"This can't go on, we'll be trapped here and die!" one of the team members shouted in a panic.

"Don't panic, follow me!" Ning Yu said, drawing a sharp dagger from his waist and making a deep mark on the wall as a marker.

However, at that moment, Mu Xue suddenly grabbed his sleeve, pointed to the ground and said, "Ayu, look!"

Ning Yu followed her gaze and saw that, shrouded in mist, some strange patterns were faintly emerging on the floor tiles, resembling some kind of writing or symbol, shimmering faintly in the dim light.

“This is…” Ning Yu’s heart stirred, and a flash of inspiration seemed to pass through his mind.

“If I’m not mistaken, this should be the key to breaking the maze,” Mu Xue said in a deep voice. “The mark we saw on the wall earlier is very likely pointing here.”

"You mean..."

“Let’s try following these markings,” Mu Xue said firmly.

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Ning Yu nodded. He knew that now he had no choice but to try anything. He took a deep breath, gestured for everyone to follow, and then carefully walked forward according to the order marked on the paving stones…

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge; the surrounding air seemed to freeze, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“The next step should be…” Mu Xue pointed to a floor tile with an intricate pattern in front of her, her voice trembling slightly.

Ning Yu didn't say anything, but held her hand tightly and stepped firmly onto the paving stone.

Boom—

A deafening roar shook the entire space... The rumble echoed throughout the space, the floor tiles vibrated with a teeth-grinding scraping sound, and the ceiling above seemed to crack as if under the roar of a giant beast. Ning Yu and Mu Xue looked up in astonishment, only to see huge boulders raining down from above, each one powerful enough to crush them into mincemeat.

"Get out of the way!" Ning Yu roared, pulling Mu Xue to roll on the ground, barely avoiding a falling boulder. The boulder crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and scattering fragments of rock everywhere.

"Ah!" A scream came from the team. A member who couldn't dodge in time was grazed on the arm by a boulder, and blood instantly stained his sleeve.

"Damn it! Who designed this maze?!" another team member shouted in panic, his voice filled with fear.

"This is not the time to talk about this!" Ning Yu shouted while dodging falling rocks, "Everyone spread out and find cover!"

However, in this cramped space, where could they find any cover? Huge rocks rained down on them, forcing them to scatter in all directions, and despair was written on every face.

"Mu Xue, let's go over there!" Ning Yu grabbed Mu Xue and ran towards a relatively open corner. However, just as they were about to arrive, a larger boulder fell from the sky, blocking their path.

"Damn it!" Ning Yu's heart sank as he watched the boulder fall, with nowhere to hide.

In the nick of time, he shoved Mu Xue away, but was himself enveloped in the shadow of the boulder...

"Ayu!" Mu Xue's terrified scream was drowned out by the loud noise. She watched helplessly as Ning Yu was swallowed by the boulder.

"Cough cough..." As the smoke and dust dissipated, a figure slowly emerged from the shadow of the boulder, completely unharmed.

"You...how could you..." Mu Xue stared wide-eyed at the person in front of her in disbelief.

Ning Yu dusted himself off, a cold smile playing on his lips. "I told you, I would protect you."