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

Zhao Qiang: "Isn't that a bit mean?"

"They insulted me first."

Zhao Qiang thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense."

Su Yao, who hadn't said much until now, spoke up: "I've seen that woman before. Her ID is Blood Raven, and she's from the second-ranked guild, Soul Eater."

This message silenced everyone for two seconds.

Han Yingying was the first to react: "Soul Eater? That guild famous for its PvP?"

Su Yao nodded: "They often cause trouble for people in the safe zone, forcing players to pay protection money. I paid it once before, but I couldn't afford it anymore so I ran away. I didn't expect them to trick me into an S-level dungeon to take revenge on me."

Zhao Qiang: "What about me? I didn't offend them either!"

"You're close to Zhou Lang," Han Yingying said, revealing the answer. "Zhou Lang's performance in the last dungeon was too outstanding, so it's not surprising that someone is eyeing him. If they can't touch him, they'll target the people around him."

Zhou Lang didn't reply, but he remembered the name.

Soul Eater. Ranked second.

We'll settle the score after daybreak.

During that time, the five men took turns keeping watch, and nothing went wrong. Around four in the morning, the footsteps stopped, and the darkness outside the window began to recede. It wasn't sunrise—Silent Town has no sun—it was just that the sky had changed from pure black back to iron gray.

Zhou Lang took advantage of the night watch to switch shifts with Han Yingying, giving the two some time alone together.

Han Yingying sat on the counter, her legs dangling in the air. After hesitating for a while, she finally said, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you."

"explain."

"Do you know what's going on in the real world right now?"

Zhou Lang turned his head to look at her.

"When I was in the safe zone, I accidentally obtained a piece of information," Han Yingying said in a low voice. "The strange occurrences aren't just limited to the dungeon. They've started appearing in the real world too. And the frequency is increasing. The authorities are trying to suppress it, but they can't keep it under control for long."

Zhou Lang was genuinely unaware of this news. Since entering the game, he had been constantly moving between dungeons, and his sources of information about safe zones were limited.

How can you be sure it's true?

"I have a friend who's still out there, and she occasionally gets messages from her. She said that a building on her street disappeared last month, then reappeared the next day, but everyone inside was gone. The officials said it was a gas leak, but she saw the building's doors moving with her own eyes."

Zhou Lang fell silent.

He remembered that red door. The one his sister had gone through.

"I'm telling you this because—" Han Yingying paused, "I think you're trustworthy. You saved me, helped Zhao Qiang, and now you're doing this again..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but she conveyed the meaning.

Zhou Lang stared at the ground for a long time.

"I also have something I haven't told you," he began. "My sister, Zhou Yao, was among the first people pulled into the game. But she hasn't appeared in any of the instance records. I've been searching for her whereabouts, and each instance I complete restores a little more of her memories. I suspect her disappearance is related to the game's designers."

Han Yingying didn't press for details, but simply nodded: "Then let's investigate together. Two people are always faster than one."

These words were spoken softly, but Zhou Lang sensed their weight.

He did not refuse.

The daytime operation begins.

Zhou Lang divided the five people into two groups—he and Han Yingying went to the school to get the key, while Lin Xiu took Zhao Qiang and Su Yao to the clock tower. He already guessed where the key to the mansion was—"The Mayor's Eyes Always See the Truth," that oil painting, the mayor's portrait, should be in the bedroom on the second floor. But he wasn't in a hurry to get it; he let the Soul Eaters find it.

The school was located in the northwest corner of the town, consisting of a two-story teaching building and a playground. There was a flagpole on the playground, with a black flag bearing a painted face with closed eyes.

The main gate of the teaching building was unlocked.

Walking inside, classrooms lined both sides of the corridor. On the blackboard were written in chalk: "Today's homework—close your eyes and count to one hundred. Don't peek. Don't peek. Don't peek."

The same words are in every classroom.

"So the rule is that you can't close your eyes? Or you have to close your eyes?" Han Yingying pondered.

Zhou Lang noticed an office at the end of the corridor with a note on the door: [Principal's Office—Key here. But please finish the exam first.]

"take an exam?"

Before the words were even finished, the school building's public address system suddenly went off with a "buzz".

A child's voice blared from the loudspeaker, its tone unnaturally cheerful: "Class, the final exams are about to begin. Please return to your seats, close your eyes, and open them only when you hear the bell. Anyone caught peeking will be—"

The sound suddenly changed, becoming sharp and distorted—

"—Gouge out your eyes."

Then the bell rang.

The classroom doors all opened automatically, revealing a room packed with students.

It wasn't a ghost, it was a mannequin. Just like the mannequins in shop windows, wearing the same school uniform, sitting upright at their desks, heads bowed, hands covering their eyes.

However, blood was seeping from between the fingers of several models.

"I understand the rules," Zhou Lang said. "Close your eyes and walk to the principal's office. You can't look."

Han Yingying: "Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure. But the broadcast said that if you peek, your eyes will be gouged out, so let's give it a try."

"Your tone makes me feel very insecure."

"Don't worry, my eyes are valuable, I wouldn't want to lose them."

The two closed their eyes and began walking deeper into the corridor. Zhou Lang guided himself by holding onto the wall, while Han Yingying followed, gripping the back of his shirt.

After walking about twenty steps, Zhou Lang heard a noise behind him—a faint "clicking" sound, like joints turning.

The model moved.

He didn't open his eyes.

"Click-clack-clack-clack"—the sound grew more and more frequent, coming from the classrooms on both sides and into the corridor.

Han Yingying tightened her grip on his clothes.

"Don't be afraid," Zhou Lang said in a very soft voice, "They can't touch people who have their eyes closed."

How did you know?

"Because we are still alive."

"...What kind of theory is this?"

Keep walking. The corridor is long, twenty steps, thirty steps, forty steps. The sound of the mannequin's joints is right next to his ear, something brushes past the side of his face, bringing a cool breeze.

Fifty steps.

Zhou Lang's hand touched the door frame. "We're here."

He reached out and pushed the door open. The door opened.

The two stepped into the principal's office, and the model's voice disappeared the moment the door closed.

Zhou Lang opened his eyes.

There was only one table in the office, and on the table was a wooden box. Inside the box was a brass key with the character "学" (learn) engraved on it.

First one, got it.

Han Yingying opened her eyes and let out a long breath: "Could you please not gamble with your life next time?"

"It's not gambling, it's called reasoning."

"Your reasoning is based on 'still alive'?"

"As long as the result is correct, that's fine."

Han Yingying stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly gave him a light kick: "You really deserve a beating."

---

The two returned the way they came—this time they didn't need to close their eyes; all the mannequins in the classroom had returned to their original positions, as if nothing had happened.

As soon as I left the school, my communication panel beeped. It was a message from Lin Xiu:

[The clock tower key was retrieved; the process was a bit dangerous but no one was injured. Zhao Qiang's pants were torn.]

Zhao Qiang added later: [Don't mention the pants.]