Su Man stared up at the arrow with curiosity.

Nearly a hundred meters long, unsupported by anything, the arrow hovered inexplicably in the air above the bamboo grove.

This was a labyrinth.

A labyrinth meant getting lost was easy.

Yet here was an arrow pointing the way — Su Man’s instincts immediately went on alert.

She tried to think: if Yan Qingwen were here, how would he analyze this?

If Bai Youwei were here, what would she do?

…

…………

………………

Alright. She gave up.

Su Man accepted her fate, shouldered her pack, and followed the arrow’s direction.

She hadn’t gone far when she spotted more small arrows — scattered throughout the bamboo grove, all pointing the same way.

The arrows made no sound. But with all of them appearing before her at once, it was as if they carried their own ambient chorus, chattering inside her mind: This way, this way, this way…

Su Man furrowed her brow suspiciously and kept walking.

Then, just like that, she walked clean out of the bamboo grove —

And onto a flat asphalt road.

The asphalt and the bamboo grove met in a perfectly clean line, as though cut with a blade. The damp earth and the solid cement came together without the slightest transition, abruptly joined.

Su Man was a bit dazed.

There were arrows on the asphalt road too — on streetlights, on garbage bins, arrows everywhere.

Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Not knowing which way to go, she instinctively kept following the arrows’ direction.

On the road, under the burden of her heavy pack, she saw vast numbers of human figures — most of them, like her, carrying all manner of luggage; others in cars, whole families in tow, as though fleeing some disaster, yet every single one frozen in place, transformed into motionless human-shaped dolls.

Something must have gone wrong in this labyrinth; otherwise these people would never have become dolls.

Su Man grew more and more cautious, observing the surroundings carefully while also wondering whether she should keep following the arrows.

Looking at the direction the dolls were all facing, they had each become a doll while following the arrows. Which meant the arrows might be a trap.

And yet…

After entering the labyrinth, aside from the conspicuous arrows, she had found no other usable clues.

If she didn’t follow the arrows, then where was she supposed to go?

Su Man had no ideas whatsoever.

Truly worrying.

If Yan Qingwen were here, or Bai Youwei, there would surely be some sort of plan by now.

Why hadn’t the heavens given her a clever brain?

Su Man stared blankly ahead.

Up ahead, the dolls grew more numerous and more densely packed — a sea of figures as far as she could see. She had no way of knowing how many souls this labyrinth had swallowed.

She grew more and more conflicted about whether to press on, standing rooted to the spot in a daze.

At that moment, she suddenly heard a loud motorcycle coming from behind —

VROOM!

VROOM VROOM!

She looked back: in the distance, a motorcycle was approaching. The engine noise was tremendous, but the speed was not — it kept stopping and starting, accompanied by the boisterous laughter and shouts of young men.

She hadn’t expected to find other living people in this labyrinth.

Were they accidental arrivals, or were they here for puzzle pieces?

Su Man glanced at both sides of the road, quickly set down her pack, yanked open the door of a car parked nearby, squeezed in beside the doll inside, and kept a wary eye on what was coming.

She waited a moment, and the motorcycle pulled into view.

When it drew closer, she could see that three young men were crammed onto it — and being dragged behind it by a rope tied to his hands was another man.

He wore glasses, and looked about the same age as the young men on the motorcycle, yet his situation was miserable. He stumbled along behind the bike, his trouser knees completely torn through and raw with bloody scrapes.

Whenever he collapsed from exhaustion, the motorcycle would stop, the young men on board would yell and curse, and once the bespectacled man hauled himself back up, they would gun the engine and drag him forward again.