Chapter 79

Chapter 79 After a long detour, taking three wrong paths, and thinking a turn would lead to his goal, Su Bei faced another high wall. He finally broke down. Resolutely, he pulled out his mirror, looked at his Destiny Compass, and nudged the already left-leaning small pointer further left. Instantly, his face paled slightly. In a dangerous Different Space, he should conserve Mental Energy, but this maddening maze made him give up searching. After adjusting, he chose a new path and moved forward. This time, his spent Mental Energy paid off. Half an hour after entering, Su Bei finally met Ling You. Seeing him, Ling You sighed in relief. Beside her lay a dead black Nightmare Tiger, covered in red, herpes-like sores, looking terrifying. “Your Ability?” Su Bei raised an eyebrow. Ling You nodded, noting his gaze on the corpse. Since they’d be working together, she elaborated: “My Ability [Plague] can’t kill enemies quickly, but it can weaken them fast.” Su Bei understood: “So you weakened this Nightmare Tiger and then killed it. The sores are from [Plague]?” “Mm.” This Ability was indeed powerful, not as limited against individuals as Ling You had claimed. Her solo kill of a Nightmare Tiger showed the weakening effect was significant. After answering, Ling You glanced at her watch, saying coolly: “The others are far.” Su Bei checked his watch too, confirming it. From finding Ling You, he’d grasped the map’s scale, easily seeing the others were quite distant. “Let’s find the exit. This place can’t rely on luck—there must be clues,” Su Bei said, his gaze suddenly landing on the Nightmare Tiger. Could the clues be on these Nightmare Beasts? Thinking this, he looked at Ling You: “Can I touch this Nightmare Tiger now?” He didn’t want to catch a virus from casual contact. Ling You nodded slightly: “Yes.” With confirmation, Su Bei took a dagger to dissect it. The Academy had weekly practical classes on dissecting Nightmare Beasts, so while rusty, his technique was correct. But after fully dissecting the tiger, he found nothing unusual. He kept the claws and fangs, valuable in the Nightmare Beast market. The pelt would’ve been pricey too, but the sores rendered it useless. “Let’s wander and mark the way,” Su Bei said, resigned. He’d been marking walls since realizing it was a maze. Ling You had no objections, following him. They hadn’t gone far when they ran into two Skydome Ability Academy students. Talk about enemies meeting! Recognizing them, the two smirked, striding over as if afraid they’d flee. Su Bei and Ling You exchanged a glance, neither intending to leave. When they reached them, a boy in a blue hoodie said sarcastically: “Well, if it isn’t Endless Ability Academy folks? What a coincidence!” Ling You ignored them. Su Bei gave a half-smile: “Quite a coincidence.” Perhaps provoked by their nonchalant attitudes, the blue hoodie boy said forcefully: “Since we’ve met, let’s travel together. We can look out for each other, right?” His last line carried a malicious grin. Su Bei could guess they planned to use them as pathfinders, tossing them out as shields in danger. Playing along could work—who’d be the shield was uncertain. They had that plan, so Su Bei could too. It’d come down to who had better combat strength. Before he could reply, Ling You frowned and refused: “No.” A lone wolf by nature, she’d team with classmates in this dangerous Different Space, but not with ill-intentioned outsiders. The two clearly hadn’t expected rejection, or rather, didn’t think Su Bei and Ling You would dare refuse. In their eyes, how strong could two underclassmen be? Hearing Ling You’s defiance, the other boy, wearing a bucket hat, snapped: “I think you’re asking...” Before he finished, the blue hoodie boy stopped him, smiling threateningly: “We’re kindly offering to team up and protect you. If you refuse, for your safety, we’ll have to manually eliminate you.” Both sides were here for training, equipped with school protective measures. Forcing them to activate their shields would effectively eliminate them. Su Bei stayed silent, waiting for Ling You’s decision. She refused again, this time decisively, striking first. A pale green mist drifted toward the boys’ faces. She followed with a flying kick, sending the blue hoodie boy crashing into the wall with immense force. With her acting, Su Bei didn’t hold back, kicking the bucket hat boy. Instead of letting him fly, he yanked him back, threw him over his shoulder to the ground, pinned his arms behind him, and casually sat on him. He’d neutralized the bucket hat boy’s counterattack. The blue hoodie boy, however, wasn’t subdued. Trained at school, he recovered from the kick, standing without hesitation to rush Su Bei and save his teammate. But Ling You gave him no chance, engaging him in combat. Her training focused on Mental Energy, not physical techniques, and being young, her skills and physique weren’t on par with the blue hoodie boy’s. But her preemptive Ability use left him weakening, with an urge to cough. He abandoned physical combat, activating his Ability. Instantly, gray fur