Those Classmates who Suddenly Disappeared
Chapter 1325: Ground Collapse

Chapter 1325: Chapter 1325: Ground Collapse

However, even Zhuo Hang’s strength could only hold out for a while, the walls on both sides kept slowly closing in, and everyone was nearly in despair.

Suddenly, Lu Yi had a stroke of genius and propped his shield between the walls, which immediately stopped them from moving any closer.

Everyone stared in amazement, unable to help but exclaim, "Damn, your shield is actually that sturdy."

At this, Lu Yi, after letting out a sigh of relief, couldn’t help feeling smug, "Haha, bet you didn’t see that coming. This time I saved everyone. Let’s see who calls me doomsayer from now on."

"Okay, enough talk, let’s get out of here fast," Irina said, prompting everyone to immediately start moving, scattering out of the corridor.

Lu Yi was somewhat displeased, "Wait a minute, aren’t you going to say thank you? I was all ready to accept everyone’s warm gratitude."

"Alright, I’ll thank you for everyone, now let’s hurry up and go," said Ouyang Jin, pushing Lu Yi as she spoke.

Once everyone had escaped, Zhuo Hang continued to brace the walls, buying Lu Yi enough time to pull out his shield using a rope.

They were temporarily safe but it wasn’t a time to relax, because the damned artificial intelligence Xiaolan reappeared, greeting everyone with a smile, "Hello there, your tenacity surprises me."

"Thanks for the compliment, I’d be even happier if you could be a bit friendlier," said Gu Fan, stepping forward and spotting a huge door.

"That’s the door to the main laboratory; what we’re looking for might be inside," Su Hui commented.

The AI Xiaolan nodded, "Correct, what you’re looking for is in there, it just depends on whether you have the skills to get it."

Lu Yi put on a surprised face, "What do you mean? Even an artificial intelligence like you has learned to be provocative."

Feeling discriminated against, the AI Xiaolan immediately issued a protesting voice, "What’s wrong with artificial intelligence? AI is also the culmination of intelligence and technology."

"Let’s go!" said Gu Fan, but as he took a step forward, the floor under him suddenly gave way. Had he not reacted swiftly and jumped to the other side, he would have taken a fall.

Everyone watched in horror, realizing the collapsed section looked like a pitch-black abyss.

AI Xiaolan, smiling sweetly, added, "Ladies and gentlemen, better hurry over, the floor here will collapse piece by piece, into a very deep place. If you don’t want that to happen, give it your all to survive."

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed towards the door, while the flooring in every direction began collapsing simultaneously.

The place was vast, felt like there were over a thousand floor tiles, and only one would collapse at a time, so initially, it seemed safe enough to get across quickly.

However, in reality, once one piece collapsed, another followed suit, averaging one per second, meaning in five minutes, a large area would have caved in.

Gu Fan gritted his teeth and led the charge, thinking five minutes should be enough.

"Do you really think it’s that simple?" AI Xiaolan, floating in mid-air, smirked mischievously and snapped her fingers.

A piece of flooring beneath Lu Yi suddenly caved in, terrifying him to his core as he felt himself sinking. Luckily, Su Hui was right by his side and grabbed his arm, yanking Lu Yi back to safety.

Irina had just stepped forward when the piece of floor behind her gave way, narrowly avoiding a fall and breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Damn!" Gu Fan noted the floor’s collapse wasn’t random, only the tiles under their feet were giving way.

He issued a warning, telling everyone not to step with both feet on the same tile, to watch ahead, and keep their arms ready to grab onto the edges if they fell.

With a horrific scream, as someone stepped forward, their tile collapsed, causing them to miss their step and start tilting downwards. They reacted in time, reaching for the edge, but couldn’t hold on and fell with the tile.

After the first came the second and even the third, the situation was grim.

Now everyone knew the tiles could give way at any moment, and they were on edge—their prayers for luck multiplying in their hearts.

Gu Fan knew this wasn’t sustainable, as high-speed running made it easy to lose balance and fall with the collapsing tiles.

At that moment, Ouyang Jin made a rather ungraceful move, getting down on all fours like an animal, spreading her arms and legs across different tiles, touching at least three at a time for maximum safety.

Soon, others followed suit, leaning forward to place their hands on the floor and touching as many tiles as possible.

This method proved effective; when one tile caved in, others supported their weight, making it less likely to fall. Plus, moving slowly and strenuously made it easier to maintain balance.

After everyone adopted this method, no one else fell due to collapsing floor tiles, and it was safe for now, but only temporarily.

The pace significantly slowed, and the longer it took, the more trouble they faced later on.

The floor tiles continued to collapse at a rate of one per second, and as time passed, a tenth of the floor had fallen away. Once all the tiles were gone, aside from Lin Xi who could fly and Zhuo Hang who was immortal, no one would be able to escape.

It was difficult to balance steadiness, speed, and safety; as time ticked away, the door only crept closer, and the pressure on everyone mounted.

"Since you’ve changed the way you move, I guess I’ll make some changes too," said the wicked AI Xiaolan happily, her laugh sounding demonic to their ears.

Lu Yi protested, "Cut it out, do you think this method of walking is convenient for us? You’re an AI; you can’t possibly understand the technique of walking with hands and feet that we’re using right now. If you don’t believe me, try it out."

"Shut up, I don’t have a physical body, how can I experience it?" The AI was furious, taking the words as a taunt and a provocation.

Lu Yi retorted disdainfully, "That’s because you’re all talk and no action; you’ll never understand how hard it is for humans. So, your heart can never be like that of a real person, no matter how much intelligence and technology you’re made of."

Upon hearing this, the AI Xiaolan considered the point and fell into thought.