Seeing how willing he was to gamble, I didn't argue anymore.
I nodded. "Fine. It's too late now anyway. Gloria already checked in with the food. Let's focus on our side quest."
Only ten minutes remained.
Harrison pulled out his task card.
He pointed to the portrait of a man on the back and began analyzing it for me.
"This painting is a lot like the Mona Lisa. I've read analyses online saying there are some eerie elements hidden in it—it's not as peaceful as it seems on the surface."
I was losing patience. "Get to the point."
Harrison went on. "There are lots of creepy interpretations of that painting, but one of the most interesting is this: in that era, the concept of aliens wasn't widely known. But later, someone did a test—if you take the painting and mirror it, then combine the two halves, next to the Mona Lisa's chin, an image appears of a hairless, grayish-green-skinned figure with a pointed chin and a pupa-shaped cranium. An alien."
That gave me goosebumps. "So how exactly do we complete this side quest?"
Harrison thought for a moment. "The Rabbit Hall Warden said the side quest answer is in the painting, and we have to check in at the Hall Warden. The only tool we have is our phone, and the one thing a photo and a painting have in common is that they both capture a moment in a scene."
Following his logic, I deduced, "So we need to take a selfie copying this portrait?"
Harrison nodded. "We can't do mirror processing on the photo, but we can recreate the alien features from the painting in another way."
An idea flashed in my mind—the little monster statue in the garden.
I shared my idea with Harrison, and he agreed.
With nothing to lose, we sprinted toward the garden.
Having been there once before, the route was familiar. We arrived in minutes.
I wanted Harrison to crouch by the statue while I took his picture.
But he flat-out refused, insisting I had to be the one in the photo.
I asked why. He joked, "The Mona Lisa doesn't wear glasses."
It was a flimsy excuse, but we were running out of time, so I didn't argue.
I crouched next to the little monster and posed exactly like the figure in the task card painting.
Harrison aimed the phone and snapped a photo.
Once we confirmed the shot was good, we raced back to the Rabbit Hall Warden.
Only one minute remained. The countdown had entered its final sixty seconds.
The line for check-in happened to reach us.
People behind us tried to cut in, desperate to survive.
I held them off with everything I had while Harrison checked in.
Listening to the numbers ticking down from the broadcast, Harrison didn't hesitate. He uploaded the photo he'd just taken of me.
A ding, and a large green checkmark appeared on the screen.
The Rabbit Hall Warden announced, "Class 8 patrol team check-in successful."
Harrison and I had barely exhaled when someone shoved us aside.
The team behind us frantically tried to check in their side quest.
We watched the green progress bar race to 99%—then the countdown ended.
The progress bar froze, unable to advance any further.
"Come on! Just a little more!"
The team member at the check-in station slammed his fist against the Hall Warden's screen.
As if hitting it would magically push the progress bar to 100%.
Suddenly, every light in the station area turned red. "Warning! Warning! Assaulting a teacher constitutes a rule violation. Punishment protocol activated!"
Harrison's face changed. He grabbed me and ran, shouting, "Get back to the dorms! A mass kill protocol is coming! We're the last team to clear—we might still be mistaken for unfinished if we don't get back in time!"
His yell scared everyone nearby.
The dorm area erupted into chaos.
Whether they'd finished missions or not, everyone started running.
Those who hadn't completed their missions tried to blend into the crowd of those who had.
They figured that even if they were going to die, they might as well drag a few successful players down with them—for the satisfaction of it.
Harrison and I were caught in the crush, shoved left and right.
As the crowd funneled into the middle of the corridor, I realized the hallways that had seemed spacious were now packed solid.
People in front, people behind—there was no way through.
Someone yelled, "Move! Do you want to die? What are you standing around for?"
The corners at both ends of the corridor blocked our view. No one knew what was happening on the other side.
All I could see was the people at both ends suddenly screaming and surging toward us like they'd seen a ghost.
They reversed direction, pushing and shoving toward the center.
I was stuck in the middle of the corridor, feeling like I might be crushed to death.
From both ends, white flashes lit up the hall. Waves of screams rose above each other.
The air was growing thin. Fear, heat, and claustrophobia made my head swim.
"Damn it, I feel like I'm dying," I groaned.
Just then, someone tugged my shirt from behind.
I heard Harrison's voice.
He said, "My room is right here. Follow me—move toward the wall. When I open the door, come inside with me."
"Will that work?"
People at both ends of the corridor were definitely already dead. Everyone just wanted to escape.
If Harrison opened his door, wouldn't everyone try to pile inside?
If we couldn't shut the door in time, we'd all die in there.
Harrison said, "Don't overthink it. Staying out here is death for sure. When I say three-two-one, come in with me."
"Okay."
I followed Harrison, inching toward the wall until we reached his door.
Our movements must have been too obvious—two guys had their eyes locked on us.
They glanced from Harrison to the door, figuring out what we were about to do.
Harrison waited two seconds, then abandoned the idea of opening the door now. He decided to wait for a better moment.
The sounds from the corridor's ends grew louder.
It was a noise like a vacuum cleaner running.
I couldn't resist looking toward one end.
The scene was utterly horrifying.
Two giant horn-like devices had been placed there, blocking the escape routes.
Their openings, like man-eating flowers, pointed at the crowd, generating immense suction.
People at the front were sucked straight inside.
Inside, high-speed rotating blades.
The moment a person entered, their screams cut off instantly.
Blood and flesh sprayed out like water from a sprinkler.
Two seconds—just two seconds—and a living person was gone.
Like machines clearing dust—not killing, but sweeping garbage off the floor.
Panic peaked. There was no escaping—people could only stand and wait for death.
The stench of sweat and blood mingled together. Many people vomited.
The dormitory corridor had become a living hell.
Harrison had seen it too. He didn't hesitate now.
He put his hand on the door handle. Two beeps, and the door unlocked.
Harrison pushed his way inside, and I was right behind him.
The two men who'd been watching were caught off guard—Harrison and I bowled them over with our momentum.
Once we were in, Harrison lunged for the door.
The two men scrambled up from the floor and drove their feet against it, refusing to let it close.
They cursed and screamed, "Let us in!"
Harrison refused, pushing with all his might in silence.
He called to me, "Alex! Help me!"
I knew why Harrison wouldn't let them in.
These two would be competitors sooner or later.
One fewer person meant a better chance of survival for us.
I didn't hesitate. I threw myself at the door alongside Harrison.
The two men outside were fighting for their lives too.
One of them stepped back and hurled his entire body at the door!
I heard the door frame groan under the impact. My pupils shrank.
I urged Harrison, "The door won't hold. Let them in."
If the door broke, Harrison and I would die too.
Harrison was furious.
Who'd have thought this door, which looked sturdy, would be so flimsy?
No choice—Harrison let go and opened the door for them.
The moment they came in, they slammed the door shut behind them.
As the door closed, I could almost feel the powerful suction from outside.
The entire door rattled and shook.
The two men stood guard, every muscle in their bodies tense, staring at the door.
I looked around for a hiding spot.
Fortunately, whatever was outside was just a killing machine.
When it didn't detect any living targets, it rolled away on its wheels.
I was just breathing a sigh of relief when the two men turned around, glaring murderously at Harrison and me.
My heart, which had just settled, shot right back up into my throat.