Ashalina still carried lingering trauma from the mermaid monster maze, and said, “Even though we can’t open the door, at least the task is clear—that’s much better than last time when we were completely in the dark with no idea what to do.”

Last time there had truly been no clues at all; faced with seven identical caverns, they’d had no choice but to guess blindly. This time, at least they already knew—they needed to find 12 keys.

Chen Hui walked toward the mural side, lost in thought. “Could the murals be hints about where the keys are?”

The murals contained no keys.

Only the bull-headed monster, small figures, remains, a sword, and one somewhat taller figure.

Bai Youwei studied the murals and said with a puzzled frown, “This looks familiar… I have the impression there’s a Greek myth with a bull-headed creature like this?”

“Minotaur—half human, half bull,” Chen Hui said, knowing this myth. “The wife of King Minos gave birth to a monster with a human body and a bull’s head. So he built a labyrinth for it, and every few years boys and girls were sent into the labyrinth. In the end it was a hero named Theseus who slew the bull-headed beast.”

Leonid frowned and squinted at the third mural, unable to appreciate these abstract lines at all.

Ashalina asked, “In this last mural, the figure standing over the bull-headed monster—could that be Theseus? Does that mean we also need to kill the bull-headed monster to leave this maze?”

Chen Hui said, “According to the myth, Theseus solved the labyrinth using a ball of thread, then slew the Minotaur with a magic sword.”

She paused for a few seconds and added, “The myth doesn’t mention these locks.”

“Perhaps it’s just a backdrop—not every detail will correspond to the mythological story,” Bai Youwei said. “I played a game once called ‘Corpse-Bearing Woman’—it was performed to the tune of *The Corpse-Bearing Woman*, but the actual plot had absolutely nothing in common with that story’s background.”

She looked at the murals again and said contemplatively, “Still… the murals wouldn’t appear here for no reason. Whether there’s a Theseus inside the maze, I can’t say—but there’s very likely a bull-headed monster. Everyone be careful.”

Everyone took out their weapons and looked warily around them, as if at any moment a specter or monster might emerge from those dark corners.

The stone chamber was searched from top to bottom. Apart from the murals, the door, the locks, and the four small, dimly burning oil lamps—there was nothing else.

The four directions of the stone walls each had a door that was not locked.

It seemed now they had no choice but to open a door.

Everyone looked to Bai Youwei. There were four doors—she would have to choose which one to open.

“With no clear clues at the start, we’ll have to rely on luck,” Bai Youwei said. “Who among you has the best luck?”

They looked at each other.

After a moment, Du Lai stepped forward. “I’ll try?”

“Sure.” Bai Youwei nodded. “Pick one.”

Du Lai chose the door corresponding to the direction of the third mural.

The door was heavy, but swung open without a sound. Inside it was pitch black—nothing visible.

No one went in immediately; they stood cautiously at the doorway and shone their flashlights inside.

It was an empty stone chamber—bare stone floor, bare stone walls, and on one wall, an identical iron door.

Bai Youwei furrowed her brow, walked inside, swept her flashlight around, and when she confirmed there was absolutely nothing in this stone chamber, she said to Du Lai, “Pick another door.”

Du Lai picked a door in the same direction.

This iron door opened to reveal another stone chamber, identical to the one they now stood in—pitch black, with nothing inside.

A feeling of unease began to rise in Bai Youwei’s chest. In the No. 3 maze before, she had also gotten trapped in endlessly repeating caverns.

“Retreat to the room we were just in,” she said with a furrowed brow. “Something’s not right here.”

—