Chapter Summaries

Feng Ling’s group clashed with Liang Zhou over his suspicion of her Xenomorph companions, while Pei Xianjue tried to smooth things over. The group reached a fork with paths to two possible Safe Zones as night approached.

• Liang Zhou accused Feng Ling of acting suspiciously and demanded that Pei Xianjue direct the group, but Feng Ling dismissed him and continued following Li Qing.
• Pei Xianjue rebuked Liang Zhou and told Baozi to use Kichijoten’s skill to calm him before she caught up with Feng Ling.
• Pei Xianjue apologized to Feng Ling and warned her that Li Qing and Huangfu Miaomiao might turn against her, but Feng Ling said she did not need their cooperation.
• Li Qing stopped at a fork and explained that the upward path led to Sanqing Palace and the downward path to Jade Curtain Waterfall, either of which might be the Safe Zone.
• Huangfu Miaomiao agreed to try one path first, while Feng Ling considered the approaching night and the Maze’s growing dangers.

Feng Ling and her group reached Sanqing Palace, a Safe Zone, where they found weapons and settled in for the night. Feng Ling sent a Drone into the dark forest to scout, and its camera caught a huge shadow.

• Li Qing used his beads to choose the path up the mountain, and the group followed it through the dark forest toward Sanqing Palace.
• Huangfu Miaomiao spotted the Safe Zone and led the group inside Sanqing Palace, where she lit the lamps.
• Feng Ling found a treasure chest in the rear chamber, and Huangfu Miaomiao shared its axe, shortsword, and saber with the group.
• Feng Ling assembled a Drone, and Pei Xianjue helped her get it flying so it could scout the forest.
• Pei Xianjue guided the Drone out of the hall, and its beam startled birds as a huge shadow flashed across Feng Ling's phone screen.

Feng Ling’s group spotted a massive horned humanoid monster near the Safe Zone, but the Drone was destroyed before they could identify it. Li Qing said it was not the Labyrinth Master, and the group spent their first night in the Maze resting at Sanqing Palace.

• Pei Xianjue lowered the Drone to investigate a shadow, and a dark-red, bull-horned monster struck it and severed the connection.
• Feng Ling examined the footage and estimated the monster was at least three meters tall, while the group worried their weapons might not be strong enough to fight it.
• Huangfu Miaomiao explained that her system identified killable targets and special characters, and Li Qing revealed he could see the group’s 15% exploration progress as Labyrinth Administrator.
• Li Qing reasoned that the monster was not the Labyrinth Master because it was too close to the Safe Zone and the Maze remained mostly unexplored.
• Feng Ling and Baozi gathered branches while Huangfu Miaomiao prepared bedding and supplies, and the group spent the night around a fire at Sanqing Palace.

Feng Ling dreamed about her abusive former adoptive mother and wondered what her Hive Card meant. As dawn came, she prepared to face the next challenge without Li Qing, admitting that she was reluctant to part with him.

• Feng Ling dreamed of the three months she spent with her adoptive mother, whose affection and violent outbursts left Feng Ling feeling relieved when she was returned to the Orphanage.
• Feng Ling woke before dawn and found Li Qing feeding his Green Weasel, 01, by the entrance to the Three Pure Ones Hall.
• Feng Ling told Li Qing about the dream, and he suggested it might be connected to her Hive Card and her search for clues about its meaning.
• Feng Ling reflected that the Hive might represent a mother but could not decide what a mother should be like, and Li Qing encouraged her to keep thinking it through.
• As the sun rose, Feng Ling told Li Qing to stay in the Safe Zone while she and the others went on, then admitted she was reluctant to part with him.

Feng Ling and her companions followed two Fox Demons up the mountain, where a huge Horse-Face monster dragged them away and attacked the group. As the others scattered, Liang Zhou transformed into a gigantic Gray Wolf to face it.

• Feng Ling and her companions found enormous footprints near the wrecked Drone and heard the Cat Owl warn them that something was approaching.
• Feng Ling led the group after two Fox Demons, but chains hooked the demons and dragged them into the mist to be killed.
• Feng Ling recognized the blood-covered, horse-headed monster as a Maze-made Horse-Face when it attacked the group with its chains.
• Feng Ling grabbed Huangfu Miaomiao and dodged the flying hooks as Liang Zhou transformed into a gigantic Gray Wolf.

Liang Zhou revealed that his upgraded Giant Wolf Card had made him A-rank and defeated the Horse-faced Monster. He then demanded command of the team, forcing Pei Xianjue to choose between following him and joining the Xenomorphs.

