Shen Mo smiled and tucked the doll back into her canvas bag.
“No need,” he said, reaching out to pat her head. “We’ll be back soon. Keep the prop; it might be useful if something happens here.”
Bai Youwei pouted, unhappy.
Just then, a faint tremor vibrated through the floor again.
Bai Youwei’s face turned even paler.
She knew the monster was nearby again, and Shen Mo and Tan Xiao were about to leave.
“Let’s go.” Shen Mo placed a large bottle of peppermint iced sugar water in her arms and straightened up. “Hide yourself well inside. If you feel nauseous, take a sip.”
Tan Xiao added, “Weiwei, once Mo Ge and I find the exit, we can all get out of here!”
Bai Youwei’s usual haughty expression softened, replaced by a vulnerable, almost pitiful look. “Come back soon…”
The two walked out the door, one after the other.
The tremors intensified, but seemed to be moving away from the street. Shen Mo estimated the direction and led Tan Xiao swiftly toward the source of the vibrations.
Bai Youwei watched from the window for a while before Cheng Weicai urged her into the back kitchen.
They closed the door made of stacked layers of meat, leaving only a narrow crack to observe the situation outside.
The intensity of the tremors fluctuated, sometimes closer, sometimes further away. The long, fat serpent seemed to be darting around the streets, desperately searching for food.
After a while, it moved further and further away, and the surroundings returned to quiet…
Everything was silent.
Everyone in the back kitchen breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, they couldn’t help but worry about the two who had gone out.
“I hope they’ll be alright,” Teacher Cheng sighed, praying.
Pan Xiaoxin silently looked at Cheng Weicai and Bai Youwei. The ones left behind were the old, the young, and the injured of the team, which made him feel very uneasy…
Bai Youwei frowned in silence.
She took a sip from the water bottle, still feeling irritable. Seeing a few mint leaves floating in the water, she reached out her slender, white fingers, fished them out, and chewed on them.
The cool, slightly bitter taste diluted the smell of blood in the air, making her feel a little better.
She glanced sideways at the half-dead man on the floor and asked, “How did your companions die?”
The man was stunned for a moment, then replied, “…We were following the snake, trying to find the exit, when it spotted us at a corner. We didn’t have time to escape… They were eaten, and I injured my leg.”
Bai Youwei asked him again, “Have you seen anyone else?”
The man’s face became even more bewildered. “No… I’ve been hiding here, afraid to go out. If you hadn’t suddenly barged in, I wouldn’t have known anyone else entered the maze.”
Bai Youwei pursed her lips and looked outside, silently counting the time in her mind.
She recalled what Shen Mo had said earlier—five people entered the maze, one of them was injured, and in the end, all five left the maze.
This meant that the maze shouldn’t be too difficult, unless those five people were incredibly capable.
Could those five people really be that gifted?
She didn’t think that she and Shen Mo, who had experienced a data upgrade, were any worse than those five.
Also, in the Mirror Maze, as long as one found the right approach, it was easy to get out. The existence of the maze couldn’t be solely for players to fight giant monsters!
Bai Youwei’s head ached, and the surrounding smell of meat made her want to vomit again.
She raised her head and took another sip of peppermint water. Through the transparent glass bottle, she saw a blurry shadow moving outside the restaurant.
Pan Xiaoxin nervously shrank back and said in an extremely faint voice, “It’s that… skinless monster.”
Teacher Cheng quickly closed the door tightly, his back pressed against it, his expression grave and tense.
“There’s only one, don’t be afraid… It won’t find us.”
He gripped his cane and whispered to Bai Youwei and Pan Xiaoxin, “Stay back. Don’t be afraid. I’ll guard here. I won’t let it in.”