The corpse slipped and fell to the ground, dropping two props. Before picking them up, he glanced regretfully at the black tie embedded in the man's neck.

It's a pity, those are some of the few valuable things he has left.

Prop: [One travel permit]

Effect: After use, it will guide you to the correct path within the maze once. Uses: (2/3)

Item: [Satiating Milk Candy]

Effect: Relieves hunger for three hours after use (one-time use, unused).

Shi Jin folded the candy wrapper and popped it into his mouth. With food and guidance, there was no comparison between people.

He picked up the key. He didn't want to die, so he couldn't just sit and wait to die; he had to keep looking for an exit.

Taking advantage of the three hours of fullness, Shi Jinzhe used his last chance to use the waypoint and find another way out.

A blue light appeared in his vision, guiding him forward.

The maze was incredibly large. I was worried about encountering monsters along the way, but after wandering around for more than two hours, all I found were walls.

The three-hour mealtime was almost over, and Shi Jinzhe still hadn't seen any signs related to the exit.

He didn't know how long the guiding prompts would last. The blue in his eyes grew lighter and lighter until, in the end, it disappeared along with the feeling of fullness he had experienced for three hours.

Fortunately, something else finally came into view.

He took several detours to get closer to the dilapidated building.

Like the labyrinth, this palace is also made of white marble. Judging from its size and the dimensions of the cut stones, it must have been spectacular if it hadn't collapsed.

Only a few broken pillars remain standing in the entire palace; the rest, including the roof and walls, have been reduced to ruins.

As Shi Jinzhe stepped onto the stairs, he had only just reached the first step when he heard shouts of varying volumes coming from all directions.

Those maze monsters again...

They have special privileges in the maze, and can climb over stone walls at will without restriction. At this moment, this group of monsters is climbing the walls from different places, taking shortcuts and rushing towards the palace.

Time is running out: ...

Luck really is all about luck.

Since there was nowhere to escape, he simply went straight into the palace.

Large stone slabs were piled up everywhere on the ground, making the road difficult to walk on. Some of the cuts were neat and looked like they had been deliberately damaged.

Upon reaching the rear part of the palace, he saw a material different from marble emerging from beneath the rubble.

Although it is also white, it is more delicate and flawless, as clean as newly unmolded plaster.

Shi Jinzhe picked up the small stones, revealing part of what was underneath.

It was a female statue, pristine and new, with long, flowing curls. The sculpted lines were clear and graceful, but only the lower half of her face was visible; the upper half was veiled in mist, only the outline visible.

The sticky sound grew closer, and Shi Jinzhe knew the monsters were coming.

He calmed down, realizing he couldn't avoid it any longer, so he might as well continue cleaning up.

After all, something different has finally appeared in the maze; there must be some hidden meaning.

The statue was covered with many stones, which made the cleaning process very slow. After moving another stone, Shi Jinzhe saw an earring on the statue's right ear.

It was shaped like two overlapping S's, not very big, and pure white, just like the stone key on the seventh floor in his hand.

He took out the key, placed it on the key for comparison, and found that the two were exactly the same.

Shi Jinzhe immediately began moving the stones near the left side of the statue's face. Some of them were too large and had sharp edges, which cut his hand as he moved them, causing him to bleed considerably.

He didn't pay attention and lifted the last stone blocking the statue's left ear, where there really was a broken gap.

A nauseating stench wafted into the ruined palace, and dozens of monsters with mouths swung their foul-smelling maws into the layers of rubble.

Shi Jinzhe wiped the dust off the broken edge, his hand brushing blood onto the side of the white statue's face. He dared not be distracted; the more anxious the situation became, the calmer he remained.

The moment the two broken pieces fit together perfectly, he felt a sticky, wet, and utterly disgusting sensation behind his ear.

The monster behind him opened and closed its sharp teeth, and Shi Jinzhe quickly flipped over to dodge the attack. When he turned around, he was met with the gaping maw of another monster.

He picked up a sharp stone awl from the ground and forcefully stabbed it into the monster's mouth. The monster roared, and a shadow immediately fell over his head.

The third monster leaped up and landed precisely from the sky, its blood-red maw rapidly reflected in Shi Jinzhe's pupils.

At the critical moment of life and death, his ears caught a crisp snapping sound.

The motionless statue was struck by flying stones, leaving a flaw on its left ear. The crack extended to the lower half of its face, and stone fragments fell off. The statue was slowly crumbling.

All the maze monsters' movements seemed to be paused, and at one point, one could vaguely see what looked like half a real person's face underneath.

The statue continued to crack, revealing red lips that looked as if they were filled with blood, a clear jawline, and black hair as dark as the sea, which made the skin appear overly white.

Once all the stone slabs covering his waist and above had fallen off, he finally confirmed that this was a person sealed inside a statue.

And it's alive.

The person inside twisted their neck, the movement still looking somewhat stiff.

She raised her head and slowly swayed her waist, like a slowly advancing wave, gradually breaking free from the stone slabs that bound her.

Only when her sluggish movements became extremely fluid did she reveal her complete body.

Unlike the sacred feeling conveyed by the pure white statue, the real her covered her eyes with a black ribbon, giving her an air of evil.

To Shi Jinzhe's astonishment, the mysterious woman sealed inside the stone statue used her lower body to push aside the heavy stone slabs and emerged.

Just below her waist, near her pubic bone, her skin transitioned into dark, purplish scales.

It was a very long snake tail, like flowing purple iolite, with contracting muscle groups beneath the scales full of pent-up power, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

The blindfold did not affect the human-bodied, snake-tailed creature's vision. Noticing Shi Jinzhe's scrutiny, she turned her head and swam towards him.

Shi Jinzhe hadn't moved since just now. He had lived for over twenty years and had never been afraid of anything.

Besides snakes...

The cool snake tail held him captive. He was soaked from the rain, and his wet clothes clung to his body. The sensation of the snake tail rubbing against him through the fabric sent chills down his spine.

He took a deep breath, feeling like prey about to be devoured.

Whether the saying "a snake stretches its body into a straight line to assess whether it can eat you" is a rumor depends on the specific snake in question.

When faced with a body that wasn't even upright, and a tail that was ten times as long as his, he believed it to be true.

She hovered around Shi Jinzhe, and because of the peculiar nature of her snake tail, her body moved up and down as she moved.

Classic, languid, aloof, eerie, and wild—these words are perfectly blended in a non-human creature.

He heard the rustling sound of scales rubbing together, and in a daze, his face was suddenly touched by something cold. A scarlet snake's tongue swept across his cheek, and the forked tip of its tongue brushed past the corner of his mouth as it left.

Shi Jinzhe's body trembled uncontrollably. Reason told him he had to stay calm, but his body wouldn't listen.

It turns out the game didn't leave him with no way out; he still had a way to die.