Chapter Summaries

Feng Ling and the others discussed the Labyrinth Master, the Meat Mountain, and how the Maze’s language shaped Hunters’ attitudes toward killing. That night, Feng Ling tracked a Marked Rat Monster and discovered the Pseudo-God feasting on a corpse before returning with its procession, leaving her to suspect the Rats and deity were caught in a cycle.

• Feng Ling reasoned that the Meat Mountain was part of the Labyrinth Master and asked Li Qing whether it could help locate the Labyrinth Master’s Card, but he said the information was too vague.
• Xu Yiming suggested bombing the Mountain again, while Li Qing explained that Hunters called Players Monsters to lessen the psychological strain of killing human bodies.
• As night fell, Feng Ling agreed that the group would stay inside the Safe Zone and search for the Game Idol after dawn, and Xu Yiming asked to join her.
• Feng Ling used her Mark to track a Rat Monster through the fog and found the Wandering Deity Procession, where the Rat Monsters knelt before an empty sedan chair.
• Feng Ling followed her target’s gaze and saw the Pseudo-God ravenously eat a corpse before climbing into the sedan chair and being carried away by the Rat Monsters.
• Feng Ling suspected the Rat Monsters and Pseudo-God were returning to the Mountain as part of a cycle and concluded that the being was only a Pseudo-God.

Feng Ling deduced that Rat Monsters carried corpses as tribute to the Labyrinth Master and proposed destroying the altar tables. After a disturbing dream about her childhood, she woke to find Ye Zheng roaring at a Squirrel.

• Feng Ling explained that the Wandering Deity Procession fed on rat corpses offered at altar tables, and Li Qing suggested the tributes helped the Rat Monsters avoid disaster.
• Feng Ling reasoned that the altar locations could reveal the procession’s route, and the group agreed to destroy the tables and test whether the rats still carried corpses there.
• The group rested in the Safe Zone, while Feng Ling dreamed of being trapped in the Dark Room with Feng Shao as children.
• Feng Ling awoke from the frightening dream and saw Ye Zheng roaring at a Squirrel on a row of shelves.

A Labyrinth Master's Mark manifested Phantoms of Ye Zheng’s and Feng Ling’s deepest fears, forcing the group to delay their departure. Feng Ling resolved to leave once Ye Zheng recovered, though Mother Feng’s Phantom continued to unsettle her.

• A Phantom squirrel drove Ye Zheng into a frenzy, so Feng Ling restrained her with Mental Pressure and injected her with a sedative.
• Feng Ling saw a Phantom of Mother Feng and learned from Li Qing that the Mark had manifested their fears and that its effects would eventually fade.
• Feng Ling said they could not wait for the Mark to disappear and decided the group would set out after Ye Zheng recovered.
• Li Qing and Xu Yiming cleaned up while Feng Ling moved Ye Zheng, and Mother Feng’s Phantom continued to make Feng Ling feel watched.
• Huangfu Miaomiao and Xu Yiming talked about their own fears, making Feng Ling laugh and briefly distracting her.

Xu Yiming and Feng Ling discussed their changing attitudes toward Xenomorphs while Huangfu Miaomiao and Li Qing argued over whether Players and Administrators could be judged as individuals. Feng Ling recovered from the Phantom’s influence, but Ye Zheng woke, saw the Squirrel, and asked for another sedative instead of continuing the plan.

• Xu Yiming told Feng Ling that Cards had improved his life and brought him closer to Su Yuqing and Ye Zheng, so he did not simply hate the changes Xenomorphs had caused.
• Feng Ling said she and Xu Yiming had gained more than they lost, while acknowledging that people harmed by Xenomorphs could not easily share their perspective.
• Huangfu Miaomiao argued that not every Player hurt people, and Li Qing compared that claim to Players’ hostility toward Administrators.
• Feng Ling calmed down after talking and joked about being afraid of Mother Feng, while Huangfu Miaomiao and Xu Yiming defended her.
• Ye Zheng sat up, saw the Squirrel, and told Feng Ling she could not proceed and wanted another shot of sedative.

Ye Zheng and Feng Ling argued over Ye Zheng’s sedative use and Feng Ling’s reckless plans, until Feng Ling’s taunts pushed Ye Zheng to attack her. Their fight erupted outside as Li Qing tried to stop them, and familiar drum music approached.

• Ye Zheng asked Feng Ling for another sedative shot, and Feng Ling refused, arguing that the sedative would keep Ye Zheng from lowering her Corruption Value and helping find the Idol.
• Ye Zheng and Feng Ling traded accusations, and Feng Ling told Ye Zheng that she had already lost everything.
• Ye Zheng lunged at Feng Ling, and Feng Ling kicked her through the glass doors before charging outside with her Bone Blade Fangs and Claws.
• Ye Zheng and Feng Ling fought, wounding each other as their Mental Power overwhelmed Li Qing and the others.
• Li Qing shouted for them to stop, while familiar drum music drifted closer from a distance.

