Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The system warning proved more effective than anything else, and the impatient Luo Xi finally stopped.

After all, the price of recklessly being eliminated because of this was far too great.

Xiyu, who had regained his composure, hurriedly pushed him away, sitting dazed by the water, raising his hand in helplessness.

After the passionate kiss, only a subtle tranquility remained by the lakeside.

Luo Xi finally calmed down, stood up, and reached out, wanting to pull him up.

But Xiyu, stubborn as ever, suddenly raised his head and asked, "Why did you kiss me?"

"..." Luo Xi was at a loss for words, then retorted, "Why didn't you refuse?"

Xiyu thought for a moment and replied, "Because... I don't dislike it."

Sometimes, this person’s directness was really hard to bear. Luo Xi bent down and yanked him up. "Hurry up and dry your clothes, do you want to freeze to death?"

After all, they were live streaming; no need to say much.

Xiyu, finally coming to his senses, walked with him to the shore.

Luo Xi reignited the fire from earlier, then went around to find a few wet logs, quietly hanging their dripping cotton coats to dry, masking his flustered feelings with his busy hands.

The thin inner shirt was quickly soaked through by the cold wind.

Xiyu couldn't help but shiver, leaning against the fire to rub his hands, forcing his thoughts back to the task at hand. "At least this trip wasn’t a waste. It seems that to win Snow Prince’s heart, we first need to kill that NPC Ah Ming... but those two are so pitiful, it feels like our actions are a bit cruel."

Luo Xi finally finished, sitting beside him, and began slicing a small apple with the knife he had just cleaned. After a while, he sneered, "You wouldn't want to give up on Ah Qi just because you feel sorry for the story someone else created, would you?"

"Of course not. Killing the NPC is something we have no choice but to do," Xiyu immediately declared. "Even if there's retribution, it will only fall on the game designers."

Luo Xi laughed even harder, then handed him the sliced apple. "Eat up. There's nothing else to eat right now."Xiyu took the apple, tasted it lightly, and the sweet flavor spread in his mouth, diluting the lingering aftertaste of the ambiguous moment.

The two sat in silence again.

Just as his thoughts were fluctuating, chaotic footsteps came from the swamp.

Luo Xi immediately stood up with a knife in hand and saw four unfamiliar streamers awkwardly sticking their heads out one by one. He frowned tightly and asked, "What are you doing?"

The streamers were startled by his fierce appearance, and after muttering a few words to each other, they sent the tallest male streamer to explain: "It’s... it’s too cold, and there’s a tattooed guy in the snow who kills without blinking. We barely escaped his pursuit, and we just wanted to come here to rest. If we're disturbing you, we can leave."

... It sounds like that tattooed guy is indeed the crazy Mo Yi.

"Don’t go into the lake. Those two just died." Luo Xi sneered, not asking more but offering a piece of advice instead.

The streamers immediately backed away, moving carefully to a corner to search for firewood.

Xiyu glanced at Luo Xi, who sat beside him again, and smiled slightly. "Actually, you can be quite kind sometimes."

Luo Xi picked up another apple, wiped it casually, and took a bite. After chewing a few times, he said, "I don’t know if you're praising me or scolding me."

Xiyu’s smile didn’t fade as he fiddled with the fire with a small twig. "What should we do now? Should we go back and tell Xu Tu, or..."

Luo Xi thought for a moment. "According to the story, that Ah Ming is a blind man, but he can shoot arrows in the forest and attack. This shows his hearing is beyond normal. He’s not someone who can be easily caught."

"So what should we do?" Xiyu played with the divination plate in his hand. "There are fewer and fewer streamers left, and I’m worried we won’t have enough time."

Luo Xi frowned, deep in thought. "Since we can’t think of a solution, let’s go find Tuzi and brainstorm. We’ve been apart for too long, and we don’t know if she’s run into any trouble."

Xiyu nodded eagerly. "Then we’ll leave once the clothes are dry."

Luo Xi quietly watched him for a moment, then suddenly reached out and ruffled his wet silver-white short hair. "You’ve done so much for me, thank you."

Xiyu was surprised. "What’s this..."

Luo Xi looked away, sighing. "I’m not just talking about this game."

While Luo Xi and the others were desperately working to revive Bai Qi, Mu Yuan and Luo Er were having a blast in the game.

