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

At the far end of the basement was a secret stone chamber.

The green light of the oil lamp illuminated the four walls clearly—there were no ghosts, no traps, only a coffin placed in the very center.

The coffin was made of black wood, and the lid was covered with densely packed runes, some of which had faded.

Zhao Qiang took a half step back: "You're not asking us to open the coffin, are you?"

"How will we know what's inside if we don't open it?" Zhou Lang handed the oil lamp to Han Yingying and pushed the coffin lid aside with both hands.

The sound of wood rubbing against stone was amplified several times in the basement. Han Yingying's hand holding the oil lamp trembled, and the green light flickered.

There was no body in the coffin.

A layer of yellowed paper was laid flat at the bottom, and on top of it was a small copper pendant shaped like a cat with its eyes closed.

Zhou Lang picked up the pendant and examined it. A line of small characters was engraved on the back:

"Key to Return - The holder can designate the next copy."

"This thing is pretty good." Zhou Lang put the pendant into his pocket.

He didn't overlook the papers below either, flipping through a few. Most were old account books from the mountain villa, but one page in the middle was different. The paper was newer, and the ink was darker. On it was a simple map—marked a place called "Luxi Town," with five words written next to it: She's been here.

The handwriting was very messy, but Zhou Lang stared at it for a long time.

Han Yingying peeked over but didn't ask. Zhao Qiang was about to say something when she tugged at his sleeve.

"Let's go, let's go up." Zhou Lang folded the paper and put it away, his tone no different from usual.

The three returned the way they came. Most of the ghosts in the corridor had dispersed, and the green light of the oil lamps only illuminated a few scattered shadows clinging to the corners of the walls. When they returned to the lobby on the first floor, the chandelier above their heads suddenly turned on.

The butler stood at the top of the stairs, his empty eye sockets staring at the three of them.

"Congratulations on triggering the manor's hidden quest." Its voice sounded like two pieces of sheet metal scraping together. "The dungeon is about to close."

When the white light appeared, Zhou Lang looked down at his inventory.

[Dungeon Cleared: Horror Manor]

[Rating: S]

[Rewards: 800 Gold Coins, 2 Skill Fragments, 1 Random Item Box]

[Special Reward (Hidden Quest): Key to the Return x1]

Current Gold Coins: 2000

When their vision cleared again, the three of them were already standing on the side of the street.

At two in the morning, the city streets were illuminated by streetlights. Zhao Qiang plopped down on the edge of a flower bed, his legs trembling: "Damn it, finally out."

Han Yingying was also leaning against a lamppost, looking rather unwell.

Zhou Lang took out the cat-shaped pendant and twirled it in his hand. The Key to Return—designates the next instance. He then pulled out the paper; the three characters "Luxi Town" were particularly conspicuous under the streetlights.

"Where are you going next?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"There's something we need to check."

Zhao Qiang: "...Could you take a couple of days off?"

"Why rest? I'm not tired."

Zhao Qiang wanted to curse, but couldn't bring himself to say it. He had been Zhou Lang's deskmate for three years and knew the man's personality all too well—once it involved his sister, no one could stop him.

"I'll go with you." Zhao Qiang stood up.

Zhou Lang glanced at him: "This time won't work. Your rank isn't high enough. You need at least a C-rank dungeon. What's your rank now?"

Zhao Qiang checked his panel: "...D+".

"It's way too bad. The system will kick you out as soon as you log in. Go back and practice a couple of D-rank dungeons before you talk to me again."

Zhao Qiang opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't argue.

Han Yingying walked over: "A C-level book? I can have that."

Zhou Lang turned his head.

Han Yingying shook the panel: "Rank C, just promoted."

"You're going to the C-level dungeon alone?" Zhao Qiang frowned.

"Who said I was alone? He went too, didn't he?" Han Yingying pointed at Zhou Lang.

Zhou Lang neither immediately agreed nor refused. He held the bronze pendant, his thumb stroking the cat's ear: "You can go, but there's a condition—follow my instructions, and don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

"Okay," Han Yingying answered readily.

Zhao Qiang looked around, feeling that something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"And what am I supposed to do? Just wait outside?"

"Go do your D-rank dungeons, just don't die." Zhou Lang patted him on the shoulder. "Contact me in three days."

Zhao Qiang had a lot to say, but he could only manage to squeeze out, "You shouldn't die either."

At four in the morning, Zhou Lang activated the Key to Return Home in his rented room.

The cat on the bronze pendant opened its eyes, and a line of text popped up on the screen:

Please enter the target copy keywords.

He typed three words: Luxi Town.

The system ran for a few seconds, then a copy popped up:

The Haunted House (Level C)

[Location: Luxi Town]

[Identity: Member of the sketching team at Xiaguang Academy of Fine Arts]

[Number of players: 8 (including 6 already matched players)]

[Survival conditions: Living in a guesthouse for seven days]

[Note: It is safe during the day; please stay in your room at night.]

Zhou Lang read the pop-up rules twice. Seven days, just survive. It didn't sound difficult. But his intuition from his line of work told him that the simpler the rules, the more traps there were.

He sent Han Yingying a message: "Meet at the usual place at 8 AM tomorrow. The instance is in Luxi Town, and my identity is an art student. Can you draw?"

Replies arrive instantly.

Han Yingying: I studied sketching for three years.

Han Yingying: What about you?

Zhou Lang lowered his head and thought about his own drawing skills. He had been punished by his art teacher to stand in the corner twice in elementary school, and had never touched a paintbrush since.

Zhou Lang: We'll talk about it later.

He turned off his phone, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling. "Luxi Town"—he didn't recognize the handwriting on the paper, but the "she" in "she came here" was a very small case.

I rolled over and set my alarm for 7 a.m.

At 10 a.m. the next morning, the white light dissipated, and Zhou Lang stepped onto the bluestone road.

The sun is shining brightly.

The surrounding area is typical of a southern town—narrow alleys, old houses, and a crooked old locust tree at the alley entrance. The air is filled with the smell of earth and grass, and in the distance are mountains, at the foot of which a stream flows slowly.

Han Yingying stood next to him, carrying a drawing board on her back. Dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, she did indeed look like an art student.

"Pretty convincing." Zhou Lang glanced at her.

Han Yingying looked down at her own outfit, then at Zhou Lang—a plaid shirt, a canvas bag, and messy hair.

"Your look... does resemble that of an art student, the sloppy kind."

"Thank you for the compliment."

The two followed the navigation for ten minutes, turned into an alley, and a three-story white-walled guesthouse came into view. A wooden sign hung at the entrance: Lumingju.

The door was open. There were already people inside.

The lobby wasn't large, furnished with several sets of rattan sofas, and a middle-aged woman sat behind a reception desk. The woman, around forty years old, had a round face and greeted them with a smile.

"Students who are sketching, come on over here and sign in."

Zhou Lang walked over. There were already four names in the register. He scanned the list—he didn't recognize any of them.

After signing the papers, he and Han Yingying were assigned to rooms 202 and 203 on the second floor. The middle-aged woman's surname was Chen, and they were told to call her Sister Chen. She had a loud voice, and her laughter could be heard throughout the entire building.

"Put your things down and come downstairs. Let's have a meal together once everyone's here, and get to know each other!"