Just then, Chen Mo and Li Yan also appeared at the corner of the passage ahead, naturally spotting the eerie red ball. All three were startled, taking several steps back in alarm.
However, as the ball rolled out from the darkness, nothing unusual seemed to happen.
At the same time, Liu Bo saw Chen Mo and Li Yan running toward him. He opened his mouth to speak but was stopped by Li Yan’s gesture. Meanwhile, their gazes locked onto the ball rolling on the ground.
In this mirror maze thick with strangeness, no one knew whether the sudden appearance of the ball was a clue to the story or a trap of death.
No one dared to touch it, yet the red ball seemed to be pushed by an invisible hand, rolling on its own with a soft clatter.
It gradually rolled toward a passage ahead.
“Follow it.”
“What?” The fat man turned back, glancing at Chen Mo in surprise.
“We’ve been circling in here for so long. This ball might be a clue!”
“Are you sure?” Watching the eerie ball roll slowly past, the fat man felt a tingling sensation crawl up his spine and instinctively stepped back.
“Instinct!”
Before the words faded, Chen Mo had already taken the lead, following the rolling ball.
If the mirror ghost represented danger, then this red ball was likely a guide. Besides, he had just seen the little girl running through the mirror, seemingly chasing this very red ball.
Connecting the dots, the possibility of it being a clue seemed greater.
Of course, this was just Chen Mo’s inference, far from certain. A wrong judgment could lead to dire consequences. But his experiences in recent stories had taught him that actively seeking clues was always more useful than avoiding them!
They had been wandering in this mirror maze for over half an hour. If they didn’t find a way out soon, the ghost’s attacks would likely become more frequent. In this maze surrounded by mirrors on all sides, even knowing how the ghost attacked, it was impossible to fully guard against so many potential mirror images.
So, when a clue appeared… they had to seize it.
Because the clue might only come once.
Footsteps echoed on the ground as Chen Mo’s running figure flashed across countless mirrors. Fortunately, the ball wasn’t rolling fast, and it soon reappeared in his sight.
Behind Chen Mo, Li Yan’s face showed a flicker of hesitation before he gritted his teeth and chose to follow.
Clatter, clatter, clatter…
The red ball rolled unhurriedly across the ground, weaving through layers of mirrors, casting countless reflections.
Among these infinite reflections, the little girl in white appeared again…
She stood inside the mirror, bent down to pick up the red ball, and then threw it once more…
“It’s her!”
Seeing the little girl’s figure, Chen Mo and Li Yan were both startled. This fleeting girl was the key figure in this amusement park incident…
A clue!
A clue to the story!
But just then, the rolling red ball ahead seemed to be lifted by an invisible hand. Thump, thump, thump—it hit something and suddenly stopped.
It was… a door…
Right before them, in one of the maze’s passages, a closed door had abruptly appeared. Its dark red paint looked like blood. The red ball bounced a few times, blocked, and came to a halt in front of the door.
What was this?
Was this blood-red door the exit of the mirror maze?
Had the little girl thrown the red ball to guide them, the story’s participants, to a way out of the maze?
As Chen Mo prepared to step forward, Li Yan reached out to stop him, casting a wary gaze at the silent door. Then, he cautiously circled around to its back.
This red door wasn’t connected to any part of the maze. It stood alone in the passage, like a Doraemon-style anywhere door.
But it was different—it exuded an eerie aura.
Should they try opening it first?
Chen Mo signaled with his eyes, but Li Yan gently shook his head.
Observe first.
If they opened the door, who knew what would happen? If a vengeful spirit came out, it would be walking straight into death.
Just then, Chen Mo noticed the fat man’s face showing fear again. At the same time, his chubby finger trembled as he pointed in another direction: “You… look…”
His heart jolted. Following the fat man’s finger, Chen Mo was shocked to see that, at some point, the little girl had appeared in the maze again. She stood silently at the other end of the passage, expressionless, watching them.
This time, she wasn’t inside a mirror. She had left the mirror’s surface and stood right before them!
Was this girl even human?
If someone said she was human, Chen Mo and Li Yan would never believe it. But if she was a ghost, what did she want?
Unlike the mirror ghost, this ghostly loli could exist outside the mirror world!
The only exit from the passage was behind her. If the vengeful spirit suddenly attacked…
The terrifying image in his mind didn’t materialize. The girl glanced at the three of them expressionlessly, and then they noticed that another red door had appeared in the passage behind her, seemingly out of nowhere.
That meant both ends of the passage now had a red door, and the ghostly loli standing in the middle suddenly curled her lips into a sinister smile.
“Is this… asking us to choose?”
Li Yan sounded uncertain.
It looked like the maze’s exit, but then a second door appeared. Two choices from the ghost—which one was the real exit?
Choosing wrong would have obvious consequences.
One door had the red ball in front of it; the other had the ghostly loli standing before it. Faced with such a bizarre sight, even Chen Mo and Li Yan were completely baffled.
And there was no clue to be seen!
In this situation, there was only one thing they could do.
Take a risk and search for clues themselves.
After observing for a while and seeing no aggressive moves from the ghostly loli, Chen Mo finally steeled himself. He walked up to one of the doors, reached out, and tentatively pushed it.
To his surprise, the door opened easily.