Everyone looked at her.

What should have been a serious and tense atmosphere somehow gave the illusion of listening to gossip during a dinner gathering, since everyone held meat and drinks in their hands.

Shen Mo asked Bai Youwei: “Thought of a way out?”

“Not that.” Bai Youwei said. “If it were an ordinary maze, the method Tan Xiao mentioned earlier would be enough. But… with the current maze, I think finding the exit is secondary. What we should find first is people.”

“People?” Tan Xiao finished a piece of beef tongue in one bite. “What people?”

Old Teacher Cheng carefully wrapped enoki mushrooms in bacon and sighed: “Weiwei is talking about those missing people, right?”

“Yes.” Bai Youwei nodded. “Only by figuring out where the danger lies can we know where the chance of survival is. Right now, the only clue we have is that the mirrors here are problematic. Beyond that, does the maze have any other dangers? Are there mechanisms? Are there taboos? These questions probably can’t be clarified until we find those missing people.”

Shen Mo pondered and slowly said: “Whether it’s danger or survival chances, we can only determine them by truly going deep into the maze. Based on this scope, we’ll need at least two days to walk through the entire maze. If the maze’s structure is more complex, it might even take three days.”

This was a prolonged battle.

Unlike previous games that ended in minutes, in the maze, whoever persisted to the end would be the winner.

As they chatted, they settled on a search plan:

Using the fountain pool at the maze’s center as the starting point, they would divide the maze into nine exploration zones following a tic-tac-toe pattern. Each day they would explore two to three zones. This way, after three days, they could thoroughly understand the maze’s entire structure.

To explore the maze more quickly, phones, ropes, paint, spray guns, as well as glue and regular pens and paper that could be used for marking were all added to the supply search list.

Bai Youwei said: “Find a few tents too. I don’t want to face mirrors when sleeping at night.”

Where they were currently resting was at the maze’s central location—mirrors in all four directions. Any casual glance would reveal themselves turned into dolls in the mirrors. This feeling was very unpleasant.

Shen Mo nodded.

He also felt sleeping in tents would be more secure.

After all, no one could guarantee what consequences might come from constantly being exposed in front of mirrors.

“After eating, we’ll search one zone first and look for supplies along the way.” Shen Mo calmly instructed. “Today is the first day—no need to rush. Everyone remember to conserve energy. We’ll take turns keeping watch tonight.”

Everyone responded in agreement, and the barbecue was nearing its end.

As they prepared to clean up the leftover dishes, footsteps came from the distance, accompanied by scattered voices, getting closer and closer.

“I think I smell barbecue…”

“Yang Yi, you’re craving meat so badly you’re going crazy, hahaha!”

“…Hey, there really does seem to be a barbecue smell. I smell it too…”

“Me too!”

“Teacher Tu! There are people ahead!”

Tu Dan led a group of students out of the passage and saw Shen Mo, Bai Youwei, Tan Xiao, Cheng Weicai, along with the stove and barbecue beside them.

Tu Dan’s group all froze.

Shen Mo’s group was also stunned.

“…Oh my god.” A female student said in an extremely quiet voice. “They’re actually eating barbecue in the maze.”

Because it was so quiet at the moment, her voice echoed clearly in the air, making the already awkward atmosphere even more awkward…

Tan Xiao, who had recovered his senses, casually said: “Have you eaten? Come join us?”

Tu Dan: “…”

The students: “…”

Old Teacher Cheng was very enthusiastic: “I’ll go get more charcoal.”

“No, no need, Teacher Cheng.” Tu Dan said awkwardly. “We’ve already eaten…”

Her gaze moved with difficulty to Shen Mo and Bai Youwei: “You… how did you end up coming in too?”