After all, they had exceptional stamina and were ruthless, turning the icy nightmare island into a killing playground. Whenever they rested enough, they would go around hunting down other streamers.The screams once again pierced through the heavy night, and the blood, steaming with heat, stained the white snow, making it filthy.

Luo Er, filled with resentment, was not satisfied with just stabbing the female streamer in front of her twice. In a fit of frustration, she continued to viciously stab her dozens more times, leaving behind nothing of the once-beautiful girl but a mutilated corpse.

Mu Yuan, however, was more composed. He calmly wiped his weapon clean with a white cloth and stood beside her, coldly snorting, "Save your energy, there's no need to waste it."

"Why can’t we find Luo Xi?" Luo Er was angry. "Didn't I already kill his lackey? That person should have brought Xiyu and Xu Tu here for revenge."

Mu Yuan snorted, "The more someone brags about loyalty, the more selfish and self-serving they become when it matters."

Luo Er kicked the corpse at her feet in frustration, "I don't care. Anyway, I want to personally send them to their deaths, and that Mo Yi too..."

Mu Yuan, who had been patiently listening to her rant, suddenly heard footsteps nearby and immediately turned around, demanding, "Who’s there?!"

A slender figure slowly walked out from behind a tree, raising both hands with a faint smile, "Don’t worry."

As the top-ranked streamer, Mu Yuan was arrogant enough to look down on most others and didn’t recognize the beginner streamer standing in front of him.

The newcomer introduced himself, "My name is Zhao Zhusheng. It’s not surprising that you don’t know me, but I recognize Xiyu and Luo Xi."

Luo Er immediately became interested, pushing Mu Yuan aside and stepping forward, "Oh?"

Zhao Zhusheng smiled sincerely, "To be honest, I’ve played a couple of games with Xiyu before, and I did admire him a bit. I even wanted to ally with him, but he not only looked down on me, he also repeatedly tried to kill me in the game. Now, I just hope he’s eliminated soon."

Luo Er sneered, "That’s not surprising. He didn’t even blink when he killed my friend."

"Xiyu is indeed strong, and with him and Luo Xi teaming up, I’m alone and can’t do anything about it," Zhao Zhusheng said with a flattering expression. "So when I heard you two were looking for them, I decided to take the liberty of coming here."

Mu Yuan, somewhat doubtful, asked, "So, you know where they are?"

Zhao Zhusheng scratched his face. "Bai Qi is dead, and they’re all pretty upset about it. I saw those two guys head west, but Xu Tu stayed behind with two smaller streamers at Heishui Village. I’m not sure what they’re up to, but... I imagine they’ll be gathering soon."

Luo Er, confused, asked, "Head west? What’s in the west?"

"I don’t know," Zhao Zhusheng shook his head. "Those people are too cautious, and I didn’t dare get too close. But if you want to go after them, I can show you the way."

Mu Yuan and Luo Er exchanged a glance, and seeing that this male streamer wasn’t much of a threat, they were no longer worried. Mu Yuan raised his knife and said, "Then let’s go."

At that moment, completely focused on his friends, Luo Xi and Xiyu had no time to think about the scheming and plotting going on around them.Their journey was tough, and their return was equally painful, as if their skin had been sliced open.

By the time they finally arrived at Heishui Village after five hours, their legs were completely numb, and they could only keep moving through sheer willpower to avoid collapsing.

The village, still shrouded in darkness, reeked of blood, and a few steps in any direction would kick up freshly severed limbs, likely from streamers torn apart by the hungry wraiths.

Thinking about how the villagers turned into vengeful spirits because they ate the unfortunate Snow Prince made Xiyu feel no sympathy for them. He wearily took out a firestarter. "I trust Tuzi has a whip for a weapon, so there shouldn't be any problems. But these things attack when they see living people, so we should be careful."

Luo Xi nodded in agreement, focused on lighting the flickering torch. Suddenly, a scent of perfume mixed with the stench of decay wafted toward them, making him frown in frustration.

As expected, a voice like Xiao Yan’s drifted through the cold wind: "Young master... You really didn’t lie to me... I’ve been waiting for you for so long..."

Xiyu, a line of black on his face, hesitated before lighting the fire and saw the terrifying female ghost approach. He could only force a weak smile. "It’s you... Are my three companions still at Heishui Village?"

Xiao Yan tugged at her clothes, looking aggrieved, and complained bitterly, "Yes, they’re there. They’ve taken over my shop and won’t leave, and they even ruined my fabric!"

