In a labyrinth or a game, the most unsettling thing was having a fellow player with ulterior motives — someone you couldn’t guard against no matter how careful you were.

Du Lai was camping this close to them. It was obvious he intended to enter the labyrinth.

His hesitation could be exactly what he said — genuine uncertainty — but Bai Youwei felt it was far more likely he was waiting for a sacrificial lamb, someone to go in first and absorb the damage.

After all, everything about the labyrinth was still unknown. Using human lives to pave the way for clues was the easiest method.

Bai Youwei had no desire to enter the labyrinth and then have to watch her back against someone like him. It would be far too draining.

And then there was that so-called “girlfriend” of his. She was also on Bai Youwei’s mind.

“Maybe the moment we step in, they’ll follow right behind us,” Bai Youwei said, frowning with frustration. “How annoying. Why did we have to run into *him* of all people…”

Shen Mo pulled the car to the side of the road and said calmly, “Du Lai is an opportunist. If things go smoothly for us inside the labyrinth, he might be willing to coexist peacefully and even help each other. But if something goes wrong for us and he sees a weakness, he’ll put his own interests first and kick us while we’re down without a second thought.”

Bai Youwei frowned and nodded. “That’s exactly right… so the timing of when we enter the labyrinth matters a lot —

If we let them go in first, I’m afraid they’ll find clues and deliberately hide them from us.

If we let them go in after us, I’m afraid that if something happens, they’ll catch up and pick the scraps off our bones.

And if we go in at the same time, I’m still worried…”

If it had been anyone else, Bai Youwei wouldn’t have had so many concerns. The problem was specifically Du Lai — he was simply not the kind of person you could feel at ease around.

Just thinking about how he had stolen so many people’s puzzle pieces told you everything you needed to know about his character and methods.

“Since we’ve already run into him, there’s no avoiding it,” Shen Mo said evenly. “We’ll wait until tonight when they’re asleep, then enter the labyrinth.”

— Put some distance between their entry and his, and avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

“I suppose that’s all we can do,” Bai Youwei said, pursing her lips, somewhat displeased. “It feels like we’re the ones backing down.”

“Finding Su Man is what matters. There’s no need to butt heads with them over this. Besides…” Shen Mo glanced toward their tent. “Unless I’m mistaken, when that woman turned her head to look at us just now, her shoulders didn’t move at all.”

Bai Youwei heard him, initially puzzled — and then slowly widened her eyes.

When a person turns their head, their shoulders naturally shift along with it. They can’t remain completely still — unless they’re a robot.

“You mean…” Bai Youwei leaned close to Shen Mo’s ear and whispered, “Du Lai’s girlfriend isn’t human?”

“Yan Qingwen was able to get hold of a steel puppet. It wouldn’t be strange for Du Lai to have acquired something similar — a doll of that kind,” Shen Mo said.

Bai Youwei was astonished. “But she was talking just now…”

A puppet doll that could speak on its own? That hardly seemed possible.

Shen Mo smiled and reached up to ruffle her hair. “I’m only guessing. Either way, keeping our distance from them is the safer choice.”

Bai Youwei turned it over in her mind for a moment, not even noticing her hair had been mussed up, and nodded. “Alright. Let’s rest properly for a while and set off with full energy.”

……

Shen Mo and Bai Youwei set up their tent as a pretense, started a campfire, then retrieved Teacher Cheng’s pre-cooked dinner from the dollhouse and ate beside the fire.

Night fell, and the surroundings quickly sank into pitch darkness, with only two campfires burning quietly along the road.

Du Lai was also eating dinner.

His meal was far simpler than what Bai Youwei and Shen Mo had. He was holding a few pieces of hard, dry flatbread. There were instant noodles beside him, but he hadn’t bothered to cook them — that would have meant dirtying another pot to boil water, and Du Lai couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

Meanwhile, Bai Youwei and Shen Mo were eating red wine braised beef.

—