Huangfu Miaomiao's startled cry drew everyone's attention inside the tree hollow.
The various Infected looked over. Though they showed no hostility, their mere stares created a silent pressure.
Huangfu Miaomiao instinctively shrank back.
Then, remembering that Feng Ling stood beside her, she puffed out her small chest again and pointed at the statue deep inside the tree hollow as if no one else existed. "Feng Ling, we don't need to look for the Golden Egg anymore. We can leave once we find the Idol!"
Lin Pengpeng, Wang Xunmei, and Zhang Lu all breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone had entered the Maze with two goals: find Li Yu and find the Idol. Now that both objectives had been accomplished, there was no need to go through the trouble of searching for the Golden Egg.
Feng Ling was also in a very good mood when she saw the Idol, but she still swept her gaze around and called out, "Who is Old Hat?"
In a corner, a hunched figure shuffled a few steps closer and answered hoarsely, "...I am."
Just as Li Yu had described, he wore a large cloak, its hood nearly covering his entire face. Straw-like hair and beard spilled out from beneath it, reminding Feng Ling of the Forest Demon she had killed.
—The Infected's genes had been contaminated by the Maze, so their bodies displayed certain traits in common with Labyrinth creatures.
Feng Ling walked over calmly and asked, "I'd like to ask something. Do you know where we can find a Golden Egg? I heard you've lived here for a long time, so you should be familiar with the Maze's environment, right?"
Huangfu Miaomiao, Lin Pengpeng, and the others followed closely behind Feng Ling. The deeper they went, the stronger the stench of decay became.
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