Xiyu didn’t bother replying further and immediately walked ahead with Luo Xi.

Xiao Yan, unwilling to let them go, floated behind, asking, "Young master, where are you going? Why are you with this lowly person again? Young master, young master—"

Luo Xi, unable to bear it any longer, suddenly set a fire to scare her off, shouting, "Get away! If I see you again, I’ll use Mr. Fu’s whip to scatter your soul!"

"Ah, you’re so bad!" Xiao Yan was scared off, running far away. After a moment, she paused, then turned around and disappeared while crying.

Xiyu smiled bitterly. "Why argue with an NPC?"

Luo Xi cursed, "What kind of NPC is that? Looks like something the game designers put in."

Xiyu blinked, recalling what Fei Ling had told him before entering the game, and asked, "It seems like natural humans can pay to experience the game on the cloud platform. Do you often play with them?"

Luo Xi didn’t care. "I’ve only been forced to play once or twice. They’re too weak—either arrogant or total idiots. I can't be bothered to deal with them."

... This guy really knows how to make enemies with the audience.

Xiyu smiled helplessly, following him into the familiar tailor shop.

No wonder the female ghost came to complain. The second floor, which had once been filled with scrap fabrics, now had a small fire burning. Most of the burnable items had been consumed, leaving the place in a pitiful state, with only a thick black cloth hanging by the window, hiding the light from the fire inside.

Du Li and Su Ziyan were still living comfortably, sprawled in a corner, sleeping in various positions.The previously most optimistic Xu Tu looked slightly troubled, sitting by Bai Qi's body, lost in thought in front of the fire.

Luo Xi climbed the stairs and asked loudly, "Tuzi, you didn't get scared silly by killing ghosts all alone, did you?"

Xu Tu finally noticed their arrival and stood up in surprise. "Boss! You’re all right? ...Why did you take so long? I was worrying for nothing!"

"It only took less than a day, and you're complaining about how long it took?" Luo Xi helped the weary Xiyu sit down and told him, "Dry your clothes, quickly recover your body temperature."

Since entering the game, Xiyu had barely rested. Now, sitting in a somewhat warm place, he felt dizzy and lightheaded.

Xu Tu kindly brought over water and two cold flatbreads. "Eat something, Little Xiyu looks so pale."

"He fell into an ice lake earlier," Luo Xi explained. "The cold was too much, he has a fever."

Xiyu didn't have the energy to speak, only taking the water and swallowing it with difficulty.

"Rest for now. I'll talk with Tuzi, then I'll let you sleep," Luo Xi said, gently massaging the cold, stiff back of Xiyu’s neck.

The rough hands brought a much-needed warmth. Xiyu nodded and, feeling his body relax, leaned back against the wall, closing his sore eyes. He didn’t move again, clearly exhausted to the point of complete physical depletion.

Xu Tu couldn't help but feel guilty. "...You really pushed yourselves to the limit. So, is there any progress in the situation?"

Luo Xi smiled faintly. "Guess."

Xu Tu looked at him anxiously, waiting for the verdict.

Luo Xi finally nodded.

Xu Tu immediately smiled, but couldn’t stop herself from covering her face and crying softly, "I knew it, Bai Qi can still be saved..."

Luo Xi patted her head. "Alright, don’t let those two fools make fun of you."

Du Li and Su Ziyan, who had been woken up and were secretly watching, couldn’t help but remain silent.

Knowing that Xu Tu couldn’t wait any longer, Luo Xi didn’t keep her in suspense. He adjusted Xiyu’s sleeping position and began explaining what they had witnessed in Mirror Lake.

The night grew quiet, with the small fire crackling.

After explaining everything, Xu Tu felt considerably reassured. She picked up a box and said, "After you left, I kept killing those hungry wraiths. But after collecting a hundred of these, the system notified me that I had exceeded the carrying limit and couldn’t pick up any more.""That’s enough," Luo Xi said, slightly surprised. "You're ruthless, killing a hundred of them."

Du Li blinked from the corner. "Not just that! After you left, I pulled out the big food box. Two male streamers tried to take it, and she killed them both!"

Su Ziyan nodded eagerly from the side. "Yes, yes, Rabbit Sis is awesome!"

"Hmph, killing so many people to save just one," Du Li couldn’t help but mock. "I don’t think that’s all that noble."

