This humble Taoist priest has terrified the world with a Chinese-style horror game!

Headquarters Command Center of the Dragon Kingdom's Strange Countermeasures Bureau.

Zhao Jianguo braced his hands on the edge of the control panel, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He stared intently at the screen, noting the fluctuating but still relatively low fear levels of the Beacon Nation team members, and the signs that they were gradually waking up from the illusion, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Professor Li, General Wang..."

Zhao Jianguo's voice was hoarse:

"The situation is not good. It seems they have withstood the illusionary attack from Wangxiangtai."

The sedative was more effective than we anticipated; however, this attack on the mind had limited effect.

If subsequent levels don't cause substantial harm or a greater psychological impact, they might actually...

Professor Li Zhenhua adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses filled with worry:

"The 'Thirteen Trials of the Underworld' constructed by young friend Lin Ye is extremely ingenious in terms of cultural heritage and rule design. However, the opponent's 'Mental Tranquilizer - Type IV' is clearly a highly targeted new generation product, specifically designed to deal with this kind of mental attack."

We can only hope that later stages will present "rule-based kills" that are beyond the scope of their medication.

Major General Wang's expression was stern:

"Should we contact Comrade Lin Ye to inquire whether... the dungeon difficulty needs to be adjusted?"

He said this with some difficulty, because within the rules of the national destiny game, it is difficult for outsiders to interfere.

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a moment, about to speak, when his communicator rang.

It's an internal line from Lin Ye's independent workspace.

Zhao Jianguo answered the call immediately, without even having time for pleasantries:

"Comrade Lin Ye! Did you see the live broadcast? The situation with the Lighthouse Country team..."

On the other end of the communicator, Lin Ye's voice was calm and even carried a hint of...leisure?

"Director Zhao, I saw it."

"The situation seems..."

Zhao Jianguo carefully considered his words.

"It doesn't seem ideal?"

Lin Ye chuckled softly, his laughter revealing no trace of tension.

You're overthinking it.

"But their fear level..."

"Fear level?"

Lin Ye interrupted him, his tone indifferent:

"Director Zhao, I never expected to 'kill' these guests who were injected with tranquilizers, including Wangxiangtai, the Land God Temple, and Huangquan Road before."

"What?"

Zhao Jianguo was taken aback.

"The purpose of the Earth God Temple is to familiarize them with the 'rules' and leave them with their first psychological suggestion, telling them that they need to abide by the rules of the 'underworld' here, even if those rules seem absurd."

The Road to the Underworld is designed to wear down their physical strength and sense of time, disrupt their biological clock and rhythm, and pave the way for subsequent challenges.

The Terrace of Longing for Home...the place where the souls of the dead look back upon the mortal world for the last time, severing all ties with earthly life...

Lin Ye paused:

"It's just a 'warm-up' for them. Recalling the good times is to deepen their attachment to life; evoking remorse is to open a tiny crack in their strong psychological defenses. All of this is just a prelude."

"bedding?"

Zhao Jianguo repeated, and Li Zhenhua and Major General Wang next to him also pricked up their ears.

"Yes, it's foreshadowing."

Lin Ye's voice came through the communicator, clear and calm, carrying an air of complete control:

"If I wanted them to collapse in the first three rounds, there are many more direct ways. But wouldn't that be too boring? And it would also make people underestimate the long-standing Netherworld culture of my Dragon Kingdom."

He paused, a hint of anticipation creeping into his voice:

"I really hope they can hold out for a few more rounds, preferably to the tenth or twelfth round... so that the whole world can see how solemn and magnificent, how... despairing, the entire process of judging sins and cleansing souls envisioned by our ancestors in the Dragon Kingdom is."

"Don't they believe in the omnipotence of technology and that medicine can eliminate fear?"

"Then I'll show them what happens when technology meets 'rules,' when medicine meets 'karma,' when what they thought was an indestructible will encounters the ultimate terror rooted in the deepest part of their cultural bloodline—the cycle of life and death, cause and effect..."

"Are their tranquilizers still effective?"

The conversation ended abruptly.

The command center was completely silent.

Zhao Jianguo and the other two looked at each other, and they all saw shock and a chill in each other's eyes.

Lin Ye's goal was never simply to "kill" the intruders.

He wanted to "showcase".

The purpose is to use these "Thirteen Netherworld Gates" as a stage to broadcast a grand and brutal declaration ceremony of "Chinese horror" culture to the world!

And the "Hellfire" squad from the United States was chosen by him to be the "actors" and "sacrifices" to demonstrate this terrifying process!

---

In the live broadcast, the light of the bronze mirror on the Wangxiang Terrace gradually dimmed, and the mirror surface returned to calm, reflecting only ten faces that were still in shock and covered in cold sweat.

The illusion has ended.

The ten people seemed to have struggled to wake up from a deep nightmare, panting heavily, their eyes still filled with fear.

They looked at each other and saw the bloodshot eyes and lingering fear in each other's eyes.

Although no one's fear level exceeded 50, the average fear level has stabilized between 25 and 40, which is much higher than when they first entered the dungeon.

More importantly, the mental exhaustion and lingering unease have become etched into my being.

"It's all...an illusion."

John wiped the cold sweat from his face, forcing himself to analyze the situation calmly, but his voice was still somewhat hoarse:

"The instance is attacking our psychological weaknesses. Don't let it control you! Remember our mission!"

"Yes... Captain."

The team members responded reluctantly, but their morale had visibly dropped.

John looked up at the area behind the Viewing Platform.

The fog dissipated slightly, revealing the next stretch of road.

It was a mountain path that stretched upwards, with jagged rocks.

The road became narrower and more rugged, and instead of swaying spider lilies, there were dark, jagged rocks with menacing shapes, like countless crouching wild beasts.

The sweet, rotten floral scent in the air vanished, replaced by an indescribable stench, faintly accompanied by a low, guttural sound, like the howl of a wild beast, emanating from the depths of the mountains, sending chills down one's spine.

At the entrance to the mountain ridge, a broken stone tablet stands askew.

The inscription was mostly eroded by wind and rain, but three large characters, filled with an ominous aura, could still be barely discerned:

【Evil Dog Ridge】

"The fourth level..."

John gripped the energy weapon in his hand tightly; the icy touch brought him back to a sense of reality.

He recalled the words on the road sign, the warning from the local earth god statue, the endless road to the underworld, and the illusion of the Looking-Home Terrace.

This Dragon Kingdom instance is unpredictable, with each attack being completely different, making it impossible to defend against.

Evil Dog Ridge... Judging from the name, does it mean you have to face attacks from vicious dogs?

Even the most ferocious physical monster is nothing more than... in the face of energy weapons and powered exoskeletons.

"All personnel on high alert!"

John suppressed his unease and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Prepare for a physical attack! Conserve your energy!"

The ten men regrouped, and despite their exhaustion, their well-trained skills allowed them to quickly enter combat readiness.

The powered exoskeleton emitted a low hum as it charged, and the muzzle of the energy weapon glowed with a blue light as it charged. It cautiously took a step toward the rugged, howling Dog Ridge.

What they didn't know was that the "vicious dogs" of Vicious Dog Ridge never just bit flesh and blood.

The live stream camera followed their figures, slowly zooming in on the mountain entrance, which was filled with a foul stench and ominous wailing.

Global audiences, whether worried, mocking, or expectant, held their breath at this moment.

The real test seems to have only just begun.