• Liang Zhou transformed into the Giant Wolf Fenrir and overpowered the Horse-faced Monster, killing it after tearing open its belly.
• Pei Xianjue learned from Huangfu Miaomiao that the Giant Wolf was Boss Level, indicating Liang Zhou was an A-rank Card holder.
• Liang Zhou confirmed that he had completed at least three digestions, while Pei Xianjue angrily demanded to know where he had obtained the extra Cards and what his Corruption Value was.
• Liang Zhou revealed he had received an offer from the Supervisor General Bureau and demanded that everyone follow his command through the Maze.
• Liang Zhou told Pei Xianjue to choose whether to clear the Maze with him or go with the Xenomorphs.

Pei Xianjue clashed with Liang Zhou over his loyalty to her father and chose to leave with Feng Ling, while worrying that his Card might be pushing him toward Corruption. After Pei Xianjue and Feng Ling headed back toward Sanqing Palace, a supposedly dead corpse sat up behind Liang Zhou and Baozi.

• Pei Xianjue and Liang Zhou argued over whether to trust Feng Ling, and Baozi calmed their rising hostility.
• Liang Zhou revealed that President Pei had given him his Card and planned for him to join the Abomination Supervision Agency as Pei Corporation's representative.
• Pei Xianjue took Feng Ling away and warned that Liang Zhou's Corruption Value might be abnormal, leaving Baozi to keep him steady.
• Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue agreed to return to Sanqing Palace for the Daoist, though Feng Ling insisted they should stay and conquer the Maze.
• Liang Zhou told Baozi that Card holders would become humanity's new elite, then both men noticed a corpse slowly sitting up.

Liang Zhou was impaled by a Minotaur Monster and fled as Baozi was captured by the Horse-faced Monster. Feng Ling, Pei Xianjue, Li Qing, and Huangfu Miaomiao returned to the mountain path to investigate and found Baozi lying on the slope.

• The Horse-faced Monster revived, and Liang Zhou tore off one of its legs before a Minotaur Monster arrived and pierced him with a Steel Fork.
• The Horse-faced Monster hooked Baozi in the chest, and Liang Zhou abandoned him and fled into the forest, overwhelmed by visions and guilt.
• Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue reported their encounter to Li Qing, who suggested Ox-Head and Horse-Face were patrolling the mountain path, possibly to guard something.
• Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue returned to the mountain path with Li Qing and Huangfu Miaomiao to investigate the Monsters' route.
• They found the battlefield's blood and signs of fighting but no bodies, then spotted Baozi lying on a slope.

After Baozi survived an attack by two Monsters, Pei Xianjue learned that Liang Zhou had fled and that Baozi could not use his Card Ability until the next day. Pei Xianjue set out to find Haohan, and Feng Ling joined her to keep watch for Liang Zhou and the Maze Monsters.

• Huangfu Miaomiao used two Recovery Potions to stabilize Baozi, and Pei Xianjue carried him back to Sanqing Palace.
• Baozi explained that the Horse-faced Monster had revived and a Minotaur Monster with a Steel Fork had wounded him while Haohan fought; Liang Zhou then ran away.
• Baozi said his Kichijoten Card had released pheromones to distract the Monsters, but the effort left him unable to use his Card Ability until at least the next day.
• Pei Xianjue decided to find Haohan, reasoning that his unstable behavior might stem from a high Corruption Value and accepting responsibility for bringing him into the Maze.
• Feng Ling picked up her axe and followed Pei Xianjue so she could check on Liang Zhou and guard against a possible ambush.

Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue followed Liang Zhou’s blood trail through the Maze, while Pei Xianjue explained why she felt responsible for him. When a Horse-faced Monster attacked, Feng Ling’s companions disabled it and she killed it, leaving Pei Xianjue to burn the corpse.

• Feng Ling, Pei Xianjue, Huangfu Miaomiao, and Li Qing followed Liang Zhou’s blood trail toward him.
• Pei Xianjue explained that the Pei family had caused Liang Zhou’s condition and that she wanted to bring him back.
• The Cat Owl warned the group of an approaching monster, and Pei Xianjue charged the Horse-faced Monster with her burning blades.
• Feng Ling’s snake-like companions tore off the monster’s kneecaps and forced its head down, and Feng Ling split its skull with her axe.
• Feng Ling harvested horse meat for the Cat Spider and Cat Owl, while Pei Xianjue set the corpse on fire.