"I don’t need to be noble!" Xu Tu glared. "As long as Bai Qi doesn't get eliminated, I don't care if the whole world curses and steps on me."

Du Li's red eyes gleamed mischievously as she suddenly sat up and, with a smile, asked a heart-piercing question: "I'm curious... You two have such a good relationship, and you really have some skills. If it comes down to the end, and only one person can win, what will you choose then?"

"That's still months away," Xu Tu said, not showing much emotion. "Right now, I’ll do whatever I can to keep him alive for as long as possible. Later... as long as I don't betray my conscience, I’ll make my decision."

Du Li snorted. "I don't get it."

Xu Tu stopped responding, quietly looking at Luo Xi and Xiyu beside her.

At this moment, Xiyu was already deeply asleep. His boots were off, and he was covered with a thin blanket, lying sideways with his head resting on Luo Xi's legs, unaware of it all. It felt as though they'd always been this peaceful and calm, not like strangers who had only met a month ago.

Luo Xi gently ran his hand through Xiyu’s short hair and sighed. "There’s half of the game time left. Since we don’t need to collect the hated items anymore, we should find a way to kill Ah Ming quickly and get that NPC’s heart."

Xu Tu rested her chin on her hand, thinking. "But like you said, how do we kill a monster with extraordinary hearing who only hides in the Frost Forest and shoots arrows from a distance?"

Su Ziyan chimed in, "Yeah, it’s likely that before you even kill him, you’ll be shot dead."

This was no empty talk, and Luo Xi couldn’t help but frown.

Just then, Xu Tu’s eyes suddenly landed on Xiyu again, and she grinned wickedly. "How about we have Little Xiyu sacrifice himself and lure the snake out of its hole?"

With that, she patted the new clothes of Snow Prince beside her.

Luo Xi disagreed. "The Snow Prince is also white-haired, but he’s way uglier than Xiyu... And Ah Ming can’t see, so what’s the point of disguising? Besides... no one knows what Snow Prince sounds like."

"You’re so bent out of shape, but your brain is still so straight," Xu Tu said, disappointed. "We don’t need Xiyu to speak. We can create the atmosphere for Snow Prince’s appearance with extra actors, got it? Anyway, Xiyu is the only one who can imitate that NPC. If it were you, your big and burly self would scare the NPC half to death! Trust me, I’ll handle this!"

Reluctantly, Luo Xi agreed. "If Xiyu agrees, we can try it."

Du Li seemed interested and looked at them curiously. "So, you’re going back into the forest?"Luo Xi: "If you’re unwilling to leave this cozy spot, I won’t force you."

Su Ziyan tugged at Du Li in fear. "Lili, if they leave, we won't be able to defend against an ambush from others. We should follow them."

Du Li grinned, showing her tiger teeth. "Fine, I’ve never seen anyone get resurrected after being eliminated. Might as well watch the commotion."

"Follow if you want, but remember, don’t cause me any trouble, or I won’t spare you!" Xu Tu snapped, then sighed. "Boss, you should sleep too. Your eyes are all red from staying awake."

Luo Xi was obviously tired, but he was in a surprisingly good mood. Even sitting alone in this haunted house, gazing at Xiyu's sleeping face, felt like a rare moment of happiness. He even hesitated to close his eyes.

Du Li quietly commented from the corner, "Even trash has its springtime."

Su Ziyan sighed. "How nice would it be if a handsome guy would fall in love with me?"

Du Li punched him on the head. "Stop dreaming! Your big mouth is your weakness! Being a softie is a sin! It’s impossible!"

Xu Tu silently watched the small commotion in the room. Then, exhausted, she buried her head in her knees, silently praying in her heart: "Bai Qi, come back... Otherwise, next time we’ll die together. Let no one be left behind, alright?"

After three days of twists and turns, the story finally returned to the mysterious Frost Forest, where it all began.

The place still looked the same, with the blood-red moonlight filtering through the frozen, dead trees, leaving strange patches of light on the snow.

In the deep silence, a panicked female voice suddenly echoed.

— "A ghost—!!!"

— "It’s Snow Prince, Snow Prince has appeared!!!"

— "Help!!!"

As they fled in a panic, a rustling sound came from the frozen treetops, shaking off some of the remaining frost.

