Hidden Space

Continue cooperating?

At those words, the girl's expression immediately darkened.

This guy still hadn't grasped the situation and wanted to lead them out himself?

Even she wasn't confident she could save her own life right now, let alone bring along dead weight.

Still, she patiently explained a little more. "Given the current situation, the two known B-Class Calamities on the Third Floor and Fourth Floor have probably mutated into A-Class ones. The other monsters have likely mutated as well. I'm not even sure I can make it out alive myself."

Ji Xun knew she had misunderstood him and explained again, "No. What I mean is, have you considered changing the way we clear this place?"

"???"

Upon hearing that, Mechanical Arm Girl's eyes filled with confusion.

Her first reaction was that this guy was probably clinging to his last sliver of hope to survive.

But when she saw his usual calm gaze, she felt conflicted again.

Though they had not spent much time together, they had gained a certain understanding of each other.

She knew very well that although her temporary teammate was weak, he was definitely no fool.

Just like when they had first met. When she said "cooperate," what she really meant was, "I need bait."

Both of them understood without saying it aloud.

And now, what she heard beneath his words was: I have a way out, but I need a teammate.

Although Mechanical Arm Girl still found it unbelievable, after pondering for a moment, she asked, "What do you mean?"

Ji Xun did not answer directly. Instead, he asked pointedly, "If the exit were somewhere on the Fourth Floor, how confident are you that you could reach it alive?"

Mechanical Arm Girl did not understand why he was asking, but she answered honestly, "Not confident at all."

Ji Xun asked again, "Then do you think anyone else could do it?"

A strange light flashed through Mechanical Arm Girl's eyes. After a moment's thought, she said, "Almost certainly not."

She knew very well that her strength had already reached the peak of a Card Master Apprentice. With her many hidden trump cards, she was already among the small handful at the very top of the Combat Power pyramid below professional ranks.

That was already a very conservative assessment.

To put it bluntly, if she could not survive, then no one else could either.

Ji Xun smiled mysteriously. "So here's the problem."

He had suspected this teammate was very strong, but hearing her confirm it herself further validated his guess: this dungeon's difficulty had gone beyond the syllabus!

Ji Xun still did not fully understand what kind of existence these "Alternate Dimensions" were in this world.

But based on the intelligence he had gathered so far, as well as the sight of monsters dying and dropping equipment and materials before his very eyes, he had confirmed his theory.

Alternate Dimensions were like games—a form of stage-based trial with a reward system.

Clear the stage, receive rewards.

A stage that players could not clear had no meaning.

Whatever designed these game stages had painstakingly created so many elaborate settings; it certainly was not doing so just to wipe out all the players.

Since the monsters had surpassed what the players were capable of killing, then their approach had to be wrong.

Therefore, this Alternate Dimension definitely had a correct way to clear it.

For example: a secret passage.

Or perhaps some plot item required for clearance.

As it happened, Ji Xun had already noticed a few clues.

Ji Xun did not beat around the bush and stated his thoughts. "Given the current situation, we can be almost certain that every monster in this entire Alternate Dimension has been corrupted by that mysterious power and become far stronger than normal. Forget the monsters on the Second Floor. On the Third Floor and Fourth Floor, forcing our way through would almost certainly be a dead end."

Since the Space Limitation restricted the ranks of adventurers who could enter, the monsters' strength should have been limited accordingly.

Yet the monsters were so strong that even top experts could not kill them.

So—

Either there was some special method for players to kill the monsters;

Or—

Forcing their way through by killing monsters was not the correct way to clear this place!

"..."

The girl fell silent at those words.

It was not that she had never considered that possibility. She also felt that it made sense.

Before she could think further, Ji Xun added, "There's another point. We clearly discovered earlier that this space has four floors, yet the Exploration Progress never exceeded fifty percent. Then, after the Hidden Scenario was somehow triggered, the Exploration Progress actually dropped from fifty percent to around thirty percent. So here's the problem: the unexplored areas definitely aren't just those unopened rooms. Even if you managed to reach the Fourth Floor alive, there's an eighty percent chance you still wouldn't find the exit."

Right!

There was also the Exploration Progress they had overlooked!

At those words, the way the girl looked at Ji Xun gradually changed.

This guy was so meticulous. He had actually remembered even such a tiny change.

I understand the logic.

But...

Other than going to the Fourth Floor and trying our luck to see whether we can find the exit, what else can we do?

At that moment, she was gradually beginning to feel that the man before her might truly have a way.

Ji Xun said nothing more. He merely looked meaningfully at the girl, as though waiting for something.

Seeing that look, the girl immediately understood. She said coolly, "If you've found a real clue, I can agree to cooperate."

Ji Xun smiled slightly at those words.

That promise was exactly what he had been waiting for.

Their previous cooperation had made Ji Xun feel that this temporary teammate suited him well. Besides, his current body was utterly useless in a fight, and he needed a reliable partner with strong Combat Power.

A teammate who kept her promises and was powerful was perfect.

After a pause, the girl asked, "So what do we do now?"

Ji Xun stopped beating around the bush. Rising to his feet, he pointed at the wall beside him. "Break through the wall."

"Impossible!"

The moment she heard that, Mechanical Arm Girl suddenly felt somewhat disappointed.

If it were so easy to break through, someone would have tried it long ago.

She looked at Ji Xun and explained seriously, "These walls are part of the Spatial Rules. They cannot be broken by external force!"

"..."

Ji Xun smiled mysteriously. How could he not have noticed that the walls could not be broken?

They had fought so fiercely earlier, yet the room's walls had remained completely intact. Ordinary walls definitely could not withstand that kind of force.

He did not explain further. Instead, he marked out a space beside himself the size of a 1.5-by-2.2-meter doorframe and said, "Not somewhere else. Here."

"???"

Mechanical Arm Girl gave him a suspicious look.

They were all walls. What was the difference?

Ji Xun knew he had to offer a convincing explanation, so he directly explained what he had discovered. "My every step is seventy-five centimeters. Earlier, when we passed through every room on the Second Floor, I carefully counted twenty steps between each pair of room doors. So the intervals were a standard fifteen meters. But between rooms 2012 and 2013, I took one extra step."

"This?"

Upon hearing that, the suspicion in Mechanical Arm Girl's eyes turned into contemplation.

She immediately understood what he meant: there was an Interlayer Space between the rooms!

At the same time, she was astonished. How had this guy managed that?

By measuring with his stride length.

During the day, he had followed behind her. She had thought she was merely dragging along dead weight, never expecting that he had measured the distances between the doors by counting steps and noticed such a minute discrepancy?!

Hope rose within her, along with an unavoidable fear of disappointment.

A distance measured by stride length did not sound very reliable. Could he have counted wrong?

A string of questions surfaced in her mind.

Ji Xun did not give her time to overthink. He continued, "There's also a problem with the distances inside the rooms. Though they look identical, the wall by the door is nearly a meter shorter than the wall by the bed. So the rooms aren't rectangles as they appear to be, but trapezoids."

After a pause, he stated his conclusion with certainty. "In other words, there is a Hidden Space behind this wall."

Mechanical Arm Girl's expression changed instantly at those words.

Once he pointed it out, she immediately saw the problem as well!

PS: The contract is signed, so you can vote now. Please support in every way possible. Data is extremely important for a new book—it determines life or death. Please, everyone.

Thanks to old friends 'A Maple Rainy Night in Two Dimensions' for 5100, 'Mu Yichi Intoxicated' for 1666, and 'Black Emperor 1' for the tips~