[Mister Donguo’s Rope: Once knotted, no one but the user may untie or damage the rope. Note: after the user’s death, this item loses its effect.]

This rope had originally belonged to Yang Zi. After Yang Zi’s death, Zhang Ke — who had been the one to use the rope — naturally became the item’s designated “user.”

So as long as Zhang Ke was alive, Lu Yuwen could never break free from the rope’s binding.

Lu Yuwen stood before Zhang Ke and let him tie both his hands tightly together.

Su Man stood to the side, wanting to say something but holding back. In the end, she said nothing.

Zhang Ke glanced at her with a hollow smile. “This is the best arrangement. You can rest easy, and so can I.”

“Now that you’re at ease, you can go.” Lu Yuwen said calmly. “With my hands bound, I can’t use them — effectively making me useless for this task. So as long as I can leave the labyrinth, I’ll definitely find a way to bring you out with me.”

Su Man fixed Zhang Ke with a cold stare. “If you dare go back on your word after we leave the labyrinth and refuse to untie the rope, I’ll make sure you die in a way that’s very ugly to see.”

Zhang Ke heard this and sneered with thinly-veiled contempt.

His expression was dismissive, but he had been following these two long enough to know Su Man’s skills firsthand, so he said nothing — he simply turned and walked away, his figure gradually receding into the dark.

A subtle, three-way balance of power had taken shape between them.

“Will he keep his word?” Su Man watched that retreating figure with unease. “A person like him is completely untrustworthy. Even if he’s cooperating with us for now, he’ll definitely turn on us later!”

“There’s nothing to be done…” Lu Yuwen sat down on the ground and let out a slow breath.

The wound on his neck was bleeding, soaking his shirt collar wet. He wanted to raise his bound hands to wipe it, but the motion was too awkward to manage, and he gave up.

“Forcing him into the open wasn’t only because our efficiency was too low — there’s another reason…” Lu Yuwen said.

Su Man had retrieved antiseptic and bandages and was tending to his wound. She asked: “What other reason?”

Lu Yuwen went quiet for a moment, then said: “There’s something… that only he can do. Neither of us is able to do it.”

Su Man blinked in confusion. “What thing?”

Lu Yuwen raised his head to look at her. “It’s…”

His voice cut off.

Su Man frowned in puzzlement. “What’s the matter? What is it?”

“It’s…” Lu Yuwen hesitated, then lowered his head again. “Never mind. In a few more days, you’ll know.”

“Why keep building suspense!” Su Man sighed in exasperation.

……

Zhang Ke was a scoundrel, but once their cooperation was established, he was true to his word. The next day he arrived at the agreed time, location, and bearing, right on schedule, to help shift the squares.

By the time the sun began to set in the evening, they had assembled ten squares in total.

That speed was more than double what Su Man and Lu Yuwen had managed between the two of them.

That evening, Zhang Ke collected the new action route from Lu Yuwen.

On the third day, their efficiency was even higher — they assembled sixteen squares.

On the fourth day, they assembled twenty-two squares.

Adding the eighteen squares already assembled in the southwest corner of the labyrinth, twenty-four squares remained before the hundred was complete — twenty-three land squares, not counting the empty slot.

In other words, if they just pushed a little harder, they could leave the labyrinth tomorrow.

But when Zhang Ke went to get the action route map from Lu Yuwen, the sheet Lu Yuwen handed him only showed the path for two squares.

“What about the rest?” Zhang Ke raised an eyebrow at Lu Yuwen.

Lu Yuwen extended the map with his bound hands — an awkward gesture — and pointed to it, saying: “Walk two more squares and they’ll link up with the eighteen-square section in the southwest. But this particular spot… we’re missing one square.”