sprouted on his face and neck, half-finger-long fangs grew, his ears turned wolf-like, and his eyes became eerie green, glowing menacingly. His Ability was wolf-related. The wolf Ability boosted his speed and strength significantly. With a cruel grin, he lunged at Ling You with sharp claws. This time, Ling You couldn’t cope. In the narrow space, dodging was tough, and within moments, she was retreating. His claws were sharp, cutting her arm in a brief lapse. “Hiss!” Ling You clutched her bleeding arm, stepping back, brows furrowed. If she could wait until the infection took hold, the blue hoodie boy would fall. But it wouldn’t take that long—she’d lose first. Seeing this, Su Bei reluctantly gave up mocking the bucket hat boy later, knocking him out with a chop, then joining the fight. He kicked at the blue hoodie boy, interrupting his attack on Ling You. The boy dodged, annoyance flashing across his face. He sneered: “She can’t handle it, so you can? You’re both just fodder!” As he spoke, his throat itched again, his limbs growing weak. Knowing it was the green-haired girl’s Ability, he resolved to end it quickly. But he underestimated Su Bei’s strength. Due to his Ability, Su Bei’s speed and strength were inferior. But in technique, ten blue hoodie boys couldn’t match him. His physical skills, praised and trained by Meng Huai himself, far surpassed the boy’s classroom learning. In combat, unless the physical gap was overwhelming, technique always trumped. Their gap wasn’t that large. After a while, the blue hoodie boy realized he couldn’t beat Su Bei and might even lose soon. Simultaneously, his Mental Energy was draining—his Ability consumed it. Lower Mental Energy weakened his resistance to the toxin, and with physical setbacks, he finally couldn’t hold back, coughing violently. “Cough, cough, cough!” Su Bei stopped, too lazy to continue. From the fight, both knew the boy couldn’t win, even with his Ability, especially with Ling You’s support. Turning to Ling You, he asked: “Your hand okay?” “I brought bandages,” Ling You said, her face cold as ever but nodding slightly in gratitude. Alone against those two, she’d likely have fallen. The blue hoodie boy’s coughing finally stopped. He started to curse but was horrified to see his clenched fist covered in blood. It was from his coughing! “What did you do—cough, cough—I’m coughing blood?” Terrified, his eyes widened, blood-stained lips trembling. Seeing Ling You silent, Su Bei answered for her: “Eliminate with your teammate, and you’ll be fine. Otherwise...” He didn’t finish, but the boy didn’t dare hesitate. Even in modern times with advanced medicine, coughing blood was serious. Before leaving, he warned: “If I’m not better after leaving, your school will be held accountable!” Su Bei watched calmly as he pressed his and his teammate’s chests, both vanishing. About to speak, he heard a massive noise—rumbling from afar. Looking up, he saw a giant horse-shaped stone pillar charging toward him. “A horse?!” Even Su Bei’s eyes widened. “What, this place has creatures like that?” As he spoke, he pulled the still-reacting Ling You back, darting into a side passage. Seconds after they dodged, the three-to-four-meter-tall horse pillar sped past. Su Bei chased after it, seeing it race to the end, turn, and vanish from sight. “What was that?” Ling You, following, looked complex. “Nightmare Beast?” After a pause, Su Bei nodded uncertainly: “Maybe? A maze-generating Different Space is one thing, but stone horses? That’d be too weird. Or not...” Suddenly, he thought of a way to confirm, pressing the walkie-talkie’s talk button: “Wu Jin, you there?” “Here,” Wu Jin’s low voice replied quickly, showing they’d been listening. Su Bei said: “I saw a horse-shaped stone pillar. If you see one, check if it’s a Nightmare Beast.” “Got it,” Wu Jin agreed. Jiang Tianming’s voice came through: “Horse-shaped? Wasn’t it human? A man with a crown.” Li Shu’s voice followed: “It’s a man, looks like there are different stone pillars here.” “Horse? Crowned man?” Si Zhaohua’s voice burst in: “Could it be chess?” Su Bei hadn’t thought of chess, not having played much. But Si Zhaohua’s suggestion clicked— it was possible. The crowned man was the “king” in chess, and the horse was the “knight.” An earlier abandoned idea resurfaced: “Could these chess pillars hold clues to the exit?” Ling You’s eyes lit up: “Possible. The pillars and maze walls seem integrated.” They exchanged a glance and chased the pillar, but couldn’t find where it turned. “Forget it, wait for the next,” Su Bei sighed, too lazy to waste energy. He and Ling You found a spot to rest. Ling You wasn’t one for slacking but could sit still, having no issue with his plan. They leaned against the walls, resting, listening to occasional teammate chatter on the walkie-talkie. “Hey, you two okay?” A female voice came from nearby. Su Bei had sensed her approach but didn’t react. Hearing her speak, he opened his eyes and looked. She was a woman in her thirties, dressed sharply, clearly a seasoned Ability user. But despite her crisp attire, she hadn’t groomed