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

...The world seems to have quieted down a bit.

Rooftop.

Gu Xiaoying lay flat on his back, his empty eye sockets staring at the sky. Vibrations came from beneath him, from under his palms, and from his heart.

Gu Xiaoying closed his eyes.

He heard the explosion of bombs, the rushing water, the murmured incantations of the ghosts, the gradual realization by Lu Qisheng and Zhuge Jiajia of how to run, the desperate shouts of the eerie and the players, and the reunion of his lover, family, and friends.

Then the rumbling gradually subsided, the players began to disperse, and the music that had been playing continuously from the Dean's office began to play.

Gu Xiaoying was searching for that person's voice. He desperately hoped he couldn't hear her, desperately hoped she had already left his copy.

But as the dungeon boss, he knew perfectly well that, until now, no player had met the conditions to leave the dungeon.

—Why, Tang Li?

At the dawn, I heard your prayer for me.

You said... you want to meet the standards for leaving the instance, and you want to know if all the rules are right or wrong.

You submitted a rule sheet filled with checkmarks and crosses, like a diligent student waiting for the teacher to grade your homework.

I judge whether your answer is right or wrong, and I revise it. I quietly wait for you to leave me.

—I wish you would leave me.

However, you did not leave.

What exactly do you want to do? Gu Xiaoying thought, clearly no one can lie to me. I know, just as you said yourself, your purpose in verifying the correctness of the dungeon rules from me is to escape the dungeon.

Wait a moment.

Gu Xiaoying suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Oh no, when Tang Li said "leaving the instance," it seems like she forgot to include a subject.

The dungeon boss suddenly sat up from the rooftop: Who do you want to get out of the dungeon?

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

A soft, clear sound suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire hospital.

A familiar female voice greeted everyone cheerfully over the loudspeaker.

"Hello everyone! Follow us so you don't get lost! Double tap 666, and host Tang Li is bringing you some goodies!"

Gu Xiaoying covered her face with her hands and let out a deep breath.

Never mind, although Tang Li is still not out of danger.

But her stunt infuriated Lei Hong. This seems...not bad?

Inside the hospital.

4:52，4:51，4:50……

A grim countdown ticked across the player's pale face.

One minute ago, they were all notified and personally verified in front of the camera that they had been planted with supernatural human bombs.

Now, they don't have many choices left.

Players in the ward area were crying and screaming. They were terrified, but dared not leave the camera's view, watching the countdown on their faces, counting down their remaining lives bit by bit.

The players in the corridor also stopped fighting. Their faces were unusually grim, but they did the same thing as Jiang Hui and Qiu Wanting before, trying to find the person who planted the bomb for them, or directly curse him from a distance.

Only Fang Yingjie.

He stopped paying attention to the countdown on his face and ignored the players in the ward pleading for his help. His fingers flew across the keyboard, and then he said into the walkie-talkie, "All done."

"You can speak now; your voice will be broadcast throughout the entire hospital."

Qiu Wanting handed the newly purchased loudspeaker prop to Tang Li.

Tang Li took it with curiosity and tentatively brought it to her lips: "Hey? Can you hear me?"

The sound, amplified several times, echoed throughout the hospital. Players raised their faces, some filled with fear, others with hatred, and they recognized Tang Li's voice.

Tang Li... Some of them had looked down on her, some had long received favors from her, some were grateful to her, some had been wary of her, and some had pointed fingers at her...

But at this moment, they heard her voice as if it were a divine blessing, their hearts pounded, as if they knew that everything was about to take a turn for the better.

"Hello everyone! Follow us so you don't get lost~ Double tap 666, host Tang Li has some goodies for you!"

Tang Li's light and cheerful voice was like a copper bell breaking through the fog.

"Come on! Take out your booklets, the streamer will guide you through a five-minute speedrun of the dungeon!"

...A booklet? Is it...a rulebook?

Speedrunning the dungeon? Has she already figured out the truth or falsehood of all the rules?

"Rule One..." Tang Li's gaze swept over the text on the rule appendix, "True."

Rule 1: Patients should listen to their doctors. Everything the doctor does is to make you feel calm and happy.

A doctor's purpose depends on their perspective. In the eyes of these doctors, death is eternal peace, and everything from "dream-come-true" machines to the prefrontal lobotomy surgery that she inadvertently prevented can bring "happiness" to patients.

In the corridor, the players' hands trembled as they pulled out manuals from various hidden pockets on their bodies.

"...Wait, slow down, streamer! Some people haven't opened the appendix yet!"

"Does anyone have a pen? Help!"

"Rule Two," Tang Li said with a cold smile, her tone decisive, "fake."

Rule Two: Dean Lei Hong is a kind-hearted doctor, a man of both high moral character and professional skill. Whatever your infection, the dean will save you.

Lei Hong is a despicable scoundrel who chases fame and fortune with a heart of stone. If you are infected by the supernatural force, be careful, he might use you as a test subject.

In the dean's office, the sophisticated music, muffled by the loudspeaker, finally silenced Lei Hong. His face darkened once more. He opened the door and ordered the strange employee who still refused to leave: "Attack them!" He interrupted her.

"Rule Three: False."

Rule Three: This hospital has no pediatrics department, nor does it have any children claiming to be Gu Xiaoying. If you see a child, it's just your hallucination. Don't talk to him, and don't let him know you can see him.

In desperation, the player who couldn't find a pen bit his finger, intending to submit an answer sheet written in blood. Just then, a small hand handed him a pen.

The swollen body bent over before him, the pen belonging to a small child perched on its shoulders. Though barely five or six years old, the child wore a look of exasperated disdain, as if looking down on a younger sibling. The girl said, with a hint of exasperation, "Stop biting it! Take it!"

"Rule Four, True."

Rule 4: Don't lie to Gu Xiaoying.

On the rooftop, Gu Xiaoying lay back down. He sighed helplessly and indulgently: That wretched Tang Li, that manipulative Tang Li... Tang Li, forever honest, forever passionate.

You made a promise to me that you would never leave me, but I stubbornly refused to believe you.

"Rule number two, number four: False."

Rule 4: Elevators can only carry a weight of 100kg or less. If the weight exceeds 100kg, please do not ride the elevator.

The hospital staff finally discovered them. The orders given by the hospital director in the eerie message almost occupied their minds, so the monsters drew knives from under their white coats and attacked the three players.

Five minutes left, attack them! Attack them now! Interrupt her!

Tang Li stood at the back, leaning against the wall, her tone as calm and composed as ever. She didn't raise her head even once, as if what flashed past her less than half a meter in front of her wasn't a gleaming blade.

Tang Li trusted her companions completely. Qiu Wanting didn't even get a chance to help; Jiang Hui alone was already an impregnable fortress.

Just then, a huge... almost colossal figure suddenly squeezed into the corner.

A hurried voice rang out: "Stop!"