Vincent wasn't interested in how the Champion would get through the levels; he was more concerned with when the Death Eaters would appear.
The new map shows that everything is normal inside the maze, and the visitors to the school, the professors patrolling outside the maze, and the Auror are all the same people.
It appears to be without any abnormalities, but that is precisely the biggest anomaly.
The Death Eaters are relentless in their pursuit of their goal and will not easily back down just because they lost Luke Wood. They could show themselves at any moment.
Time ticked by, Harry was caught in the Devil's Snare trap in front of the core area of the maze, trying to break free using the light from his wand.
Phoebe, on the other hand, was entangled with the Sphinx, a cat that seemed determined to find a question she couldn't answer.
Draco was no longer elegant and composed; he ran forward as fast as he could, trying to shake off the Acromantula dangling from behind.
Viktor Krum was unlucky. While trying to escape the Blast-Ended Skrewt, he accidentally stumbled upon their gathering place and was surrounded. He was covered in dust and dirt, and his clothes were torn apart by flying Mars.
All four Champion are in their own sorry state, and the game is unlikely to end anytime soon.
Vincent opened Rita's live stream, where she was interacting with viewers who left comments.
"How do commentators view the match results? Of course, they sit and watch."
Rita winked playfully, "Just kidding. The situation inside the maze is complex and unpredictable. Anyone could lift the Triwizard Cup and win the competition."
As she spoke, Harry successfully broke free of the Devil's Snare, and Phoebe also slipped away while Sphinx was distracted by a new problem. The two later met at a crossroads.
Rita suddenly became excited, "The scene we've been waiting for has finally appeared!"
What will happen when the Champion meet in the maze?
To her disappointment, neither Harry nor Phoebe seemed to have any intention of attacking each other.
The two exchanged a brief greeting and then walked together into the core area of the maze.
A few minutes later, Viktor Krum, who was being chased by the Blast-Ended Skrewt, also arrived.
But something seemed off about him; given his stamina as a professional Quidditch player, he shouldn't be so exhausted that he needed to lean on a hedge to walk.
With a loud "bang," the Blast-Ended Skrewt came chasing after them again.
Viktor Krum had to adjust his breathing, but before he could run a few steps forward, he collapsed to the ground.
A gasp of alarm erupted from the stands, as everyone worried that he would be knocked away by the giant Blast-Ended Skrewt behind him.
Karkaroff on the referee's stand had already stood up, as if he were about to rush in to save someone at any moment.
The buzzing sound grew closer and closer. Viktor Krum struggled to support himself, his eyes bloodshot, as if he had used up all his strength.
The massive figure of the Blast-Ended Skrewt still crashed down, and many spectators covered their eyes with their hands, unable to bear watching it being sent flying.
Karkaroff flipped off the judges' stand, and as soon as he drew his wand, he saw Viktor Krum standing there unharmed.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle—" More Blast-Ended Skrewt came over.
Karkaroff stood still, looking at Viktor Krum on the projection screen with the same puzzled expression as the audience.
Something was wrong with him. He should have been exhausted, but now he was raising his wand, the veins on his exposed arm were bulging, and his eyes were even redder.
"Incendio!"
Large bursts of flame erupted from the tip of the staff, landing entirely on the pink hedges rather than on the Blast-Ended Skrewt.
Did it miss?
No, Viktor Krum actually laughed, which means his real purpose was to set the hedge on fire.
But why?
Before anyone could think, the Blast-Ended Skrewt launched their attack.
The continuous explosions and Mars ignited the surrounding hedges, and the smoke they produced was surprisingly pink.
In the stands,
"Could it be..." Vincent stared intently at the name on the maze map that had turned purple in an instant.
Hermione and her friends crowded around, "Viktor Krum is acting very strange!"
Vincent looked at the projection screen that could only capture pink smoke. "Something's not just wrong. He must have been cursed without anyone noticing."
"How is that possible?" Hermione followed his gaze to the wisps of pink smoke drifting from the maze. "Could these things be the culprits?"
At that moment, all the stands in the stadium were enveloped by a light blue magical barrier.
Dumbledore on the referee's bench, put down the Elder Wand and squinted at the approaching pink smoke.
With a loud bang, Fudge next to him slammed his fist on the table. "Dolores, what on earth is going on?"
Umbridge shook his head vigorously, his expression terrified. "Minister, I don't know what this is—"
Another "bang" rang out, Fudge's face turned extremely ugly. "Didn't you prepare these things? How can you tell me you didn't know?"
Umbridge was so frightened she fell off her chair. She stared blankly as the pink smoke billowed from the maze, growing ever larger. "Minister, I only ordered the monotonous maze to be changed to a different color, nothing—"
Her eyes suddenly widened. "It's an inside job! Someone must have secretly mixed something in!"
Fudge's face turned ashen. He turned to Dumbledore, "Albus Dumbledore, the situation is urgent. We need to find a way to dispel the smoke first."
Within a minute or two, almost the entire area was covered in pink smoke.
The cameras were no longer capturing any useful footage, and judging from Viktor Krum's unusual behavior, the smoke was certainly not harmless.
Snape hurriedly ran up to the audience and whispered a few words in Dumbledore's ear.
"Thank you, Severus, I understand."
The news Snape brought caused Dumbledore's expression to change drastically, as if a layer of frost had settled over it.
Karkaroff returned at that moment. "Can anyone tell me what happened? Where did all this damn smoke come from?"
Dumbledore's expression was extremely grave. "Gentlemen, someone has smuggled the Lost Potion into the hedges that serve as the isolation wall."
Loss potion is a special potion that can cause the user to lose their mind and amplify a certain emotion specified by the user, thus achieving a curse-like effect.
If the pesticide is mixed into the hedge beforehand, it can produce a lot of smoke when burned.
The Blast-Ended Skrewt that Viktor Krum encountered produced a lot of Mars when they exploded. As they crashed through the hedge, they inevitably landed on it, releasing a small amount of smoke into the air.
Meanwhile, Viktor Krum and the Blast-Ended Skrewt, who were closest to the drug user, unknowingly inhaled the atomized drug. Over time, more and more drug accumulated in their bodies until the user completely controlled their emotions.
Everyone on the referee's bench turned to look at Karkaroff.
The incident occurred shortly after he jumped off the referee's bench, but if we're talking about suspicion, Umbridge, who ordered the hedges to be turned pink, is the prime suspect.