Feng Ling and the others destroyed an offering table and reasoned that the Maze might contain eight tables, one for each Safe Zone. As the Wandering Deity Procession approached, Xu Yiming offered an idea.

• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng spotted the approaching Wandering Deity Procession and decided to find and destroy its offering tables before the Labyrinth Master regained strength.
• The group found an offering table near the Safe Zone, and Ye Zheng smashed it while the Cat Spider and Cat Owl ate the Tribute.
• Feng Ling proposed that eight Safe Zones meant there could be eight offering tables, then mapped the Maze as an eight-part pattern around the Labyrinth Master.
• With the procession nearing and Feng Ling and Ye Zheng arguing over what to do next, Xu Yiming said he had an idea.

Feng Ling's group destroyed an Offering Table and discovered that the Wandering Deity Procession detoured toward another Tribute. They discussed how to weaken the Labyrinth Master and decided to seek more explosives, leaving Xu Yiming to ask Han Xu for weapons.

• Xu Yiming placed a Micro Camera at a streetlamp so the group could remotely watch the Wandering Deity Procession.
• Feng Ling led the group along the outskirts, where they encountered and dealt with a few Rat Monsters before finding an Offering Table.
• Ye Zheng smashed the Offering Table, and Feng Ling chopped its legs apart while reflecting on her late mother.
• Xu Yiming's footage showed the Wandering Deity Procession detouring from the table toward another direction.
• Li Qing speculated that the Labyrinth Master used the Tribute's location to redirect the procession, and the group discussed whether destroying tables or killing processions could weaken it.
• Feng Ling suggested splitting up and asked Xu Yiming to request weapons of mass destruction from Han Xu.

Xu Yiming wondered why Feng Ling wanted to send him out of the Maze, while the team continued toward the next altar table. They found the Labyrinth Divine Statue beneath a pile of corpses, and Feng Ling asked Ye Zheng to sit on its bloodstained stone stool.

• Xu Yiming suspected Feng Ling had suggested he leave the Maze because she wanted to send him away for a reason he could not understand.
• Huangfu Miaomiao exhausted herself and rode on Li Qing's back while the team continued toward the next altar table.
• Li Qing warned Feng Ling that Players holding Demon Cards could harbor malice, and Huangfu Miaomiao accused the Administrators of being villains.
• Ye Zheng reached the next altar table and discovered that its stone construction made it impossible to destroy.
• Feng Ling cleared corpses from the table, recognized the Labyrinth Divine Statue, and told Ye Zheng to sit on its stool.

Ye Zheng’s Card Draw reduced her Corruption Value to 40%, but the Undead Spider had fused into her body and could no longer be removed. As Feng Ling drew away the Jellyfish and discussed preparing to digest the Eye of Horus, Ye Zheng warned that Feng Ling’s emotional nature made her unusually dangerous.

• Feng Ling urged Ye Zheng to draw away two high-Corruption Cards, and Ye Zheng selected the Royal Moth and Hyena.
• Ye Zheng’s Corruption Value fell from 48% to 40%, while the Undead Spider remained fused into her body and beyond removal.
• Ye Zheng realized that lowering her Corruption Value let her think more clearly, even as she feared her remaining Cards would eventually become part of her Corruption.
• Feng Ling drew away the Jellyfish, lowering her Corruption Value to 13%.
• Li Qing advised Feng Ling to lower her Corruption Value further before digesting the Eye of Horus, and Ye Zheng warned that individual safe limits differed.
• Ye Zheng described Feng Ling as indulgent and more dangerous than anyone else because she could pursue her desires without restraint.

Feng Ling and her companions prepared to stop delaying and attack the Labyrinth Master, but Ye Zheng insisted they make a detailed plan together. As more Rats approached, they moved to a café Safe Zone, where Li Qing suspected Ye Zheng was preparing Feng Ling to carry on her work while she was still clear-headed.

• Feng Ling considered deleting four Crimson Ghost Centipedes to lower her Corruption Value before absorbing the Eye of Horus, while Huangfu Miaomiao regretted losing useful Cards.
• Xu Yiming spotted approaching Rats, and Feng Ling's Cat Owl and Cat Spider attacked them as the group discussed how the Tributes kept drawing more Rats.
• Feng Ling suggested attacking the Labyrinth Master directly, and Ye Zheng rejected her rough proposal as an inadequate Action Plan and told her to learn to plan with others.
• The group followed Feng Ling's directions to a café Safe Zone, where Ye Zheng took Feng Ling upstairs for a private conversation.
• Li Qing told Huangfu Miaomiao that Ye Zheng might be teaching Feng Ling because she wanted to pass on her beliefs while she was still clear-headed.

