Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Chen Simiao is looking at X Beijin with uncertainty.

His voice is a little dry, and his tone is almost desperate. He cant believe someone still knew who he was, or knew his past. He asks, but but, if you already know who I am, then what is there to ask? I have nothing I can tell you anymore

The defect.

Chen Simiao immediately stops.

X Beijin slowly says, when you were building this labyrinth, there was a traitor among us humans. A traitor who sneaked into the design, construction and final quality check.

They left a defect in this labyrinth, a defect that they could leave from.

I need you to tell me, exactly where that defect is.

Chen Simiaos body starts shaking. Grabbing his hair, with a painful expression, he yells, no! I cant tell you! Its I dont know! I dont even know!

Do you really not? X Beijin says, your student betrayed humanity. He is the one to blame for all this. There was a slim hope we could have succeeded if not for him. He destroyed humanitys hope.

Chen Simiao is now kneeling on the ground. Veins are popping on his neck, as if he wants to explain, but there is nothing he can say. He cannot possibly excuse his students sin.

His favourite student.

Some scenes flash before his eyes. The past he spent with his student. This labyrinth. And the last moment the moment of failure

Chen Simiao is a renowned architect. He had students all over the world, and he enjoyed a stellar reputation. He was one of the main designers of this labyrinth.

He, and other architects and professionals of other fields, all built this labyrinth together, while they only had one week to come up with a design.

It might have been the most complex architectural plan ever produced in the history of architecture.

Chen Simiao himself toiled to perfect every detail, even foregoing sleep and whatnot. He and his student were solely in charge of, and are the only ones to have access to, the design.

Chen Simiao and his student were the only ones to have ever touched the actual physical document, and the storage carrying the electronic document during transfers.

In other words, any problems with the design must have been there on the document all along, while they were coming up with the baseline design in the very beginning.

Chen Simiao knows he never left any design flaws to betray humanity. There was no way he could do that, so, it could only be

His student.

But why? He knew his student was a studious, positive and inquisitive child.

Why would he do that? Whats the meaning of all that?

He betrayed his own species, and he should know damned well that they, the enemy, will never accept someone who betrayed their own species in the first place.

Chen Simiao cannot comprehend.

Not that anything would change whether he could understand his student or not.

He just watched humanity falter. He watched humans become prisoners, including him.

So here, he, alone, still lucid, but also insane, stays right there in the middle of the labyrinth, wonderingWondering, why?

X Beijin is not interested in the why. He doesnt even know if this man really is Chen Simiao or an Actor Acting as Chen Simiao.

Maybe he just learned everything from his assigned script and gone mad to assume the role of Chen Simiao Anything could have been possible.

He has no interest in learning his thoughts, his image of his student, or anything else.

He only wants to know

His solemn gaze exerts a powerful pressure. Staring at this middle-aged man, he asks once again, pronouncing each and every syllable clearly, where, is the defect?

I wont tell you, replies Chen Simiao.

X Beijin takes a deep breath.

Chen Simiao starts incoherently blabbering, I cant possibly tell you. What are you trying to do with it? I cant tell you I dont even trust you. I dont believe There cant have been anyone who still knows about this.

That is just your opinion! X Beijin, for once, is speaking with a slightly wrathful tone, but I have my ways. I can use the defect to

But I dont believe you, Chen Simiao stubbornly refutes, theres no way I will just give up the defect to any rando who just comes and tells me to.

X Beijin quietly glares at him.

Lin Qin, standing by his side, gently grips his hand.

X Beijin breathes out. He can feel an anger bubbling in his chest, but he knows it would do nothing to help. He also has nothing he could do to force Chen Simiao to spit it out.

So he changes the topic, its because of you student, isnt it.

Chen Simiao holds his breath for a second.

X Beijin says, if you made the defect known, it would have proven that your student is a shameless traitor. You dont want to admit that.

Its the first time X Beijin has ever spoken using such harsh terms.

Chen Simiaos face is all red, like a child being scolded for their mistakes. Even so, he still says, I will not tell you anything.

Lin Qin, seeing how difficult X Beijin is faring, starts working his wrists.

X Beijin just sighs, and tiredly grabs Lin Qins hand to say, its useless.

Chen Simiao is still warily looking over at them.

Lin Qin stares at him for a bit and asks, why?

Because hes insane, X Beijin says, thats why he insists insists on thinking. Its already known to all that his student betrayed humanity, otherwise, they couldnt have destroyed this labyrinth so effortlessly.

But where exactly that defect is, is probably something only Chen Simiao and his student, who worked on the original design, would know.

X Beijins voice grows quieter as he speaks, almost turning into a whisper by the end.

Lin Qin, confused, curiously asks, so what is that defect?

A-Two also cant help but perk his ears up.

Hes also curious what this defect X Beijin and Chen Simiao referring to is.

X Beijin stays quiet for a moment, then finally answers.