As the group descended the mountain, Li Qing explained his theory that the Minotaur Monster and Horse-Face took turns patrolling, while Pei Xianjue wavered between rescuing Liang Zhou and hunting the monster. Feng Ling considered what the Hive’s uniqueness meant for her, and the group’s argument about the Maze system was censored before Feng Ling declined to intervene.

• Feng Ling burned the monster’s corpse and asked Li Qing whether it could revive; he said it was dead for good.
• Li Qing theorized that the Minotaur Monster and Horse-Face patrolled at different times, and Pei Xianjue realized the Minotaur might be sleeping on the mountain.
• Pei Xianjue hesitated between going after Liang Zhou and hunting the Minotaur Monster, while Feng Ling teased her about her promises to Liang Haohan.
• Huangfu Miaomiao questioned whether there could be multiple Minotaur Monsters, and Li Qing argued that Players should study Maze guides.
• Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing began arguing about the Maze system, but the system censored their words; Feng Ling told Pei Xianjue she had no reason to persuade them.

Feng Ling and the others reached a village inhabited by Fox Demons and discovered a strange Idol there. They prepared to test whether it could help Haohan, while remaining alert to the village’s dangers.

• Feng Ling noticed the fog thinning and followed signs of Liang Zhou toward an ancient-looking village.
• The group found an abandoned house and spotted a Fox Demon gathering weeds on a hillside, raising their exploration progress to 23%.
• Feng Ling followed the Fox Demon into a village where many Fox Demons mimicked human activities.
• Feng Ling, Li Qing, and Huangfu Miaomiao noticed a cartoon Smiley Face statue beneath an Old Willow Tree and identified it as an Idol.
• Pei Xianjue said the Idol might reduce Haohan’s Corruption Value, and Feng Ling summoned the Cat Spider and Cat Owl before approaching it to test its power.

Feng Ling found the Idol and played its Card Draw Game to lower her Corruption Value, but losing the Mirror Newt also weakened her Card Deck enough to remove Nest Building. She then set out with the others to search the village for Liang Haohan, earn Points, and survive.

• Feng Ling found the Idol, which challenged her to choose two Cards for a draw that would remove one Card’s Corruption Value.
• Feng Ling chose the Mirror Newt and a Centipede Card, and the Idol drew the Mirror Newt, lowering her Corruption Value to 15%.
• Feng Ling discovered that the weakened Card Deck had taken away her ability to perform Nest Building, though the Cat Spider and Cat Owl remained.
• Li Qing, Huangfu Miaomiao, and Pei Xianjue declined to use the Idol, and each said what they wanted to do next.
• Feng Ling proposed searching the village for the injured Liang Haohan, practicing on lone Foxes, and finding an empty house for the Taoist priest to hide in.
• Feng Ling picked up her axe and led the group off to search the village.

Feng Ling and her group became trapped in a loop in Fox Village and failed to find a way out. After they rested and drove off the approaching Fox Demons, Pei Xianjue recognized Haohan’s laughter nearby.

• Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue realized they kept returning to the same Old Willow Tree despite changing directions, and Pei Xianjue said they had encountered a Ghost Wall.
• Feng Ling’s group rested in a nearby house’s yard while Li Qing tried and failed to use his beads to calculate a way out.
• Feng Ling suspected the Fox Demons were responsible for trapping them and threw bread at one, causing two of them to flee.
• Feng Ling sent the Cat Owl and Cat Spider after nearby Fox Demons, driving them into their houses.
• Pei Xianjue heard a man laughing in the distance and recognized Haohan’s voice.

Feng Ling, Pei Xianjue, and Huangfu Miaomiao realized the village’s foul odor was causing hallucinations and began killing the foxes producing it. After Huangfu Miaomiao bombed the village, they discovered the foxes’ wounds were healing and the creatures might revive.

• Li Qing explained that the group’s conflicting perceptions could be hallucinations, and Feng Ling suspected the village’s odor was affecting their senses.
• Feng Ling, Pei Xianjue, and Huangfu Miaomiao attacked foxes in nearby houses, but most escaped before they could be killed.
• Feng Ling used a Grenade to collapse a house and kill four foxes, then Huangfu Miaomiao took more Grenades and bombed other parts of the village.
• Li Qing said killing the creatures producing the odor could prevent the hallucinations from worsening, though they might continue for a while.
• Feng Ling found the supposedly dead foxes twitching as their wounds healed, and Pei Xianjue realized they could recover from being killed.