Moments later, a figure dressed in pure white slowly appeared in the vast night forest. The silhouette was tall, with quiet steps, illuminated by the moonlight, creating an eerie and melancholic scene.

This was Xiyu, who had been sent to impersonate Snow Prince.

He didn’t know if Xu Tu's plan would work, so he just wore Snow Prince’s new clothes, held his breath, moved cautiously, and prepared to face any danger that might come his way.

The rustling in the forest grew louder. As seconds ticked by, a grey figure suddenly leapt in front of Xiyu.The figure that approached was tall and lean, holding a black giant bow in one hand. His face was filled with weariness, and his lifeless, stagnant eyes truly had no light left in them. If Xiyu wasn’t mistaken, it was indeed the NPC, A Ming.

Xiyu, fearing exposure, dared not even breathe too loudly. He slowly placed his hand on his leather jacket.

A Ming suddenly froze, gripping Xiyu’s arm tightly, then excitedly began to touch the soft fox fur, asking in a hoarse voice, "This is the new outfit I made for you... You like white the most... I specially bought this fox fur, the shopkeeper said there’s no color in it, but I don’t know if they’re lying to me... A Xue... You are A Xue..."

Faced with such deep affection, even if it was fictional, Xiyu couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable.

But when he remembered that this was just a melodramatic story created by the game developers, it immediately felt tasteless, and his gaze sharpened.

A Ming was still immersed in the excitement, trembling as he cupped Xiyu’s smooth cheek. "Xue... A Xue..."

He blindly stroked Xiyu’s features, and it was probably then that he realized the contours didn’t match the person he had been yearning for. The hesitation in his actions began to show.

Xiyu didn’t waste the opportunity. Suddenly, with all his strength, he grabbed A Ming’s bow arm and thrust a dagger into his stomach!

The excruciating pain made the NPC violently resist. A Ming’s power stats were set to be abnormal, and he quickly raised his leg to kick Xiyu to the snow, clutching his stomach as he retreated. "You’re not A Xue, liar! Liar!"

Xiyu struggled to get up, stopping Xu Tu from rushing to help him. "I’m fine, quickly kill him!"

At the same time, Luo Xi had already rushed up to A Ming, wielding a hunting knife and engaging in a few exchanges, showing no mercy as he severed the NPC’s wrist—the one used to shoot arrows!

As blood splattered, A Ming fell to the ground in a disheveled state but used his other hand to whistle loudly!

Xiyu gasped. "Damn it, he has monsters helping him!"

Sure enough, the trembling footsteps from the first day echoed again from the depths of the forest.

Luo Xi was unhesitant and quickly slashed two more times, finally dealing with the cursed NPC, A Ming. He ripped open A Ming’s clothes and cruelly took out the still-hot heart.

Xu Tu carefully wrapped it in cloth that had been prepared earlier. "Hurry up, something’s going to happen!"

The three of them quickly retreated along the path they came, but the trembling grew louder and the power was unmistakably overwhelming—clearly, it was too late!

What was even more unexpected was that at the moment of imminent danger, the area broadcast suddenly echoed through the dark night sky.

[The only human NPC, A Ming, was killed by streamer Luo Xi.]

[Frostleaf Forest triggers the nightmare quest: A Ming’s Curse.][All streamers in Frostleaf Forest, please work together to break the ice sculpture in the center of the forest within five hours.]

[Otherwise, a heavy snow will cover everything, and all players in the Frostleaf Forest area will be eliminated.]

Hearing this notification, Du Li and Su Ziyan, who had been anxiously waiting near the scene, stood up in shock.

Su Ziyan, with a long face, lamented, "Damn it, why is there another nightmare quest? I should’ve never come with them."

"Wasn’t it you who kept shouting to hitch a ride on the big leg?" Du Li scolded, "Useless, always playing the hindsight game! Hurry up and run!"

Su Ziyan was nearly knocked over by her pulling, and although he immediately reacted, it was already too late to escape the danger. The tremors shaking the frost forest grew more intense, and the snow-covered mountain in the distance was affected, with a massive corner of the snow mountain suddenly shifting!

The mountain corner shattered with a deafening roar, transforming into a storm of snowflakes that rushed toward them.

Du Li screamed in fear, "It’s an avalanche! Avalanche, damn it!!!"

With that, she yanked Su Ziyan forward, desperately running without any regard for her life.

However, the speed of human running was no match for the massive change of the collapsing snow. Before Su Ziyan even realized what was happening, he was engulfed by a blanket of cold snow.

