Kaidan Game Train: Abide Rule or Die!
Chapter 1229 - 1230: Labyrinth Changes

Chapter 1229: Chapter 1230: Labyrinth Changes

Not long after the new passage appeared, four players showed up at its end. They searched the area forward, backward, left, and right before deciding to head in the direction where the trio had gone earlier—that was also the direction Xu Huo and Mu Yan had passed earlier.

Although a maze doesn’t necessarily have a clear path back, Mu Yan thought that wasn’t the correct route.

Sure enough, the trio who had gone earlier returned. They quickly dove into the newly formed passage without hesitation upon seeing it.

At that moment, the passage on Mu Yan’s left closed, and the maze wall behind her opened up into a new passage.

"This is strange..." She frowned and was about to step forward to investigate. Unexpectedly, the second group of people emerged from one side of the new passage, meeting her gaze. Both sides looked visibly surprised.

The group of five approached again. After realizing the shelter’s position hadn’t changed, they exchanged glances, and one of the players, a short-haired, confident-looking female, stepped forward to speak to Mu Yan, asking if the maze passages had shifted.

"The passage on the left disappeared. One was added in the front and the back." Mu Yan replied truthfully.

"What’s going on?" A scar-faced man on the left stabbed the maze wall twice with his knife. "We’ve circled back here again."

"That’s not possible," the petite female player standing next to him said. "We’ve been inside the maze for a while, and nothing like this has happened. The maze usually doesn’t block our path."

"Could the latter part of the maze be getting more difficult?" guessed the player wearing a leather hat.

"Not necessarily," replied the half-face-masked player, glancing meaningfully at Mu Yan.

His companions turned their heads one by one, their gaze settling on Mu Yan’s increasingly cold expression.

"I don’t have the ability to alter the maze passages," Mu Yan said mockingly. "If you want to start trouble, start trouble already. Why bother making excuses?"

The short-haired woman patted the masked man’s shoulder. "Relax. We’re just lost. Last night, the maze caused quite a commotion. Maybe there were other changes. Let’s rest up for now, and head out once the maze stops frequently shifting passages."

The others had no objections. Truthfully, there was no better option at the moment, so the group-of-five stayed put to rest, eating and drinking a little.

Mu Yan returned to the shelter nearby and lightly knocked on the slightly ajar door to alert Xu Huo.

"Got it," Xu Huo replied, but didn’t step out.

That eased Mu Yan’s mind considerably. After last night’s events, she felt Xu Huo was far stronger than he let on. Since he had emerged unscathed from Xue Lang’s hands, dealing with these people wouldn’t be a problem.

The five-person group also kept an eye on the situation on this side. They knew there was someone else inside the shelter, but seeing the changes in Mu Yan’s demeanor, they exchanged glances and stopped spying.

Soon, the trio returned.

After treading through several pointless routes, they realized the maze passages had shifted again. One of them sprawled directly on the ground. "Damn it, what the hell sort of maze is this?! I’m not taking another step—not moving, not going anywhere!"

His two companions were equally exasperated and had no choice but to stop and rest. With players on both sides, they chose a spot to the right and sat down. Moments later, the passage they had emerged from abruptly collapsed, creating a loud crash. Leaves shook loose on impact, fluttering down like scattered confetti, forming a blanket on the ground.

The sprawled player removed the fresh leaves from his face and sprang up in a swift motion. "See? Told you! The maze is changing tactics! If we hadn’t run fast enough, by now we’d probably be crushed into fertilizer between the walls!"

Previously, though the maze walls had shifted, the changes were slow and mild. Even within the passages, players had ample time to retreat calmly. But this scene clearly showed otherwise—difficulty had definitively increased!

All the players present stood up.

"Whoosh!" At this moment, the maze emitted sounds, and the plants on the maze walls nearby trembled violently, churning inward and outward. The exterior branches were continuously squeezed, while the interior spat out sticky, vine-like objects!

The reason they resembled vines was due to the grotesque, blister-like growths hanging from them, varying in size. If they ruptured upon hitting the ground, they oozed filthy liquid that was strongly corrosive. In a matter of seconds, the floor of the passage the group-of-five had come through was riddled with countless potholes, accompanied by white smoke and an audible "sizzling" sound.

The players at the front of the passage recoiled in surprise. As they retreated, they glanced to their left and right. Although the passage they were in hadn’t spewed vines, the walls of the maze were trembling violently. Fearful of what might happen next, the short-haired woman shouted, "Run!" and sprinted with her companions toward the only remaining passage.

The trio followed suit without delay. The player who had been lying down even hollered at Mu Yan as he ran.

Mu Yan hesitated, then started toward the shelter. She was about to call for help when Xu Huo’s voice rang out from inside: "Don’t go over there."

Almost as soon as he spoke, the maze walls ahead closed together at lightning speed. The leather-hat player and the Small Figure female who were leading the charge were instantly buried within!

The players who hadn’t gone in yet hurriedly stopped outside. However, the short-haired woman couldn’t halt in time and slammed into the plant-covered wall. In a flash, various plants enveloped her completely. By the time she struggled free, her protective gear had been burnt to tatters, and half her face had been ruined!

"Xiao Qing!" The masked man rushed over to support her, but as soon as he grabbed hold of her, she cried out in pain.

"My rib’s broken..." The short-haired female stiffened and said, "It’s punctured a lung. Help me straighten it out quickly..."

The scar-faced man rushed over to assist.

The trio also retreated. Looking at the maze walls that stretched endlessly on all sides, they said grimly, "We’re trapped."

All the passages were completely sealed, leaving only a twenty-meter-wide space for them to stand. Yet the maze walls continued trembling, giving no indication of what might come next—whether it’d be corrosive vines or complete enclosure!

Mu Yan backed up to the shelter door. She was about to open it when the door creaked open from the inside. Xu Huo stepped out, first observing the trembling maze walls before turning to the short-haired woman who was still crying out in pain. "She’s been poisoned. Administer the Antitoxin first."

The short-haired woman hadn’t exhibited any signs of poisoning yet. The masked man tested her blood with a prop and confirmed it had been poisoned. He rushed to feed her the Antitoxin.

"What’s going on here?" Mu Yan asked, following behind Xu Huo. "I’ve never heard of maze passages sealing off completely."

"The maze is just undergoing changes. It should end soon." Xu Huo stopped at a corner, staring at the trembling leaves for a moment. Suddenly, he reached his hand inside.

The other players watching him instinctively tensed, but to their surprise, the maze walls had no greater reaction. Xu Huo then withdrew his hand, revealing a white, fist-sized fruit in his grasp.

"This fruit looks similar to what’s sold in Card City’s market," he said, sniffing it. "The quality of this one seems better."

He then took a bite.

Mu Yan, once a researcher of Mutant Plants, instantly recognized the fruit’s type. "Only vines that have lived for over ten years can produce such quality White Jade Fruit. It’s rare in the market. A single one likely sells for a thousand White Notes."

Xu Huo reached back into the wall and easily grabbed another fruit, tossing it to Mu Yan. "Pretty sweet," he remarked.

Mu Yan wiped it on her clothes before eagerly taking a bite, commenting, "White Jade Fruit vines require precise care to survive for ten years. I never expected such healthy growth within the maze."

"It must be tended to by someone," Xu Huo noted with a smile. "The maze owner likely grows them to sell. That’s probably why they’ve left this wall intact."