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

Zhou Lang sat at the table, looking at the water stains seeping through the door panel. The water ran down the wood grain and accumulated into a foul-smelling puddle on the floor.

"No need," Zhou Lang replied.

The voices outside paused for a moment, then erupted into a piercing scream: "Why not! My child was drowned in cold water! You all deserve to die!"

The wooden door creaked under the strain, the panel bulging inwards as if a tremendous force was pounding against it from the outside.

"Step back." Zhou Lang stood up.

The door shattered. A woman, swollen all over, squeezed into the room. Her body was twice the width of an average person, her skin a bluish-purple from being soaked in stagnant water, covered in blisters. A gigantic sight.

The innkeeper's wife. Drowned by her husband in the lake, she discovered before her death that her child had been kidnapped by him. Endless resentment transformed her into this state.

The swollen corpse lunged forward with an overwhelming sense of oppression, splattering putrid fluid everywhere.

Zhou Lang did not dodge. He raised his left hand, activating the Bandage Ghost's ability. Grayish-white bandages emerged from his sleeve and precisely wrapped around the female corpse's neck.

The female corpse struggled, the bandages tearing with a ripping sound. The force of two hundred pounds of rotting flesh was immense.

Zhou Lang pulled the chainsaw with his right hand. The engine roared as the saw teeth cut into the woman's swollen shoulder.

Black sewage gushed out. There was no blood, only highly putrefied tissue fluid. The chainsaw chain was jammed and stiffened by the rotting flesh, but it still resolutely cut downwards.

"You drowned because you weren't strong enough," Zhou Lang commented as he cut. "Your fat layer is too thick, and its density is less than water, so you should be able to float. Drowning means you were physically restricted underwater. For example, you had stones tied to your feet."

The female corpse let out a defiant roar and reached out with both hands to grab Zhou Lang's face.

Zhou Lang turned his head to avoid it, and the green light of the oil lamp shone brightly. The Netherworld Fire spread along the bandages to the female corpse. The green fire didn't burn living things, but specifically burned yin energy. The female corpse's movements became sluggish, and the moisture in her body was rapidly evaporated by the Netherworld Fire.

[System Notification: Successfully inflicted deep fear on the 'drowned proprietress,' gaining 1 Resentment Crystal and +200 Fear Value.]

The woman's corpse turned into a pool of black water, seeping into the cracks in the floor. Only a piece of black crystal remained.

Zhou Lang picked up the crystal and wiped it with the corner of his clothes.

"Physical exorcism, remarkably effective." He tossed the crystal into his inventory. "Let's go check on that team leader next door."

The water stains in the corridor extended all the way to the top-tier room.

The door to the top-tier room was wide open, and there was no light inside. A strong stench of blood wafted from the door frame, overpowering the inn's original musty smell.

Zhou Lang carried the oil lamp into the room. The green CD player dispelled the darkness.

Wang Tie died. His death was extremely gruesome. His limbs had been forcibly severed and thrown into the four corners of the room. His torso was nailed to the wall, his chest cavity was cut open, and his internal organs spilled onto the floor.

"His combat strength was enhanced twice, but he couldn't even last ten minutes." Zhou Lang examined the nails on the wall. "The edges of the wound are irregular, caused by being torn by tremendous force. It wasn't a sharp weapon. Moreover, there are no signs of him struggling. The door frame is intact, with no signs of forced entry."

Han Yingying walked in, covering her nose and avoiding the bloodstains on the floor: "Was it someone we know? Or was the danger coming from inside the room?"

"Li Ming," Zhou Lang pointed to a puddle of water in the corner, "that high school student with no heartbeat. He was a ghost from the very beginning. Wang Tie letting him into the room was like putting a tiger in his own iron cage."

Zhao Qiang leaned against the doorframe, dry heaving. Although he had experienced the manor instance before, this visceral scene of dismemberment was still beyond his tolerance.

"Help...help me..."

A faint cry for help came from the next room, which was shaped like a human figure.

The three arrived at the door of the "人" building. The door was unlocked and ajar.

Inside the room, Xu Jiao sat slumped on the floor, her red dress torn, revealing large patches of her fair skin. Li Ming stood opposite her.

Li Ming's appearance had completely changed. His skin was charred, as if burned by a raging fire, and his features had melted together, leaving only a blurry outline. He was holding half a burning log in his hand, and was approaching Xu Jiao step by step.

Lin Xiaoxiao hid under the bed, covering her mouth with her hands, her face covered with tears and snot.

"Help me! My skills don't work on him!" Xu Jiao cried out to Zhou Lang as if grasping at a straw. Her skill, "Charm," could force other players to block a fatal attack for her. But against Li Ming, who was irrational and essentially inanimate, the skill was completely ineffective.

Zhou Lang didn't rush to make a move. He observed the burn marks on Li Ming's body.

"The man was a young couple on vacation. He was caught in the fire and burned to death." Zhou Lang recalled the clues he saw in the lobby. "There was a fire at the inn. The source of the fire was not an accident, but arson."

Li Ming picked up a burning log and smashed it down on Xu Jiao's head.

Xu Jiao screamed and closed her eyes.

The expected pain didn't come. A baton struck Li Ming's wrist precisely. Han Yingying had acted. The baton whistled through the air, knocking the charred piece of wood to the ground.

Li Ming turned his head, his faceless features facing Han Yingying. He opened his mouth and exhaled a plume of scorching black smoke.

Zhou Lang stepped forward, holding the oil lamp in front of him. The green flame collided with the black smoke, producing a sizzling, corrosive sound.

"Zhao Qiang, pull Xu Jiao out," Zhou Lang ordered.

Zhao Qiang steeled himself and rushed in, grabbing Xu Jiao's arm and dragging her out.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Lin Xiaoxiao, who had been hiding under the bed, suddenly emerged. A sharp fruit knife appeared in her hand. Instead of attacking Li Ming, she swung the knife back and plunged it deep into Xu Jiao's calf.

"Ah!" Xu Jiao screamed, losing her balance and falling heavily to the ground.

Using the reaction force, Lin Xiaoxiao, like a slippery eel, darted out the door from beside Zhao Qiang and hid behind Zhou Lang.

"She's trying to use me as a shield! She just tried to use her skills on me!" Lin Xiaoxiao pointed at Xu Jiao, tears streaming down her face, her voice trembling. "I had no choice but to defend myself!"

Xu Jiao clutched her bleeding calf, her face deathly pale: "You're lying! I didn't use any skills on you, it was you..."

Li Ming didn't give them a chance to argue. His charred body collapsed onto Xu Jiao, who was lying on the ground.

This time, Zhou Lang did not stop him.

Li Ming's fingers plunged into Xu Jiao's chest, the intense heat instantly carbonizing her blood vessels and muscles. Xu Jiao didn't even have time to scream; her body convulsed violently a few times before she completely lost her life.

Zhou Lang turned around and looked at Lin Xiaoxiao, who was hiding behind him.

The girl was still crying, her shoulders shaking, looking pitiful.

Zhou Lang raised his hand, the chainsaw's teeth close to Lin Xiaoxiao's neck. The cold touch of the engine oil stopped the girl's crying abruptly.

"Your heart rate is off." Zhou Lang's tone remained calm, as if stating a physical law. "When a normal person is extremely fearful, their heart rate will spike. Your heart rate has remained stable at around seventy from just now until now. You're not afraid; you're excited."