"That's right, but going back and trying is still much better than wandering around here."
"Then let's go back first."
They began to walk back. Evans clearly remembered the path they had taken, but when he returned to the corridor that should have connected to the metal door, he found there was no metal door at all; instead it connected to another corridor just like the others.
"It disappeared."
A line of handwriting appeared on the adjacent wall.
"Hmm, I considered this possibility, but I never thought it would actually disappear."
Evans walked forward a bit more. Ahead was again that kind of forked path that seemed to have no end.
"This is bad, we might not be able to get out."
The researcher wrote a new message on the wall. Her handwriting had become messy, revealing her nervous state.
"Don't panic. I can hold on for a while longer. Walk a little further."
Evans had already lost all feeling in his entire right arm, so now he could only carve messages with his left hand.
"This place is the maze of Information. If we can't collect information related to the exit, then even if we walk for another hundred years, we won't be able to leave."
The researcher was somewhat despairing. She didn't believe they could still find a way out.
"You're not wrong, but as long as we gather information about the maze, we should be able to find the location of the exit."
Evans had no thought of giving up, even though he might still have nine more chances to restart.
"But we can't collect relevant information at all. We can't even see those monsters."
"Not necessarily. When those monsters attacked me earlier, I could collect partial information about them. Even the owner of that footsteps, when it attacked me, I could touch it."
"…Then can you collect information by attacking this maze?"
"Probably not, because the maze didn't attack me. But maybe we can find something that lets us collect information."
"Then let's go. I'll follow behind."
"Okay."
Evans continued to lead the way. He occasionally struck the walls with a rebar, but it had no effect.
They didn't find anything that could let them gather information. More precisely, there was nothing in the corridor—only the unchanging overhead lights, walls, and floor.
"I want to break some overhead lights. That might help. Move aside a little."
Evans suddenly stopped and carved a message into the wall.
"Okay, I'll stay away from where you break things."
The researcher put some distance between herself and the message. Since a door could crush those monsters to death, those overhead lights should be able to hit them too.
Sss!
Evans drove the rebar into the overhead light. He twisted hard and destroyed the light's internal structure.
The overhead light went out, plunging the corridor below into darkness, though because other lights were still nearby, Evans could still see the surroundings.
"My bulb here was destroyed too, but nothing around me changed."
The researcher wrote the message on the wall.
"I'm going to destroy all the overhead lights in this area. Be careful. If you touch something dangerous, run away immediately."
Evans carved a message with the rebar. The upper half of his right side had completely lost feeling; that sense of losing control was terrifying.
"Be careful."
The researcher quickly replied.
Evans slid along the wall toward the nearest overhead light, leaving horizontal marks on the wall with the rebar as he walked. Now they could only determine each other's positions through those horizontal marks.
Sss!
Evans destroyed another overhead light, and the corridor plunged into darkness again.
He proceeded down the corridor, systematically destroying the lights above. Before long, the corridor behind him was completely immersed in darkness.
"I'm going to walk inside for a bit. Wait here."
Evans carved the message on the wall.
"I'll go with you. If some change really happens inside, I can help you collect information."
The researcher did not want to wait outside. Evans was in bad shape, and if he died inside, it would be hard for her to survive in a place like this.
"You can't see anything on the walls inside. Whether you go in or not makes no difference. Stay outside."
If there was truly something dangerous inside, Evans felt he probably wouldn't make it out; bringing the researcher in would be pointless.
"If there is some kind of monster inside, I can help divert its attention. When it attacks me, you can escape. I'll handle it myself."
The researcher had already figured out her role, otherwise she wouldn't have suggested going in together.
"Then let's go in together."
Evans didn't waste more words. He felt he was close to collapse.
They entered the pitch-black corridor. Evans walked quickly; he wanted to collect as much information as possible before he died.
After walking a while, Evans didn't see the lights that should have appeared. He had only destroyed the segment between two forks, and given his speed, he should have reached the other side by now.
Evans began to retreat quickly. He soon discovered the sections behind him had gone dark too.
The overhead lights he hadn't destroyed had also been destroyed. The method of destruction seemed identical to his.
As Evans pondered what this information might mean, his right hand suddenly drew out the mirror shard he had in his pocket and plunged it toward his neck.
Sensing the motion of his right hand, Evans released the rebar and grabbed his right wrist with his left hand.
But the right hand did not stop. It reversed the grip on the shard and, with nearly wrist-breaking force, drove it toward his left hand.
Evans forcibly slammed his right hand against the wall, using repeated impacts to dislodge the shard.
While Evans fought with his right hand, his right elbow suddenly slammed into his side, causing his center of gravity to shift and nearly toppling him.
The right hand took the opportunity to break free. Two fingers jabbed toward his eye sockets.
Evans rammed his forehead into those two fingers. After breaking them, he used the rebar he had picked up when he almost fell to pierce through the right forearm, pinning it to the wall.
The right arm struggled repeatedly against the wall. Evans struck the right shoulder joint, dislocating it. The shoulder lost its support, and the arm could no longer exert force like before, only trembling uncontrollably.
Evans calmed his breathing. This was the first time he'd fought his own arm. He thought that even if he hadn't lost his memory, he probably would never have experienced something like this.
'So why did my arm attack me? Even if the pathogen is information-based, it shouldn't have such a clear purpose, right?'
'Could it be that when we killed that monster, its information entered my body through the wound?'
Evans recalled the earlier battle. The opponent's blood had flowed into his sleeve across his palm, and that blood had come from the opponent's head.