Feng Ling and Ye Zheng fought to decide who would kill the Labyrinth Master, wrecking the Safe Zone before agreeing to take turns attacking it. They left for another Safe Zone together, while the others followed.

• Li Qing explained that Feng Ling had to keep growing stronger because the system had identified her as a Hidden Boss.
• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng crashed through the ceiling into the first floor and said they had been fighting over who would kill the Labyrinth Master.
• Ye Zheng criticized Feng Ling's repetitive attacks, but Feng Ling pinned her to the ceiling with her tentacles and asked if she had had enough.
• The fight further damaged the Safe Zone, so Feng Ling told Huangfu Miaomiao, Xu Yiming, and Li Qing to move to another one.
• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng decided they could not fight the Labyrinth Master together and argued about taking turns as they walked away.

Feng Ling’s group rested in a Safe Zone before setting out for the Labyrinth Master, while Feng Ling reflected on survival, her Mark-induced nightmares, and the lessons Mother Feng had taught her. She remained unable to sleep, spending the night with the creatures as the Phantom’s influence continued to fade.

• Feng Ling decided the group would stay in the Safe Zone overnight because the fog was thickening and there was not enough time to reach the Labyrinth Master before dark.
• Huangfu Miaomiao prepared beds and water while Feng Ling and Ye Zheng joked about surprising the people outside the Maze and the Xenomorphs by appearing alive.
• Watching the Rats move through the fog, Feng Ling wondered whether their instinct to survive was much like humanity’s, and Li Qing said emotions and bonds could not be controlled by genes alone.
• Huangfu Miaomiao called Feng Ling upstairs to choose a bed, but Feng Ling stayed behind to pet the Cat Spider and Cat Owl.
• Feng Ling told Li Qing that the Mark gave her nightmares and made her relive painful memories of Mother Feng, who had taught her that actions needed reasons and that she should treat others fairly.

Feng Ling recalled her complicated feelings toward Mother Feng, while Li Qing tried to reassure her about the Labyrinth Master's Mark and her mental health. The next day, Feng Ling and Ye Zheng headed toward the Mountain to plant explosives as Huangfu Miaomiao and Xu Yiming watched for the Wandering Deity Procession.

• Feng Ling told Li Qing that Mother Feng had enforced strict rules at the orphanage, and Li Qing said she no longer seemed to resent her.
• Li Qing admitted he was worried the Labyrinth Master's Mark could influence Feng Ling, and called her his friend.
• Ye Zheng woke from a nightmare, argued with Feng Ling about her mental health, and climbed back onto the wall to sleep.
• Feng Ling fell asleep as Li Qing told her stories about local deities.
• The next day, Huangfu Miaomiao, Xu Yiming, Feng Ling, and Ye Zheng went to the center of the Maze and saw the collapsed Mountain in the mist.
• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng went downstairs with explosives to prepare for the Wandering Deity Procession while Huangfu Miaomiao and Xu Yiming stayed behind to observe.

Feng Ling and Ye Zheng planted explosives deep inside the Meat Mountain after watching it absorb the Wandering Deity Procession and heal its wounds. They watched from a nearby building as Feng Ling detonated the explosives, leaving the Mountain’s response unknown.

• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng heard the Wandering Deity’s music and watched the procession’s Rat Monsters, including the largest Pseudo-God, get absorbed by the Meat Mountain as it healed.
• Feng Ling blasted open a shallow crater at the spot where the Mountain’s black Scales had been exposed.
• Ye Zheng dug a deeper pit with her Tiger Claws and placed a Grenade inside, while Feng Ling pulled her free when the Mountain began swallowing her legs.
• Feng Ling threw the explosives pack directly into the pit, and she and Ye Zheng returned to a nearby building to watch.
• Feng Ling pressed the detonator as she and Ye Zheng waited to see how the Mountain would react.

Feng Ling and Ye Zheng discovered that the damaged Mountain was creating Pseudo-Gods, so Feng Ling pursued and destroyed one of the Rat Monsters. As new Pseudo-Gods emerged from the flesh heap, Ye Zheng warned her that there was more than one.

• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng watched Humanoid Rats crawl from the ruined Mountain and form a large, cloaked Pseudo-God.
• Feng Ling reasoned that the Labyrinth Master was seeking Tribute at the remaining Offering Tables, then followed the Wandering Deity Procession toward them.
• Feng Ling threw a Grenade at the procession, but its drum music affected her with Mental Power as she approached.
• Feng Ling used Mental Pressure to pin the Pseudo-God down and tore it apart until its voice faded and it stopped moving.
• Ye Zheng called out as several new Pseudo-Gods began emerging from the heap of mangled flesh.

