Chapter 265: Invalid Naming

Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Invalid Naming

The Cat Spider had eight legs, but one had been bitten off when it was swarmed by Mouse Monsters.

Although it could still run and jump on seven legs, the Cat Spider remained dispirited. It grew even more depressed after reaching the safe house, where it sulked in a corner, weaving layer after layer of webbing until it was completely cocooned, as if shutting itself off from the world.

Now that the Maze was cleared, Feng Ling couldn’t wait around forever. She untied the Black Flood Dragon, then rolled and bundled up the Cat Spider, webbing and all. After tying the bundle securely with rope, she began dragging it toward the exit.

Mouse Monsters were still徘徊ing outside, but without the Black Flood Dragon to attract them, they weren’t in a frenzy. Ye Zheng scared them off a few times, and they scattered in panic.

Small black birds rested on the rooftops and streetlights, perched one after another like flocks of sparrows.

But a closer look revealed a small human head atop each bird’s own, its features and contours looking exactly like the Smiling Buddha from before.

When Feng Ling walked forward, the little birds flew forward.

When Feng Ling stopped, they stopped too, craning their necks and peering around the vicinity.

Ye Zheng couldn’t help but stare. She frowned and asked Feng Ling, "What’s this thing you hatched called?"

"I don’t know," Feng Ling replied, still dragging the Cat Spider. "Why don’t you name it? The Card I used was Undead Crow."

Ye Zheng had zero interest in naming a Pollution Body. "You hatched it, you name it," she replied coldly.

"Then I’ll just call it Undead Crow," Feng Ling said.

Everyone was left speechless.

Ye Zheng said bluntly, "That’s the same as not naming it at all. Invalid name."

Feng Ling kept trying. "Little Crowy, Big Crowy, Crow-bert, Crow-boy, A Flock of Crows, Blacky Crow... Huh? Crow?"

The Maze Administrator had arrived.

The Crow seemed very excited. It flew close, flapping its wings repeatedly, and after landing, it bowed low in a gesture of respect.

Li Qing translated from the side. "He’s expressing his gratitude. Now that the Maze is cleared, he can send us out and then log off normally. He won’t log back into the game until it’s back to normal."

Feng Ling said, "You’re welcome. But if he really wants to show his gratitude, he can give me a gift."

The Crow let out a long "Aaaah."

"What’s he saying now?" Feng Ling asked Li Qing.

Li Qing replied, "He says that since the game malfunctioned, the system has blocked many of the administrators’ permissions. But if you ever get a chance to visit our world, he’ll be sure to treat you with great hospitality."

Feng Ling’s lip twitched. "Is he cursing me?"

The Crow: "Aaaah! Aaaah!"

Li Qing: "No, he means..."

"Never mind, don’t bother translating," Feng Ling said with a casual smile. "Just hurry and open the Maze so we can get out of here."

The Crow tilted its head to look at Li Qing, then flapped its wings and flew toward the Maze entrance.

The humidity in the air began to rise, and a few drops of rain landed on Feng Ling’s face.

It had rained the last time they cleared a Maze, too—a torrential downpour—so Feng Ling had prepared in advance, having Huangfu Miaomiao hand out raincoats to everyone.

Xu Yiming took his raincoat and looked ahead to where the Crow had vanished. "Why do we have to go to the entrance to leave?" he couldn’t help but ask. "Can’t the administrator just open a portal anywhere to send us out?"

"Er... it’s not that he can’t, it’s just that it’s risky," Li Qing explained slowly. "The Maze’s terrain is based on the local geography, but it’s not a perfect one-to-one match. For example, we’re on a street right now, but if we were to transfer to the outside world, this exact spot might be a concrete wall. In that case, we’d..."

"We’d be embedded in concrete?" Xu Yiming asked, a look of horror on his face.

Li Qing gave an awkward laugh. "While there are no recorded cases of that happening, it’s best to avoid the risk. The Maze entrance is a fixed connection point between the two spaces, so the environments overlap perfectly there. It’s completely safe."

"I see," Xu Yiming said with a nod.

Feng Ling teased him with a sly grin. "Asking so many questions... You thinking of going into another Maze?"

Xu Yiming looked rather sheepish and answered earnestly, "I’d better wait until I’m a little stronger. I feel like I wasn’t much help on this trip."

Feng Ling was about to praise his humility when Ye Zheng, beside her, snorted coldly. "Overreaching." ℓ.

Feng Ling faltered, turning her head to look at Ye Zheng.

Ye Zheng strode straight ahead, leaving everyone behind her, the picture of cold arrogance.

Feng Ling then looked back at Xu Yiming.

Xu Yiming looked crestfallen. He walked onward with his head slightly bowed, a troubled expression on his face.

The atmosphere turned strange.

The five of them, who had been walking together, gradually spread out. Aside from Huangfu Miaomiao, who stuck to Feng Ling’s side, the others kept their distance.

Huangfu Miaomiao huddled close to Feng Ling and whispered, "Why did Zhengzheng say Xu Yiming was ’overreaching’?"

"She probably meant... that even if Xu Yiming gets stronger, he still won’t be worthy of entering a Maze," Feng Ling whispered back.

Huangfu Miaomiao frowned. "Her Pollution Value has already dropped, so why is she still so mean? Xu Yiming is so good-natured. He didn’t even get angry."

A smile touched Feng Ling’s lips. "Zhengzheng isn’t being mean," she said. "She’s protecting Xu Yiming."

"Protecting him?" Huangfu Miaomiao was confused, yet she seemed to grasp it faintly. "So... by being mean to Xu Yiming, she’s actually being good to him?"

"Exactly~" Feng Ling chuckled. "Hehe, humans are interesting, aren’t they?"

Huangfu Miaomiao nodded at once. "Yes, very interesting!"

About ten meters ahead of them, Li Qing couldn’t help but glance back, his expression complicated.

’He figured Huangfu Miaomiao was probably the only person on the same wavelength as Feng Ling.’

The rain grew heavier.

Li Qing pulled his raincoat tighter and continued on.

The Maze entrance was just ahead, and the Crow was ready.

... ...

...

Feng Ling had spent the last few days fighting monsters in the Maze, completely oblivious to the situation in the outside world.

From the moment she led her team into the Maze, countless eyes had been fixed on Guangshan City—

The news media had swarmed the area, creating a complete blockade. Online, the Maze’s progress was a hot topic of daily discussion. Evacuated residents worried about when they could return home, while gawking netizens tirelessly dug up and shared all sorts of gossip related to Feng Ling.

At first, they only uncovered Feng Ling’s involvement in a few incidents in Qingjiang City. Later, her entire identity was exposed—what jobs she’d had, which schools she’d attended—every detail was laid bare for the public to see.

Someone posted online: I know Feng Ling! She beat me up in middle school! Holy cow, even back then I could tell she was no ordinary person! Turns out I’m a great judge of character!

The post got two hundred thousand likes.

Su Yuqing had been following the Maze’s progress closely, so he also noticed the shifting tides of online public opinion.

When every trending news notification was about Feng Ling, Su Yuqing began to feel a faint sense of unease. He sensed the danger of a bubble about to burst.

He wasn’t sure where the danger would come from, but he knew that when things reach an extreme, they’re bound to reverse. He knew the higher you’re praised, the harder you fall, and that this level of adulation was not a good thing.

As he was worrying in private, Zhou Diao came to him and got straight to the point. "Old Su, something feels off about the online sentiment, don’t you think? Is there a hidden hand manipulating things?"