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

Lu Chen vanished from his spot. He reappeared behind his clone. The purple butterfly knife pierced the fleshy joint of the clone's neck.

The clone didn't turn around. Its back split open, and two mechanical tentacles extended, wrapping around Lu Chen's waist and flinging him into the air.

Lu Chen adjusted his posture in mid-air. He severed the tentacles with his knife. He landed smoothly.

Han Yingying rushed forward. She gripped the knife with both hands, leaped high into the air, and slashed the blade straight at the clone's head.

The clone raised its arm. The arm transformed into a red bone blade, blocking the straight sword.

The two weapons clashed. Han Yingying felt an irresistible force. She was thrown back five steps. Her hand split open, and blood flowed onto the hilt of her sword.

"The difference in physical strength is too great," Han Yingying thought, steadying herself. She couldn't fight head-on. She had to find a weakness.

The clones gave them no chance to breathe. The eight metal limbs of the lower body moved rapidly, rushing towards Han Yingying. Bone blades swung continuously, forming an impenetrable net of blades.

Han Yingying could only retreat, using the narrow space of the corridor to dodge. She kept parrying with her straight knife. Each collision made her arm go numb.

Lin Qi stood in the corner, gripping her short knife. She didn't step forward. She thought, "The level difference is too great. This monster's speed and strength are completely overwhelming. Going up there would be suicide." She glanced at A-Jie, who was working on breaking the access control. The progress bar was at eighty percent.

Lin Qi decided to wait for the door to open. As soon as the door opened, she rushed in to grab her things.

Han Yingying was cornered. She had nowhere to retreat.

The clone's bone blade slashed down from above.

Lu Chen slid in from the side. His butterfly knife pierced the joint of one of the clone's supporting limbs. With a forceful pry, the limb snapped open. The gears at the joint were jammed.

The clone paused for half a second.

Han Yingying seized the opportunity, dodging the bone blade. The straight knife sliced ​​upwards along the clone's arm, cutting through the red flesh to reveal the metal skeleton beneath.

The clone let out a piercing scream. Its other hand slapped at Han Yingying.

Han Yingying drew her sword and retreated.

"Ah Jie, how much longer?" Han Yingying shouted.

"Two minutes." A-Jie was sweating profusely. His fingers flew across the keyboard.

The flesh on the clone's back split open, spewing out a large amount of green poisonous mist. The mist quickly filled the entire corridor.

"Gas mask!" Han Yingying shouted.

The six people quickly put on masks. Lin Qi also put on a mask.

The toxic fumes were highly corrosive. The walls of the corridor were corroded and pitted.

Wang Jianguo switched to armor-piercing rounds. He aimed at the limb that Lu Chen had trapped in the clone and fired continuously. The armor-piercing rounds severed the limb. The clone lost its balance and tilted to one side.

"A good opportunity." Lu Chen charged forward again. He stepped on the severed limbs of the clone and leaped onto its back. The butterfly knife searched for the nerve center connecting to the head.

Tentacles extended from the back of the clone once more. Lu Chen weaved among the tentacles, dodging attacks.

Han Yingying watched the clone's movements. A piece of code flashed through her mind. It was the data she had encountered in the maze earlier.

"Its core isn't in the head. It's in the abdomen," Han Yingying shouted.

She charged at the clone. The clone swung its bone blade to block her.

Lin Qi watched from the corner. She thought, "If this monster doesn't die, I won't be able to escape even if the door opens."

Lin Qi moved. She pushed her speed to the limit, transforming into a black shadow as she charged towards the clone from the other side. Instead of attacking the clone, she used the wall as a springboard to leap above its head.

She drew two short knives, crossed her arms, and threw them with force.

Two short knives pierced the clone's eyes.

The clone lost its sight and let out a frantic roar, wildly swinging its bone blades.

Han Yingying seized the opportunity to slide tackle, passing under the bone blade swung by the clone and reaching its abdomen.

There was a red crystal on its abdomen, emitting a strong light.

Han Yingying gripped the straight knife tightly with both hands. With all her might, she plunged the knife into the crystal.

The crystal shattered.

The clone stopped moving. The red light dimmed. The massive body collapsed, turning into a pile of scrap metal and mangled flesh.

The system notification tone did not sound.

"Done." Han Yingying pulled out the knife, panting heavily.

Ah Jie pressed the Enter key. "The door opened."

The heavy metal door slid open slowly to both sides.

There were no lights in the control room. Only the blue light emanating from countless server screens.

In the center of the room was a large, circular control console. In the middle of the console, suspended in the air, was a transparent sphere. Inside the sphere was a miniature model of a city, its surface covered in red veins.

"What is this?" Wang Jianguo walked in and looked at the sphere.

"Incubator." Ajay connected the tablet to the console. Data was quickly read. "Zero is utilizing real-world energy to incubate a new space. Once incubation is complete, reality and the game will be fully integrated."

Han Yingying walked to the control panel. She saw a silver safe on the panel.

Lin Qi walked over and reached for the safe.

Han Yingying pressed the scabbard against the safe. "Here's what you wanted."

"Yes." Lin Qi looked at Han Yingying. "Transaction complete. The items are mine."

Han Yingying sheathed her sword. Lin Qi picked up the safe and turned to walk towards the door.

"You can't leave," Han Yingying said. "The building's perimeter is sealed off."

Lin Qi didn't stop. "I have my own way." She disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

A-Jie typed on the keyboard. "Boss. Found it. The other half of the core data is on the motherboard of this console. I'm downloading it now."

Han Yingying stared at the progress bar on the screen. The memories in her mind were becoming clearer and clearer.

She remembered that day ten years ago.

Han Fei strapped her to the operating table and injected a piece of code into her spinal cord.

"Yingying. This is the underlying logic of zero. Only you can bear it. You are the lock. And the key." Han Fei's voice echoed in her mind.

Han Yingying touched the back of her neck. There was a faint scar there.

"Download complete." A-Jie pulled out a black hard drive and handed it to Han Yingying.

Han Yingying took the hard drive and put it in her pocket. She thought, "The data is complete. Next, I need to find Zero's original data and delete it completely."

Deep within the control room, the sound of machinery whirring could be heard.

A hidden elevator door slowly opened.

The lights came on.

A person stepped out of the elevator.

He was wearing a clean white lab coat, gold-rimmed glasses, and had a pale face.

Han Yingying stared at the man. Her hand gripped the knife hilt tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Lu Chen stepped forward, blocking Han Yingying's path. The butterfly knife slid into his palm.

The person stepped out of the elevator. Looking at them, they adjusted their glasses.

"Yingying, you've grown up," Han Fei said gently, just like ten years ago.

Han Yingying didn't speak. She looked at Han Fei's feet. Han Fei had no shadow.

"You're not my brother." Han Yingying drew her straight knife, the tip pointing at Han Fei.

Han Fei smiled. "I am. I am not. I am just a ghost he left in this system."