Silence. Utter silence.

No one knew that while all the streamers had lost consciousness, the mysterious Frostleaf Forest had already begun to change.

Similarly buried in the snow, Xiyu had a brief moment of unconsciousness. When he struggled to rise, he found that he had somehow ended up lying beneath a cold tree again, instead of perishing in the avalanche disaster.

However...

Xiyu shook off the daze and squinted to survey the dim surroundings. He finally realized that all the dead trees had turned into transparent ice sculptures, and... they all looked identical!

A bit further ahead, the snow piles that blocked his view were all of the same height and curvature, showing no differences.

Was this a new dungeon map...?

Could it be another maze?

Xiyu swallowed, remembering the system’s hint given when everyone was in a panic: they had to break the ice sculpture at the center of the dense forest within five hours, or else all the players in the area would be doomed.

He felt a wave of unease, and couldn't help but call out, "Luo Xi, are you there?"There was no response.

Xiyu silently reminded himself to stay calm, but just as he was about to look up at the moon to figure out his direction, the cold, eerie red moon disappeared behind dark clouds.

Now, the Frost Forest was completely devoid of light, turning into a vast dark magic array!

Fortunately, he still had the firestarter on him.

Xiyu didn't want to damage the Snow Prince's new clothes, so he was trying to find something on the ground that could be burned. But just as he did, he heard the booming sound of footsteps coming from all directions, startling him into crouching low to the ground.

However, the overwhelming sound quickly stopped, and no monsters appeared.

Completely confused, Xiyu realized that the situation might be worse than he imagined. He decided to abandon the idea of lighting a fire to attract enemies, instead trying to move stealthily and cautiously.

No direction, no goal, and unable to identify the path he had previously taken!

—Ten minutes later, Xiyu fully realized the terrifying nature of this predicament: his footprints disappeared after a few seconds, and the ice sculpture trees and snow piles around him would suddenly shift positions every few minutes, with no discernible pattern.

Despite desperately trying to keep exploring in the same direction, the route kept curving randomly and vanishing, diminishing the effectiveness of his memory.

This was practically a deadlock with no way out. Was he going to have to rely on luck?

Xiyu stopped his aimless movement and lowered his head to think carefully.

In the next moment, a cheerful prompt sounded in his mind.

[ Ding Dong! Streamer Xiyu, your affinity with streamer Luo Xi has reached 100. The heartstrings effect has been triggered. You can communicate through thoughts within 24 hours. ]

Xiyu blinked in surprise—over the past few days, he and Luo Xi had indeed monopolized the little gang's apples, but he was just curious whether the increase in affinity would have any special effects. He didn't expect it to change so dramatically at such a critical moment, and with telepathy, no less!

It seems that being a certain unlucky person wasn't as bad as everyone joked about.

As he was mulling this over, Luo Xi's voice immediately came through.

"Xiyu, can you hear me?"

Xiyu bit his lip and thought, "I can, but why are you suddenly calling me like that..."

Luo Xi gave a mischievous laugh. "I think, with our current relationship, we can be a bit closer.""...No need for that," Xiyu lightly pressed his lips together, then hurriedly asked, "Where are you? Did you also get trapped in this maze?"

Luo Xi replied, "Yes, I'm the only one left here. It seems the system deliberately scattered everyone. From what I can tell, this maze has no pattern, blindly walking won't work."

Although Xiyu didn’t get much useful information, Luo Xi's deep voice still helped calm him down. He took another step forward. "If the rules aren't being hidden, as long as one person breaks the ice sculpture, we should all be able to get out. Don’t rush."

Luo Xi’s voice grew cold. "I'm not worried about the maze being unsolvable. What worries me is that other streamers might be up to something behind the scenes. Right now… apart from us, there should still be some unwanted guests in the Frost Leaf Forest. Be careful."

Xiyu furrowed his brow. "Did you find any traces?"

"I just passed by a streamer’s corpse," Luo Xi sighed. "I don't know them, but the wound was a single fatal strike."

Such a brutal method... Could it be Mo Yi?

Xiyu frowned and thought to himself, "Alright, stay safe too. Let’s exchange information when we find something."

He then drew the short dagger from his waist and focused all his attention on finding his way.

The island wasn’t small, and with hundreds of streamers involved, various nightmare tasks were inevitable.

