I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 257, page 1.17, 34: A Night of Madness
"Oh my~ were you waiting for me?" A childish yet sinister voice came from beside the three of them.

Shui Qi turned around and held his scabbard-covered sword above his head to block the fatal blow, but the force of the blow was so terrifying that he was sent flying several meters away.

He flew back a few steps, narrowly avoiding the sudden attack.

Because he was standing quite far away, Dao Lin, who hadn't encountered any danger, was initially startled, but quickly regained his composure. His right hand involuntarily reached for his left wrist, which was completely empty, the subtle movement resembling the twisting of a thread.

"Cough cough," Shui Qi crawled out of the rubble, his tongue bitten by the impact, leaving a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. He wiped the blood from his mouth, struggled to his feet, and frowned, seemingly badly injured.

"What a pity~ Only three ribs were broken, next time it won't be so easy." A childish voice came from all directions, but the person was nowhere to be seen.

Fei was constantly forced to dodge attacks, and although he wanted to fight back, he couldn't hit anything. To others, it seemed like he was just outsmarting thin air.

His icy blue eyes scanned the surroundings, then suddenly fixed his gaze on Shui Qi, or more precisely, on the back of Shui Qi.

It was as if it were transparent, but in Dao Lin's eyes, there were lines that were distinct from the space around it, reminding him that some unknown object was smashing Shui Qi with a weapon.

If he doesn't warn Shui Qi, Shui Qi will surely die; but if he does warn Shui Qi, he will become the next target of this thing, and he is not capable enough to avoid it.

In the end, Dao Lin said nothing. He simply stood there, gripping the invisible thread on his wrist and pulling hard.

Shui Qi seemed to be pulled forward by some sudden force, staggering a few steps before managing to keep from falling. Before she could say anything, she saw that the area where she had just been standing had been smashed into a huge crater.

His thin lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything. He frowned because of the pain from the three broken ribs, but surprisingly, he didn't complain at all. His dark hair was a little messy, and he looked quite disheveled.

Dao Lin took out a silver pistol and held it in his hand, his icy blue eyes scanning his surroundings, seemingly trying to find the invisible substitute. Drowsiness washed over him, causing him to squint.

Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of sleepiness, Dao Lin wanted to just fall asleep without a care in the world, but that was impossible.

From the moment he opened his eyes in this world, he was often very sleepy. He didn't want to sleep, but the drowsiness was completely irresistible, and in the end, he could only passively fall asleep.

While in the capital city, he confirmed that his physical condition was related to laziness, meaning that his current fatigue was actually caused by laziness, not by his desire to sleep.

No matter what he does to his body, he can't stay clear-headed; he has no choice but to passively accept his weariness.

"..." Dao Lin shook his head, forcing himself to cheer up, even though it was of no use.

I heard hurried footsteps nearby.

Dao Lin took a few steps to the side and saw two chasing figures dart out.

The clown spoke terrifying words in a childish voice, clutching a chain with a sharp point in his hand, which made a cold sound as he walked.

The person chasing the clown was Ling Tong, whose dark red hair was tied into three braids and hung down her back, with the gold hair clips at the ends shaking violently. A dark cloak was casually draped over her light blue robe and fluttered in the air.

Ling Tong gripped the scabbard in one hand and wielded a longsword in the other, slashing at the clown relentlessly, not missing a single opening.

A pale fingertip traced a golden-orange line across the blade, then the entire silver blade was stained crimson, as if it had been roasted in flames, the heat almost scorching the air. "Aaaaaah!" The clown screamed shrilly as the sword struck its shoulder and began to burn. It patted the flames on its shoulder as if trying to extinguish them, but its hands caught fire as well.

The air was thick with the stench of burning fabric. Ling Tong casually slashed off its head with a single sword stroke. The clown's head burst into flames the moment it fell, turning to ash along with its body. A golden key appeared out of nowhere.

Ling Tong flicked the sword sheath, lifting it into the air and catching it in her hand.

After doing all this, he turned to look at the three of them, nodded to them, and then turned to leave.

"Wait!" Dao Lin called out to Ling Tong.

"What is it?" Ling Tong paused slightly, turned to look at Dao Lin, and said with a cold face.

"Is the Joker dead?" Dao Lin asked. He had indeed seen the Joker killed by Ling Tong, but the instance was not over, which meant that it was not the real Joker.

Dao Lin's question actually carries a deeper meaning, such as whether there are other enemies.

“If it was the clown who controlled the rampage of the Amazing Circus, he's already dead.” Ling Tong nodded to Dao Lin and said slowly.

"I understand, thank you," Dao Lin said softly, lowering his eyes.

After the clown was killed, all the invisible enemies around him vanished. Although grateful to Ling Tong, Dao Lin sensed that an even greater crisis was brewing.

Without enemies, does that mean they have to face the dungeon master?
Ling Tong casually sheathed his longsword and walked forward. Having the key meant he could rescue Mu Yin, who was imprisoned. However, Fei Xiu's conditions were harsh: releasing Mu Yin meant releasing another instance owner as well.

The selection is almost random. It's fine if the dungeon master is weak, but if it's that puppeteer, there will be an internal conflict.

The most dangerous and terrifying of all dungeon masters is the Puppeteer. According to the ranking, Fish is ranked 9th and the Puppeteer is ranked 10th, with only one place difference between them.

He didn't know how the dungeon owners were ranked, but if their rankings were close, it meant that their strengths were not far apart.

It's as if there's actually another Fish there, and the released instance owner won't have their abilities restricted like the previous guest state.

"Shui Qi, I guess I should just quit the Strategist Association." Dao Lin looked at Shui Qi and suddenly said with a light laugh.

The next second, Shui Qi pointed his pistol at Dao Lin.

His narrow blue eyes, tinged with darkness, stared at Dao Lin. He said coldly, "Do you want to die, Dao Lin? I haven't killed you because you're still a member of the Strategist Association. If you quit now, I'll shoot you dead immediately."

"Really? But with three broken ribs, you seem unable to even stand steadily." Dao Lin raised an eyebrow and shrugged, the pistol he was playing with in his hand twitching slightly as he pointed the muzzle at Shui Qi's forehead.

"How about we try to see who dies first?"

(End of this chapter)