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

The three members, A, B, and C, followed behind, acting as lookouts.

The hospital had seven floors. They searched from the first floor upwards. On each floor, Zhou Lang used a chainsaw to clear a path, scaring the menacing ghosts and monsters into scattering in all directions.

D seized the opportunity and severed the arms of a mutated head nurse as it lunged at Han Yingying.

"Thanks," Han Yingying said.

"I just don't want to die here." D wiped the blood off the knife.

The intensity was eerily greater than ever before. Upon reaching the seventh floor, they encountered the Dean, a colossal figure pieced together from countless corpses.

Zhou Lang's chainsaw didn't even leave a mark on it.

"Tough nut to crack." Zhou Lang took two steps back.

"Attack its joints," Han Yingying commanded.

They worked together seamlessly. Zhou Lang drew fire, ABC flanked them, and D used his speed advantage to attack their joints. Han Yingying, meanwhile, searched for their fatal weaknesses.

After a half-hour struggle, the dean collapsed with a crash.

"Hidden Clue: There is garbled text in the system's underlying code." Han Yingying looked at the glowing characters that appeared on the dean's corpse.

The images in her mind became clearer and clearer. She had worked with this code before.

"Level cleared successfully. Rewards being processed."

D sheathed his sword and glanced at them. "Even outside the instance, we're still enemies."

A flash of white light, and everyone left the instance.

Back to reality. The system notification sound echoed in my ears.

"Player Han Yingying has successfully cleared the S-level dungeon and unlocked SS-level privileges."

"Player Zhou Lang has successfully cleared the S-level dungeon and unlocked SS-level privileges."

The forums exploded. Only a handful of players possessed SS-level access. Their private messages were flooded with recruitment messages from major guilds.

Han Yingying sat on the sofa and silenced her phone. She declined all invitations.

Zhou Lang sent me a screenshot of an exorbitant offer from a certain guild. "They said it includes meals and accommodation, and even a free ocean-view apartment. I'm a little tempted."

Han Yingying replied, "Going there will only make you a tool for others. Don't go."

Zhou Lang: "I'll listen to you. Anyway, I don't like being controlled."

The two agreed to meet at a coffee shop.

Zhou Lang ordered an iced Americano with five packets of sugar. Han Yingying watched him stir his coffee and pushed a note towards him.

"This is my personal number. Call me if you need anything."

Zhou Lang stuffed the note into his pocket. "Things haven't been peaceful lately."

"You noticed it too?" Han Yingying took a sip of water. "Strange events in real life are increasing. A monster entered my house the night before last."

"My neighbor, the old lady, turned into a long-necked monster yesterday and insisted on introducing me to someone. I knocked her out with a frying pan," Zhou Lang sighed. "I can't live like this anymore."

The uncanny is invading reality. The line between the real and the fictional is becoming increasingly blurred.

Han Yingying recalled the code she had seen in the instance. The bug was spreading. If the source wasn't found, the entire world would become an instance.

"The next dungeon will be SS-rank," Han Yingying said. "The major guilds will definitely target us. We refused them, and they won't let it go."

"Cut them down one by one." Zhou Lang finished his sweet coffee.

Three days later. The ninth instance will begin.

SS-rank, a desolate city.

This is a city buried under yellow sand. Two red moons hang in the sky.

Han Yingying, Zhou Lang, and Zhao Qiang landed. The three members of ABC also appeared beside them.

"We meet again." A smiled wryly.

Before they could even get their bearings, dozens of players surrounded them. They were fully armed and wore badges of various guilds on their chests.

"Hand over your items and quit the game," shouted the burly man who was leading the group.

Zhou Lang pulled out a chainsaw and started the engine. The ear-piercing roar echoed through the empty street.

"If you're going to fight, then fight. Stop talking so much nonsense."

A chaotic battle is about to erupt. The guild has a large number of players with a wide variety of skills.

Zhou Langchong was at the forefront, wielding a chainsaw and forcing back several melee players. Han Yingying, wielding knives in both hands, weaved through the crowd, targeting lone attackers.

Zhao Qiang hid behind cover, occasionally throwing a smoke grenade.

A, B, and C were the weakest and were quickly wounded. B's shoulder was pierced by a spear, and blood flowed freely. C, while covering for him, was hit in the leg by an arrow.

D stood atop the ruins high above. He wasn't wearing his guild badge. He watched the battle below, fiddling with his butterfly knife. He remained neutral.

The guild players' offensive grew increasingly fierce. Zhou Lang's stamina was greatly depleted. Han Yingying was also forced into a corner.

"Brother Lang, we can't hold on any longer!" Zhao Qiang shouted.

Just then, several dark figures descended from the sky.

They were dressed in identical black combat uniforms, without any markings. Their movements were clean and efficient.

The leader held a silver longsword. With a single swing, the sword energy sent several guild players flying.

The situation reversed instantly. The men in black worked together seamlessly, eliminating the guild players as easily as slicing vegetables.

Seeing that things were not going well, the burly leader shouted "Retreat!" and led his remaining troops in a hasty escape.

The battle is over.

Zhou Lang put away his chainsaw and looked at the group of mysterious people. "Thank you. Which guild are you from?"

The man with the sword sheathed it. He glanced at Han Yingying, then at Zhou Lang. "X Guild."

"Never heard of it," Zhou Lang said.

"You'll understand later," the man said, before quickly disappearing into the ruins with his men.

Han Yingying stared in the direction they left. X Guild. That name was like a key, unlocking a door deep within her mind.

A sharp headache struck. She groaned and knelt on one knee.

"Yingying!" Zhou Lang ran over and helped her up.

"It's okay." Han Yingying gritted her teeth and stood up.

D jumped down from the ruins and walked up to them.

"You're investigating the source of the strange occurrences," D said, getting straight to the point.

"What's it to you?" Zhou Lang stood in front of Han Yingying.

"I have some intelligence. We can cooperate." D looked at Han Yingying. "The monsters here are ten times stronger than the last one. You few won't survive."

"Okay." Han Yingying nodded.

The three, A, B, and C, walked over, supporting each other. A looked at D warily. "He tried to kill you before, don't trust him."

"Now we're in the same boat," D said coldly.

In the heart of the desolate city stands a tall tower. All the clues point there.

The group headed towards the tower.

The sandstorm was getting stronger, limiting visibility. Low, guttural roars could be heard from the abandoned buildings lining the streets.

D led the way, scouting ahead. He was agile and avoided several traps hidden in the sand.

"He does have some skills," Zhao Qiang whispered to Zhou Lang.

"Barely passable. Not as handsome as me." Zhou Lang said, carrying a chainsaw.

The base of the tower is a vast labyrinth. The walls are covered with strange symbols.

Han Yingying stopped and reached out to touch the symbols.

The fragments of memory are pieced together.

She saw herself standing in front of a giant screen, typing in code. She saw the initial structure of the game. She saw the founding of Guild X.

She remembered everything.

She was the founder of Guild X. She was the only max-level player who cleared all the dungeons and successfully left the game.