in a while. Her short hair was messy and oily, her clothes wrinkled with tears. She had a few bandaged wounds. Seeing Su Bei open his eyes, she realized they were just resting, showing slight apology but not leaving, asking: “You two new here?” Not wanting to engage, Su Bei cut to the chase: “Do you need something?” Ling You had opened her eyes too, standing and watching the woman warily. The woman waved quickly: “Sorry, I’ve been trapped here a while, no way out. Seeing you newcomers, I wondered if you knew a way out.” This was a maze—only the exit led out, no backtracking. Without a special method, failing to find the exit meant being trapped. No wonder she looked disheveled—she was stuck here. “No, we’re looking too,” Su Bei replied. Not getting the answer she wanted, the woman didn’t leave, hesitating before asking: “I know you might not agree, but can I join you? I’ve been here seven days, know the place well, and can be useful.” “You mean the chess pillars?” Su Bei asked casually, implying, “If that’s it, no need to say more.” But she clearly didn’t know it wasn’t secret, shaking her head: “I mean about the exit and the factions in this Different Space.” Su Bei’s eyes gleamed, sitting up slightly. He’d just realized that while exits were hard to find, if anyone had found one, maps would be sold outside for profit. A maze Different Space—maps would sell big. He hadn’t thought of it, fine. But this woman, a seasoned Ability user, hadn’t bought a map either and was trapped seven days, suggesting the exit wasn’t simple. Then there was the “factions” issue. Trapped seven days, there were likely others, some longer. Where there were people, there was conflict. With scarce resources, factions forming was logical. Having a veteran guide could help them avoid pitfalls. Thinking this, Su Bei reexamined the woman. Soon, he noticed something off. She was indeed disheveled, covered in dust, but her face and hands were relatively clean. If, as she claimed, she’d been trapped seven days, food and water should be gone. She’d be eating Nightmare Beast meat, drinking their blood. Yet her face and hands were clean—clearly abnormal. She likely had issues, but Su Bei didn’t mind. If they could beat her, problems weren’t problems. Smiling, he said: “Can I discuss with my teammate first?” “Of course,” she nodded, stepping back. Once sure she couldn’t hear, Su Bei said bluntly: “She might be trouble. Can you use a virus that disables her instantly upon activation?” Ling You’s gaze sharpened, answering: “Yes, but it needs to incubate in her for a full day.” Then, disapprovingly: “You know she’s trouble and still want to team up?” She understood Su Bei’s intent—preparing a virus meant planning to team but staying cautious. Su Bei nodded: “We’re new here. A veteran’s guidance is handy. As long as she can’t threaten us, it’s fine.” After a pause, Ling You agreed. She prepared a virus, walked over, forced a less cold expression, and extended her hand: “Happy cooperation?” Seeing their agreement, the woman eagerly shook her hand: “Happy cooperation!” Watching from afar, Su Bei knew the virus had likely infected her. Ling You’s Ability was nearly impossible to guard against—enemies had to avoid her breath, fluids, and touch. With the partnership set, the woman showed sincerity: “There are three factions in this maze. One is lone Ability users like us. If you can self-sustain and aren’t afraid of danger, you don’t need a faction.” Her words suggested the other two factions didn’t force recruitment. Su Bei, with the walkie-talkie’s talk button on, asked curiously: “What about the other two?” “We call them Conservatives and Radicals. Conservatives plan to live here until rescued. Radicals want out, aggressively seizing clues from other Ability users.” “Clues?” Su Bei’s eyebrow twitched, catching the keyword. “You mean exit clues, Sister? If one person finds an exit, everyone can leave, right?” Hearing the handsome blond boy call her Sister, she smiled: “Call me Sister Zhao. It’s not like that. This Different Space has many exits, but you need the corresponding token to leave through one.” Knowing what was key, Sister Zhao didn’t hide: “Tokens are on the ‘Queen,’ and clues to the corresponding exit are on the ‘King.’” “Does destroying other pieces yield no benefits?” Su Bei inferred. “There are benefits,” Sister Zhao didn’t conceal. “You get props exclusive to this Different Space.” She suddenly paused, eyeing them: “What piece did you encounter?” “A ‘Knight,’” Su Bei answered. He didn’t lie—a wise choice, as Sister Zhao knew the pieces’ rules: “You’re lucky with a ‘Knight.’ It’s just fast. ‘Pawns’ are trouble—they chase you relentlessly unless someone else is closer, then they switch.” Unlike chess rules, Su Bei was slightly disappointed but not surprised. This was a maze, not a board—how could it be the same? “What about the other pieces’ rules?” This time, Sister Zhao didn’t answer immediately, giving a knowing look: “Talking so much, I’m thirsty. Got anything with you?” Note : Looking For a volunteer proofreader/editor. Dm/Ping AkazaTL on Discord.