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

When the entrance to the ninth instance opened, a dark red rift tore open in the sky.

Zhou Lang looked up and saw black mist swirling around the edge of the crack, which was three times larger than the opening of the previous dungeon. An SS-level dungeon, indeed different.

Han Yingying stood to his right, Zhao Qiang to his left, followed by Lin Mu, Su Xiao, and Chen Feng. The six of them faced the crack, each with a different expression.

"Why does this look even more disgusting than the last one?" Zhao Qiang muttered, subconsciously taking half a step behind Zhou Lang.

"What's the point of you standing behind me?" Zhou Lang turned to look at him.

"Block the wind." Zhao Qiang said without changing his expression.

Lin Mu tucked the dagger into his waistband and loosened his wrists: "Stop talking nonsense, let's go in."

The six people stepped into the crevice one by one.

The light distorted, and they felt a sudden, throbbing sensation beneath their feet. When their vision cleared, they found themselves standing in the lobby of an abandoned hospital. The floor was covered with withered leaves, half of the fluorescent light tubes on the ceiling were broken, and the remaining few emitted a buzzing, flickering electrical sound.

A system notification appeared—

[SS-Rank Dungeon: Doomsday Sanatorium]

[Mission Objective: Locate the medical records in the director's office to uncover the truth behind the sanatorium's closure]

[Survival conditions: No sound exceeding 40 decibels is allowed after sunset]

[Instance Time Limit: 72 hours]

[Special Note: This instance exhibits abnormal data fluctuations; please be aware.]

"Abnormal data fluctuations?" Han Yingying frowned. "I've never seen this kind of alert before."

Zhou Lang stared at the last line of text for two seconds. This wasn't the normal format for a dungeon notification—the font color was grayish, as if it had been forcibly crammed into the system panel.

"Never mind that for now." He looked away and scanned the hall. "Find the map and confirm the building structure."

Lin Mu had already gone to the front desk and rummaged through it, pulling out a dusty floor plan from under the counter. The sanatorium had seven floors in total, two underground, with the director's office on the top floor.

"Seven floors." Chen Feng calculated. "72 hours, that's enough time."

"Whether it's enough or not doesn't depend on the floor," Zhou Lang said. "It depends on how many things are blocking the way."

As soon as he finished speaking, the revolving door on the other side of the hall was pushed open.

It wasn't just one person.

group of people.

The man leading the group was a burly man with a shaved head, whom Zhou Lang recognized—the vice president of the "Iron Wall" guild, nicknamed Steel Plate. Behind him were seven or eight people, all dressed in identical dark gray combat uniforms.

Behind the burly man, two more groups of people poured in through the side door.

"Shattered Stars" Guild, "Nightwalkers" Guild.

The three major labor unions, totaling nearly thirty people, completely blocked the three exits of the hall.

Zhao Qiang's face turned pale instantly: "Damn, what's this?"

Steel Plate crossed his arms and took a few steps forward, tilting his head to look at Zhou Lang: "Hey, we meet again."

Zhou Lang didn't respond.

"I didn't take it to heart when you turned down our guild's invitation last time," Steel Plate said in a rather amiable tone. "Later, you turned down Shattered Star and then Nightwalker, and I didn't say anything then either. But do you know what's most annoying?"

He held up one finger: "When you refuse someone, you say 'no interest.' Three words. You say those three words to everyone."

Zhou Lang thought for a moment: "Because I really have no interest."

Steel Plate laughed, but his smile was devoid of warmth: "Fine, let me put it another way. You and Miss Han Yingying beside you have gotten the highest rating in eight consecutive dungeons. If either of you joined any guild, that guild would rise at least two places in the rankings. You don't join any guilds, yet you're still getting the highest scores everywhere and dominating the leaderboards—what do you call that? That's called disrupting the game."

"What's it to you if we're just trying to boost our scores?" Han Yingying said.

The captain of the Shattered Star Guild stepped out from the crowd; he was a tall, thin man wearing glasses. "It's very important. Guild rankings are linked to resource allocation. If you guys occupy the high-ranking spots, we'll get fewer rewards. This has to be settled."

"So?" Zhou Lang asked.

"So the three of us discussed it," Steel Plate said, spreading his hands. "In this instance, we'll take over your ratings. You can think of it as—you do the work, we get the points. Or to put it more simply, you don't have to do any work."

Lin Mu's hand had already reached for the dagger at his waist.

Su Xiao and Chen Feng also tensed up. Although Zhao Qiang's legs were weak, he didn't change his position and remained firmly next to Zhou Lang.

Thirty against six.

Zhou Lang understood the situation clearly. The other party wasn't there to negotiate; they were there to deliver a message. The fact that the three major guilds were working together meant they had colluded before entering the instance, and might even have chosen the same instance entrance in advance.

A premeditated hunt.

"I'll give you another option," Steel Plate said. "Join Ironwall, and I'll guarantee you all leave this instance unscathed."

"Three words," Zhou Lang said.

The steel plate's expression changed.

"Not interested."

There was a two-second silence in the hall.

Steel Plate raised his chin.

Do it.

Thirty men pressed forward simultaneously. These men were all elites from their respective guilds, well-equipped, and well-coordinated; they were not just random rabble gathered from the roadside.

"Scatter!" Zhou Lang shouted in a low voice.

The six immediately spread out in different directions. Although they were outnumbered, they had cooperated in several dungeons, and their teamwork was beyond what could be measured on paper.

Lin Mu was the first to make a move. His dagger was drawn so fast that its trajectory was almost invisible, and he slashed two Iron Wall members who were at the forefront.

Zhou Lang charged into the crowd, his fighting style never following the rules. While others avoided the unpredictable, he frightened the unpredictable; while others shunned the crowd, he burrowed into the densest part of the place.

Once they got close, the sheer number of opponents became a disadvantage—they were hesitant to act for fear of accidentally injuring their teammates. Zhou Lang, however, had no such concerns. He swung the chainsaw directly, the motor humming and the saw teeth spinning rapidly.

Twenty out of thirty people instinctively took a step back.

"Damn it, he actually dared to drive a chainsaw!" someone cursed.

Han Yingying flanked and controlled the situation. Her skills were supportive, providing buffs to Lin Mu and Chen Feng, increasing their attack power and speed.

However, the difference in numbers is too great.

Su Xiao was attacked by three Shattered Stars members. She was stabbed in the left shoulder, and blood streamed down her arm, staining half of her sleeve red. Chen Feng went to save her, but was kicked in the back and slammed into the wall, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Qiang, wielding an iron rod, tried to block left and right, but he was simply taking the beating.

"Retreat to the second floor!" Zhou Lang roared, sweeping his chainsaw to force back the people in front of him and moving towards the stairwell.

The six men fought and retreated. Su Xiao's wound was bleeding, and Chen Feng had also been slashed in the leg, walking with a limp. Lin Mu brought up the rear, gritting his teeth and holding off at least five attackers.

They retreated to the second-floor corridor. Members of the three major unions pursued them relentlessly, surging up the stairs.

At the end of the corridor was an iron gate, which was locked.

The door was locked in front, and pursuers were behind.

Zhou Lang glanced back at the crowd, then at Su Xiao and Chen Feng's injuries. Su Xiao's face was deathly pale; she had lost a lot of blood. Chen Feng leaned against the wall, panting; his leg wound was quite deep.