“You’ve really done it this time, Lin Xue’er! So you’ve been toying with me all along!”
The thought of all her recent efforts going to waste, coupled with the image of Lin Xue’er’s mocking face flashing in her mind, made Xia Mengxi want to hurl the tracker to the ground and stomp it into oblivion right then and there.
Yet her raised hand hesitated, and in the end, she carefully placed it on the table instead.
A sudden idea had struck her—a way out of this predicament.
“Deep breaths… stay calm. This thing might just solve my second problem.”
That’s right. If she could use the tracker to divert Lin Xue’er’s attention, she could escape the cafeteria.
The conclusion was simple, but execution was another matter.
Currently, she couldn’t even leave the kitchen-how was she supposed to plant the tracker elsewhere?
Not to mention she had no other tools at her disposal.
Wait. There was still one option that place.
Xia Mengxi slowly lifted her gaze to the ventilation shaft above, the same one she’d used earlier.
She’d initially dismissed it because Lin Xue’er would surely anticipate her using it again and take countermeasures.
That’s why she hadn’t considered it a viable escape route from the kitchen.
“Hold on… maybe the vents are still usable.”
If Lin Xue’er was tracking her via this small metal disc, then as long as it remained in the kitchen, wouldn’t it appear as if she hadn’t moved at all?
Exactly! Lin Xue’er probably relied heavily on the tracker to monitor her movements.
She might be stationed outside the kitchen right now, having not bothered to secure the ventilation shafts.
This oversight could be her ticket to slipping away unnoticed.
“Plus, judging by how little time has passed since I entered the cafeteria, Lin Xue’er wouldn’t have had time to prepare for this. This plan just might work!”
With her escape route decided, Xia Mengxi cautiously approached the kitchen door.
She gently lifted the hinged window panel halfway and peeked out.
Sure enough, Lin Xue’er stood a few meters away, leaning against the wall with one arm crossed while the other scrolled through her phone.
This confirmed her suspicions perfectly.
“Perfect. Time to move!”
Closing the panel quietly, Xia Mengxi positioned herself beneath the vent opening.
She tied one end of her rope to the handle of a thermal container filled with hot water, secured her tools, and began climbing into the shaft.
After considerable effort, she hauled the container up after her.
Every movement was painstakingly deliberate to avoid alerting anyone outside.
Even as she crawled through the vents toward the cafeteria’s exterior, she held her breath each time she passed an opening, verifying Lin Xue’er remained stationary.
Finally emerging outside the cafeteria after the grueling journey, Xia Mengxi exhaled deeply, her face breaking into a triumphant smile.
However, this was not the end yet, as she still had a more important task at hand-heading to the entrance of the underground prison to deal with the deliberately damaged gate.
Thus, after a brief moment of joy, Xia Mengxi quickly adjusted her emotions and continued crawling forward step by step at her previous pace.
“Whew…! I’ll go down here.”
Since crawling through the ventilation ducts was both physically exhausting and time-consuming, Xia Mengxi chose to return to the pedestrian passageway after putting some distance between herself and the cafeteria area.
The method of descent was the same as in the cafeteria―using a long bar and a rope-except this time, she also had a thermal container filled with hot water.
Unlike before, this time, Xia Mengxi didn’t bother with any extra cleanup after returning to the passageway.
The reason? She simply didn’t see the point.
This was practically her final move-why worry about what came after?
It was do or die.
With her back against the wall, she had no retreat left.
“I’m… here, whew…”
As time passed, a sweat-drenched Xia Mengxi once again stood before the massive gate of the underground prison.
But she didn’t pause for even a second, immediately launching into her plan.
“Please! This has to work! I don’t want to pin my hopes on some vague guess that there might be a second exit!”
Pouring a measured amount of hot water onto the keyhole of the iron gate, Xia Mengxi took out a flathead screwdriver and began chiseling away at the hardened glue inside.
Though she could only scrape off tiny fragments at a time, after several rounds of pouring hot water and chiseling, more and more of the glue was cleared from the keyhole.
Finally, once she was certain the glue had weakened enough, she used tweezers to forcefully pull out the broken half of the key lodged inside.
“Ugh…! Ugh…! Come… out already!!!”
Despite exerting all her strength, the broken refused to budge.
But Xia Mengxi wasn’t discouraged she could already feel the key loosening.
A few more tries, and it would definitely come free.
However, the remaining hot water in the thermal container would only allow her two more attempts.
In other words, she had to succeed within those two tries.
“Oh, God! I’m kneeling before you! Please lend me your strength-I’m begging you!”
Whether by divine intervention or not, Xia Mengxi succeeded on the very first of her two remaining attempts, filling her with overwhelming joy.
“Ah! God! I love you so much!”
Having pulled with all her might, the moment the broken key came free, Xia Mengxi stumbled backward several steps and fell to the ground.
But the pain was nothing compared to her elation.
She immediately scrambled to her feet, ready to push open the heavy iron gate before her and welcome the light beyond.
Yet just then… a bone-chilling voice shattered her joy from behind.
Even though she knew exactly whose voice it was, panic still made her instinctively turn toward the source.
“So you pulled it out? You’ve worked hard, Xiao-Xi~”
Within her line of sight stood a familiar figure—one that made Xia Mengxi’s mind go blank.
Why?
Why is Lin Xue’er here!
She had clearly… clearly removed the tracker and left it in the cafeteria kitchen!
So how could Lin Xue’er still find her?!
Could it be that there was another tracker on her body she hadn’t noticed?
Or had Lin Xue’er installed surveillance at the exits and other passageways?
Though her mind was flooded with confusion and questions, Xia Mengxi reacted quickly.
Regaining her composure in an instant, she swiftly inserted the key into the lock of the iron door, flung it open, and bolted outside without a second thought for the person approaching behind her.
Yet, to her despair, in her frantic rush, she missed a step on the stairs, twisting her ankle and tumbling down the steps.
Damn it! She was so close, just a little further!
“Oh dear, how careless of you, Xiaoxi. That must have hurt quite a bit.”
The fall was painful, but no pain could compare to the agony of being so close to freedom.
As Lin Xue’er drew nearer, terror filled Xia Mengxi’s heart.
“No… no, stay away from me!!!”
She struggled to pull herself up the stairs, but in the end, she couldn’t reach the freedom she sought.
A hand seized her remaining uninjured foot, sealing her fate as the loser of this game of hide-and-seek.
“Xiaoxi~ I caught you~”
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