Day of Imprisonment

Chapter 75: Exploration from 1 to ∞ [Third Update]

Inside room 23, only Luo Xi's voice could be heard.

He shifted into a more comfortable position.

"The number 2 comes from the book 'Whispers of Revelation: Interpreting Human Suffering and Hope'. Essentially, you can deduce the number from the title itself. This book directly relates to human suffering and hope. You can start with the character '人' (ren, human) in '人间' (ren jian, the human world). The character '人' has two strokes, thus representing the number 2. Additionally, 'suffering' and 'hope' are two completely opposing yet interconnected states of mind. These two states also point to the number 2."

"Wait a minute, that's a bit of a stretch," Yu Xiaoru interjected, expressing her doubt.

Before Luo Xi could explain, An Zhiyan spoke up, "Xiaoru, it's not really a stretch, because if you compare this book with others on the book list, you'll realize that the number 2 in this book is the most likely option. The others are completely unrelated. Since I took the picture of the book list, I'm very clear that choosing based on the highest probability is already quite rigorous."

"Oh, I understand," Yu Xiaoru responded, nodding her head.

"The number 7 comes from 'Stairway to Heaven: The Path of Soul Ascension'. This book depicts the journey to heaven, which is essentially a journey of redemption. Therefore, 'sin' is the key, like the seven deadly sins. Also, there's the concept of a gate, as in the 'Gates of Heaven' or similar symbols. The 'gate' is associated with the number '7' in many cultures."

"Furthermore, in Christianity, God created the world in seven days, so a week has seven days. The Lord's Prayer is divided into seven parts, and the Virgin Mary has seven joys and seven sorrows. These elements all embody the number '7'. In Islam, Paradise is described as having seven levels. In Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment after facing the wall for seven days."

"I know Siddhartha Gautama; he's the Buddha. I've watched 'Journey to the West'. Sun Wukong experienced eighty-one tribulations. Shouldn't '9' and '81' also be key numbers?" Aunt Qin chimed in again.

"Aunt Qin, please take a break. Please," Yu Xiaoru quickly pulled the enthusiastic Aunt Qin aside.

"Finally, the last one is π, or it can be understood as ∞. 'The Poem of Hell: A Lament of Sin and Punishment' describes hell. Following the previous method of deduction, there are actually many numbers that can be implied, making it difficult to choose. However, considering the title, sin and punishment, it tells the story of sinful souls falling into hell, being burned by the eternal fires of hell. The word 'eternal' can be associated with 'infinity' and 'cycle'. Both π and ∞ represent some kind of infinite extension. Moreover, π is the key value for accurately calculating the circumference, area, and volume of geometric shapes such as circles and spheres. Ultimately, these six numbers can form a circle or a hexagon."

"At the same time, a hexagon can be associated with a hexagram. The hexagram originated in ancient sects of Hinduism, where the upright triangle represents the male principle, and the inverted triangle represents the female principle, symbolizing the cycle of life and the close union of duality. It can also be understood as a kind of yin-yang harmony, a perfect mechanism. It represents the continuous cycle of life and reincarnation, which perfectly aligns with the perfectionism of the level designer."

Luo Xi wore a smile, showing a rare excitement, clearly indicating his high regard for this level.

Precisely because it suited his way of thinking, there was a high degree of compatibility between them.

After he finished speaking, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Some were digesting and analyzing, while others had long given up resisting, simply not daring to speak.

Interestingly, the scene administrator, Okra, was also listening with great interest. She even seemed to be caught in some kind of mental quandary. Sometimes she frowned, and sometimes she suddenly smiled, as if she had figured out the key, filled with excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

This reaction directly fried the brain of Qian Lejin, who happened to glance at her.

Where 2-3-2, from left to right is 23, and from right to left, it's also 23.

Her mind exploded.

"So, you had me turn it three times back then because you wanted to realign the initial rooms of the two circles, which were already misaligned, to a common node. In other words, the structure of the entire scene isn't a Rubik's Cube, but rather three attached circles."

"Wait a minute, then why three turns?" Qian Lejin couldn't help but ask.

"Because three survival times have passed. I guess that the entire room, no, all the rooms, all the rooms on the three circles, will rotate during those ten minutes of survival time, but we just can't feel it. The dials in the initial rooms of the Red Team and Blue Team are for adjusting the positions of the three circles. But why couldn't the dial be turned at the beginning? Why are there dials in other rooms too?"

An Zhiyan looked at Luo Xi.

She knew that only Luo Xi could give her an answer to this question.

"The dials in other rooms might be red herrings, or they might have other uses. Sorry, I'm not omniscient. That has nothing to do with clearing the level, so I didn't delve into it. As for why the dial couldn't be turned at the beginning, I have a conclusion, which is that you have to understand why the scene is divided into the Red Team and the Blue Team. So, I guess that to truly adjust the positions of the three circles, the Red Team and the Blue Team must turn the dial simultaneously. In other words, if either team is wiped out, they lose the possibility of achieving condition one for clearing the level."

"Of course, there are exceptions!" Luo Xi looked at Yu Xiaoru at this moment.

The latter was stunned and startled, "Why are you looking at me?"

"Never mind!" Luo Xi withdrew his gaze.

However, An Zhiyan already knew, because turning the dial in one of the teams' rooms during the break time had a chance to open a passage that allowed them to enter each other's rooms, and Yu Xiaoru was a living example.

"That's all!" Luo Xi looked at Okra at this moment, "Are you satisfied? I wonder if this explanation is consistent with your original intention in designing the scene?"

The latter was stunned and nodded.

She didn't say anything more.

"What about you? Has it satisfied your curiosity too?" Luo Xi then looked at An Zhiyan again.

The latter was stunned, not understanding what Luo Xi meant by suddenly talking to her.

"If it has satisfied your curiosity, then please come over here for a moment. I want to say something to you," Luo Xi said.

"Just say it, I'm listening."

"It's a secret!"

An Zhiyan frowned, but after thinking about it, she still walked over, leaned in, and put her ear close.

Luo Xi then whispered a few words in her ear.

An Zhiyan was expressionless, without any reaction. She got up, walked to the other side, and whispered to Aunt Qin.

The other people were all baffled, not knowing what was going on.

"Okay, I'll go get it over there," Aunt Qin said loudly and carelessly. Then, she walked towards the other side, and as she passed by Han Lingling, she suddenly erupted, raising her hand and throwing a punch.

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