They were two Asian-looking men, in their mid-twenties — young but not boyish. Their combat uniforms silently declared their special professional identity, though right now they were covered in mud and foul blood, evidence of whatever game they had just endured.

After entering, a brief flash of astonishment crossed their faces, but they quickly composed themselves and headed this way.

Though there were no signs or instructions directing anyone to group up, clustering together was almost human instinct — and all the players had unknowingly sorted themselves into several different factions based on skin tone and clothing.

The two men naturally walked toward the area where the Asian faces were gathered.

They quickly spotted Shen Mo, and their steps halted abruptly. They stared directly at this side, faces full of shock.

Bai Youwei noticed them and asked Shen Mo softly: “You know them?”

“Mm.” Shen Mo gave a slight nod. “Former subordinates.”

The two men were still standing in place, hesitating, as though unsure whether they should come over.

It wasn’t until Shen Mo gave them a nod of acknowledgment that the two finally walked over. Their expressions couldn’t conceal their agitation, and their voices were already choked with emotion the moment they opened their mouths. “Commander…”

Shen Mo raised a hand to stop them, and said calmly: “Call me Captain.”

“Yes, Captain!” The two responded, eyes red-rimmed.

Shen Mo introduced them to the others: “This is Fang Yu, and this is Yu Chaohui. Former members of the special intelligence unit. We were separated from each other on the way to provide backup for Professor Song.”

Everyone exchanged brief introductions and names, and with that, they were acquainted.

Just then, the white walls all around suddenly flickered.

The walls, like liquid crystal screens, began displaying large blocks of text — dense and packed!

Looking closely, one could see it was actually just one sentence — but translated into every language imaginable, filling the walls in rows upon rows —

“Welcome, [Chinese]

Welcome, [English]

Welcome, [Japanese]

Welcome, [Dutch]

Welcome, [French]

Welcome, [German]

Welcome, [Albanian]

Welcome, [Spanish]

…”

*[Translator’s note: The wall displays the single word “Welcome” written in every language of the world simultaneously — Chinese, English, Japanese, Dutch, French, German, Albanian, Spanish, and many more — packed row upon row.]*

A cold, mechanical voice rang out through the air:

“Total participants in this preliminary round: 241;

Activated puzzle pieces: 502;

Progress: 56%;

Conditions for initiating the War have been met. Opening war registration channel now. Please continue the game, players. Keep pushing forward to clear —”

The voice ended, and everyone was still in a daze.

What preliminary round?

What war?

What registration channel?

Nobody knew what any of this was about!

Everyone was completely at sea. Then the walls displayed yet another change — the large blocks of text disappeared, replaced by the image of the Rabbit-Head Inspector.

“Welcome, one and all.”

In the projection, the Rabbit-Head Inspector said politely:

“The rules for this preliminary round will be explained by myself.

I’m sure you have all heard — collect all the puzzle pieces, and you can clear every game.

However, the mazes are distributed across every corner of the world, and it is clearly impractical for any one person to collect the puzzle pieces from every single maze through their own efforts alone.

And so, in the interest of fairness: when the number of activated maze puzzle pieces exceeds 55%, the system will lock the remaining mazes and initiate the Maze War.

In the war, you will rapidly achieve your collection goals by plundering puzzle pieces from others. You will also, upon achieving victory, receive the opportunity to unlock new mazes.

However, please note —

First: once a player has registered for the tournament, they may not withdraw midway.

Second: if a player forfeits participation, all puzzle pieces they hold will be immediately reclaimed.”

When those words were finished, uproar swept through the room.

Every person’s puzzle pieces had been hard-won — and now the inspector was saying that if they didn’t participate, they’d be taken back?!

“For those who have no intention of collecting all the puzzle pieces, what use is there in keeping them in hand?” The Rabbit-Head figure smiled slightly. “Everyone, I have not yet finished. There are two modes of participation: ‘King’ and ‘Subject.’ If you neither wish to take part in the brutal plunder war, nor wish to give up your puzzle pieces, then I suggest choosing the ‘Subject’ identity to participate.”

—