Alex's decision to help the man wasn't a calculation of excitement points or a chat suggestion. It was a purely human choice, born from the desolation he felt seeing someone so broken. However, the instant he offered almond water and a ration, the reality of his new burden became brutally clear. The man, utterly motionless, was dead weight. Alex knelt beside him, his chest camera capturing the scene with raw objectivity.
"Okay, chat," Alex said, his voice low and a little tense. His lens camera showed the comments already pouring in. "Current situation: I've got a... uh... travel companion. Looks like he's not in a condition to walk on his own. Any suggestions on how to move an inert adult through an infinite labyrinth of yellow walls would be greatly appreciated. And no, I don't have a buggy."
The chat offered their two cents:
[Joel Miller]: "Dead weight. Drag him if you can. Survival is priority. And if there's no other choice... there's no other choice."
[Batman]: "Assess the terrain. Is there a way to improvise a stretcher? Use available resources."
[Rick Sanchez]: "Ha! Now it's a rescue simulator! Great! Hope he smells like decomposition!"
[User_Concerned]: "Poor guy! Alex, be careful!"
Excitement points received: +900 (for the rescue challenge)
Alex tried to lift the man. He was surprisingly heavy. His muscles burned with the effort. He couldn't carry him. The backpack on his back was light, but the man was a limp, uncooperative mass. His chest camera wobbled with his failed attempt. He sat back down, frustrated, his movie-buff mind searching for a solution. How would they do it in the movies?
"There's nothing here for a stretcher. Just carpet and walls," Alex murmured with a sigh. Then, his eyes fell on the backpack he was wearing, a little larger than he remembered. The backpack the System had "invoked" for him with his uniform.
An idea, absurd but desperate, formed in his mind. He opened the resource menu only he could see through his lenses. He searched for something, anything, under "Basic Supplies" or "Temporary Shelter." He found an option: "Reinforced Tarp" - 300 Excitement Points. It was for shelter, but...
"Could it work as a stretcher?" Alex wondered aloud, selecting the tarp.
With the familiar audible plink only he heard, a rolled-up tarp appeared discreetly next to Alex's backpack. It was sturdy, dark green, and a considerable size. He unfolded it quickly, confirming his theory. It was strong enough to drag the man.
The chat reacted to his ingenuity:
[The Professor]: "Improvisation. An underestimated tactic. Think outside the box, Echo."
[Tony Stark]: "Tough material. Good use of your resources. Now, the logistics? How long are you going to drag a guy?"
[User_Ingenious]: "It's a stretcher! What a great idea!"
[Bart Simpson]: "Ay, caramba! It's gonna be a long drag!"
Excitement points received: +1200 (for ingenuity)
Alex, with newfound determination, rolled the man onto the tarp, crudely tying him with some straps that came with it. It wasn't comfortable, but it was functional. With a final heave, he pulled the tarp, which slid across the carpet with a soft rasp. It was slow, exhausting, but he was moving him. His chest camera showed the dragging perspective, his tired gaze, while his lens camera captured the endless hallways.
"This is like a zombie-dragging marathon, but without the zombies chasing me, at least for now," Alex gasped. Every few feet, he stopped to rest, his arms and back burning. The solitude, once just a concept, was now a palpable reality, magnified by the man's inert presence. He noticed there were no excitement points for this effort; the System apparently didn't value pure physical fatigue.
The chat offered encouragement and warnings:
[Leslie Knope]: "Rest when you need to, Alex! But don't stop! Perseverance is key!"
[Gerry Lane]: "Energy is a limited resource. Maintain your pace. Don't overdo it."
[User_Tired]: "I got tired just watching. Stay strong, Echo!"
[Michael Scofield]: "Every step brings you closer to freedom. Or the next obstacle."
Excitement points received: +300 (for effort and empathy)
Hours passed, marked only by his growing exhaustion and the incessant hum. Alex felt his feet weigh tons, his muscles stiff. The monotony of the yellow hallways became torturous. The man on the tarp remained inert, his breathing barely perceptible. Alex had tried talking to him again, to no avail. What had happened to him? Could he recover?
Amidst his fatigue, his lenses flickered with a new notification: SKILL LEVEL UNLOCKED: BASIC ENDURANCE. And in the chat: EXCITEMENT POINTS GENERATED: +800 (for perseverance).
"Endurance?" Alex murmured, with a bitter laugh. "Yeah, I think I'm earning that the hard way." The System rewarded his suffering, it seemed. It was a strange comfort.
It was then that his chest camera caught a slight alteration in the carpet further ahead. It wasn't a damp stain. It was a thin, almost imperceptible line, running along the hallway. Alex stopped, his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and fear. The line was a pale gray, and it didn't seem to be part of the wallpaper pattern. He leaned in, his lens camera focusing on the detail.
It wasn't a single line. They were multiple lines, thin and almost invisible, forming a kind of grid on the floor. Like the markings of an ancient map. Or a blueprint.
The chat erupted with theories:
[Sherlock Holmes]: "A pattern. A design. This is an indication of structure. There is a purpose here."
[Bruce Wayne]: "A map. Or a trap. Don't let your guard down. Where does it lead?"
[Jonas Kahnwald]: "Everything has an origin. This is a trace. A trace of time."
[User_Map]: "It's a hidden map! Follow it, Alex!"
Excitement points received: +1500 (for discovery)
Alex, with renewed interest, knelt, his face close to the floor. He ran a finger over the lines. They didn't feel different from the carpet, but he could see them. The grid seemed to be the key. This wasn't a purely random labyrinth. There was an intention.
"Chat, I think I found a... floor plan?" Alex said, excited, his voice regaining some of its usual energy. "There are lines on the floor. Like a map. If this is a grid, there might be a way to navigate here."
The man on the tarp stirred slightly, a barely audible moan. Alex looked at him. The man was alive, though barely. His existence was a constant reminder of human fragility in this place.
He decided to follow the grid. Perhaps, if he was lucky, it would lead him to a safer area. Or, at least, to a place where he could rest without the constant threat of the unknown. Basic stealth remained active, an invisible layer of protection.
As he moved forward, following the lines with his eyes, he noticed something else on the floor, near one of the grid intersections. A small, roughly carved wooden figure. A wooden doll. Alex bent down and picked it up. It was a simple figure, without details, but curiously comforting. On its base, a single letter was carved: "P."
The chat reacted with a mix of intrigue and unease:
[Chihiro Ogino]: "A spirit. A message. Be careful what you find."
[Indiana Jones]: "An artifact. Every object tells a story. Whose is it?"
[Freddy Krueger]: "How cute. Want to play a game, Alex? A game of nightmares."
[User_Creepy]: "That doll gives me bad vibes! Throw it away!"
Excitement points received: +1000 (for mysterious object)
Alex held the doll. There was no System notification. It was just an object. A forgotten toy? A sign? He put it in his backpack, feeling a strange mix of intrigue and caution. The combination of the grid and the doll suggested he wasn't alone, or that he wasn't the first to pass through here.
"Well, chat, Level 0 is full of surprises," Alex said, his voice now more thoughtful. "We've got a secret map on the floor and... a wooden friend. I just hope this friend doesn't wake up and start talking to me about the apocalypse." He smiled faintly. The search for an exit from this Level 0, and the life of the man he dragged, had become much more complex.