The pressure in the forced-loop chamber had eased, and Luo had allowed one more short survey before the group returned to the entrance. Yan used the pause to draw the pattern on his sleeve with charcoal. He marked where the loop began and the emitter he had broken.
Gu held the sleeve taut while Yan finished the lines. “This bend is older than the floor paint.”
“What does it mean?” Wei asked.
“It follows an old maintenance junction. The route may be hidden beneath the diagram.”
Bai stood at the threshold, holding the torn survey fragment in its receipt sleeve. He lined the arrow with Gu’s sketch. “The direction matches the arrow beneath the Registry stamp.”
“So the route may pass under this chamber,” Yan said.
“May,” Luo repeated. “The entrance has not been inspected. We do not open an unknown junction while the floor is active.”
Wei pointed to the route drawn on his candidate card. “We should take the junction before testing another chamber. If it leads around the public hall, it could give us a way back.”
