"The key is that all the mechanisms here are fully automated?" Harley asked in a low voice. "No one is controlling them from behind?"
"I think it's unlikely," Pamela said, "not to mention the room we just passed. If, according to the logic of mechanism design, everyone passes through there, and if we just stay there, wouldn't we run into the people in the team behind us?"
"No, that can be solved," Harley said, "The place we go might not be the same room."
"Then how can the blood be placed on the same scale?"
"There's no need to put it on the same scale, just record how much blood each person donates, then fill it with water. Otherwise, why make the basin opaque?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember," Pamela said, "There was some light pink liquid under the machine, which looked like diluted blood. Could it be that apart from the blood we donated, the rest in the basin was just water?"
"That should be it. But I don't think the designer of the levels would play tricks with the amounts because that wouldn't be fun," Harley said, "They probably just divided it into different rooms, replacing the amount of blood from other rooms with water and adding it to the basin."
"I think I understand now," Pamela said, "Before we arrived, the scale was already pressed down. Even if it was water instead of blood, we wouldn't know because we didn't see the process of the blood being added. But if we donated blood ourselves, we could see it being added to the scale, naturally assuming that the liquid pressing it down was also blood. And our donated blood would be weighed and added as water in another room."
Pamela adjusted her posture, starting to get a bit out of breath. Holding up the ceiling was somewhat heavy for them, but she didn't stop thinking, still analyzing.
"But if that's the case, with ten teams, do they have to make ten rooms? Wouldn't that be a bit too... Exhaustion Method?"
Pamela thought for a long time without coming up with the right word, settling on something not entirely suitable; she actually meant something like "lacking in exquisite beauty."
"Indeed, creating a room for each team would be a bit too rough. But in reality, you only need to ensure there's enough time between two groups arriving at a certain room."
After thinking for a moment, Pamela said, "Oh, I get it. The first and last teams could enter the same room because they virtually won't meet."
"Exactly. The first, second and the last two can completely enter the same room. Those in the middle, which are closer, can be split into two rooms. In this way, just three rooms would suffice, even for ten teams."
"But you can't rule out someone stubbornly staying there. Although the first and last teams are unlikely to meet, those close in the middle might still encounter each other."
"Why do you think the passage to that room is set vertically?" Harley asked.
Pamela thought of a possibility but still said, "No way?"
"That's right. The vertical passage is designed to use gravity. Even if you climb to the top of the passage, a hit will send you falling back to the bottom, unlike a horizontal passage where you can step back gradually. This can better control the timing of people coming up."
"Even though I've tried to overestimate the designer's malice, I must say this is exceptionally mean."
Pamela could already imagine if the group in the same room ahead of them decided to stay put, then when she and Harley reached the top of the passage, it might trigger some mechanism, forcing them down, back into the room. Vertical passages make it hard to hold on tight. To avoid subsequent traps, the safest option would be to return.
And once they fall back, they'd have to try climbing up again. Repeating this process a few times would likely sap their strength to the point where climbing becomes impossible. Even if some stamina remains, it would get slower and slower.
If it were a horizontal passage, even running back wouldn't consume much energy, and they could quickly try again. With their feet on solid ground, they could adopt more poses, maybe even avoid a trap. But holding against the wall in a vertical passage and barely maintaining position, that wouldn't work.
"Then why not simply add a lid?" Pamela wondered, "The people ahead don't move, and the lid stays shut... Oh, I get it, that would make us think the path is blocked, right?"
"Exactly. Although the mechanisms are designed to be nasty, the guidance is clear," Harley said, "There are multiple solutions to the puzzle, but the correct ones are hinted at. It's unlikely you'll see a passage and it turns out to be a dead end. That would destroy all the pre-established guidance rules, turning the whole thing into a mess."
"No wonder, even though the puzzles are quite torturous, I actually find them pretty fun," Pamela said, "If we can clear this stage, that'd be great; otherwise, such a good level would go to waste."
"Ha." Harley sneered, "The true designer of this level probably wouldn't let his creativity go to waste. Who knows how many unfortunates will end up here in the future, maybe even have to pay extra to get in."
Pamela chuckled, "Sounds like something that Doctor would do."
"It's quite possible it's him," Harley squinted, "This style of using inertia to set traps and exploiting emotions to create difficulties resembles his handiwork."
"He'd better not be waiting at the end," Pamela remarked, "Amongst the contestants, we should be considered as having the most healthy mental state and good relationship. But if we encounter a few stubborn ones, seeing their good friends tortured like this, wouldn't that drive them mad?"
