The Phantom Maze

Until the first "Feng Qi" appeared, he was as elegant and gentle as ever, stepping out from a corner of the maze. Seeing Chu Yi, he looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted and walked quickly toward him...

"I finally found you! Are you hurt?"

Chu Yi retreated a step warily, pointing his knife at the other's chest. That "Feng Qi" revealed a helpless, doting smile. "I shouldn't have left without saying hello first, don't be mad..."

"Get lost!" The youth increased the pressure of his hand, his glass-colored eyes flashing with a hint of anger. Although the thing in front of him had Feng Qi's build, face, voice, and even his small habits, he knew for certain this was not Feng Qi!

Chu Yi was very angry. But after killing one "Feng Qi" after another, his anger quickly dissipated. Forget it, he didn't have the strength to be angry anymore... The maze kept shifting, and he occasionally encountered an impostor. These endless battles made Chu Yi unclear about the purpose of this stage. Even when he took the chance to check the system comments, he found nothing useful, only exclamations about his combat ability or lecherous remarks aimed at his body.

After turning a few more times, Chu Yi had basically memorized the routes and leaned against a wall to rest for a moment. Another sound of slow footsteps approached, and a familiar figure emerged from the darkness. It was another "Feng Qi." Chu Yi tilted his head to observe, his face full of doubt. This one was a bit different, or rather, it was something borrowing Feng Qi's image.

"We meet again... little cutie..." It was clearly Xu Cailing's voice, or rather, the voice of the monster occupying her body—a strange, eerie sound.

Chu Yi took a combat stance. That "Feng Qi" flexed his wrists and said kindly, "The body I'm simulating this time isn't like the previous ones! I advise you not to resist. Just obediently let me collect your body, okay?"

"Whether I can fight back or not, we'll have to try to find out." Chu Yi slowly raised his blade. "Although I don't know why you keep borrowing others' forms, it's clear your strength is also limited by this body."

"Feng Qi" let out a dark laugh again, approaching Chu Yi with pure malice. "Then you must be careful. Who knows if I really borrowed this body? Ha ha ha..."

Chu Yi's pupils contracted and then quickly returned to normal. He trusted Feng Qi; that man was so mysterious, he wouldn't be easily possessed. The youth stopped talking nonsense and charged with his blade. This encounter was completely different from the previous ones; the body simulating Feng Qi had much better physical stats. Fortunately, the monster wasn't used to fighting in a human form, giving Chu Yi a chance to catch his breath.

After disarming the youth and cornering him, "Feng Qi" laughed loudly, pressing the blade against his neck and muttering morbidly, "Come! I will kill you..." He applied force, feeling the blade sink into the flesh... But the expected scene didn't happen. The youth's exquisite face remained calm, without a trace of fear. He didn't believe it and used even more strength.

*Clatter!* A wooden head fell to the ground. Looking back at the spot, there was no youth, only a wooden puppet. "Feng Qi" was stunned and then went mad, stomping the puppet to pieces. In an instant, countless Chu Yis appeared around him, all looking at him expressionlessly like exquisite dolls, neither crying nor laughing, showing no reaction even when killed.

In a hidden corner, a spore had grown into a small mushroom, quietly crouching against the wall. While the other was trapped in the illusion, Chu Yi had already slipped deep into the maze and escaped. As soon as they clashed, he realized that once that pervert got used to the body, it would be very hard to deal with. He didn't need to waste energy here; he might as well find the exit early.

Just as he turned a corner, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Chu Yi's waist from behind. The youth's expression changed, and he was about to turn and attack when...
"Be good~ it's me!"

His tensed body immediately relaxed. Chu Yi brushed the man's hand away, turned around, stood on tiptoe to hug his neck, and hung his whole body on him.
"Liar! You said you'd always be with me." The youth huffed aggrievedly.

Holding the youth's waist, Feng Qi leaned against the wall and coaxed gently, "It was my oversight. I accidentally went to the wrong place..." He almost went straight into the monster's lair to end the game early, which would have been terrifying. "A day without seeing you, my baby must be tired, right?"

Chu Yi mumbled and said nothing. This arrogant young master was inherently weak; he just hadn't had the chance to show it before. A whole day without food or water searching for the exit, and having to fight constantly without Feng Qi by his side—even if his body could take it, his soul, which had never suffered, felt incredibly wronged.

The man sat down with him and, as if by magic, took out two eggs and a carton of milk. He peeled the eggs, inserted the straw into the milk, and fed Chu Yi like he was coaxing a child. He had been in such a hurry that he only had time to grab this much from the kitchen, but it was enough for the youth to tide over.

