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

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We slid another ten meters. We've reached the third basement level.

The elevator doors here are half open. Red light shines through the crack in the doors.

Zhou Lang jumped to the top of the carriage and squeezed out through the crack in the door.

Zhao Qiang and the others also crawled out.

The three underground levels are very large, like a huge underground plaza.

In the center of the square stood an altar. On the altar rested a glowing red stone. Countless black pipes connected to the stone, extending into the darkness in all directions.

That's the core of the instance.

But in front of the altar sat a person.

The man was sitting in an iron chair with his back to them.

Zhou Lang gripped the chainsaw tightly.

The intelligence report stated that the three underground levels were personally guarded by the Ghost King.

Is this person the Ghost King?

Old Ma hid behind Zhao Qiang, his legs trembling again. Liu Wei gripped the hammer tightly, his palms sweating profusely.

Han Yingying looked at the person's back and felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

The man was wearing a green military uniform.

Zhou Lang took a step forward. His shoe slammed into a piece of broken glass, making a crisp sound.

The person turned their head.

Old Ma gasped.

That face looked exactly like Li Feng's.

Operation Commander Li Feng. He was directing operations from the outside, so how did he end up in the deepest part of the instance?

"Commander Li?" Zhao Qiang called out.

The person sitting in the chair smiled. His smile was stiff, as if it had been pulled out with thread.

"I am not Li Feng," he said. His voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

Zhou Lang looked at him: "You are the Ghost King."

"You can call me that." The Ghost King stood up. He was the same height as Li Feng, but thinner, and his military uniform looked loose on him.

"Why do you have Li Feng's face?" Zhou Lang asked.

"Because I ate a part of his memories," the Ghost King said. "He came here before. He left behind fear. I turned his fear into this face."

Zhou Lang understood. Li Feng had participated in the cleanup operation of this instance before, but he either failed or ran away.

The Ghost King looked at the chainsaw in Zhou Lang's hand, then at the cane at his waist.

"You smell of the Night Watcher," said the Demon King. "You killed him."

Zhou Lang remained silent.

"The Night Watcher was a useless piece of trash." The Ghost King took a step forward. "He divided his soul into seven parts, and in the end, he still died. I'm not like him. I'm perfect."

The Ghost King raised his hand.

From the darkness surrounding the square, a dozen stitched-up corpse demons emerged and surrounded Zhou Lang and his group of five.

Old Ma plopped down on the ground: "It's over. I'm doomed."

Liu Wei gritted his teeth and raised the hammer.

Zhao Qiang activated his enhanced power and picked up an iron rod from the ground.

Han Yingying's hands glowed green, ready to perform treatment at any time.

Zhou Lang looked at the Ghost King. His target was the core. As long as the core was destroyed, these monsters would disappear.

"Zhao Qiang, cover me," Zhou Lang said.

Zhao Qiang roared and swung his iron rod at the two stitched-together corpse demons on the left.

Zhou Lang started the chainsaw and rushed towards the altar.

The Ghost King stood in front of the altar, watching Zhou Lang rush towards him, without moving.

Two stitched-together corpse demons blocked Zhou Lang's way.

Zhou Lang didn't slow down. He raised his chainsaw and slashed directly at the left monster's leg. At the same time, he took out the Night Watcher's cane and smashed it into the right monster's head.

The monster on the left falls to the ground. The monster on the right retreats.

Zhou Lang passed through them and headed straight for the Ghost King.

The Ghost King extended his right hand. His hand transformed into a black bone knife.

The chainsaw and the bone knife collided.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The Ghost King possessed immense power. Zhou Lang felt a tingling sensation in his arm.

"Your power is insufficient," said the Ghost King.

Zhou Lang turned off the chainsaw. He took a half step back, propelled by the force of the bone knife, and then swung his cane violently, smashing it into the Ghost King's knee.

The Ghost King dodged.

Taking advantage of the opening, Zhou Lang rushed to the side of the altar.

He raised his cane and smashed it against the red stone.

"Bang!"

The cane struck the stone. A crack appeared on the stone's surface.

The entire underground plaza shook.

The stitched-up corpse demons around them stopped moving.

The Ghost King's expression changed. He rushed towards Zhou Lang, his bone knife aimed at Zhou Lang's back.

Han Yingying stood at a distance and witnessed this scene. She raised her hand, and a beam of green light shot towards the Ghost King.

The green light shone on the Ghost King. The Ghost King's movements slowed down by a beat.

The bone knife grazed Zhou Lang's ribs, tearing his clothes and leaving a bloody mark.

Zhou Lang did not dodge. He gripped his cane with both hands and smashed it against the stone again.

"Click."

The stone broke.

The red light disappeared.

The black pipes withered rapidly. The surrounding stitched-up corpses, like machines that had lost power, collapsed to the ground.

The Ghost King's body began to collapse. His skin peeled away, revealing the black mist within.

"You think this is the end?" The Ghost King looked at Zhou Lang, his voice becoming muffled. "The core is just a node. You can never sever the source..."

The Ghost King transformed into a pool of black water.

The underground plaza has returned to calm.

Old Ma lay on the ground, panting heavily. Liu Wei threw down the hammer and leaned against the wall.

Zhao Qiang threw away the iron rod and walked to Zhou Lang's side.

"Is it resolved?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"It's resolved." Zhou Lang looked at the shattered stones on the altar.

He picked up a fragment. Inside the fragment was a set of glowing runes. He glanced at it, then put the fragment in his pocket.

He was still searching for that bug. The Ghost King's dying words confirmed his suspicions. This instance was merely a node. The energy source was elsewhere.

Han Yingying walked over. She looked at the wound on Zhou Lang's ribs, asked nothing, and handed him a bottle of water.

Zhou Lang took the water and drank a sip.

He looked at Han Yingying. Han Yingying's expression was calm. She didn't ask him why he insisted on smashing the stones, nor did she ask about his injuries.

Zhou Lang felt uneasy. He was used to shouldering things alone and keeping secrets. But Han Yingying's lack of inquiry made him feel that there was something between them.

"Are you alright?" Zhou Lang turned to ask Lao Ma and Liu Wei.

"It's alright, I won't die." Old Ma got up.

"The dungeon notification has appeared." Liu Wei looked at his wrist.

The system's voice echoed in everyone's minds.

"Congratulations on completing the cleanup operation. The core has been destroyed. Rewards will be distributed after you leave the instance."

"Return to reality in ten seconds."

A white light appeared.

Zhou Lang closed his eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, they were back outside the gates of the abandoned factory.

Li Feng stood beside the military vehicle, watching them.

More than fifty people went in, but fewer than thirty came out.

Li Feng's gaze lingered on Zhou Lang for a moment.

Looking at Li Feng's face, Zhou Lang was reminded of the Ghost King's appearance.

Li Feng walked over and handed Zhou Lang a black box.

"This is your bonus," Li Feng said. "You destroyed the core."

Zhou Lang took the box. He didn't open it.

"Sir," Zhou Lang looked into Li Feng's eyes, "have you been to that third underground level before?"

Li Feng's expression remained unchanged. He looked at Zhou Lang and paused for two seconds.