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

"Are they from the union?" Su Mu asked.

"Most likely," Lin Yue said, "and it's probably the same guild that brought us in."

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

Han Yingying organized her thoughts: "Now there are two problems. First, where is the city center, and how do we destroy it? Second, will those six people come looking for trouble with us first?"

"You don't need to guess the second question," Zhou Lang said. "I know."

"You're quite confident."

"They deliberately mark people as S-class to die, they wouldn't go to such great lengths just to watch us fall apart." Zhou Lang pointed his chainsaw westward. "They will come, and not too late."

The five people began to accelerate their advance.

The further into the city you go, the more fragmented it becomes. Eventually, there are no decent roads left; the ground is all broken into stone slabs of varying sizes, suspended in some kind of black void. They must leap between these slabs to move forward; one wrong step and they will fall into an unknown abyss.

The strange phenomenon within the crack reappeared twice more. The first time, Zhou Lang repelled it with a chainsaw; the second time, Han Yingying, in coordination with Zhou Lang, dealt with it by attacking from both sides. Although Su Mu's dungeon experience wasn't as extensive as theirs, his fundamentals were solid, allowing him to remain calm in crucial moments. Lin Yue was injured, reducing his combat effectiveness, but his keen observation skills allowed him to detect the direction of the crack's spread twice in advance, helping the team avoid being surrounded.

Zhao Qiang... Zhao Qiang was responsible for shouting "Be careful!"

"I wanted to help, but I just couldn't beat that thing," Zhao Qiang said, feeling wronged.

"Your call came at just the right time," Zhou Lang comforted him. "At least it reminded me that I should make a move."

Is this how you comfort someone?

After walking for another half hour, an open area appeared ahead.

It was less of an open area and more of a massive circular platform. In the center of the platform was a vertical chasm—not on the ground, but suspended in mid-air. The chasm was about two people high, its edges glowing with a dark red light, and something inside was slowly rotating.

"That's the heart of the city," Han Yingying concluded.

The five people stopped at the edge of the platform and observed for a while. There were no strange guards around the city center, and it seemed that they could pass through without any obstacles.

so easy.

"There's a trap," Zhou Lang said.

"How did you figure that out?" Su Mu asked.

"Because it's too easy." Zhou Lang picked up a stone and threw it towards the center of the city.

The stone flew halfway when it suddenly veered off course, flying diagonally—no, not veered off course, but was bounced away by some force. A nearly transparent barrier flickered faintly outside the city's center.

"A barrier," Han Yingying said. "To destroy the city's core, we must first deal with this barrier."

"What should we use to treat it?"

"I don't know." Han Yingying looked at the rotating interior of the city center. "But I guess it's related to the strangeness in the cracks. All the cracks in this city point here, as if they're spreading out from the city center. If the cracks are the overflow of the city center's power—"

"Eliminating the strange things in the cracks might weaken the barrier," Su Mu continued.

"This is a massive undertaking." Zhao Qiang looked around at the dense network of cracks. "Will 72 hours be enough?"

"We don't need to clean it all up." Zhou Lang's attention was elsewhere. "Look at the barrier—its light isn't uniform."

Han Yingying looked at it carefully.

Indeed, the light from the barrier varied in intensity, with some directions being particularly dim, almost blending into the air.

"Weakness," Zhou Lang said. "Just find the nodes that draw energy from the barrier. We don't need to wipe them all out; just sever the most critical 'roots,' and the barrier will collapse on its own."

"How did you get such a brain?" Su Mu asked sincerely.

"I look different from you," Zhou Lang replied earnestly.

The five were about to split up to find the weakest point in the barrier. But before they could act, Han Yingying called out to Zhou Lang.

The other three tactfully walked a few steps away. Zhao Qiang pulled Lin Yue aside and asked if his injured arm needed to be re-bandaged, while Su Mu went to the side to study the direction of the crack.

At the edge of the platform, a cool breeze blew up from the void.

Han Yingying stood next to Zhou Lang and remained silent for a while.

"I found some things in reality," she said.

Zhou Lang did not interrupt her.

"Something strange has happened," Han Yingying said. "And it's not just in the game. The real world is changing too. There are missing people, restricted areas, and phenomena that can't be explained by normal logic."

She spoke concisely, without embellishment. Facts are facts; they need no embellishment.

After listening, Zhou Lang turned to look at her.

Han Yingying couldn't quite decipher that look in her eyes. It wasn't surprise, nor was it suspicion; it was more like a complex emotion suppressed beneath a calm surface.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Lang spoke.

Why are you telling me this?

"Because you deserve to know," Han Yingying said. "You saved my life and helped everyone in the dungeon more than once. If this is related to the survival of each of us, then there's no point in hiding it."

Zhou Lang did not respond immediately.

He looked toward the city center, where the dark red light from the crack reflected two tiny bright spots in his pupils.

"I'm investigating too," he said.

Han Yingying was stunned.

"Before my sister disappeared, she left me some things: a notebook, photos, and several recordings." Zhou Lang's voice was calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself. "She noticed something amiss before she disappeared and recorded a lot of data. This data points to one conclusion—the boundary between the virtual world and the real world is crumbling."

"Border disintegration..."

"The eeriness in the instance is seeping into reality. It's not fast, but it's accelerating," Zhou Lang said. "Those missing persons and restricted areas you found are the result of this infiltration."

Han Yingying suddenly understood.

He always knew. He knew from the very beginning that something was wrong. His purpose in entering the game wasn't just to find his sister—he was tracing the root of the whole incident.

"How long did you investigate by yourself?"

"It started before we even entered the game."

"Why don't you say so?"

Zhou Lang didn't answer the question. But Han Yingying could guess the reason. A person who had lost both parents and whose sister was missing was used to bearing things alone. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it, but that he didn't know who to talk to, and he didn't think it would make a difference.

Trust is a luxury. Especially for Zhou Lang.

"From now on," Han Yingying said, "we'll investigate together."

Zhou Lang looked at her for a while.

"OK."

Just one word. But Han Yingying sensed the weight hidden beneath that word.

The plan to split up was interrupted forty minutes later.

Zhou Lang and Han Yingying were responsible for the two weak points on the north side, Zhao Qiang went to the east side with Su Mu, and Lin Yue kept watch on the west side alone—he insisted that his injury would not affect the reconnaissance, and since his observation ability was indeed the strongest among the five, no one stopped him.

When Zhou Lang and Han Yingying found the first node on the north side, things went more smoothly than expected.