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

Zhou Lang followed him inside.

The lobby wasn't large, with seven or eight square tables and a reception desk against the wall, behind which hung the room keys. Several people were already sitting in a corner.

A man in his early thirties, wearing a leather jacket, with tattoos on his arms and a strong build, sat there with his legs crossed, exuding an air of arrogance.

A woman in her late twenties, wearing a red dress, with striking looks and exquisite makeup, was looking down at her phone—or rather, pretending to look at her phone, since there was no cell phone signal in this instance.

A girl with a ponytail, who looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, with a round face and big eyes, was huddled in the corner of a chair, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, looking frightened.

There was also a boy in a school uniform, about sixteen or seventeen years old, leaning against the counter, his face pale, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he was dozing off.

Zhou Lang's gaze lingered on the boy for a second.

His face was abnormally pale. His lips and fingernails were bluish. He was wearing a long-sleeved school uniform, buttoned up tightly, even in this season.

Living people don't have this color.

Zhou Lang didn't say anything, and found a table to sit down.

"Is everyone here?" the tattooed man asked Ma Defa.

"We're one person short," Ma Defa said with a smile. "They should be here soon."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps sounded at the door.

Zhou Lang turned his head and almost couldn't help but curse out loud.

Han Yingying stood at the door carrying a small suitcase.

She also saw Zhou Lang, paused for a moment, and then showed an extremely complex expression—surprise, helplessness, and a little bit of relief.

"Why is it you?" The two spoke almost simultaneously.

"Didn't you just finish a dungeon?" Zhou Lang frowned.

"It was a forced match by the system." Han Yingying walked over and sat down opposite him, her voice very low. "I got a B-rank dungeon. I thought it would be easy, but when I got in, I found out—"

"It's not simple," Zhou Lang said for her.

Han Yingying nodded.

Zhou Lang cursed Zhao Qiang in his mind. "I told you not to tell her, but you didn't—the system inserted her into the system itself."

"Alright, everyone's here." Ma Defa clapped his hands, his smile widening. "Welcome, guests, to the Giant View Inn. I'm the owner, so please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. Now, I'll show you the rooms."

-

The inn has three floors. The first floor has a lobby and kitchen, the second floor has four guest rooms, and the third floor has two guest rooms and a storage room.

Ma Defa gave each person a key.

Zhou Lang got 201, Han Yingying got 202, the tattooed guy—who said his name was Tiezhu—got 203, the girl in the red dress got 204, the girl with the ponytail got 301, and the boy in the school uniform got 302.

After assigning the rooms, Ma Defa added, "The kitchen is open all day, so you can cook for yourself if you're hungry. But there's one thing—don't open the door to the storage room on the third floor; it contains my personal belongings."

This sounds familiar. Every instance has this rule of "don't open a certain door," and behind that door often lies the most crucial clue.

Everyone returned to their rooms.

Zhou Lang entered room 201 and locked the door. The room wasn't large, containing a bed, a table, and a chair. The window faced a grove of trees behind the room. A thick layer of dust had accumulated on the windowsill, but the curtains were newly changed, their color clashing with the rest of the room.

He didn't rush to check the room, but instead sat on the bed organizing the information.

Six players: himself, Han Yingying, Tiezhu, the girl in the red dress, the girl with the ponytail, and the boy in the school uniform.

The boy in the school uniform is suspicious. The color and his demeanor strongly suggest he's been possessed by something supernatural. The instance information mentions a high school boy who "died at the start," possessed by a young couple, whose purpose is to disrupt the player's investigation.

The woman in the red dress was also acting strangely. When room assignments were being made, she kept observing the others, her gaze lingering precisely on each person for a precise amount of time—not out of fear, but out of assessment.

The way the girl with the ponytail curled up in a ball looked too deliberate. A truly scared person wouldn't wear "I'm scared" on their face, much less deliberately hide in a corner where everyone can see them.

Tie Zhu... Tie Zhu might really just be a reckless brute.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Who?"

"Me." Han Yingying's voice.

Zhou Lang opened the door, and Han Yingying slipped in, closing the door behind her.

"Tell me what you found." Zhou Lang leaned back against the bed.

Han Yingying sat down in the chair and quickly recounted what she had observed. The points she noticed were roughly the same as Zhou Lang's—the boy in the school uniform was acting strangely, the girl in the red dress was faking it, and the girl with the ponytail was also faking it, just in a different way.

"Who do you think is the player and who is the weirdo?" Han Yingying asked.

"The boy in the school uniform is definitely not a living person," Zhou Lang said. "We'll have to see about the others."

"Where's Boss Ma?"

"During the day, he takes on human form." Zhou Lang said four words and then stopped.

Han Yingying understood what he meant. He could take human form during the day, but not necessarily at night.

"By the way, did you notice the lantern by the door?" Zhou Lang asked.

"I noticed that." Han Yingying's expression changed slightly. "The texture on the paper doesn't look like paper."

"It's leather."

Two words.

Han Yingying was silent for a few seconds. "A human skin lantern."

"The first weird thing in the dungeon," Zhou Lang said, "was turned into a lantern by her husband while she was still alive. Guess who her husband was?"

Han Yingying didn't answer, but her eyes told her that she had thought of it.

Ma Defa.

Suddenly, heavy footsteps came from outside the door, each step making a creaking sound on the wooden floor. The footsteps paused for two seconds in front of room 201, then continued forward, stopping at the end of the corridor.

Zhou Lang glanced at the time.

It's 11 p.m.

After the footsteps disappeared, the corridor was quiet for about ten seconds, and then a voice came from downstairs.

The sound of a woman crying.

It was very light, intermittent, as if it were coming up from underwater.

Han Yingying's hands clenched unconsciously.

"The landlady," Zhou Lang said, "the one who drowned in the lake."

The crying lasted for about five minutes before stopping. Immediately afterwards, another sound came from the corridor—the gurgling of water, like something flowing in the pipes.

No, it's not a water pipe.

It's a wall.

Zhou Lang stood up and pressed his ear against the wall.

There was definitely something moving inside the walls. It wasn't water; the sound was too dense. It was more like some kind of semi-solid substance wriggling in the pipes, climbing up from the first floor, passing the second floor, and continuing to the third floor.

"It's inside the wall," Zhou Lang said.

Han Yingying's face paled slightly.

A living building. The inn itself is the greatest eeriness. They live inside it, which is to say, they live inside that thing.

Zhou Lang suddenly smiled.

"What's wrong?" Han Yingying felt a little uneasy at his laughter.

"I'm wondering, if I scare this building, would that count as scaring a ghost?"

"...Are you serious?"

What do you think?

The next morning—if there is still a distinction between day and night here—Zhou Lang woke up at six o'clock.