Ariana had initially believed that once she located Adrian, she would find Holden. However, she quickly realized they had been separated.

Unsure of Holden's current situation, she felt increasingly worried.

The mere thought tightened her lips and deepened her fear, making her feel helpless.

Upon seeing Ariana's pale face, Adrian moved quickly to console her.

“Look, Ariana, don't worry. I'm alright, and Holden must be, too. Honestly, he's probably better at handling this than I am."

His comforting words managed to alleviate some of Ariana's anxiety, allowing her to compose herself.

When Ariana's hand brushed against the frigid metal door, a sinister foreboding gripped her. "We need to leave this place," she said firmly. "It's just too eerie here. I'm pretty sure it belongs to some deranged scientist who's conducting experiments on people."

She recounted to Adrian the sinister laboratories she had stumbled upon before.

Adrian's expression darkened briefly before he nodded in agreement.

“I believe I know where the exit is."

"Great!" Ariana felt a rush of relief, hopeful that this was their moment to escape here.

If she could escape, she could be able to find Holden.

However, her relief was fleeting, replaced swiftly by confusion.

"Wait, how do you know where the exit is?"

“After I woke up, I made it my mission to explore as much of this place as I could. I'm pretty sure the exit is near here because I stumbled upon a highway not too far from here. Where there's a highway, there's usually a way out," Adrian said.

With no time to waste, Adrian and Ariana quickly made their escape plan.

Dreading that the mad scientist might intercept them at any moment, they rushed upstairs to the first floor, where the only door that might lead to safety was secured with a keypad.

Standing before the large door, Ariana eyed the keypad warily, her nerves on edge about possibly triggering an alarm with the incorrect code.

Turning to Adrian, she voiced her concern. “Any thoughts on how to crack this?"

Adrian looked back, his expression grave. “I'm at a loss. I don't know the code," he confessed, his frustration evident.