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

"Passengers, please show your tickets." The headless conductor's voice came from its chest cavity, echoing.

Old Li and Xiao Chen were so frightened that they backed away repeatedly, and Old Li could barely hold onto the baseball bat.

"Tickets? What tickets?" Zhao Qiang peeked out from behind Zhou Lang.

The headless conductor didn't answer. It raised its ticket clippers and walked over step by step. "Riding without a ticket is punishable by death."

The temperature inside the carriage dropped to freezing. Han Yingying was about to make a move when Zhou Lang raised his hand to stop her.

He took out a few pieces of ghost money he had brought from the haunted manor from his pocket, walked up to the headless flight attendant, and stuffed them into the attendant's hand.

"This is the fare. Keep the change," Zhou Lang said matter-of-factly.

The headless train attendant held the ghost money, a confused buzzing sound emanating from his chest. "This train...does not accept foreign currency."

"Why wouldn't you accept it? This is hard currency issued by the Heaven and Earth Bank." Zhou Lang leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Look at you, you've lost your head and you're still working here. Take this money and go buy a decent helmet so you don't catch a cold."

As he spoke, Zhou Lang summoned the Bandage Ghost, tore off a long bandage, wrapped it around the headless flight attendant's neck several times, and finally tied it into a pretty bow.

The headless flight attendant was completely stumped. It touched the bow tie around its neck, then looked at the ghost money in its hand. A serious conflict had occurred in the logic module.

"Thank you... Ticket purchase successful." It mechanically turned around and walked towards the next carriage.

Old Li and Little Chen were dumbfounded.

"This...this works?" Xiao Chen's hand was trembling as he pushed up his glasses.

Han Yingying watched Zhou Lang's retreating figure. This man harbored far more secrets than she had imagined.

The train continued its journey. In the next few carriages, they encountered all sorts of bizarre monsters. There was a salesperson with spider legs, and a passenger covered in mouths. But through Zhou Lang's completely unreasonable "physical negotiation," they managed to carve a bloody path through the chaos.

Although Lao Li and Xiao Chen were lacking in combat skills, they didn't let Zhou Lang down at crucial moments. When the monster blocked the door, the two of them desperately held the door open, buying Zhou Lang time to pull the chainsaw.

"These two are actually quite useful," Zhao Qiang commented.

Han Yingying looked at the two people slumped on the ground. In this game where people would stab each other in the back to survive, there weren't many people left who could hold onto their principles.

"Would you like to team up with us once we get out?" Han Yingying asked as she walked over.

Old Li gave a wry smile and waved his hand. "Forget it, girl. With our skill level, we'd just be a burden to you. We'd be lucky to get out of here alive."

Xiao Chen nodded in agreement, "Yeah, we can't get involved in the world of big shots."

Han Yingying didn't force her. Everyone has their own way of surviving.

The train finally came to a stop. The carriage doors opened automatically, revealing a teleportation array for clearing the level.

Old Li and Little Chen thanked him profusely and entered the teleportation array. Zhao Qiang followed them in.

Han Yingying was about to leave when she realized Zhou Lang hadn't followed. She turned around and saw Zhou Lang squatting at the junction of the two carriages, using a pair of rusty scissors to pry open the plaster on the wall.

The sheet metal was peeled away, revealing no wires inside, only strings of flashing green data streams.

Zhou Lang stared at the data, his fingers tracing rapid lines across it. His gaze was more focused than ever before.

"What are you doing?" Han Yingying walked over.

Zhou Lang paused. He slapped the plaster back into place, stood up, and dusted off his hands. "Nothing. I just thought the car was in such bad shape that I wanted to fix it."

Han Yingying looked at him, but didn't expose his clumsy lie. She knew what Zhou Lang was hiding, just as she herself had unspeakable secrets.

"Let's go, it's time to go back." Han Yingying turned and walked towards the teleportation array.

Zhou Lang watched her retreating figure. He knew Han Yingying had seen him, but he didn't know how to explain. He was investigating these low-level codes to find his missing sister. This involved the game's core secrets; the more he knew, the faster he would die. He didn't want to drag her into it.

The two stepped into the teleportation array one after the other.

The real world.

Han Yingying woke up with a start again. This time, the headache didn't return; instead, she felt an unprecedented clarity.

She remembered.

She's no ordinary player. She's "Nightingale." She once fought her way through the highest-level dungeons until she discovered a deadly truth about this world.

This bizarre game isn't some parallel universe at all. It's devouring the real world.

She must find Zhou Lang. That man's abilities are the key to breaking this deadlock.

She grabbed her coat and rushed out of the room. But as soon as she pushed open the building door, the sight outside made her stop in her tracks.

The sky wasn't blue, but a dark red. A huge blood moon hung in the sky. The streets were deserted, and distant skyscrapers looked like twisted blocks, hanging upside down in the sky.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur.

[Warning! An abnormal fluctuation has been detected in the real world.]

[S-Rank Dungeon: Upside-Down City, now forcibly unlocked.]

[Players from all areas will be forcibly added.]

Han Yingying drew her dagger. The surrounding scenery rippled like water.

The next second, she found herself standing on a dilapidated street. Above her was an upside-down road, with several abandoned cars teetering precariously.

"Yingying!"

A familiar voice rang out. Zhou Lang and Zhao Qiang ran out of an alley. Zhou Lang was carrying his signature chainsaw, while Zhao Qiang wore a safety helmet he'd picked up from somewhere.

"What on earth happened? I was just buying a jianbing (Chinese crepe) downstairs when the old lady suddenly turned into a gossipy ghost!" Zhao Qiang was almost in tears.

"Reality and the game overlap," Han Yingying said succinctly.

Zhou Lang looked up at the upside-down sky without saying a word. He knew this day would come sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

A scream suddenly came from afar.

The three exchanged a glance and quickly ran towards the direction of the sound.

In an abandoned square, a group of players dressed in black uniforms were besieging two people. Surrounded in the middle were Lao Li and Xiao Chen.

Old Li's baseball bat was broken in two, and he was covered in blood. Little Chen's glasses were shattered, and he was clutching his briefcase tightly.

"Hand over the items, and we'll leave you with your corpses intact," the leader of the black-clad players sneered.

"Dream on!" Old Li spat out a mouthful of blood.

"They've been tricked and used as bait to scout ahead," Han Yingying saw through the situation at a glance.

Without wasting any words, Zhou Lang immediately turned on the chainsaw.

A piercing roar shattered the deathly silence of the square. The players in black turned their heads.

"Where did this bumpkin come from, daring to meddle in the affairs of our 'Blood Axe' guild?" the leader roared angrily.

Zhou Lang walked over carrying a chainsaw. "Your guild's name is so lame. Why not call it 'Scrap Recycling Station'?"

Before he could finish speaking, the bandaged ghosts behind him suddenly sprang out. Several bandages, like venomous snakes, coiled around the necks of several players in black. Zhou Lang swung his chainsaw, severing the weapon in the leader's hand.