Chapter 179
Chapter 179
“Night Maze, Night Maze, good children enter the Night Maze. Never mind, take it slow; the future is a maze wherever you go. Ding-a-ling! The game will begin in five minutes. All children must report to the backyard. Anyone who doesn’t come will be erased on the spot.
“Oh, you may be wondering why Big Sister Maria isn’t coming to catch anyone today. It is with great sorrow that we inform you she has taken leave. As for the reason… it would be inconvenient to disclose.”
The instant the broadcast ended, everyone looked at Qiao Yu.
The reason was standing right there. What was inconvenient about saying it?
Qiao Yu himself showed no self-awareness. He narrowed his eyes and walked forward, saying softly, “Remember to use your Review Cards in a moment.”
Luo Yunmeng’s eyes widened in surprise. “We’re using them during only the third game?”
Qiao Yu hummed. “If I’m right… the chance of being placed together in a maze is very small.”
Right. It was a maze.
Luo Yunmeng hurriedly nodded. “You’re amazing. I’ll listen to you.”
Those with Review Cards accepted the plan easily, but…
“I don’t have a Review Card.”
Chinnawat muttered behind him, looking utterly hopeless.
Qiao Yu stroked his chin and suddenly asked, “How’s your luck?”
Chinnawat hesitated, then shook his head.
He had once considered himself lucky. His Clue Cards produced rare results every time, and Review Cards practically fell into his hands. But this time… there were ten Review Cards, yet he had not seen a single one.
So he hesitated and classified himself as cursed with terrible gacha luck.
“Then you’re on your own.” Qiao Yu could do nothing. He had distributed or sold every Review Card.
He could hardly demand back something he had already sold.
He was an honest merchant. Once a transaction was complete, there was no going back on it.
-That head shake was very meaningful…
-His luck is bad? Bullshit!
-Chinnawat, you’d better truly have bad luck.
-Isn’t that backward? He got into the streamer group through nothing but endless nonsense. That alone proves how lucky he is.
The Live Stream Room debated his luck for ages. Oblivious, Chinnawat walked behind Qiao Yu with his head lowered until they reached the backyard.
Their group arrived late. Everyone else was already there.
The female streamer bullied during the day was not naked. Wearing a torn burlap sack, she stood timidly at the end of the line.
“High-scoring children, please step forward and select ten children to participate in the maze game.”
Where was the maze?
Everyone looked around. They saw only dilapidated walls, with no trace of a maze.
Once again, Azim selected the lowest scorers while excluding Qiao Yu’s group.
During the second selection, everyone unscrupulously replaced themselves with Qiao Yu’s group. Although they had Review Cards, no one had seen them use one. The streamers therefore assumed they would not use them to escape the game this time either.
But they miscalculated.
Lucia raised her Review Card and announced forcefully, “I demand an exchange. Bring back the person who chose me.”
The female streamer wrapped in burlap froze, her eyes instantly filling with tears.
Her luck had been horrendous today. She had been designated a “slave,” robbed, and struck with a tray. She had thought the game would offer a moment to breathe, but Lucia had now used the Review Card she had hidden for days!
There was no time for hesitation. The Review Card vanished as though alive. Both women lost their balance for an instant, then exchanged positions in the blink of an eye.
The female streamer appeared inside the game preparation area.
Azim was exchanged into the game preparation area immediately afterward. Luo Yunmeng had done it. That young woman held grudges and especially despised Azim. Who else would she choose?
The person who had selected Luo Yunmeng patted his chest and sighed deeply in relief.
Shang Yan did not use his Review Card. Qiao Yu shrugged indifferently. He had given the thing to Shang Yan so he could be lazy. If Shang Yan did not mind the effort, then he could play alongside Qiao Yu.
Qiao Yu understood Shang Yan’s abilities. Even though his combat power had been forcibly reduced along with his body, he was still not someone the Ghosts here could bully at will.
“Time’s up. Now… the game begins.”
The moment the broadcast ended, dense white fog rose around them. Visibility fell almost to zero, and the endless whiteness inspired panic.
As the seconds passed, the dense fog gradually thinned. Through the drifting haze, a black-gray concrete wall appeared before them.
The female streamer in the burlap sack stood blankly and looked around. Only then did she realize everyone had vanished. She stood alone in a narrow passage, unsure which way to go.
“Ding! Game Rule: Find the exit within one hour.”
The omnipresent broadcast sounded beside her ear. She touched the icy wall, then immediately withdrew her hand from its freezing temperature.
A sheet of black paper slowly drifted down.
The female streamer caught it. The red writing nearly frightened her into throwing it away, but fortunately, she did not.
A single line was written on the black paper: The maze allows only forward movement. You may not retreat. Be careful-choosing the wrong path will cost you your life.
So… there was no turning back? One wrong choice meant death?
But she could not remain still. The game required her to find the exit within an hour.
The woman rubbed her arms hard. A burlap sack offered little warmth, but she had no alternative and could only endure it.
Clenching her fists, she finally summoned the courage to step forward. A faint footstep immediately echoed through the empty, silent passage.
She froze like a startled bird and cautiously stared ahead, but nothing was there.
Only then did she realize she had overreacted. The sound seemed to have been her own footstep.
She sighed in relief, and some of her fear faded. Gathering courage, she walked toward the passage’s only exit.
The moment she passed through the small doorway, she jumped in fright.
Huge blood-red words had been painted along the passage: Welcome to the Night Maze-998.
The wild, illegible strokes seemed to bare claws and fangs.
What did 998 mean?
The female streamer frowned in confusion but could not work it out.
She stood still and drew a deep breath, then suddenly glanced back at the doorway she had entered. Her pupils expanded, and she froze for a long time.
The small doorway had disappeared, replaced by a solid concrete wall.
“How did that happen?”
She swallowed and hurriedly looked away. Time was limited. What if the maze was enormous?
She rushed forward until the path split. Should she go left or right?
Both sides looked almost identical. There was no visible difference.
After some thought, she decided to gamble and stepped onto the left path.
The passage narrowed the farther she went. Panic rose inside her, and the silent corridor filled with the pounding of her heart.
After walking for an unknown length of time, a figure suddenly appeared ahead. Dressed in black with a buzz cut, it looked like the back of a little boy.