But after completing two of them, Xiyu had only spent about half an hour each, making it hard to imagine how high the difficulty of this five-hour deadline would be.

After estimating his position, he tried to head in that direction.

However, since the surroundings showed no change, he had a strong sense of going in circles, making him lose confidence more and more.

At the same time, Luo Xi wasn’t in a much better situation. He hadn’t encountered any dangerous killers, but he had also fallen into the maze left by A Ming.

About an hour later, Xiyu couldn't hold back a soft sigh. "This isn’t working, and the footsteps keep coming. I’m worried about encountering a tough monster. You and I are alright, but Xu Tu is carrying Bai Qi, and it’s really slowing her down."

Luo Xi comforted him, "Xu Tu has been through things you can’t imagine. She’s really strong."

"If the killer is someone like Mo Yi, maybe it’s fine," Xiyu countered, "But what if it’s Mu Yuan?"

That name certainly made Luo Xi’s heart sink as well. After all, Mu Yuan had killed Bai Qi as soon as he entered the game. He wouldn’t go easy, and things would only get worse.

Just as they were both troubled, Xiyu suddenly saw a figure darting ahead. He immediately stopped talking to Luo Xi, quickly followed silently, and once he was behind the person, he pounced, pinning them down and forcefully covering their mouth!

The person who was pinned down was scared half to death and let out muffled whimpers."Suziyan, it's me," Xiyu frowned and revealed his identity.

Only then did the other person quiet down.

Xiyu released his grip. "Looks like you're lost too. Where's Duli? Have you seen anyone else?"

Suziyan, feeling like he'd found a lifeline, immediately hugged Xiyu's arm. "Brother! Thank goodness, finally someone I can rely on!"

"..." Xiyu ruthlessly pulled him away. "Answer my question."

Suziyan, looking troubled, replied, "I don’t know where Duli went. The avalanche knocked me out, and when I woke up, I was all alone on the ground, just wandering aimlessly since then."

Xiyu furrowed his brows. "You didn’t encounter anyone? What about the bodies?"

Suziyan was stunned. "B-bodies? Are people dying in this maze?"

After meeting this person, Xiyu realized that Wu Zhi wasn't as naive as he first thought. He sighed wearily. "There’s no way to navigate for now. It’s probably more dangerous than we think."

Suziyan waved his hand. "Hey, there must be others in the maze. Nobody wants to die. Eventually, some expert will step up and save us. Stop overthinking, just stay alive."

"Is this how you’ve always lived your life...?" Xiyu couldn’t believe it.

Before Suziyan could answer, the terrifying footsteps sounded from all directions again, only to suddenly disappear after a while.

The guy shrank his shoulders in fear. "Quick, move! Don’t let those four monsters catch us!"

Xiyu was confused. "Four monsters?"

Suziyan nodded. "Yeah, I heard four different footsteps, coming closer and then fading away. Something’s definitely looking for us in the maze!"

This made Xiyu fall into deep thought.

Suziyan grumbled in frustration. "It's all your fault for killing A Ming... Now we’ve lost both the woman and the soldier..."

"Shut up!" Xiyu snapped at him, then asked, "Isn’t there a possibility that the four footsteps didn't move, but we were the ones moving? That’s why it sounded like they were getting closer and further away?"

Suziyan rubbed his chin. "That’s possible too."

Xiyu immediately patted his shoulder. "I’ve got it! This maze is A Ming’s curse. A Ming was blind, so what things look like isn’t important. What matters is how they sound!"Suziyan wasn’t completely foolish and finally started to understand. "You mean, those four footsteps represent directions?"

"Yes, the key to this task is likely using sound to find the center of the forest," Xiyu smiled. "The center is the point where the distance from all four sounds is the same. I think it’s your turn to be the hero now."

Suziyan, the coward, pointed at himself. "Me? I can't do it."

"If I say you can, you can," Xiyu said without mercy, cutting off his warm cashmere shawl and tearing it into strips to make a blindfold. "To avoid distractions, cover your eyes and follow the sounds."

Suziyan quickly stepped back. "Don't pull that on me, it’s so dark here, are you trying to scare me to death?"

Xiyu's smile widened as he grabbed his hand. "Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you. Even if I get hurt, I won’t let anything happen to you."

"..." Suziyan hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn’t resist his passionate persuasion and muttered, "Alright, but you better not let go of me."