Chapter 43: The Headless Maze
The deeper Shen Ling’an went, the more his fear of this place grew.
But ever since stepping into the maze, it felt as if his body was no longer under his control.
His legs moved forward relentlessly, eager to chase down the path that stretched out of sight.
He wanted to turn back, but he couldn’t.
At the rear of the group, Xu Qingsui and Lu Jingyu walked in silence, following closely behind.
But just as the whole group entered the maze, the two of them had looked back toward the entrance in unison.
They both remembered the fourth rule, even though the reasoning behind it was a complete mystery.
But some things only provided an answer once you saw them for yourself.
But when they both happened to look back, all they could see was darkness. The entrance had been completely swallowed by it.
While the light around Shen Ling’an up ahead could illuminate an inch or so in front of him, the light above them only reached as far as their heels. Beyond that point, it was as if the light had been sliced away, leaving nothing but absolute blackness.
And just like that, the entrance vanished before their eyes, unable to answer the questions plaguing their minds.
In truth, they had only just entered the maze. By all rights, the entrance should have been just two or three steps behind them.
Xu Qingsui considered going back for a look.
’Maybe a rule is a rule, and it overrides everything else.’
’If I just walk back, I might actually clear this instance.’
Just as she was lost in this thought and about to act on it, a hand grabbed her arm.
The grip pulled her back to reality.
Lu Jingyu seemed to have guessed what she wanted to do and gently shook his head at her.
"It’s no use. Don’t forget the other rule—we can’t leave the group. If you step into that darkness, we might never find each other again."
Xu Qingsui snapped out of it. She had been so focused on the fourth rule that she’d completely forgotten the others.
She gave Lu Jingyu a grateful, relieved look.
"Let’s keep moving. The answer is waiting for us up ahead. We have to remember the rules of the instance. In here, the rules are absolute."
Xu Qingsui nodded, and they fell silent again.
Shen Ling’an had lost track of how long he’d been walking. All he knew was that his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, growing heavier and harder to lift with every step. Still, the end was nowhere in sight.
Finally, Shen Ling’an couldn’t take it anymore and came to a halt.
"I can’t go on! We’ve been walking for what, two or three hours now? We haven’t even seen a single fork in the road. Is this really a maze?"
The others, who had been miserable for a while, also stopped one by one.
If it were just a two or three-hour walk, they wouldn’t have been so tired.
But being in an instance, with the constant threat of danger looming, they were under immense psychological pressure. The slightest physical exertion on top of that felt unbearable.
Lu Jingyu’s gaze went past the others and locked onto Shen Ling’an. "After we entered the instance, this was the only path available. Whether it’s a maze or not, we don’t have any other choice."
"Instances are filled with incomprehensible challenges for us to solve, not to stand around questioning."
Lu Jingyu’s words were like daggers, piercing straight through Shen Ling’an.
He wanted to retort but was at a loss for words.
"Everyone, take five. We move out again in five minutes. This time, keep a close eye on the walls. Maybe we missed something."
In truth, Lu Jingyu had been walking at the rear the entire time, meticulously scanning every detail.
Even though he hadn’t found anything, he didn’t believe it was impossible that he’d missed something.
This was a good chance to mobilize the group. There’s strength in numbers, after all.
After resting for a moment, when Lu Jingyu went to check the time, he suddenly froze.
Xu Qingsui noticed him stiffen and shot him a questioning look.
Lu Jingyu didn’t speak, just tilted his watch face toward Xu Qingsui.
Xu Qingsui glanced at it and was taken aback. She immediately looked up at Lu Jingyu.
Lu Jingyu shook his head, then said to the group, "Time’s up. Let’s move. Everyone needs to be on high alert. Be careful."
Shen Ling’an said nothing and could only trudge onward.
No one spoke. The corridor was filled with the mixed sounds of footsteps and labored breaths.
Facing the endless path ahead, Shen Ling’an ignored Lu Jingyu’s warning and let his mind wander.
’The moment I think of the way Lu Jingyu looked at me, my blood boils, and I want to fight him to the death.’
’And Xu Qingsui... I’ll make her understand that she’ll never find anyone better than me.’
’I’ll make her get on her knees, crying and begging for me to take her back.’
As Shen Ling’an was lost in his wild thoughts, a chill brushed across his scalp.
A sharp pain struck him, and Shen Ling’an’s eyes went wide as he froze on the spot.
He dazedly raised a hand to touch his scalp and felt a sticky sensation.
"What are you doing? Why did you stop so suddenly?"
Xu Ruming, who was walking right behind Shen Ling’an, had her mind elsewhere.
She hadn’t even noticed Shen Ling’an’s sudden stop and walked straight into him.
The impact hurt, and Xu Ruming’s eyes flew open as she yelled.
Shen Ling’an blankly glanced at Xu Ruming, then opened his hand for her to see.
A splash of crimson entered Xu Ruming’s vision. She froze for a second, then stumbled backward in terror.
"What’s wrong with you? Why is there so much blood?"
The others heard the commotion and gathered around in twos and threes.
After seeing Shen Ling’an’s hand covered in blood, they hurriedly looked him over.
Shen Ling’an stared blankly, then switched hands and felt the top of his head.
This time, not only did his hand come away covered in blood, but he also pulled off something bright red.
"What is that thing? It’s so disgusting, throw it away!"
Xu Ruming was genuinely terrified, forgetting all about her composure as she shrieked.
Shen Ling’an had calmed down a little by then. He felt around his head for another moment before letting out a visible sigh of relief.
"It’s okay, false alarm. This thing suddenly landed on my head, and I thought a Mutant was attacking. I just checked—the blood is from this thing, not me."
Hearing this, the group’s tense expressions eased somewhat.
But just as everyone was letting their guard down, Shen Ling’an’s expression suddenly tightened. A look of agony crept across his face.
"There’s something wrong with this thing, I—"
Before Shen Ling’an could finish, a slew of bright red objects began to SPLAT down from above.
Everyone stared in stunned silence at the objects raining down.
"Don’t just stand there gawking, move! Don’t let those things touch you!"
Xu Qingsui’s roar snapped the dazed group back to their senses.
"You two, grab Shen Ling’an! Run! Get out of this area now!"
At Lu Jingyu’s command, the group finally snapped out of it. The two people closest to the front grabbed Shen Ling’an and sprinted ahead.