"What about you?"
Feng Qi flicked the youth's earlobe, signaling he wasn't hungry. Chu Yi wasn't polite either and quickly finished the late meal. After eating his fill, he recounted what he had experienced. Feng Qi kissed his fingertips painfully. "It's been hard on you. Now I have to rely on little Chu Yi to lead me out."

Chu Yi nodded cautiously, stood up, and led the way. He had already scouted this maze; the reason he hadn't left before was due to the monster's harassment and his desire to find Feng Qi. Perhaps because his teammate was now by his side, no more monsters dared to impersonate Feng Qi and come to their deaths. With Chu Yi's guidance, the two quickly reached the exit. It was a familiar gate, and looking back, the villa still stood tall in the darkness.

Chu Yi yawned, his eyes tearing up from sleepiness. Outside was a long, empty highway with no buses or other players in sight.
"Tired?"
Chu Yi nodded. He had a very regular lifestyle, sleeping and waking early. Feng Qi found a clean patch of grass and sat down, opening his arms to receive the youth. Chu Yi understood and sat in his lap, burying his head in the man's neck and falling asleep. Feng Qi held the youth with one arm and rested the other on his knee, coldly watching the eerie things stirring in the shadows.

Chu Yi was awakened by the sound of crying. The sobbing of a girl who was usually gentle became terrifying when it lingered in the night. He brushed away Feng Qi's hand that was covering his eyes and saw that it was broad daylight. Perhaps because he was too tired, he had slept for a long time. The youth expressionlessly rubbed his stomach; the little food from last night had been completely digested.
"Endure a bit longer, we're about to get out." Feng Qi lowered his head to comfort him.

Chu Yi pursed his lips and looked at Yang Yang, who was kneeling by the gate. This gentle girl's eyes were now swollen from crying. Looking at the number of survivors on the system, he understood what had happened. Yang Yang's two teammates hadn't made it out of the maze. This was quite illogical because, based on their levels, they should have been the strongest, yet they died inside while a newcomer like Tang Mujin escaped.

"The things here randomly choose one person among 'lovers' to possess," Tang Mujin said, still looking fearful. "Lin Shu and Sheng Li probably knew each other too well and were too evenly matched, which made things difficult for them."
"The best way is to decisively deal with the possessed teammate, unless your strength is much higher than the opponent's." Chu Yi quickly deduced, but he didn't know what to say to comfort Yang Yang. He'd just let her cry for a bit. He suddenly paused; it seemed that thing couldn't possess Feng Qi. Was this man that powerful? He looked at Feng Qi suspiciously. As if understanding, Feng Qi stroked his head and whispered, "I didn't see little Chu Yi showing signs of being possessed either."

Waiting until the sun was high and everyone was starving, the legendary bus finally appeared. Mr. Fox poked his head out and greeted them enthusiastically like a real MC. Unfortunately, no one responded; Chu Yi was so hungry he didn't want to say a word. Yang Yang, with her swollen red eyes, even glared at him before boarding the bus.

The system notified Chu Yi that he had completed the mission, receiving 300 points and one card draw. He chose to save it and returned to the game lobby. Just as he stepped out, a figure rushed over and hugged his leg tightly.
"Found him! Found him! Quick, come here, I caught him! Don't let him run!"
Chu Yi: ......??

The crazy person hugging his leg looked small but had great strength, nearly making him fall. Fortunately, Feng Qi caught him.
"Let go! Who are you?"
Immediately, a group of people surrounded them. The surrounding players quickly moved away upon seeing this. Offending the large organizations in this game was not advisable. Even those who felt pity for Chu Yi's beauty were dragged away by their companions. Looking at the Return to God Association emblem on them, everyone knew they were not to be trifled with.

Chu Yi was completely bewildered. What was going on? After the crowd parted, an elegant man wearing a white shirt and trousers stepped forward. He looked more like a university professor than a player.
"Chu Yi, right?"
Chu Yi let out a soft huff and turned his face away. Qi Lingci clicked his tongue; if it weren't for this person being important to Brother Su, he wouldn't want to bother.
"Yue Yue, stand up. Where are your manners!" He kicked the person hugging Chu Yi's leg.

The person crawled up, a youth with a baby face. He grinned at Chu Yi, apologized, and happily left after receiving a promise of a three-star skill card reward from the association. Qi Lingci looked at Chu Yi, glanced at Feng Qi, and said, "Pardon the intrusion, I am Qi Lingci of the Return to God Association. Since you look very much like an important relative of a friend of mine, I would like to invite you to the association to reunite."