Since it is not a human, it is a prop.
The rules say that props can help them find the exit, but with Mingqiao there, there is no need to worry about getting lost in the maze. Apart from pointing the way, the props can only be exchanged for prizes at the exit.
Shi Xin and Ming Qiao didn't want the prize, nor did they want to cause any more trouble. They just wanted to find Zhang Wanqiao and Wang Dada as soon as possible and get out. So they immediately returned to the original route and continued to move forward.
"Ten steps to the right." Ming Qiao's voice sounded next to Shi Xin, making his ears itchy.
In an environment where vision is completely blocked, other senses become abnormally sharp.
Mingqiao's voice is steady, like pine wood that has been accumulated for many years, which makes people feel at ease. Coupled with his clear and logical analysis, it is hard not to be attracted to continue listening.
Shi Xin couldn't help but think of his own science teachers when he was in school. They taught exactly the same things as Ming Qiao did now. He couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ming, what do you teach?"
"history."
Shi Xin was surprised: "I thought you taught science."
"I'm not good at science." Mingqiao was rarely ashamed: "My scores in physics and chemistry were less than 20. When it came time to choose a major, I gave up decisively and chose the liberal arts."
"I see." Shi Xin followed him to the next turn: "No wonder you have a good memory. It's hard to remember such a complicated route map."
“It’s a stereotype that liberal arts students have good memory.” Mingqiao said as he counted the steps, “In fact, it’s because they memorize a lot, and the skills are gradually developed.”
"That's impressive too." Shi Xin asked, "How long have you been teaching?"
"One year." Ming Qiao answered honestly: "To be precise, less than one year. I have been a trainee teacher here since I graduated, and I haven't been hired as a full-time teacher yet."
"Then you are older than me." Shi Xin said, "I am a senior at Xingda University and I am here for an internship."
Mingqiao's eyelids jumped: "Undergraduate?"
"Yeah." Shi Xin was puzzled: "You are only one year older than me."
"I have a master's degree." Mingqiao said, "I am four years older than you."
Now it was Shi Xin's turn to be speechless. He had originally looked at Ming Qiao's face and thought that he might be younger than himself, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was eighteen. Then he thought that he was already working, and might be one or two years older than him. But now the reality was that he was already twenty-six.
It is true that you cannot judge a book by its cover.
"Why aren't you talking?" Ming Qiao asked, "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Shi Xin nodded quickly, but then he remembered that nodding was useless because he couldn't see. In the few seconds of silence, he suddenly heard a very low sob. He immediately pricked up his ears and reminded Ming Qiao: "Did you hear any sound?"
"Sound?" Mingqiao's nerves immediately tensed up.
"On our right."
The sound was intermittent and very low, and you couldn't hear it unless you listened carefully.
Ming Qiao originally thought that it was probably another prop, but he didn't expect to clearly hear the voice of a little boy with a crying voice: "Teacher, I'll go break the wall, I'll go find Teacher Ming, he must have a way, and we will definitely be able to get out."
"Mingqiao?" Shi Xin touched the hand of the person next to him: "Do you want to go over and take a look?"
Mingqiao hesitated. His intuition told him that he should go over and take a look, something must have happened, but his reason reminded him that it might be a trap.
"Let's go over there." Shi Xin rarely saw Ming Qiao so hesitant, so he immediately took Ming Qiao's arm and took him directly over there.
The sound became clearer and louder, almost as if there was a wall between them.
Mingqiao called out uncertainly, "Teacher Zhang, Wang Dada."
The voice on the other end suddenly stopped. Just when Ming Qiao thought it was a trap and was about to run away, a female voice called him: "Teacher Ming, there is another student here."
Mingqiao paused and asked through the wall a few more questions about the topics they had discussed in the office, and the other party answered them one by one.
"It's them." Ming Qiao's breathing became rapid due to excitement. He pulled Shi Xin and said, "Let's go around."
"good."
The two men felt their way along the wall and after walking twenty steps they found an opening. They turned around and ran a few steps before arriving in front of Zhang Wanqiao.
Zhang Wanqiao noticed someone coming and turned on the flashlight in her hand, shining a beam of orange light between several people.
Mingqiao closed his eyes for a few seconds to adjust, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Wanqiao kneeling on the ground, Wang Dada standing beside her, and the unconscious girl lying in Zhang Wanqiao's arms.
Mingqiao's eyes widened instantly. He had indeed guessed that there would be other people on the third floor, but he didn't expect that there would be someone on the second floor as well. Moreover, he knew this girl, Deng Ya, the study committee member of Class 8.
"Teacher Ming." Wang Dada couldn't help crying when she saw him. She rushed over and hugged Ming Qiao's waist: "Teacher Ming, please save her. She is dying."
"Don't be afraid." Mingqiao quickly comforted Wang Dada, then cast his eyes on Zhang Wanqiao: "Teacher Zhang, can you still get up? We have to leave here quickly."
"Yeah." Zhang Wanqiao first laid Deng Ya flat on the ground, then stood up with her weak legs.
"Let me hold her." Shi Xin took two steps forward, picked up Deng Ya and sat her in his arms.
"Let's hold each other's clothes, don't get separated, follow me, we'll go out first and talk about it later."
