Chapter 54: Mirror Maze

Regarding his abilities, Qin Xunfeng hadn’t intended to go into too much detail. However, for some reason, when Mo Qi asked him, he ended up explaining everything thoroughly, as if he were worried that Mo Qi wouldn’t understand otherwise.

He felt that he must be ill, but at the same time, he suspected that Mo Qi might have some sort of mental manipulation skill, as evidenced by the behavior of the lizard monster.

Having already revealed his own skills, Qin Xunfeng believed that, in the spirit of fairness and trust, Mo Qi should also disclose her abilities. He was quite eager to ask, but he felt too embarrassed to bring it up.

Fortunately, after Mo Qi had prepared the gift, she directly told Qin Xunfeng, “To briefly describe my ability, it’s the power of being loved and hated.”

“Huh?” Qin Xunfeng was completely puzzled.

Mo Qi raised a pair of handcuffs and said, “Both negative effects, such as ‘Drawing a Prison’ and ‘Weak on the Inside,’ have no effect on me. If your described skills are not false, then they would also be ineffective against me because, apart from my affinity attribute, the other two attributes are all at zero.”

“What! There are such attributes?” Qin Xunfeng was extremely surprised. “I’ve checked the attributes of many people. Even if the attribute values are unevenly distributed, none have an attribute at zero. Why is yours like this?”

Mo Qi said, “I’m not quite sure myself.”

She briefly described her ability, and Qin Xunfeng was even more confused. “Setting aside the negative effects, your skill has no cooldown period?”

“Yes.”

Qin Xunfeng asked, “There’s no limit to the number of people you can control?”

“Yes.”

Qin Xunfeng continued, “The Charming Aura can be cast indiscriminately?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve never seen data like this before. Is this the power of SSR-level? If you really exert your strength, could you control everyone in the game? Including players, ordinary people, those in between, and even bosses?” Qin Xunfeng stood there in a daze.

“There should be principles for everything. Abilities aren’t used like that,” Mo Qi said.

As the effect of the R card “□□” was about to expire, Mo Qi turned to Xia Yao and said, “Could you take us to the Mirror Maze? I need to find Rong Feng and the others.”

Xia Yao turned his face away, refusing to cooperate.

Qin Xunfeng suggested to Mo Qi, “If you don’t want to use your skill to control him, I can use harsh interrogation.”

“There’s no need to be so violent; there are other ways,” Mo Qi stopped Qin Xunfeng.

He advised Xia Yao, “Consider this carefully: all the mirrors on you have been buried by us. You have no room for resistance. Staying here, you’ll never be able to defeat us. If you go to the Mirror Maze, that’s your domain, and you have a chance to trap me in a mirror.”

Xia Yao, who had triggered the negative effect of “Little Black Room,” was deeply tempted by Mo Qi’s words and immediately said, “Alright, I’ll take you there.”

Qin Xunfeng commented, “…Have you always risked yourself like this while carrying out missions? Even if you achieve your goal, the risk of getting caught is too high.”

Mo Qi smiled and said, “What’s this compared to someone who once wanted to kill me? We’ve still managed to cooperate all the way through.”

As she said this, Mo Qi glanced regretfully at Qin Xunfeng’s phone, feeling it was a pity that she couldn’t resonate with a card.

“Even so, we can’t just go like this. He needs to tell us what the Mirror Maze is like, or we’ll be completely unprepared,” Qin Xunfeng said.

Mo Qi asked Xia Yao, “Can you tell me the details of the Mirror Maze?”

Xia Yao remained silent.

Mo Qi said, “I need to know what kind of place I’m about to be trapped in. Don’t you think it’s unfair if I’m locked up without knowing anything?”

Xia Yao finally spoke up, “Two days ago, I entered the Mirror Maze. Inside, you have to wear special gloves and shoe covers to avoid leaving fingerprints on the mirrors. The entire maze is surrounded by mirrors on all sides. It looks like you see a person in front of you, but when you reach out, it’s just a mirror. I searched for a long time but couldn’t find the exit. Later, I encountered two strange individuals who talked about things like SR, cards, points, and tasks. They felt similar to Qin Xunfeng. You probably call these people ‘players,’ right?”

