The Maze of the Wise

Chapter 5: The Truth of Layer Zero

I gasped for breath as I sprinted toward the towering structure, the collapsing streets of the virtual city disintegrating behind me like a fading mirage. The relentless countdown in my ears echoed like a death knell, pushing me forward.

"Deviating from the task path will result in severe consequences."

The system's cold warning continued flashing on my screen, but I no longer cared about its threats. The traitor's words echoed in my mind: "Only by abandoning a trial can you see the truth behind the loop."

My legs moved faster as the tower loomed closer. Unlike the other buildings in the city, this one rose far above the clouds, its metallic surface cold and unyielding, as if it didn't belong in this world. It stood out as a foreign intruder forcibly inserted into the virtual landscape.

Just as I was about to reach the tower's entrance, my phone lit up with an urgent message. For the first time, the system's tone shifted, losing its usual detachment and sounding almost anxious:

"Return to the task path immediately. Warning: Layer Zero is a restricted zone!"

"Restricted?" I sneered, my voice laced with defiance. "Restricted for whom? You, or me?"

Without hesitation, I pushed open the massive doors. The ground beneath me quaked violently as an earsplitting alarm reverberated through the air.

The interior of the tower was far larger than its exterior suggested. The walls were alive with streams of glowing code, cascading in intricate patterns. Smooth panels embedded in the floor displayed various scenes—some of the trials I had completed, others of different participants mid-task, and even a few showing shadowy figures in a dimly lit laboratory.

"Welcome, Mike Dean."

The voice was calm, deliberate, and entirely unfamiliar. It wasn't the system. It was a woman.

I spun around to see a tall figure emerge from the shadows. She wore a dark suit, her sharp features accentuated by a cold and commanding presence. Her eyes were piercing, like daggers cutting through the air between us.

"Who are you?" I asked warily, my body instinctively tensing.

"My name doesn't matter," she replied coolly. "You can call me the Administrator of Layer Zero."

"Administrator?" I repeated, frowning. "Then maybe you can tell me—what is this place?"

She strode over to one of the glowing panels, her long fingers gliding across its surface. A line of text appeared:

"Core Data Stream of the Loop."

"This is part of the League of the Wise," she explained. "It's also the source of all the trials. Every participant's journey is a tool designed to identify the League's successors. And this," she gestured to the vast room around her, "is the control center for all the loops."

"Successors?" I laughed bitterly. "You mean trapping people in these ridiculous trials, forcing them to die and reset over and over again—that's your idea of selection?"

"This process is necessary," she said flatly, her tone devoid of emotion. "But you're different from the others. The fact that you found your way here means you've already noticed the cracks in the system."

"Cracks?" I echoed, the word rolling around in my mind like a loose gear in a machine.

She didn't answer directly. Instead, she pointed to another panel. This one displayed recordings of my past loops: solving the escape room, navigating the virtual city, uncovering the traitor's clues—every detail meticulously documented.

"These are your loop records," she said. "Each reset isn't just about completing tasks. It's about observing how your decisions evolve. You thought you were undergoing a trial, but in reality, you were being watched."

"Watched?" My breath caught, a cold shiver running down my spine. "By who?"

Her eyes flickered, betraying a moment of hesitation. "By the designers of the Intelligence System—the League's core faction. They're searching for someone capable of wielding the power of true wisdom. The loops exist to test your limits."

My heart pounded wildly as her words sank in. This was far more sinister than I had imagined.

Before I could fully process the implications, a new warning flashed across the panels:

"Alert: Unauthorized access detected. Layer Zero lockdown imminent."

The Administrator's expression darkened. "You don't have much time. The League will soon discover you're here. Now, you must make a choice—continue the trials or destroy the loop entirely."

"Destroy it?" I asked, my voice shaking. "How?"

She walked to a nearby console and pointed to two large buttons.

One was green, labeled "Continue Loop."

The other was red, labeled "Core Reboot."

"Press the red button, and the loop will stop. The system will collapse, and every participant will be freed," she explained, her voice steady but cold. "But the cost is that you may never escape this experiment yourself."

"And the green one?" I asked cautiously.

"The green button will return you to the trial path," she said, her tone chillingly calm. "Everything will proceed as it has, until you complete the League's final task. It's the safer choice."

My hand hovered in mid-air as I stared at the console. Choosing the green button meant staying in the loop, playing by the League's rules, and possibly uncovering their secrets. But the red button offered a chance to end it all—though it came with the risk of eternal entrapment.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, searching her face for answers.

She hesitated before responding softly, "Maybe because I was once like you."

Her words hit me like a bolt of lightning. I stared at her, and for the first time, I noticed a strange familiarity in her gaze. It was as if she were looking at a reflection of herself.

The alarm blared louder, and the panels flickered with increasing urgency. Time was slipping away. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and made my choice.

Mike Dean's decision will shatter the delicate balance of the trials, leading to either liberation or irreversible consequences. As the Administrator's true identity comes to light, the League's core faction will deploy every resource to maintain control. Can Mike uncover the full truth of the Intelligence System, or will he succumb to the endless loop?