The mirrors refracted numerous bizarre and fantastical images; the surroundings were disturbingly quiet.
Qi Zhimu walked ahead, his staff rhythmically tapping against the ground.
The footsteps beside him were very light, and the small hand he had been holding remained cold.
"Why have you stopped talking, Reserve Food?"
There was a nonchalant tone in Qi Zhimu's voice.
"What's the trick to the third stage? You haven't told me yet."
Herta: "A pure labyrinth. You can only leave by finding a specific mirror and entering it, but there's a time limit."
"The labyrinth's active area will shrink. If we don't leave after five hours, everyone will be crushed into meat patties."
Qi Zhimu was somewhat surprised. "No tricks? Then I'll just follow you; I won't have to worry too much."
"Mhm, okay," Herta nodded.
Time passed second by second.
Unknowingly, over four hours passed just like that.
Sensing the girl's current state, Qi Zhimu narrowed his eyes, his pupils appearing deep in the dim light.
"Your endurance is quite good; walking for so long without getting tired or hungry. I, however, am starving."
A playful smile curled at the corner of Qi Zhimu's mouth.
"To fulfill your request, I didn't even have time to forage. Do you remember our contract? What price must you pay?"
"You said you would eat me."
Herta answered without hesitation.
"I am your Reserve Food. Once we return to the Azure Star, my life will be yours."
Qi Zhimu was silent for a moment, then leaned forward until his face was almost touching the tip of her nose.
"For the food I like to eat, presentation is very, very important."
His voice suddenly turned gentle, low like a demon coaxing an ignorant child.
"You've been wearing that expressionless face all this time; the presentation is terrible. Come on, give me a smile, and remember to make it sweet."
"It shouldn't be time to eat me yet."
"You wouldn't understand. Guess why I like eating people who smile? It's because smiles can bring people strength."
Qi Zhimu was smiling very warmly now, not looking at all like someone who wanted to eat a person.
"Though I can only look and not eat right now, at least it can give me a little recharge."
The air froze for a second.
In the next moment, Herta obediently looked up.
The corners of her mouth slowly curled upward, revealing an extremely radiant, energetic, and sweet smile.
In this unpleasant Labyrinth Zone, she seemed to become the only sunlight.
However, at the very moment the smile bloomed—
Puchi!
The dull sound of flesh being pierced rang out.
Herta's sweet smile froze on her face as the tip of the staff pierced through her throat without warning.
The warmth on Qi Zhimu's face vanished, replaced by extreme coldness and disgust.
"Tch, how fake can you get?"
He abruptly pulled out the staff, bringing out a cloud of black mist instead of blood.
He kicked it away, coldly watching the corpse on the ground turn into a shattered mirror.
"If she could smile that happily right now, it would be a goddamn miracle."
In this temperatureless Labyrinth Zone, anything could be real, except for such a pure smile.
"Where are you...?"
Qi Zhimu's chest rose and fell slightly as a trace of anxiety flashed through his heart.
Thinking back carefully, perhaps not long after they entered, the person beside him had already been seamlessly swapped out.
Since the Mirror Ghost was so easy to kill, its combat power probably wasn't high, but the problem was that Herta had no combat strength.
It's been over four hours; he had to find that girl who had only eaten a single lollipop and could collapse from hunger at any moment as soon as possible... Meanwhile, in another Mirror Corridor.
Herta clutched her abdomen; with every step, cold sweat slid down her forehead and dripped into her eyes.
Beside her, Qi Zhimu reached out to support her arm.
"There are stairs ahead; don't trip, brat."
Herta kept her head down, an imperceptible look flashing in her eyes.
Haven't you noticed yet... time is running out... Feeling the warmth of the hand holding her, she suddenly pulled her hand away and slumped to the ground, panting heavily.
"...I can't walk anymore... let me rest for a while."
"If you rest any longer, you'll be crushed into meat paste. Haven't you found the right path yet?"
Qi Zhimu's tone betrayed his impatience.
"Let's get this straight, I'm not going to die here with you. Get up, hurry!"
Seeing that Herta remained motionless, he immediately grabbed for her shoulder.
At the very moment he was about to touch her—
Bang!
The mirror wall to the side exploded without warning.
Sharp glass shards splashed like a rainstorm as a black figure charged out, enveloped in intense hostility, his wide robes sweeping up the shards and flinging them at Qi Zhimu.
"Stay away from my Reserve Food!"
Qi Zhimu even before he could scream, the Qi Zhimu was riddled with countless glass shards.
A staff pierced his throat, forcing him back to his original form as he dissipated into mist.
The real Qi Zhimu stood before Herta, looking a bit disheveled.
His black robe was slashed in several places, his left hand hung unnaturally at his side, and blood dripped from his fingertips to the ground.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Herta.
"Hey!"
Qi Zhimu's voice was hoarse, concealing a slight tremble of relief as he switched back to his familiar banter.
"Are you stupid, brat? You clearly saw that thing was a fake, yet you dared to just sit there and wait for death?"
Herta's expression didn't change much.
She didn't believe Mr. Creditor couldn't see how bad her current physical state was.
"To pass the stage, one needs to kill all the disguised ghosts, but I can't kill them. If you don't come, I have no way out."
Qi Zhimu hadn't expected her to be so honest; unable to suppress the upward curve of his lips, he reached out and rubbed her head.
"Fair enough. You stalled for time well; here's a reward."
He took out two lollipops and stuffed them into the girl's hands, then picked her up in a bridal carry.
Not far away, a familiar doorway emerged.
"The fake following me said this was a timed labyrinth stage. In reality, the next stage is the labyrinth, right?"
"To think you could figure that out with your brain; I'm impressed, Mr. Creditor."
"What do you mean 'with my brain'? Do you believe I'll eat you right now?!"
Qi Zhimu glared at the girl in his arms.
"You said you'd only seen the first four stages. Since this isn't it, then the fourth stage must be the one. My brain might not be as sharp as yours, but that doesn't mean I'm a half-witted fool."
Seeing she had no reaction, he felt bored and changed the subject.
"You seemed to know what this stage was long ago. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
"This stage appears randomly between the second and fourth stages. Even if I told you, it wouldn't have mattered. Upon entering, the rules here modify a person's Remembrance and subconscious perceptions."
"I'm impressed. This screenwriter really doesn't know how to write a story. Not only is it cliché, but they also love imposing all sorts of rules."
Qi Zhimu couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"If they wanted a horror atmosphere, they should have amplified the ghosts' direct killing. If they wanted suspense, they should have worked harder on that path. Now it's neither here nor there. We're personally acting in a crappy movie and not even getting paid. It's infuriating."