“Save me! Please, save me!!!” The man’s face was pressed against the ground as he sobbed. “Help me! I beg you!!!”
Bai Youwei looked at him. “How can I help you?”
She paused for two seconds, then asked flatly, “Should I help you cut open your face?”
The man looked at her, still crying.
“Wouldn’t that hurt?” Bai Youwei asked calmly, as if discussing the matter with him. “And if the wound gets bigger, it will be even more painful, right? Your legs are already gone, so your face is useless anyway. You’re… already dead…”
The man finally broke down!
Whether angered by her words or frightened, he wailed, roaring curses. “Damn you all!!! You’ll end up just like me! Just like me!!!”
Shen Mo frowned, gripped the armrests of his wheelchair, and turned, pushing Bai Youwei out.
Bai Youwei’s eyes widened. “I haven’t finished talking to him yet!”
Shen Mo looked down at her. “Not disgusted anymore?”
“…” Bai Youwei’s expression slowly became difficult to describe.
“Why did you have to remind me…” She closed her eyes and covered her stomach.
The others behind them exchanged glances.
They looked at the man writhing on the ground, speechless, and left the restaurant one after another.
Behind them, the man’s cries and curses continued, using the most vicious words, the most hysterical tone, venting the most desperate pain!
He would never get out!
Even though the exit was right in front of him, he would never, ever be able to return to the human world…
…
Outside, it was still blood-red and scorching hot.
A few restless small monsters could be vaguely seen in the distance.
And the Gluttonous Snakes, long and short, slithered through the streets and alleys, likely to appear at any moment. “Let’s reorganize our thoughts,” Shen Mo said, withdrawing his gaze and looking calmly at the others. “Gluttonous Snakes eat Skinned Monsters, Skinned Monsters eat the maze, and Gluttonous Snakes, Skinned Monsters, and the maze eat us. Any thoughts?”
Tan Xiao: “…We’re so screwed.”
“Pfft!” Bai Youwei couldn’t help but laugh.
Shen Mo glanced at her. “Now we have two options. One is to follow the direction of the aorta, find the core of the maze, and destroy it. Maybe an exit will appear. The other is to follow the direction of the capillaries, find the edge of the maze, and try to create an exit by destroying it.”
“But the maze’s self-healing ability is very strong,” Tan Xiao said seriously. “Whether we cut it or stab it, the wound heals quickly. And we can’t get injured ourselves, or it will heal us along with it!”
“Use those~” Bai Youwei pointed to the Skinned Monsters in the distance.
Teacher Cheng nodded. “These monsters are like harmful bacteria in the maze’s body. They can destroy the immune system and prevent wound healing… But how do we control them?”
“Before considering how to control them, let’s think about where to go first, the center of the maze, or the edge?” Bai Youwei gently rubbed the rabbit in her arms, thinking slowly. “If Teacher Cheng’s assumption is correct, then the Gluttonous Snakes should exist like white blood cells, devouring germs and foreign bodies, and producing antibodies to resist the invasion of pathogens. They will be very active in the center of the maze.”
“So we can’t go to the center,” Shen Mo said. “We’ll go to the edge of the maze.”
Bai Youwei pointed at Pan Xiaoxin without hesitation. “Xiaoxin, lead the way.”
Pan Xiaoxin: “…”
Seeing him stunned, Teacher Cheng, worried that the child might feel uncomfortable, stepped forward and said kindly, “How about letting me look at the map…”
“Teacher Cheng, he’s 11 years old. He’s already a mature young man,” Bai Youwei said matter-of-factly. “And he’s a local from Hangzhou. He should know best which place is suitable as a breakthrough point.”
Teacher Cheng thought for a moment, then gently patted the child’s shoulder and encouraged him kindly, “Xiaoxin, don’t feel pressured. We all believe in you!”