Continuing forward, Wen Wen found himself in a room filled with mirrors.
The rooms in the other cubes, like those casually excerpted from the real world, would abruptly end at some line and transition to another style.
But this room seemed meticulously crafted, fitting the style of this enormous labyrinth better.
Each mirror in the room was like a movie screen, playing different scenes, with Jing Yan and Guo Shengye as the protagonists.
Wen Wen raised an eyebrow and murmured, "What is Jing Yan trying to do, tell their tragic experiences to persuade me?"
However, Wen Wen still walked in, preparing to see what trick Jing Yan was up to.
To Wen Wen's surprise, Jing Yan was sitting in the center of the room. There was a chair opposite him, but Wen Wen did not sit down.
"In your words, I came from the inner world. Hundreds of years ago, I did some things in the inner world and was sealed in a mirror."
"Later, I was brought into this world by a monster. After several twists and turns, I eventually arrived at the home of Guo Shengye, who was still a child."
Since Jing Yan had entered storytelling mode, Wen Wen did not intend to interrupt him. Understanding them better would help Wen Wen capture them.
"He is truly a tragic man. He loved drawing comics since childhood, but his family did not approve. After graduating from high school, he didn't get into university. He refused to look for a job and insisted on drawing comics, but was driven out of his home for it."
"Fortunately, he had a supportive girlfriend who gave him a safe haven to continue. His girlfriend worked, and Guo Shengye took on odd jobs. The two of them barely managed to get by."
"He drew comics with high intensity, submitting them to different editors, but received the same reply."
"Finally, one day, he finally gained the recognition of an editor. But by the time he submitted his manuscript, that editor died in a car accident. The hope he had finally achieved vanished without a trace."
"In his despair, Guo Shengye went to a bar to drown his sorrows. But when he was drunk, he discovered his girlfriend was working as a hostess in the bar..."
Wen Wen, listening like an audience, couldn't help but smack his lips. This guy was really unlucky. He didn't know how to comment.
"That night, Guo Shengye said some harsh words. When he sobered up, he went to the bar to inquire and learned that his girlfriend was only working as a hostess and hadn't done anything extra."
"At that time, Guo Shengye realized that his girlfriend might have been trying to earn more money so that his dream could continue."
"When he went to apologize to his girlfriend, he discovered that she had already hanged herself, her body already cold..."
"From then on, Guo Shengye changed... He began to deviate from his ideals and started to torment himself relentlessly."
With every word Jing Yan spoke, corresponding images flashed on the mirrors, allowing Wen Wen to feel Guo Shengye's despair to the greatest extent.
Wen Wen would not comment on others' dreams, but Guo Shengye's actions throughout the process, only his persistence was somewhat noteworthy.
As for the rest, he was not a good son, nor a good boyfriend.
Moreover, he had now started drawing explicit manga, and he used human souls to draw them, which meant he had long since abandoned his dreams.
What he wanted now was simply for his work to be recognized by others; it was a morbid vanity.
"I accompanied him in the mirror for the first half of his life, and he always knew of my existence."
"I understood his dreams and pursuits, and he understood my loneliness and pain of being sealed for hundreds of years."
"So we made an agreement to support each other. I guided him to use human blood and other things to defile the mirror that sealed me. I broke free from the mirror and signed a contract with him..."
Wen Wen's head began to ache, so he reached out and stopped him, "Pause for a moment. The story sounds a bit off."
Jing Yan asked doubtfully, "What's wrong?"
"Why does it sound like you two spent all day together, developed feelings, and then eloped?"
The thought of the two Guo Shengyes entwined made Wen Wen feel a bit nauseous.
But just thinking about it, the image lingered.
"If you want to put it that way... there's no problem," Jing Yan blushed slightly and said.
Wen Wen covered his mouth to prevent his expression from becoming too contorted, "Inside and outside the mirror, human and monster, man and male monster... you guys are playing too dirty."
It seemed that the death of his girlfriend had indeed hit Guo Shengye hard enough to twist him into this state.
"What are you talking about? This is my true form."
Jing Yan gave Wen Wen a glare and then his body transformed like mercury, becoming a silver-haired woman, rather good-looking.
"Oh, so you're a woman... then this is much less interesting."
Wen Wen's expression returned to normal, staring at Jing Yan with dead fish eyes, "It seems you want to fill the void of Guo Shengye's girlfriend, but as a female monster, supporting him in drawing explicit manga with women's souls... this is hard for me to understand."
Jing Yan let out a cold snort and offered no explanation to Wen Wen.
Wen Wen sighed. Monsters were monsters after all. She might have sympathy for a particular human, even love.
But it was impossible for her to treat other humans as equal lives.
After a moment of reflection, Wen Wen frantically ran his hands through his hair, "No, no, I came here to fight monsters, how did it turn into a dramatic plot for the prime time slot at eight?"
"What is your purpose in telling me all this? If you can't make it clear, I'll just attack."
Jing Yan stood up, and all the images in the mirrors disappeared.
"You are a powerful human. If we continue to fight, we might both be wounded. Shengye does not wish to see this struggle continue, so I can give you what you want."
"We can return the souls of those girls to you."
"Furthermore, Shengye and I will move to another city. I can also promise you that I will no longer help Shengye plunder girls' souls. I will help him achieve his dream through legitimate means..."
"As long as you stop pursuing us here."
Wen Wen tilted his head, looked at Jing Yan's expression seriously, then took a few steps back, deliberating in his mind.
The fact that Jing Yan could make such an offer showed that she had conceded.
Wen Wen's gradual approach made her feel the impending failure. Although she still had trump cards, she lacked the confidence to win against Wen Wen.
Anyone else would have agreed to these terms.
A powerful and strange monster willing to stop harming humans, resolving the situation without a life-or-death struggle, was the best outcome.
But was Wen Wen's goal to stop Jing Yan from doing evil?
No, Wen Wen was after her abilities!