Xiao Muyu was unsure of the others’ fate. Ever since she was thrown out of that room, she sensed something was off.
Now, she found herself between two rooms, meaning she could choose to go left or right. However, when she reached the intersection, she discovered the original four-way intersection had turned into a T-junction, on both sides.
She had found the edge of this maze.
Shaking off her shock, she quickly reactivated the group chat, only to find it still devoid of messages.
Feeling anxious, she opened the control panel and hesitated before clicking on the teammates tab.
Her eyes uncontrollably darted to her own name first, then over a large red heart-shaped “囍” character, she saw Shen Qingqiu’s name, still highlighted.
Xiao Muyu felt the panic in her heart dissipate instantly. She checked the other three names below, all still intact, and felt relieved for now.
Although she had been trapped in an illusion created by Liu Ya in the room, Xiao Muyu did not solely attribute everything to Liu Ya’s malice.
She hadn’t triggered any punishment conditions, just a dead loop. Liu Ya had no reason to harm her without cause. Now, she had appeared in a new place with blank markers around her, meaning she could continue forward. The dead loop was not only broken, but she had also found the edge.
She boldly speculated that whenever a loop appeared, they would enter a control center, then exit from a new starting point.
Xiao Muyu closed her eyes and began to mentally map the path she and Shen Qingqiu had walked, horizontal and vertical lines forming this large platform, and their route was… Straight lines, left turns, right turns…
Suddenly, Xiao Muyu opened her eyes, realizing a problem. From where they started, without considering the middle part, they had walked 14 steps forward and 19 steps left.
This meant that if their starting point was the origin, then the looping room was at a position 19 steps left and 14 steps forward from the start.
By this calculation, the area they traversed was at least 19×14 in size.
But now she was transported to another place, unclear how far from the previous area, losing her fixed position. However, she could use this room as a new starting point to record her path.
Looking around, both sides showed endless corridors without obstructions despite the poor lighting. Yet she saw no one.
Thinking deeply, she realized that if all the students from Class Seven had entered, there would be at least forty people.
She and Shen Qingqiu had encountered three students, making five including herself. The probability of only seeing three people in such a long corridor was low. If someone was in the same area, they would surely notice. Hence, perhaps everyone had different starting points.
With these thoughts, she took a deep breath, ready to continue.
Time had already been spent; she needed to make a choice. Other matters could wait. She was particularly worried that Shen Qingqiu might act rashly if unable to find her. She needed to explore the area while searching for Shen Qingqiu.
After some thought, she chose to go left because the door had no marker, indicating she should continue straight.
At the next T-junction, the marker was a dot, suggesting she should go right, but the right path was blocked.
Defying conventional rules, she only had one path to take. Decisively, Xiao Muyu turned left.
When Shen Qingqiu was around, he was always so formidable and protective that she rarely had to act. Yet, she was never afraid to take action, even without Shen Qingqiu’s prowess.
Even if it was risky, she had to try.
Turning left proved uneventful!
Xiao Muyu paused, looking back at the path she had taken. Based on magnetic field force analysis and previous experience, it was clear her choice was wrong. However, rules don’t change; there must be a reason for the left turn.
Four fingers pointed in the direction of the current, palm facing down, the thumb should point right… but it was left. Xiao Muyu adjusted her thumb and suddenly realized.
In a magnetic field, the direction of particle movement isn’t always the same as the current direction. Positive charges align, but negative charges are opposite.
So she was now a negative charge!
Understanding this, Xiao Muyu continued through another intersection: straight, right, right, still correct!
In a magnetic field, a person is like a charged particle, and can change polarity. What causes this change? Were the two girls who went wrong also due to polarity change?
Xiao Muyu recalled the room and stored her doubts for now. The rule’s answer lay among them, but so far, she had only seen three dead students and no other living people.
Remembering Liu Ya mentioned only twenty minutes left, she still had no clue, except the odd looping room.
Following the markers step by step, having determined the rules, Xiao Muyu progressed smoothly. As she made her second left turn, a noise suddenly sounded behind her.
Turning quickly, she saw a large monster crashing heavily to the ground.
Along with the body fell a decayed head. Xiao Muyu glanced at it, then fixed her gaze.
It wasn’t the monster she focused on, but the tall figure standing in the dim light—Shen Qingqiu.
Xiao Muyu couldn’t describe her emotions. Seeing Shen Qingqiu, every sense of hers was forcibly drawn to him.
Her mind even went blank for a moment, making her just stare dumbly at him. Then, her heart began to pound violently, and a feeling so strong it made her want to cry surged in her chest.
Shen Qingqiu looked very disheveled. His clothes were torn in several places, and there were blood marks on his face and hands. His eyes, filled with killing intent and anger, were bloodshot, looking like a wolf staring at its prey.
However, Xiao Muyu could clearly see that his eyes softened for a moment when he saw her.
The fierceness quickly dissipated, his eyes flickered after the light in them shattered, and then emotions surged.
For a moment, Xiao Muyu didn’t know what to say. They hadn’t been apart for long, but no one could understand her feelings when she saw Shen Qingqiu; it felt like a reunion after a long separation.
Shen Qingqiu didn’t say a word. He strode over, not even glancing at the markers around him.
Because at that moment, no rule could dictate his direction. Xiao Muyu was his rule; she was his direction!
Before Xiao Muyu could stop him, Shen Qingqiu hugged her tightly. He held her so forcefully that she even felt pain.
The close contact couldn’t hide the urgent, hot heartbeat and the uncontrollable, rapid breathing.
Xiao Muyu read many things from Shen Qingqiu’s embrace—her tension, fear, urgency, and relief.
