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

The sky was clear and bright.

The sunlight shone on the snow, so bright it was almost blinding. The air was filled with the smell of snow, half cold and half fresh.

The SkyTrain sped through the air. Inside the floor-to-ceiling windows on the 30th floor, a young man in plain clothes complained, "I've already said I can't move my office to this floor. It faces the SkyTrain directly, and every day the train passengers see it as a view."

"Look," the middle-aged man sitting at his desk turned around, his epaulets gleaming on his shoulders. "In our line of work, it's best not to be afraid of being seen."

The young man shrugged and slumped onto the hard sofa that looked like it was filled with stone: "I'm exhausted. I caught twelve people last night, all of them hiding in the same restaurant's toilet because they were afraid to seek medical help. The owner of that restaurant is really unlucky."

"This weirdness isn't some terminal illness, why are you all so terrified? You're all practically pickled to a crisp!"

The middle-aged man cursed, "You have no manners," and turned his head away, out of sight, out of mind. After a while, he sighed, "You people born in the 1940s are lucky to have such a good life. You don't even know how blessed you are."

"Medical technology has developed rapidly in recent years, but even just a few decades ago, the bizarre was an incurable disease."

It was like a cold winter wind suddenly blowing into the room; the middle-aged man's calloused hands involuntarily hugged his arms.

"Back then, if someone in a family was truly possessed by something supernatural, that person would find a place to fall into the river or the sea if they were brave enough, and if they were timid... they would be turned into a madman who was neither human nor ghost, and day by day, they would be eaten alive by those purplish-black flesh."

The young man felt goosebumps rise on his skin and shuddered slightly, then tried to lighten the mood: "I know, I know, it's in the textbooks. Isn't there the urban legend of the 432 incident? Everyone in the hospital just vanished into thin air, leaving only a bunch of clueless patients. It's incredibly creepy. I actually believed it when I was a kid, it scared me so much I couldn't sleep..."

As the young man spoke, he looked up at the middle-aged man's reaction, only to meet his stunned gaze.

"Holy crap, no way?" The young man jumped up from the sofa. "Don't scare me, the 432 incident... it's real?!"

The middle-aged man slowly nodded: "Not only is it true, but also..."

"The 'ancient god' that you secretly worship before every mission seems to be hiding in that hospital."

The squeals and shouts of the young people became background noise, while the middle-aged man gazed absently at the train rushing past the window, lost in thought:

Why did I suddenly think of that matter again today?

Beyond several worlds.

Doupen Maze.

[Energy Supplement (Basic)], Used 3 times today (3/3).

It was another exhilarating shuttle run.

As they neared their destination, Tang Li finally received greetings from her two companions.

"Wow, you reacted pretty quickly." Qiu Wanting's voice sounded again in the earphone. "Tang Li, don't rush to blow up the archives room after you leave the fighting pit."

"Your package is at the door."

Tang Li: ? Even bizarre dungeons use express delivery?

But before she could ask Qiu Wanting what he meant, AI Xiaomei's warning rang urgently in her ears. Tang Li looked around, her gaze finally settling on the row of filing shelves where she was repeatedly taking and putting away books.

She reached out again, and this time, she took all the books and held them in her arms.

A rough-edged void is revealed behind these books.

"That night, you must have poked around quite a bit with surgical scissors, Boss Qiu?" Tang Li laughed.

At the same time, without putting down either of the books in her arms, she struggled to free one hand and reached into the empty space. The other side was a deep darkness, as if leading to another dimension.

The familiar dizzying sensation. An emptiness swallowed her.

When Tang Li stumbled and landed, she accidentally stepped on something soft and squishy. Looking down, she saw it was Dr. Jerry's dried-up corpse doll. The dean really didn't miss out on any opportunity to exploit her.

She twitched the corners of her mouth, then suddenly remembered something and looked around nervously.

Where are the books? Gu Xiaoying's books?

There were no books on the ground; instead, there was a strangely familiar little thing.

...That was an earphone.

Tang Li reflexively raised her hand and touched her right ear—the earphone that carried the AI ​​Xiao Mei was still there!

Qiu Wanting was still speaking through the earpiece: "Are you out? Are you out? Let me know you're safe..."

So whose earphones are these?

As if by some strange twist of fate, Tang Li crouched down and picked up the earphones.

On the white fuselage is a menacing black pattern, an ugly little smiling face.

This was the pattern Gu Xiaoying had drawn on her palm, clearly indicating who the headphones belonged to.

Tang Li laughed. It's true what they say, they're father and daughter; their methods are always the same.

Without further hesitation, she put the newly acquired earphone into her left ear. On the other end of the earphone, there was only the sound of the wind. Gu Xiaoying felt as if she were high up; only after listening for a while could she hear the steady breathing hidden within it.

"I'm out of the basin," she said, her voice carrying in two directions at the same time. What a strange feeling; she had come here alone, but now she had to announce her safety twice.

In her right ear, Qiu Wanting said without any pleasantries, "Go to the door, we've teleported the curved surgical shears across space to you."

"The last node they calculated in southern Xinjiang was in the old archives room. They picked up surgical scissors, aimed them at the ground, and stabbed it down."

"—The dungeon can then reconnect with the original world."

This was actually Qiu Wanting and Jiang Hui deliberately giving the last opportunity to Tang Li. Just like in some games, the person who lands the final blow on the monster gets the most experience reward, this rule also applies to the eerie dungeon.

They didn't mention it at all in the headset, nor did they discuss it privately, but they all hoped that Tang Li could become the biggest beneficiary of clearing the dungeon.

"I understand." Tang Li opened the door to the archives room, where a pair of curved surgical scissors, gleaming coldly, lay quietly in the corridor.

Tang Li picked up the surgical scissors.

...Similar, similar feel.

Tang Li suddenly spoke up: "This is also... this is also...?"

"My bones."

Gu Xiaoying finally spoke through his left ear.

"It's alright," he sighed softly, laughing in a hoarse voice that had nothing to do with a child's.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Never, ever have too much sympathy for the strange dungeon boss, Tang Li."