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

"I guess so," Han Yingying said. "I have connections, so don't ask any more questions."

Zhou Lang stared at her for several seconds. Han Yingying's gaze was frank, but to an unnatural degree. Zhou Lang could guess what she was hiding, but he didn't know the specifics.

"Okay," he said.

When things reached this point, an unexpected incident occurred.

Zhou Lang tried to register for an SS-level dungeon, and a system notification popped up.

[Unable to register. Reason: Player "Zhou Lang" has already obtained special qualification for the guild competition and is not allowed to participate in SS-rank or higher dungeons before the end of the competition.]

Han Yingying tried it and got the same message.

"What do you mean?" Zhou Lang frowned. "You gave me the qualification to participate, but then you won't let me do the dungeon runs?"

"Restrictions," the bandaged man said. "That's how it always is in horror games—you get a door, but you lose a window. You got the privilege of early entry, but the price is you can't enter high-level dungeons during the competition."

Zhou Lang felt a subtle unease.

This rule is too precise. So precise it's like it was designed specifically for him and Han Yingying.

Han Yingying noticed the same problem. "Has there been any precedent for this rule before?" she asked Lu Yuan.

After checking the information for a long time, Lu Yuan replied: "No. It's rare for someone to participate in the competition early. The only time before was three years ago, when that player wasn't restricted by the instance."

A unique set of rules.

Zhou Lang and Han Yingying sat facing each other, neither of them speaking. The game was targeting them. It felt very uncomfortable, but they couldn't find concrete evidence.

"What about Zhao Qiang and the others?" Zhou Lang asked.

"They weren't affected," Lu Yuan said. "Not having prior registration means this rule isn't triggered. They can register for the SS-level dungeon as usual."

Zhou Lang pinched the bridge of his nose: "Then we'll just have to let the three of them go by themselves."

Zhao Qiang readily agreed: "Don't worry, it's just three SS-level dungeons, we can handle it."

Lin Mu nodded, and Old Sun also patted his chest and gave his assurance.

Three days later, Zhao Qiang, Lin Mu, and Lao Sun entered the first SS-level dungeon. Zhou Lang and Han Yingying could only wait outside.

This waiting made Zhou Lang very anxious. He paced back and forth in the rented room, glancing at the system panel every few minutes to check on the status of the three people.

"What's there to be nervous about?" the bandaged man said. "You should worry about yourself instead of others."

"Shut up."

Lu Yuan sent a message: "Don't worry, I've checked the information for this dungeon. The difficulty is medium to high, and their three-person setup is sufficient."

Seven hours later, the three returned safely. Zhao Qiang had a bandage wrapped around his arm, Lin Mu's crossbow string was broken, and Old Sun was limping—but they were all alive.

All evaluations were satisfactory.

The second instance was five days later. This time it was even more dangerous; Old Sun was almost dragged into another dimension by a three-star monster, only escaping thanks to Lin Mu shooting off the monster's arm with an arrow. Zhao Qiang risked his life to shield the monster, losing three of his defensive items in the process.

But it passed in the end.

Two instances, one remaining.

Just as the three were preparing to sign up for their third SS-level dungeon, Han Yingying took Zhou Lang to the headquarters of the X Guild.

The headquarters is located in an inconspicuous office building in the city center, with a trading company sign hanging outside that most people wouldn't even glance at.

Han Yingying walked into the lobby and went straight to the front desk.

"I want to see the vice president."

The receptionist looked her over and asked, "May I ask who you are?"

Han Yingying gave a number. The receptionist's expression changed.

Ten minutes later, a middle-aged man hurriedly stepped out of the elevator. When he saw Han Yingying, he stopped abruptly, as if frozen in place.

"You…" The middle-aged man's lips trembled slightly, "The chairman?"

Han Yingying shook her head slightly: "Just call me Han Yingying. I'm here in my current capacity."

The middle-aged man stared blankly for a while, swallowed hard, and barely managed to regain his composure. "We'll talk inside."

Zhou Lang followed him into a conference room. He saw the middle-aged man's reaction when he looked at Han Yingying—a reaction that wasn't just polite; it was genuine shock.

Han Yingying, in her own name, officially joined the X Guild along with Zhou Lang and four other teammates. The procedures were completed quickly; the vice president didn't ask a single unnecessary question, personally stamping all the forms—the efficiency was absurdly high.

Once outside the office building, Zhou Lang asked, "What exactly is your relationship with the X Union?"

"I'll tell you about the past later," Han Yingying said.

That's what he said again. Zhou Lang smiled and didn't press the matter further. It wasn't that he lacked curiosity, but some things couldn't be rushed.

After returning to the real world, the frequency of strange occurrences increased significantly.

The unusual events that used to occur once a week have become once every three days. Police tape and military vehicles can be seen on the streets occasionally, and news reports frequently feature "accidents of unknown cause." On the street where Zhou Lang lives, a house disappeared entirely last week—not demolished, but literally vanished, leaving only a large rectangular crater in its place.

The neighbors were gossiping, but no one knew the truth.

Zhou Lang knew. It was a sign that the horror game was infiltrating reality. The dungeons in the game were constantly expanding, encroaching on real space. If they didn't clear the SSS-level dungeon as soon as possible, the entire world would eventually become a giant horror game arena.

Zhao Qiang and his team completed their third SS-level dungeon, and all six of them qualified for the guild competition.

For the next two weeks, Zhou Lang led his team and the other members of the X Guild in training. The X Guild's resources were far more profound than expected—the armory contained a large number of high-level ghost weapons, the archives held detailed information on almost all known dungeons, and there was a dedicated training ground that could simulate various combat scenarios.

When Lu Yuan first entered the armory, his glasses nearly fell off. "Is this a guild or an armory?"

Old Sun picked out a new iron rod, thicker than his old one, with runes on it as dense as ants. He swung it twice, grinning from ear to ear.

Lin Mu switched to a three-star sniper crossbow and fired three test shots, each hitting the bullseye.

Zhao Qiang chose a shield. He had suffered greatly in the first two dungeons, losing a lot of defensive items, so this time he was smarter and chose the sturdiest one.

Han Yingying stood in front of the weapon rack for a long time before finally picking up a short knife. The blade had fine lines on it and emitted a faint hum when held in her hand.

Zhou Lang didn't change his weapon. He was used to the chainsaw, and he felt uncomfortable using anything else.

The training was tough, but effective. After two weeks, the six players' teamwork became increasingly seamless, especially Zhou Lang and Han Yingying, whose rhythms were almost synchronized, one charging forward and the other providing cover, without needing any communication in between.

Zhao Qiang was speechless: "Were you two partners in a past life?"

Zhou Lang rolled his eyes.

The union competition is scheduled for early next month.

Han Yingying stood in a corner of the training field, watching her teammates train. Her fingers stroked the hilt of her short sword, her mind churning over that blank memory.

She's left the horror game. She succeeded.

So why did they come back?