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

A true novice wouldn't be this calm.

"Have you been to this instance before?"

This is the first time.

Is she lying, or—

Zhou Lang couldn't make a judgment.

Never mind. Whatever her background, she doesn't seem like an enemy for now. Besides, her abilities are useful to the team.

"Okay," Zhou Lang said. "If we encounter any danger later, you'll be in charge of providing support. Try to fool the ghosts if you can, and if you can't, stay in the back."

Su Nian hummed in agreement.

The warehouse search was completed, but nothing of value was found. Just as the team was about to leave, the communicator suddenly came back online.

"Attention all teams!" Li Feng's voice was visibly anxious. "Team B has been ambushed; four members are dead! A new type of monster has been discovered, outside of our intelligence coverage! All teams, assemble in the central area immediately!"

"Four people?" Han Yingying's expression changed.

Zhou Lang gripped the chainsaw tightly. Less than an hour had passed since he arrived, and four people had already died.

"Let's go, gather together."

Group C hurried toward the central area. Along the way, they passed through a long corridor, where strange marks began to appear on the walls on both sides—like scratches made by fingernails, one after another, stretching from the ceiling to the floor.

The further you go, the denser the scratches become.

Zhou Lang felt increasingly uneasy.

"Don't go."

Su Nian suddenly stopped.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"There's a trap ahead," she said.

"What are you doing—" The bald man had barely opened his mouth when the floor collapsed.

That's not where Su Nian is standing. That's where the bald man is standing.

The concrete slab beneath his feet suddenly shattered, revealing a large, dark hole. The bald man screamed in agony as his body plummeted downwards.

Zhao Qiang reacted quickly and grabbed his wrist.

"Pull me up!" The bald man hung at the entrance of the hole, where it was pitch black and the bottom was nowhere in sight.

Zhou Lang and two other people quickly went over to help and pulled the bald man up.

The bald man sat on the ground, panting heavily, his hands trembling: "Fuck...fuck..."

Zhou Lang crouched down at the cave entrance and looked down. In the darkness below, he could vaguely see a few points of light.

It's not light.

It's an eye.

He stood up quickly: "Back up! Everyone back up!"

A hand emerged from the hole. It was grayish-white, with long, thin fingers that were bent at an incorrect angle at the joints.

Then came the second one.

The third one.

"run!"

Group C turned and ran. Behind them came a "cracking" sound, and they didn't know how many things were crawling out of the hole.

Zhou Lang glanced back as he ran.

At least seven or eight humanoid creatures were chasing them. They crawled close to the ground at an absurd speed, their limbs moving like insects.

"What the hell?!" Zhao Qiang roared.

"I don't know! Run!"

They ran out of the corridor, turned two corners, and the sounds of those things gradually faded into the distance.

Everyone stopped, bent over, and gasped for breath.

"What is that?" Han Yingying asked, her voice trembling.

"It wasn't in the intelligence," Zhou Lang said. He remembered what Li Feng had said—that Team B had discovered a new type of monster. This was probably it.

"Damn intelligence, wasted 5,000 points on worthless paper," he cursed inwardly.

Zhou Lang looked at Su Nian. This girl had given an early warning once again.

How did you know there was a trap ahead?

Su Nian stood by the wall, her breathing steady, not at all like someone who had just run.

"I could feel it," she said.

I could feel it.

Zhou Lang didn't press the matter further. Once could be a coincidence, twice could be luck, but three times—that's something no ordinary person could do.

This Su Nian is definitely not what she seems on the surface.

The communicator crackled to life again: "Group C, report your location."

Zhou Lang took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

"Team C, we've encountered an unknown monster. Temporarily safe. But Commander Li—" He paused, "the situation in this instance is far more serious than the intelligence reports suggest."

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

"I know," Li Feng's voice said. "All groups are reporting anomalies. Group A has also discovered a type of ghost that wasn't in the intelligence."

"So what do we do next?"

"The plan remains unchanged," Li Feng said. "Move to the central area. I will notify you of any new developments."

Communication is interrupted.

Zhou Lang lowered his hand and looked at his team. All ten people were still there for the time being.

"Keep going," he said. "Watch your step, watch your head, watch your surroundings."

The bald man stood up, his legs still a little weak: "Can I ask you a question?"

"explain."

"That little girl—" he looked at Su Nian, "who exactly is she?"

Zhou Lang also wanted to know.

The central area is the factory's main workshop, a very large space with ceilings over ten meters high. Five groups arrived one after another, but the number of people was noticeably smaller.

Zhou Lang counted. There were fifty-three people when they set off, and now—forty-four.

In less than an hour, nine were missing.

"Nine died?" Zhao Qiang asked in a low voice.

"There might be some who fall behind," Han Yingying said, but she herself didn't quite believe it.

Li Feng stood on a discarded machine tool in the center of the workshop, his face grim. Two men in black uniforms stood beside him; he hadn't seen them before.

"Everyone, be quiet," Li Feng said.

The noise stopped.

"The situation has changed," Li Feng said. "The number and types of monsters in the instance have exceeded our intelligence estimates. In addition to the known Stitched Corpse Demon and Ghost King, there are at least two other unknown types."

Someone in the crowd cursed.

"Group B lost four members, Group E lost three members, and Group D lost two members." Li Feng paused. "But the mission cannot be stopped. Once you enter the instance, it can only end by completing the mission or all members dying. There is no exit mechanism."

There is no exit mechanism.

These five words were like a bucket of cold water poured down on me.

Zhou Lang already knew the rules of the A-level dungeon, but hearing them with his own ears still made his stomach tighten.

"Next," Li Feng pointed to the two men in black uniforms beside him, "the Special Operations Team of the Town Ghost Division will take over command."

One of them stepped forward.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties, tall and thin, with an ordinary face—the kind of face you'd easily blend into a crowd. But standing there, Zhou Lang always felt an inexplicable sense of oppression. It wasn't an overt display of power, but rather—like a knife placed on a table, unsheathed, yet you knew it would be swift.

"My name is Shen Ye." The man spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone in the workshop could hear him clearly. "Head of the Special Operations Team. From now on, command of the operation is transferred to me."

No one objected. Nobody was in the mood to argue about this at a time like this.

Shen Ye's gaze swept quickly through the crowd, as if he were taking inventory of something. Then his eyes lingered in a certain direction for less than half a second.

Zhou Lang followed his gaze.

Su Nian.

Shen Ye was looking at Su Nian.

It only lasted a moment, but Zhou Lang caught it.

interesting.

"Regroup," Shen Ye said. "Break down the original five groups and reorganize them according to combat strength. Frontline damage dealers in the front, support/control dealers in the middle, and defensive dealers in the rear."