“Sorry, I couldn’t hold onto you.”
In her memory, Xiao Muyu thought she was someone who wouldn’t cry. She didn’t cry when her father beat and scolded her, nor when she was bullied.
Once, when her father and mother fought, a pair of scissors was thrown and stabbed her arm, causing a pool of blood, but she still didn’t cry.
So her mother called her a monster, cold-blooded. When her mother and stepfather died, she didn’t cry either.
But when Shen Qingqiu hugged her and said those words, her eyes suddenly stung.
Hot tears uncontrollably fell, feeling unfamiliar and bitter.
Her voice was as if it had been burned, choking up as she said, “You madman, idiot!”
For the first time, she didn’t hold back her words. Ignoring how dirty Shen Qingqiu was, she raised her hands and hugged him just as tightly. She felt she should have hugged him like this long ago, tightly, never letting go.
Shen Qingqiu didn’t expect Xiao Muyu to hug him back. Hearing her somewhat fierce yet choking scolding, his eyes also turned red, but he couldn’t help but laugh.
“It took me so long to find you, don’t scold me.” He lowered his voice, feeling his empty heart fill again, tightening his hold.
When Xiao Muyu was thrown out, she hit the wall, and her injured shoulder and back still hurt. Shen Qingqiu’s tight hug made her shoulder tense up.
Shen Qingqiu immediately noticed and quickly let go, his eyes filled with concern. “Are you hurt?”
Xiao Muyu shook her head, “I’m fine.”
She looked at Shen Qingqiu, seeing the dirt and bloodstains all over him. She couldn’t imagine how many fights he had been through.
“You, you’re really a stubborn ox!” Thinking about Shen Qingqiu fighting his way through, Xiao Muyu couldn’t imagine it.
“Li Ya told me you were in this direction. After entering that room, I didn’t know where people would be thrown. I didn’t continue turning right.
But I was afraid you’d walk alone and deviate too much, so I hurried in this direction. Luckily, you were coming toward me and didn’t deviate too much.”
Xiao Muyu didn’t know what to say for a moment. She couldn’t blame him, so she frowned and said, “Do you really think you’re made of iron? What if something happened? Don’t even think about finding me then, you might not even…”
Shen Qingqiu lowered his eyes, looking sad and aggrieved. “I was scared you’d be in trouble. Just thinking about you being alone made me lose my cool.”
Xiao Muyu’s heart softened, and she said quietly, “Where’s my handkerchief?”
“Huh?” Shen Qingqiu was stunned, then took out the handkerchief, apologizing, “I got too excited and made you dirty.”
Before he could reach out, Xiao Muyu took the handkerchief and immediately started wiping his face.
Frowning, she held Shen Qingqiu’s chin, turning his face to wipe the bloodstains from his cheeks and ears, revealing a cut.
Shen Qingqiu didn’t mind being held like this, even secretly smiling.
“You almost ruined your face, the only part of you that looks decent.” After cleaning him up, Xiao Muyu handed back the handkerchief, leaving Shen Qingqiu chuckling.
“I’m good-looking all over, you’ve seen it.”
Xiao Muyu gave him a look, not continuing the banter. She said quietly, “Time is limited, we need to hurry. You said Li Ya told you I was here. Why would she tell you that?”
Shen Qingqiu paused, then briefly explained what happened. Xiao Muyu was surprised and a bit saddened, imagining Shen Qingqiu’s anxiety and frustration from her calm tone.
“Are you really not hurt? Did I hit your back? Is it painful?” Shen Qingqiu was still worried. “I said if she hurt you, I’d kill her ghost bride.”
Xiao Muyu shook her head, then seriously said, “If something like this happens again, don’t act recklessly. I’m not a canary; I can protect myself. Just take care of yourself.”
Shen Qingqiu didn’t speak, just tightly held her hand, whispering, “I won’t let you go again.”
Her hand was warm and soft, with a gentle strength, making Xiao Muyu’s face feel hot. She tried to pull away but couldn’t, so she let Shen Qingqiu hold her and changed the topic. “Qingqiu, do you remember how many intersections you passed from that room? I need to know.” She then shared the information she had gathered with Shen Qingqiu.
After a moment of thought, Shen Qingqiu, sensitive to such details, quickly recalled and said decisively, “If that room is the starting point, it’s left 13, back 6.”
“Left 13, back 6? On my side, it’s right 17, forward 8.” Xiao Muyu muttered, reaching out to Shen Qingqiu, “Dagger.”
Shen Qingqiu handed the dagger to Xiao Muyu, watching as she quickly carved several points on the wall, marking them with numbers.
“I counted. If we take our initial starting point as the origin, that room is left 19, forward 14. You went back 6, and I went forward 8, which matches perfectly. This indicates that the point where I was transported and our initial starting point are on the same horizontal level, one to the left, the other to the right.
So we can deduce that the horizontal distance between these two points is 19 + 13 + 17, which equals 49. Is 49 a coincidence?” Xiao Muyu turned to ask Shen Qingqiu.
Shen Qingqiu laughed, “I don’t think so. You’ve hit on a crucial point. This platform is very likely a 49 by 49 grid. Each room, or each point, has its own position.
Some of these are just regular rooms, while others will transport people directly. Since we’ve found one that isn’t an exit but a boundary, let’s continue searching.”
Author’s note: The app has issues and I couldn’t update, so I used the web version. The text is too small on my phone, so I’ll skip editing for now.
Their first proper hug—I’ve made progress! I almost had them kiss while writing, but considering the atmosphere, it’s not quite there yet.
![Dissatisfied [e-sports]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/4997572.jpg "Dissatisfied [e-sports]")
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
