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The blinking lights in the otherwise dimly-lit room told Thirteen of everything he needed to know

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The blinking lights in the otherwise dimly-lit room told Thirteen of everything he needed to know. Hunched in front of a computing machine he built for himself, his fingers moved with unprecedented speed, in time with Eighteen's ramblings.

"I see a fortress in the middle of the woods. Seven passed by the highway, and I think you know it's close to Section G's hideout," Eighteen said. The girl in question sat on a dusty mat she uncovered in the numerous supply cabinets scattered around the building. It was the same method Thirteen used to find the battered keyboard, which he now learned to patter on to record data faster and more accurately.

He shifted his legs on the stool, bending his back forward just to remove the tight knots inside. Seven got back from his reconnaissance mission, finding them all the remaining sections' records. He figured they'd keep one, if they wanted to introduce order and a system to win. In a span of seven cycles of light and dark, they accumulated all kinds of methods of storing data, and with Eighteen's ability, they could unlock the history of each one as long as DNA was imprinted on them.

The official name was psychometry, and until now, Thirteen had barely an inkling in explaining the science behind it. But it was the case for everyone he met. Not one followed conventional laws about the human body and the forces of nature. Interesting, if not a little suspicious.

He requested Two to pull the image of Section H's hideout from Seven's head, and now, he only needed to know how they managed to record such a detailed analysis of their team's abilities. Karrel from Section H. Perhaps, Thirteen should pay her a visit.

But before that, they had to learn how to best deal with her should they meet each other at one of the counters. She was smart enough to hide details of her ability, including her second-in-command, a scrawny boy named Verez. She'd be smart enough to realize someone with an ability like Seven's would someday develop the idea of stealing confidential information under their noses.

Which didn't make sense for Thirteen. Why risk feeding one's team to the enemy but save themselves? The goal was to win as a section, not win alone. Unless...she knew something everyone didn't. Everyone seemed to do so regarding this game, anyway. If Thirteen found her black book, would he unlock everything she knew?

The thought of those useless things induced more questions in him than answers. Through Five's help, they opened the locked rooms, and instead of finding more information on the inky books on the bedside tables, Thirteen found out they were the same as his—blank. Empty.

What came next? He needed to distract the others with tasks connected to winning and staying alive inside the Game. What better way than to have them map out the terrain, study their enemies, and increase their defenses? The next counter, if his estimates were correct with the randomization coefficient factored in, would come soon. If not today, then tomorrow. If he was proven wrong, he would have new and insightful data to calibrate his calculations. Either way, he'd come closer and closer to the objective truth every cycle.

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