Trap Overlap

Deep within the tower, it seemed like a gigantic creature lying dormant.

Whenever the mechanisms in the main examination area activated, even if it was only a small stone slab shifting or a gear turning, all the support, traction, and transmission systems throughout the tower would tremble faintly in response, spreading the vibrations to every corner. Most examinees had never noticed any of this. Their eyes were fixed only on the deadly paths beneath their feet and ahead of them, while their ears heard nothing but their companions' shouts and the clicks of traps.

But Ryan was different.

He moved alone along the outskirts of the fault zone, listening, touching, and sensing the tower's pulse with complete focus. He could even close his eyes and, with only his palm pressed against the wall, feel which mechanisms had restarted, where the airflow had changed, and where someone had triggered a new trap.

This was not a supernatural ability, nor was it a cheat granted by memories of his past life. It was a survival instinct repeatedly honed, refined, and internalized.

He walked along an old stone-brick passage. The walls had cracked with age, and some of the bricks had bulged and warped, like earth split open by the roots of an ancient tree. He carefully followed the gaps, adjusting where each step landed by inches and setting his feet only on the sturdiest bricks.

"Left side: linked mechanism zone." He marked it silently in his mind. "Right side: backup airflow guidance zone."

Neither area had been prepared for examinees. The former was filled with unopened mechanism modules, remnants of the wiring and control points from tests conducted long ago. The latter was part of the tower's life-support system, responsible for guiding airflow and draining accumulated water. Its interior was narrow and