A Second Chance at Forever (Eleanor and Bernard) novel Chapter 1298

Just as the robotic arms were about to seize Robin, Scarface Man lowered his voice again, "Serpentine motion, now!"

Robin had no reason to doubt Scarface Man anymore. He gripped Eleanor's hand, and with a swift serpentine movement, they bolted towards the exit of the arcade.

The mechanical arms, besides moving in a straight line, could swerve. Under Robin's quick zigzagging maneuvers, they extended endlessly and turned infinitely.

Blue's programming was clear: it had to sever an arm before retracting. Otherwise, the relentless automaton would keep chasing him until its mission was accomplished.

The unfortunate one was Eleanor. Handcuffed to Robin, their fate was intertwined. While Robin was still able to run, Eleanor, frail and weak, was quickly running out of breath.

She had considered using Blue's metal blade to cut their handcuffs, hoping it might stop the robot. But the blade was too wide, and their cuffs were too close - it was too risky and could end in them losing their arms.

Considering that Blue's programming required human contact to activate, Eleanor immediately dismissed the idea. Gritting her teeth, she kept running with Robin, racking her brain for a plan.

Seeing their dwindling energy, Scarface Man sprinted to the opposite game booth number three, snatched an arm from a loud-mouthed man, and rushed back to them. Just as Blue was about to grab Robin's arm, Scarface Man swiftly shoved the severed limb into Blue's clasp.

Upon contact, Blue snapped the arm in two with a loud crunch. Tasting the metallic tang of blood, it swiftly retracted its arm.

In an instant, danger was averted for Robin. Eleanor's heart, lodged in her throat, fell back into place. The only one cursing was the loud-mouthed man, cursing them.

Seeing their strategy, the rest of the players began to follow suit. Even those who had chosen the death door began using those who had chosen the life door as their scapegoats.

In game booth number four, only Eleanor, who had just returned, hadn't had a chance to press the number button. The others tried to rush in and grab her as they ran past the booth, but were promptly kicked out by Scarface Man and Robin.

Protected by the two men, Eleanor followed Scarface Man's previous instruction and quickly pressed the number two button. Sure enough, the word "Life" appeared on the red door opposite to them.

Seeing this, Robin breathed a sigh of relief. The look he gave Scarface Man changed from suspicion to trust. "Why?" he asked.

His question was about why Scarface Man was helping them. Scarface Man simply shook his head in response. Robin understood that they were being watched and did not press further.

"The first round is over. Please, all winners, choose your rewards."

Five minutes later, the mechanical voice rang out again, and two reward options appeared on the screen.