I leaped straight out of the bed and bolted toward the exit. I threw open the door, only to find shelves stacked with medical supplies.
The authorative voice stuttered behind me,
"That's the... metal drawers or we call it as supply closet. The actual door is on your right."
I froze, taking a step back while staring at the ceiling,
"Which right ?"
A heavy sigh echoed through the room,
"Turn right... or are you completely directionally blind ? And I'm not in the ceiling. I'm right behind you—along with this friend of yours."
I turned around to see a doctor in a white coat standing next to Sheng Yue. Before I could say anything, my stomach let out a ferocious gurgle. Instinctively, I doubled over and clutched my gut.
Sheng Yue hurriedly backed out of the doorway, clearing a path for me. I bolted down the corridors like a man possessed, dodging oncoming passerbys. Spotting a door ahead, I flung it open without a second thought.
A room full of people froze, staring at me in complete silence. I finally noticed the small HoloSign flickering beside the door frame.
I pointed at it sheepishly while backing out, my hand trembling on the handle,
"Well uh... sorry ! Also, you should really fix that sign ! People could easily mistake this for something else !"
I slammed the door shut and sprinted for my life, panting heavily with every stride. My face burned red since I've nearly stepped into the administration office.
Twisting around a corner, I spotted another entrance. This time I paused, frantically checking for HoloSigns. Before I could confirm anything, a group of people came over.
I instantly recognized one of them, there was that bald man from before.
He spotted me and pulled the cigarette from his mouth,
"Hey ! What—"
I cut him off while my stomach twist in agony,
"Where is the toilet ?"
He pointed down the hall,
"Over there. The line is an absolute disaster."
I bowed whilst clasping my hands, sprinting down the corridor,
"Thanks !"
In this state of rush, I failed to notice a warning sign. My foot stepped on a wet patch on the floor, sending me flying across. I hit the ground with a loud thud.
Shaking off the dizziness, I scrambled back up. I gasped for air, my face is starting to be as pale as a ghost.
I finally reached the bathroom, only to be met with a soul crushing sight. A long line was winding out into the hallway.
Sweating heavily as if I'd just run through a torrential rain, I tried peeking over the crowd.
Someone slammed a fist against one of the stall's door,
"Hurry up ! We don't have all day to wait for you !"
I tapped the shoulder of the person in front of me,
"Hey, may I ask ?"
The person glared at me,
"Hmm ?"
I gritted my teeth before lowering my voice,
"How many stalls are there ?"
He held up four fingers, rubbing his eyes before turning away without a word.
Desperate, I turned to the person behind me,
"Hey, do you know why it's taking so long ?"
He groaned as he doubled over, probably sharing the same agony,
"Yeah, there's a favorite' stall. You're new right ? Just go to the second stall. They won't mind as long as you stay out of stall number four."
I bowed at him in gratitude and practically threw myself into the second stall, slamming the door shut.
◇ ◇ ◇
A few moments later, I stepped out, dusting off my clothes. Giving it one last glance, I headed into the hallway and let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey Blondie ! So~?"
I pinched the bridge of my nose,
"Sheng Yue, not now. I just survived ten floors of hell or whatever that is and now you're—"
SLAP
I doubled over as she grinned like a Cheshire cat,
"Ouch..."
She pointed proudly at herself,
"Now let's go meet the others ! I'm ready to share some news !"
I collapsed onto the floor once more and weakly gave her a thumbs up.
◇ ◇ ◇
"So what you're saying is you found file contracts, and a certain unit name appeared there ?"
Cassandra chugged down a glass of beer, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
Sheng Yue nodded, pulling out a sheet of notebook paper Efim had given her,
"Yeah ! I couldn't see what unit it was but I'm certain it's from the same program we're in."
Cassandra set her glass on the table,
"And how can we be so sure ? You were literally assigned with extra hour. Or don't tell me you tried to do something stupid..."
Sheng Yue crossed her legs, looking up the ceiling and whistling as if she hadn't heard anything,
"Uhh what did you say ? Hmmm ?"
Shin Hayato crossed his arms and sighed,
"Just tell the truth Sheng Yue. It's not like we're on opposing team."
Sheng Yue scratched the back of her head,
"Alright, fine. The truth is... I bribed Vera."
I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes,
"How ?"
Sheng Yue smirked and proudly held up the paper,
"As you can see in this paper, starting from now on, I will have to pay this bunker $10.000 every month."
CLANG
All four of us turned to the doorway at once. Efim stood there, his jaw almost hitting the floor.
I immediately held up my hand,
"Wait Efim, it's not what it looks like—"
However, Efim completely ignored me,
"So what you're telling me is..."
Cassandra closed her eyes and bit her lips,
"Great. Now we're exposed."
Efim's eyes went wide.
He lunged toward Sheng Yue and gasped,
"You're paying this bunker every month ?!"
Shin Hayato and I exchanged a quick glance. It was a massive relief that he hadn't heard the part of an unknown unit contracts.
Sheng Yue blinked at him,
"Yeah... and ?"
Efim began bouncing excitedly on his feet,
"Tell me your relationship with Boss ! You can't just leave me hanging like this !"
Sheng Yue blinked slowly for a moment,
"Uhh..."
Efim thrust his palm into the air,
"Wait... what if that payment isn't even for the bunker ?"
Sheng Yue stared at him blankly,
"What ?"
Efim shouted, his face lightning up,
"Boss must be using that money to buy a cure for your amnesia !"
Cassandra spat out her beer, burst into laughter and slapped her knee,
"Ha ! Nice conclusion kid !"
Sheng Yue's cheek flushed red,
"It's... it's not like that !"
Shin Hayato's face turned bright red,
"My apologies, but it seems this topic is better to be discuss alone. I shall take my leave."
Cassandra downed the rest of her flass and smirked,
"I agree with him, I'm leaving. Good luck with that !"
The two of them slipped out of the door, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
I stood up and offered a polite bow,
"I should probably leave too—"
Sheng Yue stomped her foot,
"No ! You're staying right here with me Blondie !"
I took a cautious step back.
Sheng Yue shook her head and glared at me,
"Don't you dare..."
I offered a quick smile and sprinted straight for the exit. The further I ran, the fainter her angry shouting became. Eventually, I slowed my steps and leaned on a corridor wall to catch my breath.
I rejoined at where Shin Hayato and Cassandra are.
Shin Hayato had his eyes closed and crossed his arms, still stifling a laughter,
"So... what do we do now ?"
Cassandra scoffed and shrugged,
"As if I know. For now let's wait until the two finished their discussion. Any theories what that kid might say to drain her social battery ?"
I tilted my head, refocusing the conversation,
"How about we focus on planning the escape first ?"