Mingqiao patted Wang Dada on the shoulder and said, "Are you okay? We'll probably have to walk for another hour."
"I can do it." Wang Dada was very strong. He wiped the tears from his face and patted his thin chest: "I am a man. Teacher, please help Teacher Zhang. She has walked a long way carrying Deng Ya. She is very tired."
"Okay." Mingqiao held Wang Dada with one hand and supported Zhang Wanqiao's shoulder with the other. Zhang Wanqiao was holding a flashlight to illuminate everyone. Shi Xin, who was behind him, held Deng Ya with one hand and used the other hand to hold Mingqiao's shoulder.
Finally, I don’t have to grope in the dark anymore, and it becomes much easier to walk through the maze.
Led by Ming Qiao, the five people walked very quickly and reached the exit in less than an hour.
When they saw the light at the exit, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The stone in their hearts finally fell to the ground the moment they walked out.
There was a vending machine at the exit, with the words "Prize Exchange Area" written in neon lights on top. Zhang Wanqiao threw the few props she had found in the maze, except for the flashlight, into the slot, and a bottle of water and a board of capsules fell out with a few dings.
Shi Xin placed Deng Ya against the wall before coming over to see what they had changed.
"This bottle of water looks like ordinary mineral water." Mingqiao held the two things in his hand, looking left and right, but couldn't find anything strange. "But I don't know what this medicine is for."
"Let's give the child some water first." Zhang Wanqiao said anxiously, "I see his lips are so dry that they are cracked."
Deng Ya was fed water and her face finally regained some color. She slowly opened her eyes and was dazed for a few seconds before she saw the group of people surrounding her.
She was startled. She only knew Ming Qiao among the four people here, so she greeted him tremblingly: "Teacher Ming."
Shi Xin nudged Ming Qiao with his elbow and asked, "Another student of yours?"
"Yes." Mingqiao quickly asked Deng Ya if she felt uncomfortable anywhere else. She shook her head and bit her lower lip as if she was troubled by something.
Mingqiao saw that she looked abnormal and continued to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Teacher." Deng Ya's expression was panicked and frightened: "Wang Lu tricked me into the maze and tricked Qin Xue into the third floor, and she ran away by herself."
Ming Qiao frowned and interrupted her: "Don't be impatient, tell me slowly. Tell me the cause, process and result of the incident, as long as you can think of it."
Deng Ya calmed down, sorted out his thoughts, and said, "Me, Wang Lu, Qin Xue, we went to the cafeteria to eat after school. But there was no one in the cafeteria. I felt scared and wanted to leave, but when I got to the door, I found that I couldn't get out."
"At this time, Wang Lu also found something wrong. She suggested that we split up and look for an exit." Deng Ya recalled the scene at that time: "Qin Xue said that he knew there was a window on the third floor with a ladder outside that led directly to the ground. When Wang Lu heard this, she said she was willing to go to the third floor, and asked Qin Xue and me to stay on the first and second floors. We didn't think much about it, and it didn't matter where we went, so we stayed on the first and second floors. But in the blink of an eye, the first floor was surrounded by robots, so we quickly ran to the second floor to avoid danger."
"Who knew Wang Lu was waiting at the second floor staircase? She said there was nothing on the third floor, but the staircase was blocked, so she dug a hole to see us. We didn't doubt it and thought Wang Lu was a good person. She guessed we were in trouble and came down to help us."
"But when we went up to the second floor together, we found that this place had become a maze." Deng Ya said: "Before I could react, Wang Lu pushed me into the maze. It was pitch black and I couldn't see anything. I staggered when she pushed me, and when I turned around, I couldn't find the entrance. I had no choice but to walk inside. Then I found a note." She took out a crumpled piece of paper from her school uniform pocket: "It said that the secret to passing the level is that when someone on the second floor walks to the midpoint of the maze, someone on the third floor is locked in the room. In this way, people standing on the first floor can pass through without obstacles."
Mingqiao took the paper, on which there were simple drawings. The first picture was a black room with a stick figure standing inside; the second picture was a stick figure standing in the middle of a maze; and in the third picture, the stick figure followed the arrow and stepped from inside the door to outside.
He looked at Deng Ya in confusion: "How do you know that it was Wang Lu who escaped?"
"There was a broadcast announcement." Deng Ya cried aggrievedly, "The broadcast also said that as long as someone goes out, the time on the second and third floors will pass faster. I have been here for five days. If it weren't for the two packs of dry noodles and half a bottle of Coke in my schoolbag, I would have died in here."
Mingqiao's expression changed: "What day did you come in?"
"Number 2."
"Today." Shi Xin also clenched his fists: "The five days you mentioned are only a few dozen minutes in reality."
"But the guy upstairs has turned to bones." Ming Qiao stared at the group of people in a trance, "and only one hand is left."
Deng Ya covered her mouth in fear and trembled in disbelief.
Wang Dada also kept shrinking into Zhang Wanqiao's arms.
"Maybe it's not just one person." Shi Xin's voice was terribly low. He couldn't believe what he heard and could only murmur, "How could it be so fast?"
"Don't be afraid." Mingqiao closed his eyes and went through the whole thing, then turned to ask Deng Ya: "Did you break the rules?"
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