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

The rusty iron gates of the abandoned factory screech as they were pushed open. A stench of machine oil mixed with the putrid smell of rotting flesh assaulted the senses, making one feel nauseous.

Li Feng stood on the high platform, calling out names from the roster. The fifty-odd players were divided into ten teams. Zhou Lang, Zhao Qiang, and Han Yingying were assigned to the third team.

There were a few other people on the same team.

A woman in a tight leather outfit, with big, wavy hair and alluring eyes. This is a "mature woman".

A burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist, his face full of scars, and a dragon tattooed across his arm. This is "Big Brother".

A timid girl in a white dress, trembling with her arms crossed. This is a "cute girl".

A boy in a school uniform and wearing black-rimmed glasses stood with his head down, not saying a word. This was a "male high school student."

There was also a girl with her hair in a ponytail, looking very nervous, gripping her backpack strap tightly. This was Lin Xiao, on her first time running a dungeon.

Li Feng cleared his throat: "Gentlemen, enough with the small talk. This operation concerns the safety of the neighboring central province. You are the selected elites. Once inside, follow orders and don't wander off. If you die, it will be considered a work-related injury, and compensation will be paid to your families."

Someone below cursed, "Who the hell wants the compensation? I want to live!"

Li Feng ignored him and waved his hand: "Let's go."

The older brother patted his chest and said loudly, "Guys, I've been in this dungeon four times, so my combat stat is pretty high. I'll lead this team, so listen to my commands, and I guarantee we'll get out alive."

The mature woman tossed her hair and said in a sweet voice, "Oh dear, then I'll have to rely entirely on my big brother for protection."

The cute girl shrank her neck and whispered, "I...I'm afraid of the dark, big brother, don't leave me behind."

The high school boy pushed up his glasses and remained silent.

Lin Xiao swallowed hard and looked at Zhou Lang. Zhou Lang was expressionless, checking the fuel tank of the chainsaw.

Zhao Qiang leaned closer and whispered, "Is this old bastard trying to seize command?"

Zhou Lang didn't even look up: "Let him go. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."

Entering the factory, the light was dim, and the air reeked of a nauseating fishy smell. According to intelligence, the first and second floors were the activity areas of low-level ghosts.

The eldest brother walked at the front, carrying a machete in his hand.

"Stay close, don't fall behind," he instructed.

Just as I reached the top of the stairs, several zombies covered in pustules pounced on me. A one-star monster.

The eldest brother shouted and rushed forward, slicing them off one by one with a single stroke, as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

"That's it?" He flicked the black blood off his knife. "A three-star monster is probably nothing special."

Zhou Lang ignored him, squatted down, and shone his flashlight on the zombie's corpse.

"Something's not right," Zhou Lang said.

"Something's not right?" the older brother frowned.

"The intelligence said the ghosts here can come back to life." Zhou Lang poked the corpses with his cane. "These aren't moving."

As soon as he finished speaking, the zombie remains on the ground began to wriggle, the severed limbs reassembled, and a few seconds later, they stood up again.

"Holy shit!" Zhao Qiang cursed.

The older brother's expression changed, and he charged forward again to slash. This time, he used a skill; the blade glowed red, and he cleaved the zombie into pieces.

The fragments were still moving, but much slower.

"Burn it with fire." Zhou Lang took out an oil lamp and threw it over.

Flames rose, and the zombies struggled in the fire before finally turning to ashes and never coming back to life.

"Thanks, brother." The older brother said, panting heavily.

Zhou Lang didn't reply. He took out a compass-shaped item from his pocket. This was a "bug-finding compass" he bought from the store, specifically for detecting vulnerabilities in dungeons.

The compass needle spun wildly, finally pointing to the ground.

"There's something underground," Zhou Lang said.

"Nonsense, intelligence says the core is on the third underground level," the older brother said irritably.

"It's not the core issue," Zhou Lang said, staring at the pointer. "It's a rule loophole. The rules of this instance are flawed."

The group continued deeper into the area. The number of monsters on the second floor increased, and a two-star "Stitched Corpse Demon" appeared.

This monster is made up of multiple corpses, possesses immense strength, and oozes corrosive venom from the stitches.

The eldest brother led the team to fight. Relying on his superior combat skills, he withstood the attacks of the corpse demon.

"Cover me!" he yelled.

The mature woman hid behind a pillar and activated her skill "Charm." Her eyes glowed pink as she looked at a corpse demon.

The corpse demon paused for a moment, then turned to attack another corpse demon.

"A good opportunity!" The elder brother chopped off the corpse demon's head with a single stroke.

But the Corpse Demon didn't die; its headless body continued to swing its arms, slapping Big Brother away.

The older brother slammed his head against the wall and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Big brother!" the cute girl exclaimed.

Lin Xiao turned pale with fright and hurriedly pulled out a defensive talisman, sticking it on the older brother's body.

The talisman glowed with golden light, blocking the corpse demon's subsequent attacks.

Zhou Lang pulled the chainsaw, the engine roaring. He rushed forward, the chainsaw's serrations clamping down on the corpse demon's neck, sparks flying everywhere.

The corpse demon roared, splattering venom. Zhou Lang dodged to the side, and the chainsaw slammed down, sawing the corpse demon in half.

"Han Yingying, get treatment!" Zhou Lang shouted.

Han Yingying ran over, her hands glowing green, and placed them on the older brother's chest.

The older man's injuries healed quickly. He got up, still shaken: "That thing was really weird."

"Two-star monsters, don't try to fight them head-on." Zhou Lang put away his chainsaw. "Their weakness is the stitching. Cut the stitching, and they'll fall apart."

"How do you know?" the mature woman asked.

"Intelligence," Zhou Lang said. "I bought it for five thousand points."

The way everyone looked at him changed. Five thousand points was no small amount.

"What's the next step?" the older brother asked, his tone much softer.

Zhou Lang pointed to the stairs: "Go down three floors."

The staircase leading to the third basement level was locked by a heavy iron door. Several large padlocks hung on the iron door, and talismans were pasted on it.

"How do I open this lock?" Zhao Qiang stepped forward and tugged at it, but it wouldn't budge.

"Get out of the way," the high school boy suddenly said.

He stepped forward, took a wire out of his bag, and fiddled with it for a while.

Click. The lock is open.

"You can pick locks?" Lin Xiao asked in surprise.

The high school boy pushed up his glasses: "I've learned this before."

Zhou Lang stared at him. This boy had exuded an air of incongruity ever since they entered the dungeon. Too calm. A high school student, unfazed by ghosts and monsters, and even able to pick locks?

The iron gate was pushed open, and a cold wind rushed in. The staircase stretched downwards, pitch black, with no end in sight.

"Let's go." The older brother gritted his teeth and led the way down.

The third basement level was completely different from the upper levels. There were no machines, no pipes. The corridors were covered with red carpets, red lanterns hung on the walls, and there were guest rooms on both sides.

The doorplates read: Room No. 1 (Heavenly Class), Room No. 2 (Heavenly Class)...

"This is a fucking inn?" Zhao Qiang's eyes widened.

"The intelligence report didn't mention this," Han Yingying said.

Zhou Lang took out the intelligence file and turned to the last page. There was a line of small print: Third underground level, Ghost King's Domain.

"This is the Ghost King's domain," Zhou Lang said. "He turned this place into an inn."

"An inn?" The mature woman covered her mouth. "The Ghost King actually has such refined tastes?"

"Stop talking nonsense, find the core," the older brother said.

They walked along the corridor. The inn was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps.