Chapter 8

Yanran gritted her teeth and commanded her little yellow oriole to fly in front of the ghoul, disrupting it. The little yellow oriole had no offensive capabilities; it was purely for reconnaissance. The ghoul waved its hand impatiently. The little yellow oriole narrowly avoided the sharp attack. Yanran's face turned pale with fright. She knew that the little yellow oriole, as an attribute manifestation, was a part of her soul. If it fell, her life would be over. But Lin Qing was about to rush in front of the ghoul, carrying his mother! Yanran closed her eyes and ordered the little yellow oriole to harass the ghoul again. The ghoul, annoyed, roared and slapped at the little yellow oriole. Although the little yellow oriole managed to dodge the attack, the sharp claws still left a deep wound. Yanran let out a cry of alarm and closed her eyes in pain. Lin Qing noticed Yanran's abnormal state in time, picked her up, and continued to run. With one in front and one behind, it all depended on Lin Qing to escape. Fortunately, the ghoul was distracted by the little yellow oriole and did not notice Lin Qing and the others, who successfully passed by the ghoul and continued to run forward. But at this moment, the maze began to change. The dull sound of stones rubbing against each other could be heard from the ground, walls, and ceiling. "Not good!" Lin Qing knew that the situation was critical and dared not stop, running as fast as he could toward the entrance marked on Fang Lingcheng's map. There were only 300 meters left. Lin Qing turned his head and suddenly saw a creature in the moonlight, wearing a cloak, its body looking as if it had been soaked in water, with crusted palms and a body that seemed to be rotting. It was staring at him with wide eyes in the darkness. "Heaven, it's a Dementor!" Mrs. Li exclaimed, "Run!" Lin Qing took off running. "This Dementor can suck out a person's soul with the mouth under its hood," Mrs. Li's body trembled. The Dementor let out an inhuman cry and pursued them closely. It seemed to be unafraid of the maze's changes, chasing them relentlessly. The ground began to collapse. Lin Qing leaped over a large crevice, barely managing to climb up the other side, only to see a massive stone block crashing down from the side. If this stone blocked their path, they would be doomed. He steeled his resolve and charged forward. Amidst the screams of Mrs. Li and Yanran, Lin Qing dashed through the shadow of the stone, narrowly making it to the other side. The Dementor seemed to be blocked by the stone. Lin Qing turned around and saw the entire area changing dramatically, as if in an earthquake. "Heaven," Mrs. Li murmured. As the rumors said, every time the maze changed, it was a life-and-death situation, and ordinary people had no chance of escaping. Fortunately, Lin Qing had a clear map and headed straight for the red dot on it, where the secret door appeared once a month. He ran around a corner and turned his head, seeing the secret door. But at that moment, the part of the maze where the secret door was located suddenly lifted. "No!" Yanran cried out, "No!" Lin Qing ran with fiery eyes. It was a matter of life and death. He leaped and charged straight at the rising secret door. "Stop!" At the last moment, Lin Qing grabbed the bottom edge of the door! He managed to hold onto the rapidly changing door. But a massive stone block was moving toward them from the side, towering and thundering. This was a matter of life and death. Lin Qing used all his strength, grabbed the threshold, and shouted, "Quick, grab my leg!" In this situation, if they couldn't enter the plot world quickly, all three would face death. Mrs. Li and Yanran were arguing about who should go up first. Suddenly, Mrs. Li grabbed Yanran's leg and lifted her, shouting, "Lin Qing, I entrust my daughter to you!" Yanran, tears streaming down her face, kicked her legs and screamed, "Mom!" Lin Qing pulled Yanran up and pushed her onto the stone steps. He looked down. The stone where Mrs. Li was standing had already sunk rapidly into the shadows. She looked up at her daughter with a reluctant but calm expression. She had known this day would come after being in this world for a day. Yanran tried to jump down but was stopped by Lin Qing. He suddenly threw a rope from his backpack. It was Fang Lingcheng's rope box. "Grab it!" Mrs. Li grabbed the rope in surprise and was pulled up by Lin Qing. The stone block she was on fell into the abyss, and the massive stone block crashed down, leaving no trace. "Great, great!" Yanran jumped with joy. "This Fang Lingcheng indeed has experience in maze adventures. This rope is worth more than many white equipment," Lin Qing thought. Lin Qing, Mrs. Li, and Yanran stood on the stone threshold, rising rapidly. A massive stone block approached them. It was about to hit them. "Get in!" Lin Qing turned around and felt around. Secret door, secret door... But where was the secret door? He couldn't find it anywhere... Lin Qing was sweating profusely. The stone block was rushing toward them. Lin Qing's finger suddenly touched a groove. This groove, hidden on the eroded and pitted stone surface, was very deceptive and could not be seen without touching it. Lin Qing knew it was the door mechanism and pressed it down. The secret door slowly opened. A blue glowing entrance, like a dream, appeared before them, rippling like water. What lay behind this blue entrance, life or death? Lin Qing didn't have time to think and dived in. Mrs. Li and Yanran exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and followed. The secret door had not yet closed when the stone block crashed into the spot where they had just landed. If they had been a second slower, they would have been crushed to death. "Someone has entered." "How is that possible? Someone actually found this place before the change!" Lin Qing heard several voices. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find that he and the Li family were not alone! There were actually seven men, looking at them warily. Lin Qing protected the Li family behind him, drew his dagger, and watched them alertly. These men formed a circle, eyeing the three of them like a team. In the center was a powerful middle-aged man, with a hawk-like gaze, high cheekbones, and a proud, fierce, and cold expression. He was dressed neatly in a tight outfit. Most strikingly, his arm had a piece of metal, about the size of a baby's hand, slowly wriggling. It was a piece of shimmering metal, moving as if it had a life of its own, like a small snake coiling around his arm. Lin Qing, with his keen eyes, recognized it as similar to the liquid metal system from the "Terminator" movies. The six men beside him were all dressed in exploration gear, looking very professional and imposing. "Kid," one of the men with a scar on his eye sneered, approaching Lin Qing, "You'd better tell us the truth. How did you find this place? Otherwise..." He brandished a sharp short sword. Mrs. Li and Yanran, not expecting to find so many people in the secret door, weakly hid behind Lin Qing. Lin Qing stood up! Out of the tiger's den, into the wolf's lair!