Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

After passing through the narrow passage, the mine tunnel returned to its previous width.

But the atmosphere changed.

Shiyu walked at the front, her steps regaining their previous confidence. She didn't need to think about the direction; her body knew where to go on its own.

"Turn left ahead," she said.

"How did you know?" Qingzhu gripped her staff, her knuckles turning white. "There's a fork in the road ahead, and you said to turn left without even looking."

The rain stopped for a moment.

"I don't know." She glanced back at Qingzhu, "but I have a mental map of the route."

She pointed to her temple, "Just like I remember the layout of my living room at home."

Qingzhu's expression changed from doubt to unease.

Shiyu did not deny it and continued walking forward, turning left without hesitation at the fork in the road.

Jiang Chen followed behind, memorizing everything along the way: the carvings on the walls, the slope of the ground, and the intervals between the torches.

This place is too well-organized.

If the passage was formed after a natural collapse, the rock walls should be uneven.

But the walls here are vertical, and the floor is flat, as if someone measured it with a ruler.

"This isn't a mine," Jiang Chen said.

The northern wolf turned its head: "What do you mean?"

"The mine shaft was dug out, and its direction depends on the direction of the ore vein. But this road is too straight, and the turns are all standard right angles, as if it was deliberately designed."

After walking for about ten more minutes, a stone gate appeared ahead.

The stone gate almost filled the entire cross-section of the passage, its surface covered with densely packed patterns. These weren't random scratches, but rather regular designs, resembling characters or runes.

The rain stopped in front of the stone gate.

"We've arrived," she said.

"Have we arrived?" The Northern Wolf knocked on the stone door, making a dull thud. "This is a dead end."

"Here—" Shigure paused for a moment, "is the entrance."

She stared at the patterns on the stone door, her gaze becoming complex. It was as if she was trying to recall something very important, but her memory was being obscured by something.

"I can't open it," she finally said. "The way I used to open it is different."

Jiang Chen stepped forward and carefully examined the patterns on the stone gate.

He reached out and touched it—it wasn't a stone.

It is a metal.

A metal door made to resemble stone. This is a place marked as a "high-risk collapse zone" by the system.

[Old version facility identification: Area B passage entrance]

【Material: High-strength alloy with artificial stone coating】

[Note: This facility is not marked on the current version of the map]

Jiang Chen took a half step back and looked at the door again. He noticed a line of very small words at the bottom of the door, squatted down, and brought the torch closer.

[Construction Log - Year 37 of the Lunar Calendar - 12th Expansion]

[Project Name: Abyss Game Underground Facility - Area B Passage Entrance]

[Construction company: Data deleted]

[Person in charge: Data deleted]

[Note: This facility has been handed over (data deleted)]

[Progress: Complete]

The following words were crossed out by a deep knife mark.

"Construction log..." Jiang Chen read aloud.

"What?" Qingzhu leaned closer.

"There's a construction log on this door."

He stood up, looking rather unwell.

"It has the project name, construction unit, and signature of the person in charge. This is not part of the copy; it is an underground facility that was created by humans."

The Northern Wolf frowned: "You mean...?"

"It means this instance is built on top of some old facility."

Jiang Chen glanced at the stone gate.

"The system says this is a 'high-risk collapse zone,' but there is a well-organized passage and a man-made metal door here."

The system's pre-announcement recommended taking route A, so why is everyone being directed to avoid this route?

"Because this route was archived after the version update," San Dao said. This was the first complete sentence he had uttered since entering Route B.

"Have you ever thought about this question—why does the system even need to include dungeons?"

"It's to improve the players' skills," Qingzhu said.

"Why would we need 'suggested routes' to improve player performance?" San Dao retorted. "If route A is truly sufficient, the system doesn't need to specifically label it 'recommended.' A recommendation means—if you take a different route, you might discover things you shouldn't have."

Jiang Chen's gaze towards San Dao held a new depth. This taciturn assassin was quick-witted, faster than anyone else.

"So what do we do now?" Northern Wolf patted the stone door. "We can't open it, we can't just stand here."

Shi Yu stared at the patterns on the stone door, then suddenly raised her hand and pressed it.

Her fingers slid along the lines of the veins, first to the right, then up, then to the left, and then down.

She drew a route.

It was exactly the shape of the route they had just taken.

A dull thud came from inside the stone gate.

Click.

The patterns on the stone door began to glow—a dark red light spread outwards from the center, like blood vessels, throughout the entire door.

Shigure's pupils dilated slightly.

"I remember this," she said softly. "I used to... walk this road every day."

The stone gate began to slowly sink.

The entire door panel sank into the ground.

Behind the door was a staircase leading downwards.

The stairs were deep and seemed to have no end. The torches on the walls on both sides lit up automatically, and clusters of flames extended deeper into the stairs, as if something was welcoming them.

[Hidden Area Discovered: Entrance to the Underground Facility from the Old Version]

Experience points gained: +200

[Exploration Reward: 50 Copper Coins]

Jiang Chen's experience bar jumped – from Lv.5 to Lv.6, he had progressed nearly halfway. The system's rewards for hidden areas were far more generous than those for regular monster hunting.

"Are you coming or not?" San Dao asked.

Shi Yu turned to look at Jiang Chen. Her eyes reflected the firelight on the steps.

"There's something down there," she said. "It's important."

"Walk."

Jiang Chen took the first step.

The steps beneath my feet were very solid, and I could take each step very steadily.

But as they went deeper into the area, the air changed from humid and stuffy to cold and damp.

Murals appeared on the walls on both sides of the stairs—painted with colored paint, although they were mottled and peeling off, the original images were still visible.

