“Congratulations to you all. You have won every puzzle piece.”

The monitor’s cool and gentle voice interrupted the reunion of the five.

Bai Youwei wiped her tears, still reluctant to leave Shen Mo’s embrace. She held tightly to his waist, leaning against him again and again. Then she noticed the marks on his neck and frowned, leaning in for a closer look.

“What is this… red patches, purple patches — were you bitten? Love marks? Did you run into some kind of demoness?”

Shen Mo: “…”

*You could rein in your imagination just a little.*

“Wahahahaha!” Tan Xiao let out an exaggerated laugh. “Weiwei, if you want to know what a real love mark looks like, just ask Ink Bro to give you a few!”

Pan Xiaoxin quietly positioned herself behind Cheng Weicai.

Old Teacher Cheng laughed merrily: “See no evil, hear no evil. We don’t know anything.”

Bai Youwei smiled bashfully and stuck her tongue out at them playfully. Her face was still streaked with tears, but her eyes were full of laughter — bright and lively.

Shen Mo patted her head, took her hand, and together they walked to stand before the monitor.

“Now — can you tell us the answers?” he asked.

Tu Shenshi gazed at them quietly. After a moment, he gave a slight nod. “This is the right of the victors. Please follow me.”

The monitor turned and walked forward.

The five behind him exchanged glances and followed.

Ahead, there was only white. Nothing but white.

Through the formless white, they walked for what felt like an indeterminate length of time, before finally stopping.

Tu Shenshi raised a hand and gave a gentle wave. Countless tiny fragments gathered, converging before them into the outline of a door.

“Zero Labyrinth,” Tu Shenshi said. “This is your final maze. You only need to complete the remaining puzzle pieces, and you will pass through the labyrinth and step into the reality you seek.”

“Ugh, another one…” Tan Xiao scratched his hair and grumbled, “I thought we’d get our prizes right now.”

“Let’s work on it together. This one isn’t hard.” Bai Youwei emptied her backpack, and the accumulated puzzle pieces clattered onto the floor in a heap.

She was in a good mood, so she didn’t mind the fuss. Cheerfully she picked up a few pieces, moved to the edge of the door, tried fitting them together — then waved her companions over:

“It’s so simple. Once you find the right spot, they just snap into place automatically.”

Hearing this, everyone pocketed a few puzzle pieces and walked over.

This was the simplest game of all.

The five of them chattered and laughed — some fitting pieces, some searching for the right spots, some handing over pieces to others. When someone got tired, they sat down to one side and rested.

“Xiao Tan, your piece doesn’t look right — try a different one…”

“Wow wow wow! Xiao Xin, you’ve already fitted so many!”

“Weiwei jie, am I putting this one in the right place?”

“…Hey, Shen Mo, help me with the upper part — I can’t reach…”

“Once the door is finished, do we get our prizes?”

“Tan Xiao, is that all you ever think about?!”

“Hehehe…”

The group was lively and cheerful, talking and laughing all the while.

The monitor stood quietly to one side, watching as they completed the door —

All the puzzle pieces joined into one.

Dark-colored patterns emerged on the puzzle surface, forming the image of a labyrinth — rings within rings, circles connecting to circles. The winding paths shimmered with white light, gradually spreading to cover the entire door.

“Please enter,” Tu Shenshi said. “Beyond this door lies the answers you seek.”

Bai Youwei pressed her lips together gently and looked up at Shen Mo.

Shen Mo took her hand, their fingers interlacing. No words were needed. Hand in hand, they walked in together.

Behind them, Tan Xiao, Cheng Weicai, and Pan Xiaoxin followed closely through the door.

The moment they stepped inside, they saw a deep blue sky.

Everyone froze.

They then discovered they were inside an enormous transparent space — like a glass container suspended in midair, composed of countless individual cubes, occasionally reflecting white light depending on the angle. Pure white. Everything.

—