Xiao Lou's words puzzled the other five people, who all crowded around to look at the mirror.
Yu Hanjiang was also hearing about the term " yin-yang mirror " for the first time. He looked closely at the bronze mirror in Xiao Lou's hand and quickly realized that the reason his appearance in the mirror was distorted was because the bronze mirror had flipped his face.
This effect is somewhat similar to the "funhouse mirrors" in parks. In principle, it should be based on the refraction of light and the concavity and convexity of the mirror surface to cause a certain degree of distortion and deformation of the image in the mirror.
Xiao Lou explained, "Legend has it that the yin-yang mirror has two sides, yin and yang. The yin side represents death, and the yang side represents life. Another saying is that the yin-yang mirror can see ghosts from the underworld… However, the mirror we found doesn't seem to have the ability to see ghosts from the underworld as described in fantasy novels. It just reverses the projected image."
"Let me see." Tang Ci held out his hand, and Xiao Lou handed him the bronze mirror.
Tang Ci didn't look at his face in the mirror, but instead carefully examined whether there were any hidden mechanisms inside.
Tang Ci quickly discovered that the bronze mirror actually had a hidden layer in the middle, but it was fixed in place and couldn't be opened. He frowned and thought for a moment, then looked at Xiao Lou and asked, " Where's the compass?"
Xiao Lou handed him the compass that she had just found in another secret room.
Tang Ci picked up the yin-yang mirror with one hand, turned it over to the back, and then gently placed the compass on the bronze mirror. To everyone's surprise, the pointer on the compass, which had been motionless, suddenly began to spin rapidly the moment the compass and the yin-yang mirror touched.
The pointer spun several times before finally settling down. Judging from the compass's orientation, the downward direction of the steps should be east.
Old Mo asked in confusion, " Is this yin-yang mirror used to activate Compass?"
Tang Ci returned the mirror and compass to Xiao Lou, saying, "The ancient compass was made using the attraction of the Earth's magnetic field, just like a compass. This yin-yang mirror has a mirror surface on one side and looks like ancient bronze on the other, but the material is not actually pure copper. I discovered that there are actually magnets mixed in with this bronze mirror because there are also some magnets in the materials used to make my wheelchair, which will react when they are close to the mirror."
Lu Jiuchuan stroked his chin thoughtfully: "So, the magnet in the bronze mirror can be used to activate Compass and restore its function. The items found in these two secret rooms are considered props for us to help us get out of the maze?"
Xiao Lou turned to look at the mechanisms of the two secret rooms.
Just like the stone gate encountered when entering the maze, you need to determine the direction of the dancing men and women in the sacrificial totem and rotate the ever-burning lamp to open the door.
They had experienced the Diamond Secret Room so many times before, and each room's mechanism was different. But now, the way the main door opened was exactly the same as the way the stone doors to these two smaller rooms opened. The Diamond-Suit Guardian couldn't have been so lazy as to set up three mechanisms with the same opening method in a row.
The only explanation is that they haven't actually entered the maze yet.
The path we just walked was merely the entrance to the maze, a "warm-up" area leading to the underground labyrinth. The compass and yin-yang mirror also had no direct connection to the tomb's owner; they were simply props given to them by the Guardian.
Thinking of this, Xiao Lou said, "Ninth Brother is right. What we just passed was probably just the entrance to the maze, like the props the owner gives players when playing an escape room game. The compass and the yin-yang mirror might be very useful in the upcoming levels."
Xiao Lou handed the compass to Lao Mo, while keeping the yin-yang mirror for himself.
Lu Jiuchuan was already getting a headache, rubbing his temples and saying, "After all this time, we opened three doors, and this is just the prelude?"
Tang Ci glanced at him, seemingly used to his swearing, and calmly said, "According to the Intelligence Bureau's statistics, diamonds..." Unlike the Diamonds Secret Room, the Weekly Routine is different. A typical Diamonds Secret Room can be completed in a few hours. Weekly routes are notoriously time-consuming. Some teams have spent days and nights trying to find their way out of the maze, eventually starving to death inside.
