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

It's been three days since I left the haunted manor.

Zhou Lang settled Zhao Qiang in and told him not to rush into the next instance. Zhao Qiang listened obediently, taking the profits he had brought from the manor and staying home obediently.

Over three days, Zhou Lang...

First, he sorted through the items he had obtained from the manor. The oil lamp had three uses left, the scissors were intact, but the chainsaw was out of power. He spent 200 game coins to buy a spare battery in the shop, and another 300 to buy a potion labeled "can dispel low-level eerie influences."

Secondly, he investigated clues about his sister.

The game system has a vague tracking function that requires a large amount of in-game currency to activate once. He tried it twice; the first time it showed "Target is not in the current area," and the second time it showed "Target exists in a high-level dungeon."

Advanced dungeon.

Zhou Lang stared at those four words for a long time before closing the panel.

On the morning of the fourth day, the system pushed out information about the new instance.

[Instance Name: Horrifying Hospital]

[Dungeon Level: A]

Number of participants: 8

[Copy Description: Welcome to Renxin Hospital. Here you will find the best doctors, the most advanced equipment, and the most attentive service. Please abide by all hospital rules and regulations. We wish you a speedy recovery.]

[Countdown to mandatory entry: 23:59:58]

Grade A.

It's a level above the Horror Villa.

Zhou Lang checked his dungeon logs; he had completed three dungeons so far—two B-rank and one B+-rank. Following the normal progression of difficulty, an A-rank dungeon was indeed due.

My phone rang; it was a message from Han Yingying.

"You received it too?"

Zhou Lang replied with an "Mm".

"I've pushed it out here too," Han Yingying sent a voice message, her voice a little tense, "Hospital of Terror, Grade A. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"Unfortunately," Zhou Lang typed, "the system is inherently more likely to assign players with high relevance to the same instance. It was the same at the manor last time."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end.

"Then... together?"

Zhou Lang thought for a moment and replied with two words: "Okay."

He put down his phone and began packing his gear: an oil lamp, scissors, potions, spare batteries, a chainsaw, and bandages that had dropped from the last dungeon—these might come in handy occasionally after fusing with the Bandage Ghost.

11:55 p.m.

Zhou Lang stood in his room, waiting to be teleported.

The moment the countdown reached zero, everything went black. When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of a white building.

The building is large, six stories high, with clean white paint on the exterior. A sign stands at the entrance—Renxin Hospital. At the bottom of the sign are smaller characters: "Benevolent Heart and Skilled Hands, Miraculous Healing."

Several people were already standing at the door.

Han Yingying was the first to walk over. She was wearing a dark gray sweatshirt, her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she didn't look too good.

"The second dungeon is A-rank, I'm so lucky." She said this, but she didn't back down.

Zhou Lang glanced at the others.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, wearing a leather jacket, with his hands in his pockets, had a gloomy expression and looked at everyone with a hint of scrutiny.

A little girl, who looked to be eleven or twelve years old, stood silently in the corner, her hair in pigtails, carrying an old schoolbag. She had large, clear eyes, like a porcelain doll.

A woman wearing glasses, around thirty years old, with a gentle demeanor, like a teacher, was squatting down talking to a little girl in a very soft voice.

A man in a white coat—this is outrageous! Wearing a white coat to enter a dungeon? Looking closer, a name tag was pinned to his chest: Li Yuanzhi, Surgeon. He pushed up his glasses, surveyed the hospital building, and muttered something under his breath.

A burly man, bald, with arms thicker than Zhou Lang's thighs. He stood there like a wall, a towel hanging around his neck, clearly a trained fighter.

The last person walked up from behind Zhou Lang—a young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a buzz cut, of average appearance, but with very bright eyes. He nodded to Zhou Lang.

"Hello, my name is Lin Chuan. Fourth instance."

Zhou Lang glanced at him and said, "What a load of rubbish."

Lin Chuan's lips twitched slightly: "...Good name."

"I think so too," Zhou Lang said without changing his expression.

All eight people arrived.

The system panel pops up in front of everyone:

[The copy rules have been generated; please read them carefully.]

Rule 1: You are a patient. Please follow all instructions from medical staff.

[Rule 2: Daily ward rounds will be held at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM. Please remain in your ward during these times.]

Rule 3: No activity in the hallway after 10:00 PM. In case of emergency, please press the call bell by your bedside.

Rule 4: Please take your medication on time. Medication dispensed by the nurse must be taken in your presence.

Rule 5: The basement level is a restricted area and entry is prohibited at all times.

[Rule Six: If you see a healthcare worker acting suspiciously, do not look directly at them for more than three seconds.]

[Rule Seven: Do not approach the operating room while it is in use. You may hear some noises; please ignore them.]

[Hidden hint: Renxin Hospital has truly cured many people.]

Zhou Lang read the rules three times and memorized every single one.

The sixth point is interesting—"Unusual medical staff." How do you determine if someone is acting strangely? The system doesn't say.

The seventh point is even more interesting—"You will hear some sounds." What sounds? It doesn't say.

The most intriguing hidden clue is: "I really did cure many people in the past." In the past. And now?

"Has everyone finished reading?" the middle-aged man asked, his voice hoarse and husky. "My name is Wang Defa, this is the fifth instance. Experienced players should be able to tell that there are quite a few hidden rules in this instance."

The bald, burly man raised his hand: "My name is Iron Fist Chen. Yes, that Iron Fist Chen. The one who fought in underground boxing matches. Third instance."

No one responded to his self-introduction.

Iron Fist Chen wasn't embarrassed at all, he grinned and said, "Alright, nobody's watching the boxing match anyway."

The woman with glasses stood up: "I'm Song Wan, a high school teacher. This is the second instance." She took the little girl's hand. "This little girl is called An'an. She... doesn't talk much."

An An looked up at everyone, then lowered her head again.

The man in the white coat adjusted his glasses: "Li Yuanzhi, a surgeon. He's also a doctor in real life. This is my third instance. I should be able to help in this hospital-themed instance."

Han Yingying briefly gave her name and the number of times she had run the dungeon.

Zhou Lang's last remark: "Like a wave, the fourth time."

Wang Defa frowned and stared at him: "Is that really your name?"

"Game name".

"Alright." Wang Defa didn't pursue the matter further. "Now let's get down to business. In A-level dungeons, the mortality rate is usually over 50%. If eight people go in, it's considered good if four come out alive. My suggestion is that you don't split up in the early stages. First, figure out the structure of the hospital and its strange patterns."

That makes sense. Zhou Lang didn't object.

The hospital doors opened automatically.

Stepping inside, you'll find a spacious and bright lobby. The floor is spotless, and the white tiles reflect the fluorescent lights. A nurse sits at the front desk, dressed in a blue and white nurse's uniform, her head down, writing something.