dmims Chapter 75 The Hexagonal Bathroom
Chapter 75 The Hexagonal Bathroom
In a traditional linearly arranged bathroom, "the innermost" is a clear concept.
But here, the six compartments are arranged in a circle. Where is the "innermost" side?
Is it the one directly opposite the entrance?
Or is it the furthest one on the left or right side of the entrance?
Or... some other "innermost" place in an absolute sense that is independent of the direction of the entrance?
A strong sense of unease gripped him.
His intuition told him that this bathroom was anything but "safe," and that the sixth rule here was more like a malicious word game.
His first instinct was to turn around and leave, to get out of this obviously abnormal place.
However, when he suddenly turned around and reached out to lift the black curtain, something unexpected happened!
The black curtain, which had been hanging still, suddenly began to emanate a thick, inky black mist!
These black wisps writhed and surged like living things, emanating a chilling and piercing aura.
Immediately afterwards, a voice that was neither male nor female, cold and stiff, as if synthesized from countless people, resounded directly in the depths of his mind:
"Now that you're inside, you can't leave without using the restroom!"
Damn, the rule has been triggered!
He's now trapped in this bizarre hexagonal bathroom!
Cold sweat instantly soaked his temples.
The pain in my abdomen was still intense, but at this moment I felt more of a panic about facing a desperate situation.
What should he do?
Of the six cubicles, which one is the "innermost" one that you absolutely cannot enter?
Choosing the wrong option could lead to an even worse fate than Clara's!
In that split second of critical moment, Su Wan's seemingly abrupt question, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, suddenly illuminated his thoughts—
"Have you looked at it carefully?"
"That oil painting of the first principal!"
Lin Feng forced his wildly beating heart to calm down. He bit his lower lip hard, using the pain to keep himself awake, and then began to try his best to recall every detail of the oil painting called "The Watcher".
The principal stood sideways, his gaze deep, his cane intricately carved, and... that open silver pocket watch!
"Pocket watch...the hands are pointing to three o'clock..." Lin Feng muttered to himself, his mind racing. "The pocket watch represents time, and it's pointing to three o'clock..."
"In this hexagonal space, at the three o'clock position..."
He suddenly looked up, his gaze quickly sweeping across the six cubicle doors.
If we take the point where he stands at the entrance as a reference point, facing the interior of the room, and consider the entire hexagonal space as a clock face, then...
His gaze was fixed on the second cubicle on the right-hand side of the entrance!
That position corresponds exactly to the three o'clock position on the clock face!
"Could it be... that 'the innermost compartment' doesn't refer to the deepest part of the space, but rather to the compartment at the 'three o'clock position' indicated by the 'pocket watch hands'?"
This thought invigorated Lin Feng.
Su Wan's prediction actually came true here!
She seemed to have known about the strangeness of the bathroom all along, and that the oil painting was the key to solving the mystery!
However, just when he was almost convinced that the "three o'clock" direction of the cubicle was taboo, the motto engraved on the bronze plaque below the oil painting resounded in his mind like a warning bell:
The real danger lies not in what you see, but in what you turn your back on.
What does this sentence mean?
Lin Feng's mind raced once again.
"What did he see?"... He "saw" the pocket watch pointing to three o'clock, thus deducing that the compartment at three o'clock was dangerous.
But if the rules are so straightforward, what is the point of this proverb?
"It depends on what you turned your back on..." Lin Feng pondered the sentence repeatedly, and a bold conjecture gradually emerged.
Is it possible that the real "innermost" danger is not the three o'clock direction he is "facing," but rather the exact opposite?
In this hexagonal clock face layout, the three o'clock and nine o'clock positions are exactly at opposite ends of a diameter, representing absolute opposites.
If he is facing three o'clock, then nine o'clock is directly behind him!
This interpretation sent a chill down Lin Feng's spine.
If that's the case, then the rules of this restroom are full of upside-down, misleading malice.
The surface hints at three points, but the proverb suggests danger lurks behind (nine o'clock).
So, which one should we believe?
Is it about trusting the clear indication from the "pocket watch hands" and avoiding the three o'clock compartment?
Or should one believe in more philosophically inclined "maxims" and avoid the 9 o'clock cubicle?
Or... are both extremely dangerous?
In this uncertain situation, the safest option is to avoid both of the most suspicious locations at the same time!
His gaze moved over the remaining four cubicles, quickly settling on the first cubicle on his left.
This position, being relatively off the central axis, seems to feel safer.
There's no time to hesitate any longer!
Lin Feng clutched his stomach, rushed to the cubicle door, grabbed the cold metal doorknob, and twisted it hard—the door wasn't locked!
He slipped inside and quickly locked the latch from the inside.
A soft "click" sound seemed to give him a faint sense of security in this quiet and eerie space.
The cubicle was quite ordinary, with a white toilet, a small trash can, and the walls were covered in common white tiles.
He didn't dare to delay and immediately unzipped his pants and sat down.
Time passed by, second by second.
The process didn't bring much relief; on the contrary, it felt exceptionally long due to the deathly silence of the environment and the unease in my heart.
He could clearly hear his own heavy breathing, as well as the gurgling sound of his intestines amplified several times in the silence.
The entire bathroom felt like a forgotten corner of the world, with only him and the "things" lurking in the unknown cubicles.
About ten minutes later, the churning in my stomach finally subsided completely.
Lin Feng carefully finished his personal hygiene and pulled up his pants.
He stood behind the door, exhaled a breath of stale air, and then slowly pulled open the door latch.
"Squeak—"
The old hinges emitted a dry, scraping sound that carried far in the silence.
Lin Feng almost held his breath as he stepped out of the cubicle.
Nothing happened.
The washbasin still stood alone in the center, its reflection in the mirror showing his still-shaken face.
The other five cubicle doors remained tightly closed, including the two he identified as being at the "three o'clock" and "nine o'clock" positions, and there was nothing unusual about them.
He succeeded!
A sense of relief, as if he had just escaped death, instantly swept over him. He quickly walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and let the cold water wash over his hands.
He then scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on his face. The icy touch jolted him awake, and his mind cleared considerably.
Wiping the water droplets from his face with his sleeve, Lin Feng immediately turned around and walked step by step toward the black curtain.
This time, when he reached out to touch it, the curtain regained the texture of ordinary fabric.
He took a deep breath, abruptly threw back the curtain, and stepped outside...