"He's not afraid. If you actively seek trouble with him, he'd be thrilled. Because that way he can lead you into action, using your anger to complete his plan."
"Why do I feel that's exactly his goal?"
"Hard to say." Harley shook her head.
"If I still had my superpowers, I'd tear this ghost place down right now," Erik said. He adjusted his posture and looked at Charles with some concern, "You should take a rest."
Charles shook his head and said, "I'm okay, just hurts a bit at the collarbone."
"It'd be strange if it didn't hurt. Your collarbone is still injured," Erik said, "Don't let me find out who designed this shitty level..."
"The level is well-designed," Charles said, "You can't ignore objective facts just because we're players and being tortured. Actually, this counts as one of the most intricate high-difficulty levels I've played."
Erik was clearly a bit stifled, not wanting to talk. But Charles continued, "We previously guessed that players might not be going to the same blood donation room. However, we haven't seen traces left by the team before us. Don't you think that's problematic?"
Erik looked at him, and Charles said, "Those ahead of us are smart people, they must figure out the game's mechanics and know others will follow. Why wouldn't they try to leave some information?"
"Like what we did?" Erik asked.
Charles nodded. When he and Erik left that room, they carved some words on the ground. They didn't share any plans, mainly left their identities for those coming after to know who they were.
But they weren't the first ones there. The first team should've thought the same and left their identity information to inform those behind them who they were. If there were similar challenges again, there would be more information for deduction.
"There are two possibilities," Charles said, "Either they left information that was erased, meaning our information might be erased too. Or they felt their identities didn't contribute to this cooperative plan, so they didn't leave any."
"Like those super villains?"
"In others' eyes, you're also a super villain," Charles said, "I left our identities because even if I only left mine, people would guess it involved you."
Erik had no response. But soon he said, "But they know even without your superpower you can influence me."
"That's why I chose to leave my identity. Otherwise, it might destroy the confidence of those coming after, and the plan would be completely ruined."
"Which situation is more likely?"
"Honestly, I think it's the former. Because when we arrived, there was blood in the scale. This proves the first team already donated blood. With clear evidence of good deeds, even the Joker could leave their identity, right? Plus, a madman like Joker, who thrives on performance, might be hoping to meet Batman. Would he miss the chance to greet Batman? If he were here, he might carve a smiley face on every wall brick."
Erik nodded, feeling Charles made sense. He said, "Then it's possible it was erased. Is there supernatural force interference here?"
"I don't think so; otherwise, there wouldn't be any need for electricity," Charles said, "Generally in these dungeons, one can only choose between technology and magic lines. If both exist, there'd be a distinct stylistic display, like magic steampunk style decorations, otherwise it'd be too unfair to players."
Erik recalled the dungeons he'd sorted, not only dual-queue dungeons, but those with deduction and puzzle elements essentially announce their background line and era as soon as you enter, just like a detective novel indicating the era background you need through the author's writing period.
Era is an important deduction factor. A detective story set in the 1920s differs significantly from one set in the 2020s. Whether one can use a cellphone, if modern detection technology exists, or even if a detective has encountered the internet, can become decisive deduction factors.
In 1920, saying there's no surveillance camera, unable to call, or transmitting long distances quickly is understandable. But in modern times, that's unacceptable, it's too far-fetched.
Therefore, dungeons with deduction content notify players of the era and presence of supernatural forces through decorations and details to ensure deduction fairness. Just like in detective novels, the killer can't be a passerby appearing at the end, nor can it be twins.
This dungeon initially showcased a medieval dungeon style but hadn't passed the first level before traps revealed electricity was present, indicating the background isn't truly medieval. Similarly, the electrified mechanisms show the design is a technology style without magic elements; otherwise, there'd be magic-type mechanisms explaining the background.
"Without obliterating magic, it should be manually cleaned up," Charles deduced, "If the first team left any traces, they were likely erased or covered up. Unfortunately, we were too rushed; maybe with careful inspection, we could've found something."
"Although the previous level didn't seem time-limited, dragging it out probably wouldn't be beneficial," Erik said, "I suspect if it's drawn out, there might be some hidden side effects, potentially affecting those behind us, intentionally preventing thorough scrutiny."
"A guilty conscience," Charles sighed, "But this also proves their evidence cover-ups aren't perfect. Perhaps there'll be similar levels later on, where we might attempt a thorough investigation."