Minamoto Tamako and Fujiwara Homare simultaneously looked up. They heard the broadcast announcement and learned that the trial had ended. They glanced at each other and put down the spoon and small knife in their hands.
Yes, the two of them were planning to dig through the walls and escape.
According to their original plan, they headed to the elevator shaft, but unsurprisingly, it was sealed off, and after wandering around for quite a while, they still couldn’t find another way out.
Fujiwara Homare suddenly had a flash of inspiration and suggested breaking through the floor. In that way, couldn’t they get down?
Minamoto Tamako, ever intelligent, pointed out that the floor was covered in marble, and without impact drills, there was no way to dig through.
Despite that, Fujiwara Homare wasn’t willing to give up. If the floor couldn’t be dug, then they’d dig the walls!
Movies and TV shows featured similar scenes, with protagonists trying to break out of prison using a spoon or a small knife, chipping away at the wall little by little, showcasing the spirit of the Foolish Old Man moving mountains, eventually breaking through an entire wall, and successfully escaping!
Minamoto Tamako admired Fujiwara Homare’s persistence. She greatly appreciated hard-working people, and with no other options at the moment, and theoretically feasible, she chose to join in.
The two of them searched everywhere for digging tools and finally found some iron spoons in the kitchen. Minamoto Tamako made a rough estimate of the location, and they squatted in the most secluded storage room, diligently scraping the wall with their spoons.
Fujiwara Homare scraped for over ten minutes, his hands were sore and tired, his legs were numb from squatting, and there were only a few scratches on the wall. It seemed like it would take at least a year or two to break through. He couldn’t help but think about giving up, but when he looked over, Minamoto Tamako was still focused on digging the wall...
It’s really hard to say anything if you’re just going to lie down!
Moreover, he was the one who suggested this plan!
Fortunately, the broadcast announced the end of the trial. Fujiwara Homare immediately tossed the spoon aside and said he wanted to go out and have a look. Perhaps the exit had already reopened — as winners of the trial, they should be rewarded, right?
"But if the cult members are all locked up, who organized this trial?" Minamoto Tamako questioned.
Fujiwara Homare gave up thinking, rubbing his numb legs, and said, "Whoever it is should follow the rules, right? Hmph, you’re lucky. Just following me, winning the trial is inevitable!"
"Eh? Why?" Minamoto Tamako was taken aback, thinking that Fujiwara Section Chief couldn’t possibly believe he was that smart, could he? He couldn’t possibly think surviving was all thanks to him, could he?
"Isn’t it obvious?" Fujiwara Homare thumped his chest, quite smugly saying, "Because I’m a man favored by the heavens!"
"Can’t you see it yet? This big guy was born as a child of destiny, and it’s only a matter of time before I become someone superior. In fact, I’m already superior now... Hahaha! In this world, only the gods and fate can test me. How could mere mortals’ trials affect me?"
Saying this, Fujiwara Homare raised his arms and shouted, "Exactly! That’s right! Even if I do nothing, bullets will automatically avoid my body! Ahahahaha!!"
Minamoto Tamako squinted, expressionless, looking like a dazed pink rabbit.
She could understand that most survivors would fall into ecstasy or hysterically vent their emotions, and compared to Fujiwara Homare shouting a bit, some would even weep bitterly, hugging rescuers and calling them mom, or kneeling on the ground, thanking the heavens for sparing their lives...
But this was the first time she had seen someone so narcissistic.
"Well... indeed... very lucky..." she agreed half-heartedly.
"That’s right!" Fujiwara Homare pushed open the storage room door and continued to brag, "The first trial was too. I didn’t have to do anything, and somehow I just breezed through it..."
He had just stepped out when he ran into Shirakawa Miki and others.
The latter was searching for the "ghost", starting in the opposite direction of the Sect Hierarch, and conducting a thorough search, finally only the ordinary believers’ dormitories and the storage room remained.
Seeing someone pop out, a believer raised their gun and fired a burst.
They were on edge and had no professional indoor combat training. Reflexively, they shot wildly, but miraculously missed every shot, with bullets whizzing past Fujiwara Homare’s head and cheeks, piercing through the door panel.
Shirakawa Miki reacted quickly, hurriedly pressing down the gun barrel; however, the believer didn’t release the trigger, letting loose another salvo. The bullets grazed past Fujiwara Homare’s side, tearing his clothes and leaving a row of U-shaped holes in the door panel.
Fujiwara Homare experienced two volleys right in his face, too fast for him to react, until Minamoto Tamako pulled him back into the storage room, locking the door behind them, did he realize what had happened.
Fujiwara Homare patted himself all over, confirming that his body was intact, and burst into a laugh as exaggerated as a human could make: "Ahahahahaha, I really am invincible —"
He was already terrified, his mind nearly overwhelmed by fear, but only by constantly repeating such extravagant and unfounded statements of luck could he numb himself and barely maintain consciousness.
Outside the door came the shout of Shirakawa Miki: "I saw you! Is Miss Yu Zi having fun?"
Minamoto Tamako was panicked, but her mind was still clear. She hurriedly pushed a shelf against the door, then lay down against the wall to avoid stray bullets.
Even though Mr. Fushimi saved you from the cult, spent all his savings, giving you a chance to start anew, yet...
Minamoto Tamako thought about the whole kidnapping incident with her and Shirakawa Miki’s demand to take away Sakurako, feeling both sad and angry, instinctively clutching the rifle in her hands.