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

Check-in Instructions

1. Please do not leave the room at night.

2. The guesthouse provides breakfast and dinner, please eat on time.

3. If you have any questions, please contact the front desk.

4. Do not enter the basement.

5. Check-out time: 8:00 AM on the third day.

Five rules.

Zhou Lang took out his phone and snapped a picture. In this instance, the phone worked, but there was no signal; it could only be used as a camera and a laptop.

He quickly scanned the lobby. There was a door behind the reception desk, which should lead to the kitchen. The stairs were on the right, leading to the second and third floors. To the left of the lobby was a small corridor, at the end of which was an iron door—that must be the "basement."

The iron gate was locked.

Zhou Lang walked over and glanced at the lock; it was an ordinary padlock, not particularly thick. He was out of scissors; he'd used up all the items from the last dungeon. But that wasn't his immediate priority.

He returned to the front desk and glanced at the keys on the wall. Seven keys; he took one—room 302. The innermost room on the third floor.

He chose the third floor because the ground vibrations travel the fastest, so he could detect any unusual activity on the first or second floor first. He chose the innermost floor because the escape route only required running in one direction.

After the rooms were assigned, everyone stood in the lobby looking at each other in bewilderment.

Zhou Lang spoke up: "It's 2 PM now, it's still light out. I suggest everyone take a look around the guesthouse first. Don't go out after dark."

The man in the leather jacket asked, "What level of player are you?"

"Level C," Zhou Lang said. This was the truth, but he didn't mention that he had two entries.

The man in the leather jacket relaxed slightly: "C-rank, that's not bad. I'm D-rank, this is my third time entering the dungeon. What about you?" He looked at Han Yingying.

"Rank D, second time," Han Yingying said. Actually, this was her first time officially entering a dungeon; strictly speaking, she hadn't been matched with the one in the manor last time. But she didn't need to let everyone know she was a newbie.

Zhou Lang noticed this subtle lie but didn't expose it.

"Okay," the man in the leather jacket said. "Then you'll lead the team?" He looked at Zhou Lang.

"No team leader," Zhou Lang said. "Everyone goes their own way, and we'll meet in the lobby to share any discoveries."

After he finished speaking, he went upstairs.

Han Yingying followed, and when they reached the corner on the second floor, she whispered, "You don't want to bring them?"

"I can't take people I don't know."

"What if something happens to them?"

Zhou Lang paused, glanced at her, and said, "I might not be there when something happens. I warned them not to go out after dark. Those who listen will live, and those who don't, there's nothing I can do."

Han Yingying remained silent.

She knew Zhou Lang wasn't cold-blooded, just realistic. In the previous instance, Zhou Lang had taken a great risk to help Zhao Qiang, and also to help her. But that was because they knew each other, because they had already established trust.

Who knows what these strangers might do in a crucial moment?

The two reached the third floor. The corridor was narrow, with two rooms on each side and a window at the end.

Zhou Lang used the key to open the door to 302.

The room wasn't big. There was a single bed, a bedside table, a table, and a chair. A lamp sat on the table.

It's not an ordinary lamp.

It is a lantern.

It's made of paper, and there's a candle inside. The paper of the lantern has patterns drawn on it—no, not patterns.

Zhou Lang leaned closer to take a look.

It is a human face.

A woman's face, with clearly defined features and a smiling expression. It's drawn in great detail, including eyes, nose, and mouth.

Zhou Lang stared at it for two seconds, then flipped the lantern over. A line of small print was written on the bottom:

"It must be lit every night."

He put the lantern back and walked to the window to look outside. Outside the window was the backyard of the guesthouse, with an open space at the end of which was a lake.

The lake was very calm.

Han Yingying stood at the door: "I also have a lantern in my room. It also has a face painted on it, but it's a man."

"I order it every night," Zhou Lang said.

"You think there's something wrong with this lantern?"

"There's definitely something wrong with it. But right now we don't know if it's meant to save lives or harm others."

Zhou Lang turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and thought for a moment.

The rules say not to leave the room at night. The lanterns say they must be lit every night. Combined with the name of the dungeon—Giant View Inn.

The view of giants.

Is the "观" in "道观" (Taoist temple) or the "观" in "观看" (to watch/observe)?

He had a feeling that this instance wasn't like the manor where "surviving a few days is winning." There was a story, a truth, in this. The 87% mortality rate meant that most people wouldn't even make it through the first night.

"Let's look around first," he said. "Let's gather all the information we can before dark."