Upon hearing this, Lao Mo's face turned deathly pale, and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
Under the luminous pearl light, Old Mo's pale face looked like a ghost. Liu Qiao, who was closest to him, noticed something was wrong and hurriedly asked with concern, " Uncle Mo, what's wrong?"
Old Mo's voice was slightly hoarse: "My previous team was in Diamonds... " "The weekly routine wiped out, and I'm the only one left..."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang also recalled this incident. When they first teamed up with Lao Mo, he mentioned his previous team—it was just one of many unremarkable Challenger teams; their room completion scores weren't high, they didn't have many S-cards, and their overall skill level was average. So, during a Diamonds... In the Weekly Routine, a team of more than ten people was reduced to just him.
To make a living, Lao Mo started a "real estate agent" business in the main city, introducing hotels and rentals to newcomers to the Challenger community. He also joined a design company and worked as an interior designer for local residents.
After meeting Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang, he regained his confidence in clearing the secret room and joined Xiao Lou's team.
Xiao Lou walked up to Lao Mo and said, "Lao Mo, the Weekly Routine you mentioned, if I remember correctly, was it [ Rotting Maze ]?"
Mo Xuemin nodded with a stern face: "I have a deep impression of that Weekly Routine. Every once in a while, the maze would rotate 90 degrees, and many Challengers got completely disoriented inside, unable to find the exit. Some people accidentally stepped on traps and were shot to death by arrows; others were killed by Hunters after encountering them..."
Hunter!
The Hunter had never appeared in the previous fixed Diamonds maze. However, the Hunter definitely appeared during Old Mo's Weekly Routine. This...
This was the key reason why their team suffered heavy casualties during that Weekly Routine.
Tang Ci calmly said, "The [ Rotting Maze ] that Mr. Mo mentioned refers to diamonds from over a month ago." The Weekly Routine, according to the Intelligence Bureau, has a Challenger mortality rate exceeding 30%. The Weekly Routine is set against the backdrop of a maze competition where many Challengers are forced to participate, leading to the infiltration of Hunters who carry out assassinations within the maze.
Lu Jiuchuan frowned: "From what I understand, Hunter wants to enter Diamonds..." The Weekly Routine is not as easy as the Spade. The Diamonds are enclosed labyrinths, unlike the Spade, which is an open world. This Weekly Routine is another underground tomb; if they want to get in, they must activate the mechanisms themselves.
Tang Ci said, "We've done the statistics, diamonds..." The probability of encountering a Hunter in a Weekly Routine is approximately 2%, meaning only about 2 out of 100 teams will be unlucky enough to encounter one. Could we be among that unlucky 2%?
Lu Jiuchuan gave a helpless, bitter smile: "My identity has been exposed. If they insist on hunting me down... they might actually track my location and follow me to this underground tomb."
In other words, after all that trouble, they've only gotten the prelude, obtaining the Yin-Yang Mirror and Compass. They still have no idea how large the underground tomb is, or how many dangerous traps it contains…
What's even more terrifying is that there might be a Hunter who pops up from behind and stabs you in the back at a crucial moment?
It seems that this Weekly Routine is more dangerous than ever before.
Without the interference of the Hunter, Xiao Lou can solve all kinds of puzzles and mechanisms, Mr. Old Gui is knowledgeable in history and archaeology, Tang Ci is familiar with various machines, and Lao Mo is also a maze guide with an excellent sense of direction. Their team's strength is definitely among the best in the entire Challenger team. This Weekly Routine ranks all teams together, so it's impossible for them to fall into the bottom 20% and be eliminated.
But once there's a Hunter, things might not be so certain.
Xiao Lou couldn't help but feel nervous. He pressed the voice headset in his ear and asked, "Senior Gui, how are things on your end?"
Old Gui's voice soon rang in everyone's ears: "Two small secret rooms have been discovered. The solution to the mechanism is the same as the stone door we saw at the beginning. Inside the secret room, there is a compass and a mirror."
Xiao Lou asked, "What color is the back of the mirror?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, "There are some white totem patterns painted on the bronze."
Xiao Lou turned the bronze mirror in his hand over; the back of the bronze mirror was decorated with black patterns.
— A yin-yang mirror, the sunny side is white, the shady side is black. White represents life, black represents death.
