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

Zhou Lang closed the fuel tank cap. He pulled the starter rope twice. The engine emitted a deep roar. The tank was full.

"Whether it's a human or a ghost," Zhou Lang said, turning off the chainsaw and straightening up. "Next time I catch one, I'll cut it open and see."

He looked into the depths of the factory.

There was a very tall building inside. Its top was lit with a green light, like an eye, overlooking the entire transfer station.

"Where is that?" Zhou Lang asked.

Old Ma glanced at it. "That's the central tower of the transit station. The system's control hub. It's also the headquarters of the major guilds. The Black Gold Guild's headquarters is there."

Zhou Lang looked at the green light.

Zhang Jianguo. The Arrival Plan. The Black Gold Guild. And that masked man.

All the clues point to that place.

"Let's go." Zhou Lang slung the chainsaw over his back and took out his cane. "To the central tower." Chapter 30

Four people walked along the shadows of the abandoned factory. Black robes covered their bodies, and hoods obscured their faces.

Zhou Lang walked at the front. He wasn't using crutches. His right leg would hurt when he put weight on it. He controlled his muscles, shifting his weight to the left. His steps were steady.

Old Ma followed behind, clutching a yellow talisman in his hand. The edges of the talisman were frayed.

Liu Wei walked at the back, looking back every now and then.

There are no streetlights in the factory area. The red light overhead can't shine in. There's puddles on the ground. Stepping on them makes a squelching sound.

"Brother Zhou," Liu Wei said in a low voice, "Are we really going to the Central Tower? That's the Black Gold Guild's stronghold."

Zhou Lang didn't turn around. "Zhang Jianguo is inside."

Liu Wei shut up. He understood. Zhou Lang wanted to settle accounts with Zhang Jianguo. That Ghost Ship incident almost cost all four of them their lives.

Han Yingying walked to Zhou Lang's left. Her black robe was large, concealing her waist and legs. She held a short sword in her hand. Lightsabers were too energy-intensive; she wouldn't use them unless absolutely necessary.

At the end of the factory area is a wide metal street.

The streets were packed with people. There were even more people than at a market.

More than a dozen holographic screens floated in mid-air. The largest one was playing a loop of the Ghost Ship's completion video.

The video footage freezes on the moment Han Yingying wields her lightsaber.

The green light illuminated the entire screen.

The crowd below was in an uproar.

"It really is White Night!" a man in a mecha shouted.

"Bai Ye is a woman? That figure is amazing." A fat guy with a sniper rifle next to him stared at the screen. "Those legs. That waist. I'll pay five thousand points for her as my sparring partner for a night."

"You wish. The Black Gold Guild has issued a bounty. Capture this woman alive, and the reward is 10,000 points."

"What about the disabled person who uses a chainsaw?"

"The disabled person is just an extra bonus, regardless of whether they live or die, they get 500 points."

"And that idiot who bit the wire, 100 points bounty. The guild says he dirtied the vice-guild leader's woman's eyes."

Liu Wei hid in his hood, his face darkening.

One hundred points. He, a master who cleared an S-rank dungeon, is only worth one hundred points? And that's only because he dirtied Chen Jiao's eyes.

Old Ma patted Liu Wei on the shoulder. "Don't be so cocky. I didn't even offer a reward."

Zhou Lang stopped in his tracks. He looked at the street ahead.

To get to the central tower, you have to cross this street.

A checkpoint was set up at the street corner.

A dozen or so men in black jackets stood guard there. Red roses were embroidered on their chests. They were members of the Black Gold Guild.

They moved barricades, blocking the street corner. They carried scanners. Everyone passing by had to remove their hoods and be scanned.

"The investigation is very strict," Han Yingying said.

Zhou Lang examined the scanner. It was infrared. It could scan players' ID numbers and facial features.

The four of them would be recognized immediately if they walked over.

"A detour?" Old Ma asked.

"There's no road," Zhou Lang pointed to both sides. "It's all high walls."

He was calculating in his mind. He would force his way in. He had filled the chainsaw with oil. A dozen or so henchmen wouldn't be enough for him to cut through in a minute.

But this is just a transit point. There are too many people. If we make a move, it will attract even more. The Black Gold Guild has several thousand members; we can wear them down eventually.

He needs a legitimate reason to go back to the past.

Zhou Lang turned around and looked at a small stall next to him.

The stall owner was an old man. He sold all sorts of scrap metal. On his stall was a rusty iron plate with a sign that read: "Temporary ID card service available, 500 points each."

Zhou Lang walked over and slammed the points card he had just snatched onto the metal plate.

"Give me four," Zhou Lang said.

The old man raised his head, glanced at Zhou Lang, and then looked at the three people behind him.

"The checks are strict now. The Black Gold Guild is arresting people," the old man said slowly. "Temporary ID cards can only fool the machines. They can't fool the human eye."

"Do it," Zhou Lang said, uttering only one word.

The old man put away the points card. He took out a worn-out machine, tapped it a few times, and it spat out four white cards.

Zhou Lang picked up the cards and distributed them to Han Yingying, Lao Ma, and Liu Wei.

There were no names on the card. Only a random number.

"Get your face dirty," Zhou Lang said.

He squatted down, grabbed a handful of black mud from the ground, and smeared it on his face.

Liu Wei followed suit, painting his face to look like a coal miner. Old Ma also smeared his face black.

Han Yingying looked at the mud in her hands. She was a germaphobe.

Zhou Lang looked at her. "Living is the most important thing."

Han Yingying didn't speak. She grabbed some mud and smeared it on her face. Her fair skin was covered by the black mud, making it impossible to recognize her original appearance.

The four people walked towards the street corner.

The Black Gold Guild members stopped them.

"Stop. Take off your hood." A blond-haired thug pointed a baseball bat at Zhou Lang.

Zhou Lang took off his hood, revealing a face covered in black mud.

The blond-haired man pinched his nose in disgust. "What's that smell? What's it for?"

"A sewer repairman," Zhou Lang said, his voice hoarse.

The blond-haired man picked up the scanner and scanned Zhou Lang's face.

The machine beeped. The screen displayed: Temporary worker, number 7788.

The blond-haired man waved his hand. "Go away, go away. It stinks."

Zhou Lang walked over.

Han Yingying walked over and took off her hood.

Huang Mao looked at Han Yingying. Even with mud smeared on her face, her features were still striking.

The blond-haired man's eyes lit up. He reached out to touch Han Yingying's face. Han Yingying didn't flinch. She raised her left hand, two fingers gripping the blond-haired man's wrist, and pressed down.

The bones made a cracking sound as if they were misaligned.

The blond-haired man opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, Zhou Lang took a step forward, standing between Han Yingying and the blond-haired man. He pulled a card worth 100 points from his pocket and stuffed it into the blond-haired man's shirt pocket. He then patted the blond-haired man's chest.

"It's a sewage hazard. Touching it will make your hands rot," Zhou Lang said. His voice was flat.

The blond-haired man glanced down at the card in his pocket, then at the smear of mud on Han Yingying's face. He shook off Han Yingying's hand, took a step back, and vigorously wiped his hands on his pants.

"What bad luck. Get lost." The blond-haired man picked up the scanner and scanned Han Yingying.

The machine beeped. The screen displayed: Temporary worker, number 7789.

Han Yingying walked over.

Old Ma and Liu Wei followed behind, heads down, both reeking of sewer stench. Yellow Hair covered his nose. They didn't even use the machines; they simply waved them through.