maki Shijo was frowning, pondering what to do next, when she suddenly smelled a scent of blood.
Creak—
The dormitory door opened gently at some unknown time.
Through the gap in her blanket, Maki saw a tall, shadowy figure standing at the doorway. Standing in the corridor illuminated by dim red light, it slowly took a step forward, stepping just like that into the pitch-black dormitory.
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