So, there are indeed players in the Mirror Maze, though it’s unclear how many.

“They sounded like they were part of a team, also trying to find a way out of the Mirror Maze. They were chatting all the time, but I could see clearly that they were talking to the mirror images. The maze is so confusing that they mistook the mirror images for their teammates,” Xia Yao said. “I saw one mirror image trick one of the players into going to a door, telling him that this was the exit. After the player walked out, that mirror image actually came out of the mirror.”

“Is it an exit or just a mirror?” Mo Qi asked.

Xia Yao looked at the wound on Mo Qi’s hand and, unable to control himself, continued to reveal more details. “It is an exit, but it’s not necessarily the exit the player wants. Only the mirror images know the direction of the exit. By tricking someone into the exit, the mirror image can leave the mirror. I saw this happen with my own eyes. I was a bit scared and tried to run away, but I saw that the ‘me’ in the mirror wasn’t mimicking my actions at all. I was running, but ‘he’ was standing still, watching me and smiling. I tried to touch the mirror to get out, but the hand in the mirror grabbed mine.”

Qin Xunfeng shivered as he imagined the scene.

“I was terrified at the time, and without worrying about the cost, I pulled out a pair of pliers from my pocket and smashed the mirror that was holding me,” Xia Yao said.

“Where did you get the pliers from?” Qin Xunfeng asked skeptically.

Mo Qi explained, “Xia Yao is always the one who fixes things like the desks and chairs, printers, copiers, computers, and lights in the student council room whenever they break down. For any equipment used in activities, as long as it’s not a major issue, Xia Yao will fix it himself. He always carries tools like screwdrivers and pliers to make it convenient for everyone. However, because he’s quiet and doesn’t seek recognition, many people don’t know about this. They aren’t even aware that these things have broken down before.”

Hearing Mo Qi’s words, Xia Yao’s eyes showed some emotion. “You know all that?”

“I’m not often in the student council room, and I haven’t seen you fix things myself, so how would I know? It was he who told me,” Mo Qi replied.

“He? Who is he?” Xia Yao asked.

“The former student council president, Liao Ruxue,” Mo Qi said.

Xia Yao snorted and turned away, saying, “There’s no such person. You’re clearly observing me quietly and using someone else as an excuse.”

Mo Qi said, “…Think whatever you want, as long as you’re happy. What happened next?”

Qin Xunfeng vaguely felt that Mo Qi seemed a bit upset.

Xia Yao continued, “After the mirror was smashed, it turned into more mirror fragments. Countless hands reached out from the shards, trying to drag me in. At that moment, I suddenly thought of the light.”

Mirrors reflect light, and the condition for all reflections is light. Behind the mirror Xia Yao had smashed was a lamp.

He wasn’t sure why, but he jumped up and grabbed the lamp. At the same time, he was also pulled into the mirror. Oddly enough, the lamp continued to shine even though it was no longer connected to its power source.

Inside the mirror, Xia Yao inexplicably fused with the lamp. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but he realized he could now control the people around him.

He then wandered through the mirror for a while, not feeling any hunger, and stayed there until Rong Feng and the others arrived.

“Rong Feng and his group entered through an exit,” Xia Yao said. “I’ve been here for two days and am very familiar with the maze now, remembering every exit. No one who has left through an exit has ever returned. Only the Mirror Maze is safe. The others don’t know what’s out there; they confused Rong Feng. I have to save Rong Feng.”

“Having hands pulling you into the mirror, and you still think it’s safe?” Qin Xunfeng asked, puzzled.

Xia Yao, as if brainwashed, replied, “Staying in the mirror doesn’t mean death; it just means being trapped there forever. But outside the exit, there are such terrifying monsters. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Don’t you want to go home?” Qin Xunfeng asked.

Xia Yao didn’t respond, his expression clearly indicating indifference and a lack of concern for Qin Xunfeng’s words.

