After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

"Boss Qiu, how am I supposed to find that hole you dug out?"

Upon hearing this, both parties on the other end of the communication fell silent.

What seemed like an ordinary question turned out to be a real challenge. Just as Xiaomei had said before, the map inside the maze wasn't fixed; the location would change every time you entered.

The hole that Qiu Wanting dug was not conspicuous. Xiao Mei had been piloting the drone around the maze for so long before she noticed anything unusual.

Qiu Wanting was still pondering when Xiao Mei's voice rang out: "Tang Li, they're coming. Let's go!"

Tang Li tossed the question to Qiu Wanting without a second thought, turned and left. Behind her, the furious curses of the dismembered worms echoed.

"It's just another illusion! Don't chase it! Didn't you hear what the dean said?"

Tang Li: ...What a stupid bug.

Taking advantage of the moment when the dismembered worm doubted everything, Tang Li opened the book in her arms.

I was half-asleep when a phone call woke me up.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Gu? This is the Management Center for Strange Events in the Strange World. Would you be interested in joining us, seizing power, reaching the pinnacle, avenging your grudges, and personally slaying your enemies?"

"This is what a spirited and enthusiastic young man from ancient times asked in his classic voice."

"Scam, I'm hanging up."

As I was talking, I fell asleep again.

When I woke up the next day, I was unusually clear-headed, and even remembered the phone call I had hung up the night before.

Then I finally realized one thing: I didn't actually have a cell phone.

Okay, the eerie world is real.

They said I have the potential to become a dungeon boss, which made me laugh. Isn't this a kind of direct recruitment for a boss?

I did not agree to their request.

To be honest, if even the dean and others who are human are so untrustworthy, how could they, who are blatantly labeled as "weird," possibly perform any better?

Tang Li frowned: But now, Gu Xiaoying has become a strange dungeon boss.

What made him change his mind?

[Xiao Mei? Is this girl holding me in her arms Xiao Mei?]

I've never seen Xiaomei grow into a young woman. But she looks so much like her mother.

...How many years have passed in those hazy days? Am I dreaming? Did I dream that Xiaomei carried me away from ward number four?

However, a piercing alarm rang in my ears, shattering all the hazy illusions.

It's true, it's really true, my little Mei, she came to save me.

I am so small that my daughter picked me up and held my ugly, crippled body tightly in her arms.

How did she find me? Where is she taking me?

Why did she come back?

I struggled to my feet and cried out, "Put me down! Go! Go now!"

Rapid footsteps echoed in the corridor behind, and the vengeful ghost in white was catching up.

"Daughter! Daughter! Throw me away!" I repeated over and over, pleading with her.

"No! No, no, we're going home! We're going home!"

A light rain began to fall in the corridor, and her tears fell on my face. Suddenly, I couldn't make a sound.

In the violently shaking world, I watched helplessly as a thick, strong hand reached out towards Xiaomei.

I watched as Xiaomei's long hair was grabbed by that hand. The dim green light from the emergency exit shone across the woman's wrinkled face, illuminating the purplish-black mole between her eyebrows. The woman's maniacal laughter echoed in the corridor.

Xiaomei pulled me tightly into her arms; she wouldn't let me see, she didn't want me to see!

She wouldn't let me see that woman grabbing Xiaomei's hair and slamming Xiaomei's head against the wall again and again...

Qi Cuiming! Qi Cuiming! How dare you! How dare you!

I signed the contract.

The moment the blood fell on the contract, I let the purplish-black, writhing flesh devour and rebuild my body.

It was only then that I realized that when I wholeheartedly accepted them, those stubborn ailments could instantly transform into docile and loyal forces.

Black mist emanated from my body, enveloping the entire corridor. Half of it coiled and stretched like tentacles, strangling the throats of every hospital staff member; the other half transformed into soft clouds, supporting Xiaomei's body.

It's alright, it's alright, there's still time. Black Mist retrieved a bandage and bandaged Xiao Mei's wound. Xiao Mei will be alright.

A bright red countdown had already appeared before my eyes. The Strange World Management Center was urging me repeatedly to seize the time to take control of the instance and escape the original world.

At the last moment, I confirmed that Xiaomei was not in any danger.

The eerie dungeon only took away the eerie, not the living.

So... goodbye, Xiaomei. My daughter, live well.

The moment the black mist swirled and enveloped the hospital, I seemed to hear the hospital breathing. It was heavy, thick with phlegm, like the gasps of a dying person.

Since hospitals are a cancer on this world, since they are deeply rooted here, constantly stealing nutrients, since I lack the power to destroy them, yet I don't want to stand by and watch one innocent person after another die with love in their hearts—

Since that's the case, let's leave this beautiful world together and go to hell.

The tentacles formed from the black mist pierced the hearts of all the sinners in an instant, replaced by purplish-black flesh that had been tearing at their chests day after day. At this moment, everyone degenerated into a bizarre member.

I dedicated myself to this malignant tumor, accelerating its maturation, coldly watching it grow bigger and more engorged, and then...

A soft "plop" echoed through the hospital.

It separated from its mother.

"Congratulations on becoming a dungeon boss! Your current dungeon rating is Beginner 1-star, which has significant room for improvement. Please keep up the good work!"

Click the horizontal line to enter the copy name: ————

Without hesitation, I typed a line of text, and the feeling of my fingers falling on the keyboard again was familiar and wonderful.

"A Private Hospital Full of Mysteries"

"Tang Li, Tang Li? Stop looking!"

Xiao Mei's worried voice rang in Tang Li's ears, abruptly pulling her back to reality from that night many years ago: "The Dismemberment Worms have a new form; they can fly!"

"They're attacking the drones!"

Xiao Mei's eyes were shot down one after another, and more and more areas in her field of vision were darkening, making command increasingly difficult.

Gu Xiaoying's book is nearing its end, and Lei Hong has finally found an effective way to search. Tang Li thought to herself that she must leave Dou Pen as soon as possible.

She adjusted her headphones and asked the person on the other end, "Boss Qiu? Have you figured out a solution yet?"

"Boss Qiu? Jiang Hui?"

She was met with only silence.

Five minutes ago.

Qiu Wanting and Jiang Hui were seriously discussing how to help Tang Li find the exit that Qiu Wanting had previously carved out.

"It would be great if we could use tracking tools," Jiang Hui said, frowning.

"Tracking... wait," Qiu Wanting paused, then laughed in exasperation, "Are we both a bit dim-witted?"

"We can't use tracking items in the fighting basin, so how did we contact Tang Li just now?"

Jiang Hui's eyes widened, and she picked up the walkie-talkie.

"Tang Li? Tang Li? Can you hear me?"

Inside the Doupen Maze.

"They lost contact again. It seems like they lost their signal a few minutes ago," Xiaomei said, regretting that she hadn't noticed immediately.

"Wait a minute." Tang Li suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"So, once we leave that spot, we can't get their signal anymore?"

That spot just now? The place where she took the book from the file shelf?

"Yes, yes," Xiaomei murmured in her ear.

"Did you know?" Tang Li took a deep breath, "We humans usually stand by the window with our phones in hand if the signal is bad indoors."

Was it pure coincidence, or was it Gu Xiaoying's goodwill from the depths of his heart?

As soon as she entered the basin, she was teleported to the opening leading to the outside world.

He placed her at the end of the maze.