The yin-yang mirror in this maze appears to have been divided into two parts. Xiao Lou has the black, yin side, while Old Gui has the white, yang side. This means that the side Old Gui took is likely the Gate of Life, while the direction Xiao Lou and his companions took might be the Gate of Death.
Mo Xuemin quickly realized what was going on: "Judging from the time it took to go down the steps and the items that Old Gui and the others got, this maze is likely to have a symmetrical structure. The mechanisms we encounter here will be very similar to those on their side. But which path leads to the exit of the maze, or whether the maze will rotate after a certain mechanism is activated, are all currently unknown."
Although Xiao Lou is holding a bronze mirror with the dark side symbolizing the "gate of death," as Lao Mo said, will the maze rotate after they touch a certain mechanism? Or, will the paths to life and death inside the maze actually intersect?
Obtaining the Gate of Life does not guarantee access to the exit.
Xiao Lou pondered for a moment, then said to Gui Yuanzhang, "Senior, let's continue our split-up operation. We can't yet determine which path, Gate of Life or the Gate of Death, is correct. You must be careful; we can't rule out the possibility of encountering Hunters on this Weekly Routine."
Gui Yuanzhang said in a low voice, "Okay."
Xiao Lou asked, " Is Compass activated? Which way are you going down the stairs?"
Gui Yuanzhang said, "It's already activated; this side faces west."
After midnight, all card skills have been refreshed.
Just to be on the safe side, Xiao Lou decided to place a Peach Blossom Spring here. If they encountered any unsolvable trouble, they could at least return to the Peach Blossom Spring for temporary refuge. The Peach Blossom Spring would exist for 3 hours, during which time the entire team would be safe.
Xiao Lou summons Tao Yuanming.
After a 10-second loading time, he set up the entrance to Peach Blossom Spring on the staircase platform between two small secret rooms.
Lu Jiuchuan looked at the ancient man in the long robe in front of him and asked curiously, "What kind of card is this? Was it this skill that suddenly pulled me under the peach tree earlier?"
Xiao Lou said, "Yes, the summoning card is Tao Yuanming."
Lu Jiuchuan gave Xiao Lou a strange look: "You can summon ancient people?"
Yu Hanjiang said calmly, " Xiao Lou can summon many ancient figures, including Historical Figure Summon, Character Card, Li Qingzhao, Qin Guan, Tao Yuanming, Tea Saint, and even Di Renjie who is looking for clues. However, the previous escape rooms were cleared relatively smoothly, and Di Renjie has not appeared even once."
Lu Jiuchuan: "......"
After a moment of silence, he gave Xiao Lou a thumbs up: "Awesome."
Xiao Lou asked curiously, "What brand is Ninth Brother? I've never seen it before."
Lu Jiuchuan laughed and said, "I can summon the Vermilion Bird. Although it is an ancient divine beast, the Vermilion Bird cannot function properly in this kind of maze. It needs a vast space to fly. There are also some... cheetahs, lions, and other wild beasts."
Yu Hanjiang raised an eyebrow: "So, all your cards are summoned creatures?"
Lu Jiuchuan sighed and rubbed his forehead: "Yes, if needed, I can ride a lion and run away."
Everyone: "......"
Tang Ci calmly steered the conversation back on track: "Since..."
Now that we have the compass, let's move on.
Everyone adjusted their mindset and followed Lao Mo deeper into the steps.
Since Compass was handed over to Lao Mo, this time, Lao Mo, who has the best sense of direction, took the lead, with Yu Hanjiang providing flank protection, followed closely by Xiao Lou, Lu Jiuchuan, Tang Ci, and Liu Qiao.
The steps continued downwards, and after walking for a while, nothing much had changed around us.
Before them stretched an endless spiral staircase, and a sense of unease began to creep into everyone's hearts.
The pitch-black passage, with its endless, downward spiral staircase, felt like it was leading everyone to the depths of hell.
After walking for five minutes, Ye Qi finally couldn't take it anymore. He pressed the voice headset and complained to his teammates, "Why are these steps endless? It's the same no matter where we walk. Could we really be stuck in a maze?"
******