They returned to the starting point and indeed saw several puppets standing nearby.

The puppets moved slowly and didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking them. Just standing there motionlessly watching them was already sufficiently eerie.

Bai Youwei told everyone to bring their luggage.

Everyone complied.

Actually, there wasn’t much to bring. Most items were supplies collected from within the maze—expendable things. They were now desperately eager to get out, so they couldn’t possibly pack meticulously with attention to every detail.

In Tu Dan’s tent, Chen Hui found a lady’s wallet containing Tu Dan’s ID card, bank cards, house keys, and a family photo.

In the photo, Tu Dan smiled warmly, flanked by her son and husband on either side.

Chen Hui looked at it for a while, then tucked the wallet into her chest and walked out of the tent with her backpack.

Outside, Zhang Tianyang was leading classmates in tearing paper off the mirrors.

“What’s going on?” Chen Hui walked over to ask.

“I don’t know…” Zhang Tianyang’s expression was hard to describe. He glanced at Bai Youwei in the distance. “She told us to tear all the paper off the mirrors.”

Chen Hui frowned and said, “But doing this is very dangerous.”

“Of course I know that…”

Before finishing his words, a hand reached out from the mirror where half the paper had been torn off! Chen Hui shoved Zhang Tianyang aside with one push!

The mirror puppet maintained its reaching posture.

Chen Hui: “Be careful.”

Zhang Tianyang wiped away cold sweat. “…Thanks.”

…

Several people working together quickly stripped all the paper from nearby mirrors.

In every mirror surface, their puppets were reflected. Looking around, there were countless numbers…

“They’re coming out…” a student said with a trembling voice, legs going weak as they retreated.

Everyone retreated together, backs pressed against backs, warily watching the puppets in the surrounding mirrors gradually closing in—some extending one hand, some protruding half their bodies, some still in the mirrors, impatiently wanting to come out.

Shen Mo held the wheelchair and asked Bai Youwei, “What’s your confidence level?”

“Originally fifty percent.” She scanned the surrounding puppets and said, “…Now, eighty percent.”

Shen Mo was surprised. He looked down at her, surprised yet feeling it was expected.

Because she was always like this.

Not just smart—her way of thinking always inexplicably aligned with the games. On this point, Shen Mo admitted his inferiority.

“Let’s go.” Bai Youwei operated the wheelchair herself, waving her hand lightly. “No need to push me. Follow behind me and don’t take any unnecessary steps.”

She wheeled ahead at the front. The others followed behind.

Further back came the slowly moving puppets…

Bai Youwei sat in the wheelchair, not moving quickly either. Sometimes she would even stop and order others to tear down poster paper from the walls on both sides.

This made their progress even slower.

Zhang Tianyang watched the puppets drawing closer and closer, growing increasingly frightened.

Because Bai Youwei kept having them tear down posters to reveal mirrors, and the mirrors reflected more puppets in an endless cycle. The number of puppets following behind them was multiplying exponentially!

When they reached the next intersection, Bai Youwei stopped again.

Zhang Tianyang was going crazy, nervously asking, “Can we… go faster?”

The others said nothing but also stared at Bai Youwei with intense eyes: Can we go faster? Can we?

“No.” Bai Youwei replied coldly.

Everyone: “…”

While looking at her map and observing the intersection’s environment, Bai Youwei said calmly, “We can’t go faster. I must ensure that every step we take out is within the range the mirrors can reflect. Otherwise we’ll have to go back and start over.”

Have to go back?

Everyone’s faces turned deathly pale as they looked behind themselves.

Densely packed puppets had almost completely blocked the passage behind them, and new puppets were still endlessly emerging from the mirrors.

Everyone said one after another, “Let’s go slow! Slow is good!”

Just please don’t take a wrong turn!