Mo Qi realized that reasoning with Xia Yao was as futile as it had been with Xiang Wansi and Wen Miao back when they were deceived by the wish box. Xia Yao had unexpectedly acquired the key item, the lamp, in the Mirror Maze, and had coincidentally fused with it, gaining the ability to control mirror images. It was only natural for his mindset to change under such circumstances. As long as the task was completed, he would likely return to normal.

“How many exits are there in total?” Mo Qi asked.

“There are six,” Xia Yao replied.

With six exits and the Mirror Maze itself making a total of seven SR-level tasks, they had no clue how to even start completing them.

“I understand. Let’s go,” Mo Qi said.

Outside the “Drawing a Prison” area, there was an empty RV. Mo Qi found a backpack inside, packed some food and water for emergencies, and also came across a set of clothes—likely jackets that other students had left behind because they were too warm. Although there were no underwear, it was still better than letting Xia Yao remain without clothes.

“Put this on,” Mo Qi said, handing the clothes to Xia Yao.

He then handed the backpack to Qin Xunfeng, saying, “I’m handcuffed, so I can’t carry this backpack. I’ll leave it to you.”

Qin Xunfeng obediently slung the backpack over his shoulders. He vaguely felt that he and Xia Yao had, almost unwittingly, become quite obedient to Mo Qi.

Before leaving, Mo Qi stood on a higher rock and took a photo of the RVs.

“Is this a memento?” Qin Xunfeng glanced at the photo. “Why is there a black-and-white effect?”

Mo Qi said, “It’s more of a precaution, in case we can’t return.”

Xia Yao, restrained by Qin Xunfeng, led them into the woods and stopped between two trees. He pointed to the empty space and said, “The entrance to the Mirror Maze is right behind here.”

Mo Qi took another photo of the location.

Before entering, Mo Qi told Qin Xunfeng, “There are two pairs of gloves in the backpack. Put them on to avoid leaving fingerprints on the mirrors.”

“Alright, it’s better to be cautious,” Qin Xunfeng said, putting on a pair of gloves and handing the other pair to Mo Qi. Mo Qi struggled to put them on due to the handcuffs.

They knew that once they entered the Mirror Maze, Xia Yao would become an uncontrollable presence. However, since Xia Yao was originally from the Mirror Maze, he should return to it, restoring everything to its rightful place.

Moreover, the dangers of the Mirror Maze weren’t limited to just Xia Yao—whether he was there or not made no significant difference. For safety, Qin Xunfeng knocked Xia Yao out with a punch and carried him between the two trees. Mo Qi reached out and felt a door.

He pushed the door open, and a blinding light forced Mo Qi to close his eyes. In just that moment, when he reopened them, Mo Qi found himself inside the Mirror Maze, surrounded by reflections of himself in every direction.

Mo Qi tapped the “Qin Xunfeng” next to him. As expected, it wasn’t Qin Xunfeng, just a mirror.

He then tapped the figure that seemed to be unconscious on the ground. Sure enough, it was also just a mirror.

“Qin Xunfeng?” Mo Qi called out.

“Here’s the deal,” Qin Xunfeng’s voice seemed to come from nowhere, “This Mirror Maze is 4 meters high, with walls made up of 1-meter by 4-meter mirrors. The walkways are also 1 meter wide, and the mirrors on the floor and ceiling are the same size. All the mirrors inside the maze are of the same dimensions.”

After a moment, Qin Xunfeng’s voice came again, “When did we separate? The ‘you’ in front of me is just a mirror. Is this Xia Yao’s doing? This guy is causing trouble even while unconscious.”

Mo Qi said, “Don’t panic. Since Xia Yao can smash mirrors, so can we. If he attacks us, we’ll smash the surrounding mirrors and get the lamp.”

“I tried changing the dimensions of the mirrors earlier, but it didn’t work. They’re fixed,” Qin Xunfeng replied.

Mo Qi stared at the mirrors and suddenly noticed a stranger walking behind Qin Xunfeng in one of the mirrors, reaching out toward him.

Strangely, this person was only visible in this one mirror; they were nowhere else in the maze.