Feng Ling and her companions discovered that the Fox Demons could revive, burned their corpses, and searched the village for them without success. At night, Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue followed lanterns into the Tangled Grove and found Liang Zhou drinking with a group of Foxes.

• Feng Ling beheaded the Fox Demons and burned their corpses, then reasoned that revival had limits and likely required energy.
• Huangfu Miaomiao reported that the Foxes had revived and escaped, so Feng Ling led the group through the village searching house by house.
• As darkness fell, the group camped by the Old Willow Tree and discussed the Smiley Face statue and Haohan.
• Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue followed laughter through a lantern-lit path in the Tangled Grove and found Liang Zhou drinking with Foxes.

Feng Ling and Pei Xianjue found Liang Zhou trapped in an illusion among the Fox Demons and brought him back to his senses. As the illusion continued to distort his thoughts, Liang Zhou attacked Pei Xianjue, leaving her struggling to fight back.

• Pei Xianjue shot at the Fox Demons surrounding Liang Zhou, then slapped him and broke through his illusion.
• Feng Ling left to pursue the escaping foxes before they could reach Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing.
• Liang Zhou vomited muddy water and leaves, then insisted he was a hero and an A-rank Hunter rather than Pei Xianjue's bodyguard.
• Confused by visions of his past, Liang Zhou heard Pei Xianjue telling him to wake up and began to believe she was calling him a dog.
• Liang Zhou choked Pei Xianjue, then overpowered and restrained her when she stabbed him with a curved blade.
• Pei Xianjue angrily condemned Liang Zhou as he tore at her clothes.

Pei Xianjue killed Liang Zhou after he transformed into a Giant Wolf and attacked her, then recorded an account blaming his actions on possible corruption or control. Feng Ling left the Tangled Grove and continued hunting Fox Demons before Huangfu Miaomiao found her and offered food and water.

• Liang Zhou accused Pei Xianjue of being privileged, and she slashed his waist after he grabbed her jaw.
• Liang Zhou transformed into a Giant Wolf, but Pei Xianjue used her Golden Crow flames to ignite and counter him.
• The Giant Wolf bit Pei Xianjue's right leg, and she killed him by stabbing his throat with a flaming blade.
• Pei Xianjue restarted her camera, recorded Liang Zhou's death as self-defense, and limped away as the Tangled Grove burned.
• Feng Ling got lost after leaving the Tangled Grove, found Fox Demons by the lanterns in their houses, and destroyed one nest with a Grenade.
• Huangfu Miaomiao appeared and offered Feng Ling bread and water.

Feng Ling fought Fox Demons that disguised themselves as Huangfu Miaomiao, then tested the real Huangfu Miaomiao with a near-miss before returning to camp. As Huangfu Miaomiao prepared food, Li Qing urged her to kill Feng Ling, but he vanished when Feng Ling asked who she was talking to.

• Feng Ling recognized a Fox Demon disguised as Huangfu Miaomiao and killed it after it bit her arm.
• Feng Ling ignored several false Huangfu Miaomiaos calling for help and fought off the Fox Demons stalking her in the night.
• At the camp, Feng Ling nearly cut the shorter of two apparent Fox Demons, causing it to flee and reveal Huangfu Miaomiao beneath the illusion.
• Feng Ling reassured the upset Huangfu Miaomiao and asked her to take out food while she started a fire.
• Li Qing appeared in the shadows and urged Huangfu Miaomiao to kill Feng Ling for Points and Cards, but disappeared when Feng Ling asked who she was speaking to.

Feng Ling and the others survived the illusions in Fox Village, where Pei Xianjue returned injured after killing Liang Zhou. After they recovered his Cards and left the village, Feng Ling spotted something enormous moving in a lake and wondered if it was the Labyrinth Master.

• Pei Xianjue returned to the group with an injured leg and explained that Liang Zhou had tried to kill her, so she fought back.
• Pei Xianjue asked Feng Ling to help recover Liang Zhou's Cards and gather his ashes, and Feng Ling kept watch while the others rested.
• The next day, the group returned to the burned Tangled Grove, recovered four of Liang Zhou's Cards, and Pei Xianjue gathered ashes and bone fragments into a Metal Box.
• The group left Fox Village without encountering more illusions and headed along the Mountain Path.
• Feng Ling spotted enormous ripples in a lake near the village and asked if the creature beneath the surface was the Labyrinth Master.