Chapter 961 "Chaos Gate: The Art of Fooling"

Bai Xue and Zhang Meng stood in front of the unlocked metal door. The door was simple in design but full of ancient mystery. A huge gear pattern was inlaid on the door, which looked like the mouth of a giant mechanical beast. The light shone through the crack of the door and into the eyes of the two people. The scene in front of them seemed ordinary, but it was full of uneasiness.

"This door..." Bai Xue frowned, "Is this really our next challenge? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Hmm, an ominous premonition?" Zhang Meng smiled. "This is the charm of challenge, Bai Xue. Who knows what kind of surprise is hidden on the other side of the door?"

"I don't believe in any 'surprises'." Bai Xue rolled her eyes. "If you say something like that again, I'm going to start to wonder if your head is stuck in the door."

"Haha, don't worry. I have a feeling that the most exciting part is behind this door." Zhang Meng patted her shoulder and made a "please" gesture, "Do you want me to go in and explore the way first?"

Bai Xue's eyes widened immediately: "How dare you!"

"I dare?" Zhang Meng pretended to be doubtful. "Bai Xue, do you think I'm that 'ordinary fool' again? I'm both wise and brave. Let's not talk about whether I dare to go or not. Let's go in and see where this door leads to!"

"Okay, since you are so confident, then go ahead." Bai Xue smiled, "But once you go in, don't ask me to save you."

Zhang Meng patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, this kind of thing is not worth your effort. If I get stuck, the previous password will be solved in vain. Can you really stump me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked towards the door without waiting for Bai Xue's response. The door made a slight sound and opened automatically. The scene that came into view was an intricate mechanical hall full of huge gears and bolts. The walls around were densely inlaid with flashing symbols, which looked like a grand puzzle.

"Haha! How is it? How is it?" Zhang Meng turned around and looked at Bai Xue, "See, this is 'exciting'!"

Bai Xue walked over and looked down at the metal ground under her feet. "This...isn't this a trap?"

"A trap? Haha, you are the trap, Bai Xue." Zhang Meng replied leisurely, "Every mechanism and every gear here is carefully designed. Look at those symbols. Their arrangement seems to represent a strange language. Only by solving it can you get a chance to pass."

Bai Xue sighed: "You can always find puzzles from a pile of scrap metal. You are really a natural puzzle solver."

"Born?" Zhang Meng smiled even more proudly. "Actually, it's because I know how to fool people! You see, solving puzzles doesn't depend on complicated tools and calculations, but on the way of thinking. Only by breaking the rules and following the 'impossible' can we find a way out."

"Oh?" Bai Xue raised her eyebrows. "Then can you tell me what these gears and symbols mean?"

Zhang Meng raised his head, looked at the symbols and gears, thought for a moment, and suddenly showed a sly smile: "Isn't this the time to test you! You see, those symbols are actually talking about 'spiral' - the rotating force that you keep turning! Look, there is a switch here, as long as we press it, the gear will rotate."

"Wait!" Bai Xue suddenly became alert, "Are you sure that this 'switch' can really help us pass?"

"Of course! If you don't believe me, you can try it." Zhang Meng said as he reached out and pressed a button marked 'Danger'.

"Zhang Meng, you are simply an 'adventurer'!" Bai Xue's eyes widened, "What if this button is a bomb?"

"Don't worry, there won't be any explosions." Zhang Meng said with a smile, "And if it does, I will be the first one to rush out to protect you!"

Bai Xue smiled bitterly: "You really are... exchanging 'stupid' for 'smart'."

"But I didn't lie to you." Zhang Meng pointed at the gears in front of him, "Look, the rotating gears and symbols are slowly starting to change! This door has begun to 'point the way' for us!"

Bai Xue looked at everything in front of her helplessly, knowing very well in her heart that no matter how much she objected, it would be useless. The situation before her would only become more complicated, and Zhang Meng was indeed an "adventurer" who could always find a way to resolve the problem.

"What's next?" Bai Xue asked, staring at the gears that had already started turning.

"Next..." Zhang Meng pretended to be mysterious, "Next we have to solve this 'mechanical mystery'! Either control it or be controlled by it!"

"Control it? Are you sure you can control these parts?" Bai Xue couldn't help but sneer, "Don't you think this is ridiculous?"

Zhang Meng ignored Bai Xue's questioning and instead enthusiastically reached out his hand to a seemingly inconspicuous small gear.

"This is what I want to say - the art of 'fooling'! Behind every seemingly insignificant gear, there is actually infinite wisdom hidden!" Zhang Meng said as he quickly rotated the gears.

"This..." Bai Xue watched the small gear turn with her own eyes, and couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Suddenly, the symbols on the wall began to change dramatically, the surrounding gears began to turn faster, and the entire hall seemed to be caught in a tense rhythm.

"Zhang Meng, wait!" Bai Xue shouted hurriedly, "This is not right. What do you mean by 'fooling'? You're messing around without even understanding anything!"

Zhang Meng's expression became serious: "You really fooled me this time. I made a big mistake!"

"What's wrong?" Bai Xue almost exploded, "Just tell me, can all this stop?"

"Stop? It's too late." Zhang Meng said seriously, "This is not just a puzzle, it's also a 'self-repairing' mechanical device. Once we start it, it will continue to operate until we solve it."

"What should we do then?" Bai Xue asked anxiously.

Zhang Meng suddenly picked up a piece of debris from the ground. "In fact, the answer has long been hidden beside us. Look at this piece of debris. It is the 'key' to solve this mechanical mystery!"

"Fragments? What the hell is this idea of ​​yours?" Bai Xue asked impatiently.

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Meng waved his hand. “This fragment was originally one of the cores of this mechanical device. We just need to put it back to the correct position, and everything will be back in place!”

"Put it back if you say so?" Bai Xue almost laughed out loud, "How do you know where the 'correct position' is?"

Zhang Meng confidently pointed to a faint light: "Look, that place!"

Bai Xue stared at the flickering light, her doubts growing stronger and stronger: "If this place can really solve the problem, how did you know?"

Zhang Meng smiled proudly, "Because this is the challenge I set for myself! A true puzzle - there is nothing I can't solve!"

"Well," Bai Xue sighed, "I really admire you, Zhang Meng. I hope your 'intuition' is correct."

The two walked towards the light together, ready to face the final puzzle. And with every step they took, the entire hall gradually became more uneasy, as if waiting for the final answer.