Fu Miaoxue retrieved her black skirt and black veil, redressing herself neatly.

When she emerged from behind the wooden cabin, she found the other three players had already entered the square glowing passage, with only Pan Xiaoxin waiting for her in place.

She curled the corners of her lips, feeling a small flutter of happiness, and reached up with a smile to pat Pan Xiaoxin on the head. “Mm, I suppose you do have a bit of a conscience~”

—

Pan Xiaoxin: “…Sis, you can’t just go around patting a boy’s head.”

“Tch! What a fussy little kid~” Fu Miaoxue withdrew her hand dismissively.

The two entered the glowing passage together. After only a few steps, the white light faded, and they found themselves once again standing in that vast, familiar white expanse.

Fu Miaoxue was surveying her surroundings when she suddenly heard Bai Youwei’s voice carry over:

“Xiaoxin!”

Pan Xiaoxin spun around and immediately sprinted over in excitement. “Weiwei Sis! Mo Ge! Xiao Ge!…”

Fu Miaoxue: “…”

Pan Xiaoxin had already run far ahead. He was finally reunited with Bai Youwei, Shen Mo, Tan Xiao, and the others, with Yan Qingwen, Su Man, and the rest gathered around them. Their companions asked warmly after his time in the game, exchanging concerned questions and affectionate greetings — a picture of warm camaraderie.

Fu Miaoxue watched from a distance in silence, and couldn’t help muttering under her breath: “…Ungrateful little brat.”

Then she noticed Bai Youwei laughing cheerfully as she ruffled Pan Xiaoxin’s head.

Fu Miaoxue’s mouth twisted in displeasure. She felt even more put out, grumbling under her breath: “Didn’t he say no one’s allowed to pat his head? How come *she* gets to?”

She was thoroughly out of sorts.

The floor suddenly flickered with white light. Fu Miaoxue started, and every other player looked down at their feet simultaneously. The floor, once made of pure white tiles arranged in neat squares, unfurled like a scroll of ink-laden brushwork —

More precisely, not a scroll, but a full panoramic satellite map. Blue oceans, white glaciers, brown landmasses and green forests — every corner of the Earth was rendered vividly before them.

“Congratulations to all of you for passing the qualifying round selection —” the rabbit-headed inspector’s voice rang out.

Everyone looked around, but the inspector was nowhere to be seen.

Yet the voice came through clearly and unmistakably into their ears.

“This qualifying round consisted of a total of 241 players. 5 withdrew, 197 registered as kings, and 39 registered as subjects.

Of these, 32 won and 38 died.

Among the victors: 26 kings, 6 subjects.

Among the defeated: 135 subjects, 31 commoners.”

Bai Youwei listened quietly, doing rough mental calculations. Originally 197 players had registered as kings. Now only 26 remained — the rest had either lost and become subjects, or been killed during the game.

She wondered what form the next round of competition would take.

And the map beneath their feet… what was its purpose?

The inspector’s voice continued —

“The Labyrinth War is a war between kings. Will the 26 kings please produce your puzzle pieces and select your territories on the map. At the same time, please note the following points:

First, each puzzle piece can claim 10,000 square kilometers of territory;

Second, once a territory boundary is confirmed, puzzle pieces cannot be moved, nor can they be placed separately — at least two pieces must be connected for a claim to succeed;

Third, no labyrinths or games will appear within a king’s territory, ensuring kings receive adequate rest during periods of non-warfare.”

At this point, the rabbit-headed figure seemed to give a soft laugh, its tone carrying a strangely cheerful note:

“There is one more point — a personal suggestion from me. Subjects must hold puzzle pieces in order to participate in warfare. So please make sure to keep some pieces in reserve, to avoid having insufficient pieces to recruit subjects when war begins.”

Bai Youwei and Shen Mo looked at each other.

Among all the rules, what concerned them most was the third point: no labyrinths or games will appear within a king’s territory.

If enough puzzle pieces could be gathered… did that mean the world might return to how it once was?

—