Chapter 216 A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed
Lori lunged at Todd, but he dodged her grasp. She finally managed to grab Todd's shoulder, but just as she thought she had him, Todd ducked and slipped out of his coat, leaving it in her hand.
"Damn it! How the hell do you do that?" Lori cursed, frustrated.
Todd was just too quick. No matter how good Lori was at fighting, it didn't matter if she couldn't even touch him.
Sure, Todd wasn't great in a fight, but catching him was a whole different story. Plus, Lori had a short fuse. Once she got riled up, her judgment went out the window, making it even easier for Todd to escape.
Lori could take on ten people at once, but when it came to using her brain, she wasn't the best.
Todd straightened his coat and grinned, "If you like my clothes that much, just say so. I'll give them to you."
"Who wants your stupid coat?" Lori tossed it aside and was ready to go at him again.
Ava pulled her back. "We're here to rescue Aurora. Let's call a truce for now."
Lori remembered their mission. "You're lucky this time. I'll let you off."
Todd smirked, "Anytime."
Wasn't that just asking for it? Lori raised her fist again, but Ava held her back. "Why do you lose it every time you see Todd?"
Lori fumed. "He deserves a beating."
Ava and Todd exchanged helpless looks.
Todd thought, with his good looks, how could he deserve a beating?
He picked up his coat, dusted it off, and put it back on. "Ms. White and Mr. Lewis were captured. You've been here all this time, where are they?"
John had Nightfall and Wolfpack working together, so Todd knew Aurora was running Wolfpack now.
Ava said, "Mr. Lee went in to negotiate."
Todd looked at Lori and Ava, "Mr. Lee only brought you two? Wolfpack must be running low on people."
Lori shot back, "If Nightfall is so great, why are you the only one here?"
Todd grinned, "Because Nightfall is so great, one of me is enough."
What an arrogant jerk. Lori muttered, "Shameless."
They kept trading barbs, neither willing to back down.
Meanwhile, in the secret room, Aurora woke up in John's arms. He was still in the same position, sitting against the wall with his legs bent.
"Do you want to rest for a bit?" The drug in Aurora's system had worn off. Maybe it was the situation, or maybe she felt bad for John, but her tone was softer.
"No need." John smiled, "Luckily, my endurance in 'serving you' is pretty amazing. If I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't be able to handle you."
Aurora was shocked by John's bold words and glared at him. "Think of a way to get out. Alexander must know we're in here. He hasn't opened the door, probably waiting for our bodies."
John thought for a moment and said, "I think Alexander might not be able to get in either."
"Why wouldn't he be able to? Isn't this his secret room?" Aurora was curious.
John explained, "I heard about a protection system with a twelve-hour cycle. Once someone triggers it, no one can get in or out until twelve hours later."
Aurora asked, "So how long have we been in here?" With no natural light or watch, they had no idea how much time had passed.
John glanced around the dim room. "About ten hours, give or take."
"So, in two more hours, the doors will open," Aurora said. "Waiting here to be captured by Alexander is better than being shredded by those red laser beams."
"Agreed."
It was a helpless choice. If John were alone, he might try to break through the mechanism.
Aurora asked, "John, do you think I'm dragging you down?"
"A little," He answered honestly.
Aurora 's face reddened with anger. "Do you really want to go there, John?"
John sighed, "If you had shown up a few years earlier, I'd be living the dream by now. Our kid might even be walking. Aurora, do you think you're holding me back? I'm in my thirties and still don't have a kid calling me dad."
"Next time, just spit it all out at once. Be careful, I might accidentally hurt you," Aurora said, trying to keep her cool.
Just then, the red laser beams that had been still suddenly started moving. Countless red dots shot out beams, forming a dense web.
Aurora's eyes widened. "What's happening?"
"Could it be an upgraded version of the protection system?" John was just as clueless.
A grid of nine squares, each with different colors, appeared on the roughly 7-foot-long passage, changing alternately.
Meanwhile, the walls on both sides began to close in. John frowned. "Aurora, we can't just sit here, or we'll be squished like a sandwich."
"Do you think you can get us through?" Aurora didn't know much about mechanisms.
"Let's give it a shot," John said. "Without a computer, we'll have to mentally calculate the safe zones in the grid."
The grid kept changing, making it hard to see the right path immediately. The colorful grid and shifting red laser beams made the passage look like a vibrant nightclub.
Aurora couldn't help but joke, "The person who designed this must love bars and nightclubs."
"Bars and nightclubs?" John had a sudden realization. "Aurora, hold on to me."
He might get it right once, but couldn't guarantee a second time, so he had to carry Aurora through the mechanism.
"Okay." Aurora knew this was a life-or-death moment. One mistake, and they were both done for.
John picked up Aurora. The walls were closing in faster. Time was running out.
John asked, "Aurora, do you know any nursery rhymes?"
"A little, why?" Aurora asked, then it clicked. "Is the grid changing based on music?"
She watched the changing grid and hummed a nursery rhyme corresponding to each color. It turned out to be a classic foreign nursery rhyme.
Aurora quickly shouted, "John, red."
John immediately jumped to the first red square. The laser beams on the walls retracted just before touching them.
Aurora was thrilled. "It worked."
"Aurora, next step."
"Purple."
John followed Aurora's instructions, jumping into the corresponding colored squares.
"White, blue, purple..."
Wherever they stepped, the red beams retracted.
The last square.
Aurora said, "Green."
Hearing Aurora's instruction, John jumped, but the laser beams didn't retract. These gamma rays could slice a person into pieces.
"John!" Aurora called out nervously.
Countless beams shot down. John quickly threw Aurora out and dodged while retreating a few steps.
The grid changed again. This time, it was a different nursery rhyme.
Aurora, now safe, watched John still in danger, worried. She quickly said, "White, blue, blue, red..."
John quickly followed her instructions, jumping. Luckily, Aurora knew this nursery rhyme and remembered the tune.
At the last square, it should have been purple. But with the experience just now, Aurora went the opposite way. "Orange."
John fully trusted Aurora and stepped on the last square, successfully passing through.
Finally, they were both safe. At this moment, Aurora noticed John's hair was singed. If he had been a bit slower, half his head would have been gone.
"Aurora, are you okay?" When John threw Aurora just now, he hadn't used too much strength and caused no harm, but he was still worried.
Aurora suddenly hugged John, still shaken, and angrily said, "The person who designed this mechanism must have been too idle and tone-deaf. The last note was clearly wrong."
Aurora's angry look made John find her adorable.
John was amused by her words as he hugged Aurora tightly. "If it weren't for my clever Aurora, I'd be minced meat."
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