The first painting depicts a group of people walking in the dark, each holding a torch, their faces showing fear and despair.

In the second painting, a person stands in front of them, raising his hands as if to announce something, and the surrounding crowd kneels down.

In the third painting—those people have disappeared.

Only darkness remained.

"This is a record," Jiang Chen said. "Someone is recording what happened here. A group of people came to a place, met someone, and then they all disappeared."

"Gone?" Northern Wolf frowned. "What do you mean, gone?"

"They just disappeared." San Dao's voice came from behind. "In this instance, disappearing might not be the worst outcome."

The stairs finally came to an end.

Before them lay a vast underground space—so large it didn't seem like an underground place at all. The dome was at least ten meters high, inlaid with a huge luminous crystal that illuminated the entire space as brightly as day. The floor was paved with neat stone slabs, and there were more than a dozen entrances on the surrounding walls, each numbered.

A01, A02, A03...

B01, B02, B03...

The entrance number where they were standing was B07.

[Hidden Area Exploration: Underground Transportation Hub - Outer Ring of Old Dawn City]

Experience points gained: +250

[Exploration Reward: 80 Copper Coins]

He gained another quarter of his experience points. Jiang Chen glanced at the panel—he had progressed two-thirds of the way from Lv.5 to Lv.6. Exploring two more areas would allow him to reach level 6.

"This is an underground transportation hub." Jiang Chen glanced around.

"This shouldn't exist in a level 5 dungeon," Qingzhu said. "Let alone level 5, this scale would be outrageous even in a level 50 dungeon."

Jiang Chen walked to the wall and looked at the information board next to the entrance.

[B07 Lane Termination Area - Normal Traffic Flow]

[Access Point: Old Dawn City, Third Administrative District, Reserved Interface]

[Maintenance Status: Abandoned]

[Last traveled: Year 47 of the lunar calendar, Frost's Descent, No record]

Old Dawn City. Year 47 of the lunar calendar.

It's not the year in the game.

"Jiang Chen." Shi Yu's voice came from behind.

He turned around.

Shi Yu stood in the center of the space, looking up at the huge, glowing crystal. Her expression was as if she were looking at an old object she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I know this place," she said softly.

"You've said it so many times," Qingzhu said uneasily. "How did you know?"

Shi Yu didn't answer. She stared at the crystal, remaining silent for a long time.

"Because of this stone." She pointed, "I used to stand under this stone every day, waiting for someone."

"Waiting for whom?"

Shiyu's gaze wavered for a moment.

"Waiting for someone..." she frowned, "...I don't remember. I remember I was waiting for someone, but who was I waiting for—I can't recall."

For the first time, a deeper emotion appeared in her expression. It wasn't unease, nor confusion.

It is sadness.

Jiang Chen suppressed his doubts and looked around. The doorplates at the entrance of Area A were covered with a thick layer of dust, as if no one had touched them for a long time. But the doorplates in Area B—especially B07—were so clean that they looked like they had just been wiped clean.

"Let's see what's here first," Jiang Chen said. "How much time is left in the dungeon?"

Northern Wolf glanced at the panel: "We've been walking for almost half an hour, and there are less than thirty minutes left."

"Then hurry up."

Jiang Chen walked toward the nearest entrance—A01.

The door was open, and it was pitch black inside. He raised his torch and was about to go inside.

"Don't go into Area A!"

Shi Yu shouted.

Her face turned pale.

"None of the numbers in Area A are allowed to enter."

She stared at the dark entrances. "What's behind those entrances... shouldn't be visible to players of this level."

"When can we watch it?"

Shi Yu opened her mouth.

"I don't know," she said, "but I do know that those who went in...none came out again."

Jiang Chen slowly took two steps back, moving away from the A01 entrance.

He noticed something: the doorplates in area A were covered with a thick layer of dust, while the doorplates in area B were so clean they looked like they had just been wiped.

"Someone came by," Jiang Chen said softly, "just recently."

The northern wolf's expression also changed.

"You mean... besides us, someone else has taken Route B?"

"Or—" San Dao's voice came from the shadows, "they didn't come in from the outside. They came out from those A-sector entrances."

San Dao had already drawn his dagger.

"Something's getting closer. More than one." His voice was soft, but every word was like a nail driven into the air.

Everyone fell silent.

Then they heard a low, slow footstep coming from deep within the entrance to A01.

thump.

It was as if something heavy was treading on the stone steps. Slowly, steadily. Step by step.

thump.

The second sound was closer. It sounded as if that thing had already climbed halfway down the stairs.

Shi Yu grabbed Jiang Chen's wrist.

"Let's go," she said in a low voice, "hurry up."

"Which way?"

Shi Yu's gaze swept across the entrance to Area B, stopping at the farthest number—B01.

"There's a way out over there."

How did you know?

Shi Yu didn't answer. But she grabbed Jiang Chen's wrist and ran in that direction.

The northern wolf cursed, shouldered its shield, and followed.

Qingzhu almost tripped over his staff and staggered before regaining his balance.

San Dao was the last to move, but he was the fastest runner, catching up to the front in just a few steps.

The footsteps grew closer and closer from entrance A01.

And there's more than one.

The same sound also began to emanate from the depths of A02 and A03.

thump.

thump.

thump.

It looked like an army rising in formation from deep underground.

Five people rushed into entrance B01 and ran forward along the passage.

The passage was narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time, and the walls on both sides were covered with cracks.

The footsteps behind me grew increasingly dense, coming from all the entrances to Area A.

——A04, A06, A09——

The dull sound of footsteps echoed from every entrance.

Jiang Chen glanced back as he ran—

He saw a pale hand at the entrance of A01.

It emerged from the darkness and grabbed the doorframe.