Feng Ling and Ye Zheng tried to split the four Pseudo-Gods apart to weaken their combined Mental Power, but Feng Ling discovered the white-bearded Pseudo-God attracted Rat Monsters. She was buried under the swarm, leaving her fate uncertain.

• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng discovered that the four Pseudo-Gods shared a Mental Power Field amplified by a black, gaunt Flood Dragon beneath them.
• When a Pseudo-God pointed at Feng Ling, the surrounding Rat Monsters attacked, forcing Feng Ling and Ye Zheng to flee beyond the field's range.
• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng used Grenades to disrupt the Pseudo-Gods, then each grabbed one and ran in opposite directions to separate them.
• Feng Ling realized the white-bearded Pseudo-God was a Rat Lure as Rat Monsters poured into the streets and clung to it.
• The Rat Monsters overwhelmed Feng Ling and buried her beneath their swarm.

Ye Zheng tried to rescue Feng Ling from a fused mass of Rat Monsters and nearly used Radiant Holy Flame before Feng Ling broke free. They realized the remaining Pseudo-Gods were gathering rats to help the Labyrinth Master create another god, and hurried toward the plaza to stop them.

• Ye Zheng leaped into the Rat Monsters and discovered their fused bodies had trapped Feng Ling, while the Pseudo-Gods' Mental Power Field drew closer.
• Ye Zheng prepared to use Radiant Holy Flame, accepting that it might kill Feng Ling as well as the Pseudo-Gods.
• Feng Ling burst out of the Rat Monsters, and she and Ye Zheng realized the other two Pseudo-Gods had left to gather more rats.
• Xu Yiming warned Feng Ling that a huge group of Rat Monsters was heading toward the plaza, and Feng Ling told him to intercept them.
• Feng Ling hurried toward the plaza to stop the Labyrinth Master from creating another Pseudo-God, while Ye Zheng quickly pulled far ahead of her.

Feng Ling fought to protect Ye Zheng from the Pseudo-Gods and the moving Labyrinth Master, a giant flesh-covered creature that absorbed energy. After Ye Zheng retreated to seek the God of Grains, Feng Ling attacked the monster with her Spikes but found that its soft flesh absorbed the force.

• Feng Ling guarded the plaza from Rat Monsters while Ye Zheng battled a Pseudo-God and tore out its tumor-like growths.
• Ye Zheng weakened and lost her Second Form after the Smiling Bodhisattva drained her energy, then retreated to find the God of Grains.
• Feng Ling discovered that the Labyrinth Master had grown into a moving, giant snail-like mass wrapped around the Black Flood Dragon.
• Feng Ling confronted the Labyrinth Master and drove her Spikes into its flesh, but the creature absorbed the attack.

Feng Ling and Ye Zheng fought the Smiling Buddha, but its strange ability drained their strength while its wounds healed quickly. After Feng Ling reasoned that the Labyrinth Master’s endless growth came from exploiting the Idols’ system-powered energy, she proposed another method and asked Huangfu Miaomiao for rope.

• Feng Ling carved a deep wound into the Smiling Buddha, but its ability exhausted her and the wound began healing.
• Ye Zheng took over the attack, while the Smiling Buddha ignored her and slowly pursued Feng Ling.
• Xu Yiming shot the monster’s wound, slowing its advance and healing, but Feng Ling and Ye Zheng realized they had run out of explosives.
• Feng Ling worshipped the Idol at the Red Sign Shop and recovered her strength, then reasoned that the Labyrinth Master’s absorbed energy made it grow into a heavy, sluggish body.
• Huangfu Miaomiao reported that she had used all the Grenades, and Feng Ling proposed another method and asked whether she had rope.

Feng Ling attempted to use her Nest Building ability on the Labyrinth Master, hoping to draw out the Black Flood Dragon and drag it into the Safe Zone. The monster resisted and its cries alerted every Rat Monster in the Maze, while Feng Ling caught sight of the Black Scales again.

• Feng Ling and Ye Zheng planned to lure the Labyrinth Master near the Safe Zone, use her hatching ability, and pull the Black Flood Dragon out with a rope.
• Little Skeleton went to notify Xu Yiming while Feng Ling and Ye Zheng led the monster toward the Safe Zone.
• The Labyrinth Master stopped near the Safe Zone because its barrier obscured Feng Ling's Mark, so Feng Ling called Huangfu Miaomiao, Xu Yiming, and Li Qing to help pull the rope.
• Feng Ling struck the monster, pressed her Silver Ring Card against its wound, and shouted "Hatch!" as its flesh began to vanish and black crows emerged.
• The Labyrinth Master struggled and wailed, alerting every Rat Monster in the Maze, while Feng Ling glimpsed the Black Scales inside its flesh.