Chapter 217 Sandra Scratches Aurora's Cheek
They'd just gotten past one hurdle, but who knew how many more traps lay ahead?
John gripped Aurora's hand tight, eyes scanning ahead. "We gotta move fast. If we don't get through in time, everything's gonna change again."
"Didn't you say Alexander could come in after twelve hours?"
"Yeah, but there's only a small window, and I don't know if Alexander will stop the system," John replied.
Aurora's face was serious. "If he really wants us dead, he'll kick off the next round as soon as this one ends. This is his shot to trap the leaders of Nightfall and Wolfpack. Even if we die, he can tell the cops we were breaking in."
Their odds of making it out alive seemed pretty slim. After getting through the grid, they pushed deeper inside. John led the way, keeping Aurora behind him.
The room was dim, and they were moving by feel alone.
"John, I feel like someone's watching us. I have this cold chill on my neck," Aurora whispered.
"Yeah, I feel it too," John replied, eyes darting around.
Just then, a gust of wind rushed at John. He stepped back instinctively, shouting, "Aurora, stay close!"
"Okay." Aurora grabbed onto John's shirt, ready for anything.
Lights flicked on from above, revealing two rows of four big robots. One of these robots had attacked John.
They must've triggered something, 'cause the robots started advancing on them. These weren't just any robots. They didn't feel pain, couldn't be killed, and were pretty darn agile.
John took a few hits, each punch making him feel like his insides were getting rearranged. He had to protect Aurora, which made it tough to focus.
"John," Aurora said, anxious but clear-headed. She'd been watching the robots and noticed they had some flaws despite their agility. "Let's try to get behind them."
John saw it too after Aurora pointed it out. They nodded at each other and, in sync, dodged behind the robots during their next attack.
The robots missed and, unable to see Aurora or John, stopped moving.
John rubbed his chest where he'd been hit and gave Aurora a thumbs up. They'd cleared another obstacle.
Just as they were catching their breath, a bucket of cold water dumped on them from above, soaking them.
Aurora grumbled, "Whoever designed this trap is seriously twisted, leaving one last trick."
After the water, a stream of cold air started blowing down. Aurora shivered from the cold.
This was meant to freeze them to death. If it were a trap, they could find a way through, but the cold was something else entirely.
John quickly moved to Aurora's side. His clothes were wet too, so he couldn't keep her warm. "Aurora, I'll get you out of here," he said with determination, and his face grew more serious. He knew if this kept up, Aurora would be in real trouble from the cold.
The temperature kept dropping. In no time, Aurora's hands and feet felt like ice, but she forced a smile. "Don't worry about me. It's fine. When I was younger, my dad didn't care about me in the winter, and Nicole sure as heck wouldn't buy me clothes. I survived winter wearing summer clothes. I'm not afraid of the cold."
Aurora had been through plenty of hunger and cold before.
Despite her words, Aurora couldn't stop shivering, her lips turning purple. The room was barely above freezing, and with the cold water, it felt even worse.
John was freezing too, but he didn't show it. Her words and effort to keep him from worrying broke his heart.
John touched Aurora's face, then took her hand and led her forward.
This was the last obstacle. The long corridor was empty and eerily quiet.
John cautiously threw his other shoe forward, and instantly, countless needle-thin wires appeared, glowing with a cold white light.
These wires were made from special materials and were conductive. Once touched, they'd deliver a shock, as powerful as the gamma rays they'd faced earlier.
"Aurora, sit down and rest for a bit." John helped her sit on the ground. He couldn't take her with him through this one.
Aurora realized what John was about to do and gripped his hand. "Be careful."
John flashed a reassuring smile. "Yeah, we'll get out of here together." He said it to calm Aurora, even though he knew this obstacle was the most dangerous yet.
John studied the walls and the gaps between the wires. There was no way to get through. If he couldn't get through, he'd have to destroy the mechanism. Sometimes the most dangerous traps were the simplest.
John took the hairpin from Aurora's hair. "I'll borrow this."
Aurora didn't know what John was planning. She curled up, shivering, but kept her eyes on him, worried he might get hurt.
John, holding the hairpin, began to climb up the wall. There was a metal plate locked in place above. John used the hairpin to unlock it. Everything went smoothly. He moved the metal plate and climbed through the opening.
Aurora watched intently, and at that moment, a puff of smoke subtly sprayed down from above. Gradually, Aurora's head grew heavy, and she eventually passed out.
John had already climbed to the other side. He forcefully broke open the metal plate and jumped down. When he saw that Aurora had fainted, he panicked. "Aurora." He called out several times, but Aurora didn't respond.
John then noticed the different smell in the air and immediately covered his mouth and nose with his wet clothes. Without wasting any more time, he searched for the switch to the mechanism but instead discovered the power supply.
The power supply was operational. As long as he cut off the power, all the traps would be useless.
He was too worried about Aurora, so he chose the simplest method. He violently kicked open the door to the power supply and pulled the lever down to cut the power.
The wires in the corridor were no longer electrified and were just like ordinary steel wires. Next to the power supply was an axe, probably a backup that Alexander had prepared just in case. John picked up the axe and cut through the wires.
Once the wires were cut, John immediately ran to Aurora and picked her up. "Aurora."
Aurora still didn't respond, and at this moment, the ground began to shake like an earthquake, and the walls started to crack.
The place was about to collapse.
Outside the chamber, Alexander and the others also sensed the anomaly inside. The whole house was shaking.
Richard asked, "What's going on?"
Alexander's gaze was fixed on the entrance to the chamber as he said excitedly, "They're still alive. They've reached the final obstacle. They must have cut the wires, triggering the self-destruct mode of the defense system. That was my last trap. If they hadn't cut the wires, they would have passed smoothly."
Hearing this, Richard immediately grabbed Alexander, ready to punch him. "You've spent your whole life scheming, yet now you've schemed your own daughter into this. You're really something."
The house was still shaking. Sandra urged, "Dad, open the door quickly."
Alexander glanced at the control system on the door and saw that the power supply inside had also been destroyed. He hurriedly opened the door.
Meanwhile, inside the chamber, the walls were cracking and collapsing. John, carrying Aurora, ran towards the deeper part of the chamber, the only area that remained stable, indicating it was safe.
Just as they were about to reach it, hard objects kept falling from above. John was hit hard on the back, causing him to fall to the ground with Aurora. Without a moment to breathe, more objects fell.
John's pupils contracted sharply. He then pushed Aurora through the door to safety, but as he tried to dodge the objects, he hit the corner of the wall. Combined with the smoke he had inhaled earlier, he lost consciousness completely.
The entire building stopped shaking.
"John." Sandra was the first to run in. She immediately saw the two unconscious people on the ground.
Sandra ran over. Seeing Aurora unconscious beside him, and with Alexander and the others still behind, a malicious thought grew in her mind. 'Aurora, only by getting rid of you can I make John love me.'
With that thought, she pulled out a knife and slashed at Aurora's face.
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