A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

"I don't know, I'm just a nobody." The bandaged man's voice was weary. "But I've heard a rumor."

"What rumor?"

"It's said that before the Age of Horror arrived, a group of human scientists were researching parallel worlds." The bandaged man paused. "They successfully opened a portal, but what emerged from that portal wasn't the other world they imagined, but rather..."

"But what?"

"It's hell."

Zhou Lang sat up abruptly, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish it were a joke," the bandaged man sighed. "But think about it, why would so many ghosts suddenly appear? Why would a terrifying era descend? It's all too coincidental."

Zhou Lang fell silent.

Strange noises came from outside the window. He went to the window and saw that the snow outside the manor was falling heavier and heavier.

In the blizzard, some dark shadows could be vaguely seen moving around.

The shapes of those shadows were strange, neither human nor animal.

"What is that?" Zhou Lang asked.

"I don't know, but it's best not to look." The bandaged man's voice was filled with fear. "Those things... don't belong to this world."

Zhou Lang drew the curtains and lay back down on the bed.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

Chapter Seven: The Restaurant's Secret

The next morning, Zhou Lang was awakened by knocking on the door.

When the door opened, Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying were standing outside, both of them looking rather unwell.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Lang yawned.

"Xiong Batian and the others are gone." Han Yingying lowered her voice. "I got up this morning and wanted to go to the restaurant, but I found that their room doors were open, but they weren't there."

Zhou Lang frowned and walked out of the room.

Sure enough, the rooms of Xiong Batian and the other two were empty, the beds were messy, and there were some bloodstains on the floor.

"Could he have been killed by the manor owner?" Zhao Qiang asked cautiously.

"That's unlikely." Zhou Lang squatted down and dipped his finger in the blood. "The blood is still warm, which means they just left not long ago."

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know, let's go to the restaurant and check." Zhou Lang stood up. "It's 8:30 now, there's still half an hour before work starts."

The three arrived at the restaurant, where the security guard was still there. He was clearly startled when he saw Zhou Lang, and then quickly turned his head away.

"Good morning," Zhou Lang greeted with a smile.

The security guard didn't respond; he just kept wiping the table in silence.

Zhou Lang walked to the counter and picked up the menu.

The menu was quite extensive, featuring not only various foods but also some unusual items.

"Ghost Weapon Fragments: 500 pieces"

"Resurrection Coins: 1000"

"Truth Card: 2000 yuan"

"Departure coupon: 5000 yuan"

Zhou Lang's gaze lingered on the last item.

"Does the exit ticket allow you to leave the instance early?" Zhou Lang asked.

The security guard nodded, his voice muffled: "But only one person can use it, and everything you obtain in this instance will disappear after you leave."

"Including ghost artifacts?"

"include."

Zhou Lang nodded thoughtfully and continued reading.

On the last page of the menu, there is a line of small print: "For special services, please consult your butler."

"What is this special service?" Zhou Lang asked, pointing to the line of text.

The security guard ghost looked up, his empty eye sockets staring at Zhou Lang: "You really want to know?"

"certainly."

"Then you'd better have enough money." The security guard's voice was laced with sarcasm. "Even the cheapest 'special service' costs a thousand dollars."

Zhou Lang took out the five hundred yuan he had earned yesterday and slapped it on the counter: "Give me a serving of human brains first, the fresh kind."

The security guard glanced at the coins, then turned and went into the kitchen.

Taking this opportunity, Zhou Lang used the Dark Eye on the counter.

A bunch of information immediately appeared before my eyes.

"Hidden under this counter is a ledger that records all players' spending and survival status. The last page of the ledger contains a secret: each instance has a core; finding and destroying the core will force the instance to end."

Zhou Lang's eyes lit up.

The security guard came out carrying a human brain, which Zhou Lang took and paid for.

"By the way, I wanted to ask, how are the players who came here before faring?" Zhou Lang asked casually.

"Dead," the security guard ghost answered crisply, "except for one."

Which one?

"A girl survived and even managed to leave the instance." The security guard paused, "but she paid a heavy price."

"What price?"

"Her memories," the security guard pointed to his head, "When she left, she no longer remembered who she was."

Zhou Lang's heart sank.

At this moment, Zhao Qiang suddenly tugged at his sleeve and pointed to the corner of the restaurant.

Zhou Lang turned his head and saw that Xiong Batian and the other two were sitting there with some food in front of them.

But strangely, they remained motionless, like statues.

"What's wrong with them?" Han Yingying asked softly.

Zhou Lang walked over and waved his hand in front of Xiong Batian.

No response.

He nudged Xiong Batian's shoulder again, and the latter suddenly slumped onto the table with a dull thud.

"Dead?" Zhao Qiang was startled.

Zhou Lang shook his head, opened Xiong Batian's eyelids, and saw that the pupils were still there, but they had lost focus.

"They're not dead, they're... unconscious." Zhou Lang checked the other two, and they were in the same situation.

"How could this happen?" Han Yingying's voice trembled.

Zhou Lang looked at the food in front of them; it was some ordinary-looking bread and milk.

He picked up a piece of bread, brought it close, and smelled it.

There was a faint smell of decay.

"There's something wrong with this food." Zhou Lang put down the bread and looked at the counter. "Security, what's going on?"

The security guard walked over, glanced at the three of them, and shrugged: "They bought cheap goods, so naturally they have to bear the risks."

"What do you mean?"

"The restaurant's food is divided into three levels," the security guard said, pointing to the menu. "Food over 100 yuan is safe food, food between 50 and 100 yuan is regular food, and food under 50 yuan is... junk food."

Can junk food cause someone to lose consciousness?

"It's not just about losing consciousness." The security guard's smile turned sinister. "People who eat junk food will slowly become part of the ghost within three days."

Zhou Lang's expression changed.

"You mean, they'll turn into ghosts?"

"To be precise, they've become food." The security guard pointed to the kitchen. "Where do you think those human brains came from?"

Han Yingying covered her mouth, almost vomiting.

Zhao Qiang's face also turned deathly pale.

Zhou Lang took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Is there any way to save them?

"Yes," the security guard ghost held up three fingers. "Three thousand dollars can buy the antidote."

"Three thousand yuan?!" Zhao Qiang's eyes widened. "Where would we get that much money!"

"Then there's nothing we can do." The security guard shrugged. "They'll be here in three days."