Mist

Chapter 68

Rubik’s Cube

Chapter 68

The four of them went through another three or four rooms. Ji Yushi left marks in each of them.

While climbing up, Lin Xinlan asked, “Advisor Ji, can you estimate how many levels this Rubik’s Cube has?”

Enthusiasts would be familiar with 3x3x3 through to 9x9x9 Rubik’s Cubes. If you went even further, there was also the 17x17x17, but perhaps it was one even greater than that.

Ji Yushi who followed closely behind answered, “I can’t.”

Lin Xinlan seemed to be surprised by this answer. He looked back at him.

Ji Yushi wasn’t omnipotent. Those closely involved cannot see clearly. Moreover, as they passed through the rooms one after another, there was still a question of whether the mission’s Rubik’s Cube was the same as the Rubik’s Cube they were familiar with in reality.

He couldn’t be certain. More and more, he started to feel confused. He however didn’t show anything on the surface.

Everyone’s mental state was important. It was too early for him to tell the others this.

This was especially so while everyone was very eager to solve the mystery ahead.

They reached a room with a grey ball.

Duan Wen retrieved the grey ball and repeated what he had done countless times before. To avoid accidentally falling through when the hole opens, everyone immediately moved away from the place where the entrance to the room below would appear as soon as they entered the room and got ready to check the rooms.

This time, as soon as everyone moved away, they heard a ‘beep—-”

Immediately afterwards, something fell from the round hole above. Accompanying it was a strong bloody smell as well the sound of blood and flesh splattering.

Duan Wen had pressed the switch for the room above.

Everyone dodged to avoid it.

Several human bodies had fallen from the hole above. No, they should be referred to as severed body parts. Half bodies with intestines hanging out, severed limbs, blood mixed with different clumps of flesh, severed fingers....it was like a scene of massacre.

What was even more terrifying was that they were still squirming around. They seemed to have only just died.@@@@

Faced with a scene like this, Ji Yushi felt nauseous.

He reflexively turned around and leaned against the wall. He breathed lightly to calm himself.

“Damn!”

“Fuck!”

Everyone had been splattered by the blood. Song Qinglan brushed off the bloody flesh from his clothes with a poor expression.

He looked at the round hole above, “Grey!”

There were likely a lot of grey in this area. What they had probably encountered was the consequences of entering a room with a time difference.

“I recognise them.” Ji Yushi turned back. He had already readjusted his state, “After I separated from Li Chun and the others, I met their teammate Zoe. Their squad had also separated. I didn’t expect them to go the opposite direction.”

The black and gold uniform as well as the symbol on the arm that could be faintly distinguished. It was clear that they were Zoe’s teammates.

This scene reminded the members of the seventh squad, and it also reminded Lin Xinlan.

In this Rubik’s Cube, it was purely luck that they had survived. Something like this may have similarly happened to their teammates.

Lin Xinlan asked, “Are we going to continue?”

He sounded like he was starting to disagree with the seventh squad’s approach.

Ji Yushi didn’t speak.

What Chaos, what Ouroboros? Lin Xinlan didn’t know what they were talking about, but he wasn’t curious and he didn’t ask.

He was a qualified Guardian and was particularly concerned about the integrity of time and space. He just asked, “What about the time difference? Does the time difference in the different rooms have any meaning?”

This could be a breakthrough point.

“I don’t know.” Ji Yushi once again shook his head, “Sorry.”

Lin Xinlan only raised the question for everyone to think about together. He didn’t mind Ji Yushi’s answer, and just said thoughtfully, “It’s okay.”

This was Ji Yushi’s second time saying ‘I don’t know’.

After speaking, he lowered his head and turned on his communicator. He seemed to be wanting to sort out the current situation using the drawings on the holographic projection.

He however heard Song Qinglan’s slightly irate tone, “Why are you apologising?”

Everyone was taken aback. They all looked over.

Ji Yushi raised his head. His eyes met with Song Qinglan’s.

Song Qinglan wore a tank top, revealing his bare sturdy arms and broad shoulders. Coupled with his tall height and slight stubble, he looked very much like a thug.

It was a little like when they first met, a little aggressive and overbearing.

Ji Yushi felt like he had returned to that moment.

But Song Qinglan said, “It is not your responsibility to connect the clues and complete the mission. Who said that those who are smart and have good memory must be responsible for solving the problem? Ji Yushi, you are human, not a supercomputer or a god. There is no need to apologise for not being able to answer a question no one else knows.”

Ji Yushi’s eyes revealed some surprise, “But.....”

Song Qinglan cut him off, “You’re thinking that you wasted everyone’s time?”

Ji Yushi, “A little.”

Song Qinglan wasn’t frustrated when he heard this, and he also didn’t seem to mind the fact that they hadn’t made any progress. He just lightly chuckled.

Duan Wen was embarrassed. Even Lin Xinlan reacted. They had unknowingly placed all the responsibility onto Ji Yushi alone.

Probably because he had gotten used to it in the previous missions, even Ji Yushi himself didn’t notice anything wrong.

He didn’t expect the captain Song Qinglan to say something like this.

Yes, he has hyperthymesia and his intelligence was high, but it didn’t mean that he was responsible for figuring out the way to clear the mission in every mission.

“Even if the thought process was wrong, it can’t be regarded as a waste of time. At the very least, we now understand how the rooms here move and how to move around the rooms safely.” Song Qinglan continued, “Staying behind now, is it because those couple of corpses scared you?”

Duan Wen refuted immediately, “That’s not it, that was just disgusting. How could I be afraid of that?”

Lin Xinlan who didn’t want to continue, “.......”

He felt even more like an outsider.

Song Qinglan said, “Since we are already close to the so-called centre, why don’t we continue? If this is really a super cube made up of countless rooms, have you thought about what colour the middle piece could be? Would it have all six colours or would it be a plain white block? In case there is some sort of secret hidden there, wouldn’t it be too early giving up now? Or do you plan on staying around here waiting for the eggs to hatch by itself?”

He clapped his hands, “Get up and liven up! Let’s take a look at this central block.”

Sensing Ji Yushi’s gaze, Song Qinglan asked, “You have something to say?”

Ji Yushi said, “.......I want to rest for ten minutes.”

Song Qinglan looked at his watch, “Alright. Then everyone can rest here for twenty minutes.”

Duan Wen: “..........”

Lin Xinlan: “..........”