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

"I saw you," Xiong Batian said. "I couldn't sleep last night, so I came out for a walk and happened to see you coming downstairs."

"so?"

"So I want to ask, what did you find in the basement?" Xiong Batian's smile turned somewhat sinister. "Did you find a way to escape?"

Zhou Lang did not answer, but just stared at Xiong Batian.

The atmosphere became tense.

"It's fine if you don't tell me," Xiong Batian suddenly laughed. "I already know anyway."

"Know what?"

"I know you want to burn this building down," Xiong Batian said. "I overheard your conversation at the basement entrance."

Zhou Lang slowly moved his hand toward the chainsaw in his pocket.

"Don't be nervous." Xiong Batian raised his hands. "I'm not here to cause trouble, I'm here to cooperate."

"cooperate?"

"Yes, cooperation," Xiong Batian said. "You want to burn the building down? I can help you. But in exchange, you have to take me with you when you escape."

Zhou Lang looked at Xiong Batian and suddenly asked, "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I also want to live," Xiong Batian said. "And I feel that following you is more hopeful than following the butler."

Aren't you afraid I'll lie to you?

"I'm afraid," Xiong Batian said frankly, "but I'm even more afraid of dying here."

Zhou Lang was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, but you have to follow my arrangements."

"No problem." Xiong Batian breathed a sigh of relief.

"And one more thing," Zhou Lang said, "If you dare betray me, I'll make you regret ever being born."

Xiong Batian shuddered; he saw real killing intent in Zhou Lang's eyes.

"I understand," he said.

Chapter Nine: The Burning of the Mountain Villa

Over the next few days, Zhou Lang began making preparations in secret.

He ordered Xiong Batian to collect fuel, mainly kerosene and alcohol, which could be found in the villa's storage room.

Zhao Qiang was responsible for observing the killer butler's behavior patterns and recording when and where it appeared each day.

Han Yingying then contacted the other players and told them about her escape plan.

Zhou Lang himself was studying the structure of the villa, looking for the best spot to start a fire.

"This building is a wooden structure, which makes it very easy for it to catch fire," he said, pointing to the architectural blueprints he had retrieved from the storage room. "But the problem is, once the fire starts, it will be very difficult for us to escape."

"What should we do then?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"We need a trigger," Zhou Lang said. "Before the fire spreads, we need to gather the other players in a safe place."

Where is it safe?

"The lobby on the first floor," Zhou Lang pointed to the blueprints. "There are three exits here, and the space is large enough that it's not easy to get trapped."

"What if we kill the butler?" Han Yingying asked. "He would definitely stop us."

"So we need to distract it," Zhou Lang said. "I'll deal with it; you guys are responsible for getting the others to evacuate."

"Are you alone?" Zhao Qiang asked worriedly. "It's too dangerous."

"Don't worry, I have a way." Zhou Lang patted the chainsaw in his pocket.

On the fifth night, everything was ready.

Xiong Batian collected more than a dozen barrels of kerosene and hid them in the corners of the stairwell and corridor.

Zhao Qiang confirmed the butler's modus operandi: it would go to the basement every night at 10 p.m. and would not return for about an hour.

Han Yingying contacted all the surviving players, a total of eight, and they all agreed to participate in this operation.

At 9:30 p.m., Zhou Lang convened a meeting with everyone in an empty room on the second floor.

"The plan is simple," he said. "After killing the butler and going down to the basement at ten o'clock, we'll start our operation. Xiong Batian will be in charge of starting the fires, beginning from the third floor and burning down floor by floor. The rest of us will follow Han Yingying and Zhao Qiang directly to the lobby on the first floor to wait."

"And what about you?" someone asked.

"I'll go hold off the butler," Zhou Lang said, "to buy you some time."

"What if it comes back early?"

"No, it won't," Zhou Lang said. "I'll make sure it doesn't come back."

Everyone looked at each other, wondering where Zhou Lang got his confidence from.

"Any more questions?" Zhou Lang asked.

No one spoke.

"Then let's get ready to move in." Zhou Lang glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes left."

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Finally, the clock struck ten.

The butler appeared in the corridor right on time, leaning on his cane as he walked towards the basement.

"Take action!" Zhou Lang said in a low voice.

Xiong Batian immediately rushed out of the room and began to pour fire on the kerosene barrels on the third floor.

The others followed Han Yingying and Zhao Qiang downstairs.

Zhou Lang, carrying a chainsaw, walked towards the basement.

He pushed open the basement door and saw the butler standing at the door of the room where the man was being pieced together.

"You've come." Butler Sha turned around, his stitched-up face expressionless. "I knew you'd come."

"You know?" Zhou Lang frowned.

"Of course," the butler said. "From the first day you arrived here, I knew you weren't an ordinary player."

"Then why didn't you stop me?"

"Because I want to see just how far you can go," the butler said. "Besides, I'm tired of this place."

Zhou Lang was stunned for a moment.

"You think I want to stay here forever?" Butler Killer laughed. "I was trapped here too, just many years earlier than you."

"That fire..."

"Yes, I set it on fire," the butler said. "But I never expected that the fire would not only fail to kill me, but would turn me into this."

"So you want me to burn this building down?"

"Yes." Butler Killer nodded. "Only in this way can I truly be free."

Zhou Lang fell silent.

"But I have one condition," the butler said. "Before you burn the building down, you must kill me first."

Why?

"Because I don't want to see this building burn down again," the butler said. "That would bring back a lot of bad memories."

Zhou Lang looked at the butler and suddenly asked, "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"I regret setting that fire."

The butler remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head: "I don't regret it. Those patients all deserved to die, including myself."

"Then why do you still want liberation?"

"Because I'm tired," the butler said. "For so many years, I've been doing the same thing over and over again: welcoming players, watching them struggle, and then dying. I'm numb."

Zhou Lang raised the chainsaw: "Ready?"

"Wait," the butler said, "I have something else to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Your sister," the butler said, "she's been here too."

Zhou Lang's hand trembled, and the chainsaw almost fell to the ground.

"What did you say?"

"Your sister, Zhou Wan," the butler said. "She came here a month ago and left alive."

"Where is she?" Zhou Lang's voice changed.

"I don't know," the butler said, "but she left a message for me to pass on to you before she left."

"What did you say?"

"She said not to come looking for her," the butler said. "She went to a very dangerous place, and you're not strong enough yet."