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

"No," Zhou Lang interrupted her. "They've become ghosts; they won't disappear just because the manor owner is dead."

"So they'll be stuck here forever?"

"right."

Han Yingying fell silent.

Zhou Lang glanced at her: "You want to save them?"

"I..." Han Yingying bit her lip, "They are victims too."

"There are too many victims," ​​Zhou Lang said. "You can't save them all."

He finished speaking and walked out, and Zhao Qiang quickly followed.

Han Yingying stood there, watching Zhou Lang's back, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

She knew Zhou Lang was right, but something still felt off.

The three returned to the lobby on the first floor; it was almost dawn.

The butler stood in the center of the hall, staring at them with empty eye sockets.

"You went to the basement," it said, not in a question.

"Yes," Zhou Lang said.

"The master is dead."

"right."

The butler remained silent for a long time before saying, "Thank you."

Zhou Lang was stunned for a moment.

"Now that our master is dead, we're free," the butler said. "Even though we're still ghosts, at least we don't have to take his orders anymore."

"You've wanted to kill him for a long time?"

"I want to," the butler said, "but I can't. He's the master of this manor, and we're ghosts he created, controlled by him."

"So you deliberately sent me to the basement?"

"Yes," the butler said. "I could tell you were different; you were capable of killing him."

Zhou Lang laughed: "You're quite the schemer."

"This is how we survive," the butler said. "As a thank you, I can tell you a secret."

"What secret?"

"This game has a bug," the butler said. "Every dungeon has one. As long as you find the bug, you can get extra rewards."

Zhou Lang's eyes lit up: "What kind of vulnerability?"

"Each instance is different," the butler said, "but they're all related to the core of the instance. For example, in this manor, the core is the manor owner. If you kill him, you'll trigger a hidden quest."

"Hidden quest?"

"Yes," the butler said. "Completing the hidden quest will grant you a special reward."

As soon as he finished speaking, a notification appeared in front of Zhou Lang's eyes.

Congratulations on completing the hidden quest: Ending Immortality

[Reward: Skill Upgrade Card x1]

[Reward: 2000 Gold Coins]

Zhou Lang looked at the prompt and a smile appeared on his lips.

This trip was worthwhile.

The game will begin after daybreak.

[The Horror Manor instance has ended]

[Surviving players: 3]

[Rating: Perfect]

Basic Reward: 500 Gold Coins

[Bonus Reward: Rewards doubled for completing the hidden quest]

Final Reward: 1000 Gold Coins

Zhou Lang looked at his account balance; he now had 4200 gold coins.

Zhao Qiang and Han Yingying also received rewards; both received excellent ratings and were awarded 300 gold coins each.

"Finally out." Zhao Qiang breathed a sigh of relief.

A flash of white light, and the three returned to the real world.

Zhou Lang opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed, the sunlight streaming through the window blinding him. He checked his phone; three full days had passed since he entered the game.

There are more than a dozen missed calls on my phone, all from the landlord, urging me to pay the rent.

Zhou Lang rubbed his temples and got up to wash up.

The person in the mirror was pale, with bloodshot eyes. Three consecutive dungeons had pushed their body to its limit.

He needs rest.

But before that, he had to go somewhere.

Zhou Lang changed his clothes and went out.

The streets were bustling with people, seemingly no different from usual. But Zhou Lang knew this was just an illusion. Since the arrival of the horror game, the world had changed.

He hailed a taxi and gave them an address.

"To the hospital?" the driver asked.

"right."

Which hospital?

"City Central Hospital"

The driver started the car and said as he drove, "There are so many people going to the hospital lately. Eight out of ten of the passengers I picked up today went to the hospital."

Zhou Lang didn't respond.

"Isn't that strange?" the driver continued. "Hospitals used to be so crowded, but now they're packed every day. I've heard that many people have contracted strange illnesses that doctors can't diagnose."

Zhou Lang looked out the window.

On a street-side sign, one hospital's sign stands out: "City Center Hospital, Miracle Drug Unveiled, Cures All Diseases!"

Can it cure all diseases?

Zhou Lang narrowed his eyes.

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped at the hospital entrance.

Zhou Lang got out of the car and looked up at the building in front of him.

The city's central hospital is the largest hospital in the city. It's a 20-story building with white exterior walls that reflect a blinding light in the sunlight.

There was a long queue at the entrance, all of them there to see a doctor.

Zhou Lang walked into the lobby, which was even more crowded. The registration desk, the cashier, and the pharmacy were all packed with people. The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, mixed with the coughs and cries of patients.

He went to the registration desk and joined the queue.

The person in front of me complained, "Why is it so slow? I've been waiting for an hour."

"Exactly, this hospital is so inefficient."

"I heard they've developed a miracle drug, that's why I came here."

"Me too. My mom got a strange illness that other hospitals couldn't cure, so we had to try here."

After listening to these conversations, Zhou Lang made a judgment in his mind.

There's something wrong with this hospital.

When it was his turn, the registration clerk was a woman wearing glasses, and she looked tired.

"Which subject should I fail?" she asked.

"Internal medicine," Zhou Lang said casually.

"The internal medicine department is full for today, but there are appointments available for tomorrow."

"Then tomorrow."

The woman printed out a registration slip and handed it to him: "Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, don't be late."

Zhou Lang took the order and turned to leave.

He didn't actually intend to come for a medical checkup; he just needed a reason to go to the hospital.

What he needs to do now is to observe this hospital.

Zhou Lang took a walk around the hospital, which on the surface seemed no different from an ordinary hospital. Doctors and nurses were busy, patients were waiting for their appointments, and everything seemed normal.

But he noticed some details.

The doctors and nurses had somewhat vacant eyes and mechanical movements. Although there were many patients, no one caused trouble; they all waited quietly.

It's too quiet.

Zhou Lang walked to the inpatient department, where a security guard was standing at the elevator entrance.

"Family members?" the security guard asked.

"Yes, I'm here to see my mom," Zhou Lang said.

Which ward?

"...307." Zhou Lang casually made up a number.

The security guard glanced at him and made way for him.

Zhou Lang entered the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.

The elevator doors closed, and he looked at the mirror inside the elevator. His reflection showed a calm expression.

But he had already made up his mind.

This hospital is the next instance.

The elevator reached the third floor, the doors opened, and the corridor was empty.

Zhou Lang stepped out of the elevator and walked along the corridor. On both sides were hospital rooms, all with their doors closed, so he couldn't hear anything inside.

He walked to the door of ward 307 and looked inside through the small window in the door.

An elderly man lay in the ward, his body covered in tubes. A nurse stood beside him, taking notes.

The nurse suddenly turned her head and looked towards the door.

Zhou Lang and she made eye contact.

Those eyes were gray and unfocused.