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

The manager took out a black card. "This is an anonymous points card. It contains five thousand points. Take it and leave."

Zhou Lang looked at the black card.

It was exactly the same as the one Li Feng gave him.

"Where did this card come from?" Zhou Lang asked.

"It was issued by the company," the manager said.

"What's the company's name?"

The manager's smile vanished. "You're asking too many questions."

The manager's body began to swell. His suit burst. His skin turned bluish and grew black scales.

In the blink of an eye, the manager transformed into a two-meter-tall lizardman.

"Since you're so ungrateful, then I'll leave you here as nourishment." The lizardman stuck out his long tongue.

Zhou Lang started the chainsaw.

The lizardman was incredibly fast. With a powerful leap, it pounced directly at Zhou Lang.

Zhou Lang rolled to the side. The lizardman's claws dug three deep furrows in the ground.

Zhao Qiang swung the iron rod and smashed it down. The iron rod hit the lizardman's scales and bounced off.

The lizardman lashed out with his tail, striking Zhao Qiang in the chest. Zhao Qiang was sent flying, crashing into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Han Yingying rushed over to treat Zhao Qiang.

Liu Wei hid behind the glass jar.

Old Ma gritted his teeth and pulled out another talisman. "I've really lost out today!"

He threw the talisman at the lizardman.

The talisman was affixed to the lizardman's back. The lizardman paused for a moment, and in less than half a second, the talisman burned to ashes.

"Level suppression," the bandaged man said. "This monster has the strength of a peak C-rank."

The lizardman turned to look at Old Ma.

Old Ma turned and ran.

The lizardman stuck out his tongue, wrapped it around Old Ma's waist, and pulled him back.

The lizardman opened his mouth wide, ready to bite off Old Horse's head.

Zhou Lang charged in from the side. He didn't use a chainsaw. He gripped the Night Watcher's cane with both hands, aimed it at the lizardman's eyes, and forcefully stabbed them in.

The cane pierced his eyeball and plunged into his brain.

The lizardman let out a bloodcurdling roar. It released the old horse, covered its eyes with its hands, and rolled on the ground.

Zhou Lang pulled out his cane. Black blood sprayed all over him.

He walked up to the machine, raised his cane, and smashed it against the red stone.

The stone broke.

The machine stopped working. The green liquid in the glass jar began to turn cloudy.

The lizardman stopped rolling. Its body quickly withered and shriveled, turning into a dried-up corpse.

The basement fell silent.

A system notification sounded.

"Congratulations on completing the D-rank dungeon 'Red Rose Bathhouse'. The core has been destroyed. Rewards will be distributed after you leave the dungeon."

"Return to reality in ten seconds."

Old Ma slumped to the ground, touching his neck. "Damn it, I almost died here."

Zhou Lang picked up the black card from the ground.

A white light appeared.

Going back to reality.

Zhou Lang stood in the rented room.

He placed the iron plaque he received from the bathhouse, the black card Li Feng gave him, and the black card the manager dropped on the table.

All three items had that strange symbol on them.

Zhou Lang placed the iron plate on the black card.

The symbols on the iron plate perfectly match the symbols on the black card.

At the moment they overlapped, a faint blue light appeared on the black card.

A line of text was projected into the air by blue light.

"Coordinates: Linyang Province, 35 degrees north latitude, 118 degrees east longitude. Underground fortress."

Zhou Lang looked at the line of text.

This is a real-world coordinate.

The things in the game point to reality.

Han Yingying opened her eyes. It was dawn. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the sheets. She sat up and looked at her right hand. Her palm looked normal; it wasn't glowing.

She had another dream last night. A square paved with bones. She held a white staff in her hand and wore a white mask on her face.

The scenes in her dream were clearer than in the previous days. She could see the shapes of the bones on the ground. Some were human, and some were animal.

She picked up her phone and sent a message to Liu Wei.

Do you have a backup of Baiye's videos?

Two minutes later, Liu Wei replied: "No. The forum has been completely cleaned up. Why do you keep asking this?"

Han Yingying typed: "Just asking."

She put down her phone. She needed to figure out her relationship with Bai Ye. Liu Wei said Bai Ye's skill was the same as hers—green light. There couldn't be such a coincidence.

Zhou Lang sat at the table. On the table were the black card and the iron plate.

The phone screen displays a map. 35 degrees North latitude, 118 degrees East longitude. Neighboring province.

That location on the map is a barren mountain. There are no buildings or roads.

Zhou Lang put the black card and the iron plate into his pocket. A system notification sounded in his mind.

"Player Zhou Lang has been selected to participate in the C-level dungeon 'Sunshine Orphanage'. You will be teleported in ten minutes."

Zhou Lang stood up and checked the chainsaw's fuel tank. It was full. He hung the Night Watchman's cane on his belt and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

A white light appeared.

Zhou Lang stood in a courtyard overgrown with weeds. In front of him stood a dilapidated three-story building. Most of the white plaster on the walls had fallen away, revealing the red bricks underneath. On the roof stood five rusty iron characters: Sunshine Orphanage.

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying stood beside him.

Zhao Qiang was holding a new steel pipe. Han Yingying was wearing sportswear and carrying a small bag.

Zhou Lang turned his head. There were two people squatting next to the slide on the left.

Old Ma was wearing a gray jacket. Liu Wei was carrying his tool bag.

Old Ma stood up and brushed the dirt off his trousers. He looked at Zhou Lang and sighed.

"Brother, I really did check the almanac before I left," Old Ma said, walking over. "The almanac said it was auspicious for travel. It didn't say it was auspicious for death."

"Rank C dungeon." Zhou Lang looked at the quest panel. "Quest: Survive for six hours at the Sunshine Orphanage and find the missing director."

Liu Wei walked over and took a flashlight out of his bag.

"C-level. The highest level Lao Ma and I have ever fought is D-level," Liu Wei said. "This time, it's up to you guys."

"Pay the protection fee," Zhou Lang said.

Old Ma was stunned. "What protection money?"

"The fee for getting you through customs," Zhou Lang said, glancing at Old Ma's pocket. "How many of those yellow talismans do you have left?"

Old Ma clutched his pocket. "Only three left. I'm still heartbroken from how much I used in the last dungeon."

"Use the talisman if anything happens, and Liu Wei will unlock it," Zhou Lang said. "That counts as you joining the group."

Old Ma nodded. "Alright. It's better to put in the work than to die."

The five people walked toward the three-story building.

The main entrance on the first floor is a glass door. Broken glass is scattered all over the floor.

Zhou Lang walked at the front. He stepped through the broken glass and entered the hall.

There was a musty smell in the lobby. A reception desk stood in the middle. Behind the reception desk hung a photograph.

The photo shows a middle-aged woman wearing a black suit with her hair neatly combed. Below it is written: Dean Wang Mei.

"This is the person we're looking for," Zhao Qiang said, pointing to the photo.

There are two corridors on each side of the lobby. The left one is labeled "Activity Area," and the right one is labeled "Accommodation Area."

"Which way?" Zhao Qiang asked.

"Accommodation area." Zhou Lang walked to the right.

The corridor was dark. Liu Wei turned on his flashlight and shone it on the ground.

There were many small black footprints on the ground. The footprints extended from the depths of the corridor all the way to the lobby.

"Children's footprints," Han Yingying said.