They had tested not just Cave 5, but the remaining Caves 6 and 7 as well.

No fish monsters.

Then they retested Caves 3 and 4 — still no fish monsters.

In other words, the reason they had safely passed through the middle cave yesterday wasn’t because they were lucky. It was because, from the very first time they entered the caves, all seven — Caves 1 through 7 — had contained no fish monsters whatsoever.

“What’s going on?” Ashalina was completely baffled. “Why aren’t there any fish monsters in any of the caves?”

Bai Youwei furrowed her brow, staring at the seven cave entrances before her. “Is it possible that… the path leading outside changes depending on which entrance we choose?”

Otherwise, why would there be seven caves with absolutely no fish monsters?

What would be the point?

“It’s like lights connected in a circuit,” Bai Youwei explained. “Some switches control the ceiling lights, some control the spotlights, some control the bedside lamps. Press different switches, and different lights come on.”

Ashalina dimly grasped her meaning. “You mean… the cave entrance we choose first affects whether fish monsters appear in the caves that follow?”

Bai Youwei nodded. “Yesterday we chose Cave 4, and then entering Cave 1, we encountered a fish monster. So the correct cave entrance corresponding to Cave 4 should be somewhere among Caves 2 through 7. The chance of it being Cave 4 again is low, so Caves 2, 3, 5, and 6 are all worth trying.”

“A one-in-four chance…” Ashalina frowned. “If we guess wrong, we’ll face three fish monsters.”

Bai Youwei was silent for a moment, then said: “After three, if we’re still wrong, we’ll face four.”

The number of wrong guesses was proportional to the number of fish monsters.

The more mistakes, the greater the danger.

And even if they guessed correctly — even then, there was no guarantee they’d get out. They might still face another seven cave entrances, forcing them to keep guessing.

This labyrinth seemed to offer no way to survive, its hints pitifully scarce.

Bai Youwei had the nagging feeling they’d missed something. Otherwise, with only the information they had, finding the way out would be almost entirely a matter of luck.

She looked around. Where was it, exactly? The hidden clue lurking in the shadows — where?

Ashalina, beside her, said: “Since it’s come to this, let’s just pick one. No matter what, at least we’ll get a result.”

Bai Youwei glanced at her.

Honestly, Bai Youwei’s own instinct was to go back to the dollhouse and wait a while longer, turning over other possibilities.

But Ashalina was in a hurry.

That was only human. A-Qing’s condition was deteriorating. They couldn’t keep him without water indefinitely — the sooner they left this place, the better.

Even if they didn’t have enough clues yet, Ashalina couldn’t wait any longer.

“Which one do you want to pick?” Bai Youwei handed the decision to Ashalina. Her role was analysis; if it came down to pure chance, it didn’t matter who made the call.

Ashalina said: “Since Caves 2, 3, 5, and 6 are all possibilities, let’s try them in order. Start with Cave 2.”

Bai Youwei nodded. “Alright. We’ll go through Cave 4 first, then into Cave 2.”

Everyone rallied their spirits and set the boat moving.

Yesterday, after entering Cave 4, they had chosen sub-cave 1 and encountered fish monsters. This time, they chose Cave 2 —

Pan Xiaoxin carefully steered the fishing boat. After passing through Cave 4, he slowly guided it into Cave 2.

Ashalina moved to the bow, eyes fixed on the heaving surface of the water, gripping her weapon tightly.

A-Long kept watch at the stern, vigilantly scanning the surroundings, on guard against merfolk that could appear at any moment.

Bai Youwei, too, reined in her breathing, listening intently to every faint sound within the cave.

Water rushed and splashed, echoes rippling outward.

They pressed forward through the darkness.

—