Where's the cute girl we were promised? She's completely wiped out S-rank dungeons!

Song Yuan tilted her head in confusion: "...You actually really care about him?"

Zhao Meng sobbed as she said fiercely, "Of course I'm sincere towards him! What else did you think? Love means unwavering loyalty... Yes, yes, you're right! My love is such a failure, sob sob sob... Even love has failed, what's the point of my life, sob sob sob..."

"?"

I didn't say that; you said it yourself.

Song Yuan held up a flashlight, looking at her crying with a puzzled expression, completely unable to understand why Zhao Meng was so sad:

Although her attending physician had told her that people usually fall into great sadness after being betrayed in love, what is there to like about He Xiao, a scumbag in every field, that makes her cry like this?

She still couldn't empathize with normal people.

"Fine, if you don't want to cooperate, then that's it."

She deliberately got caught to unlock a new scene. There's a high probability that new clues are hidden along her escape route: and that's the key to her success.

Holding a flashlight, she went to the door, took out the tool Qiao Ran had given her, and tried to unlock it:

[Ding~ Player "Song Yuan" has used a D-grade item, the Universal Key]

[Ding~ Lock unlocking failed. This item is not suitable for this scenario. Please try other unlocking methods.]

System items are divided into items that can be purchased in the shop and upgrade items that randomly drop in the game. As the name suggests, upgrade items can be continuously upgraded.

Qiao Ran's master key is a kind of item that can be developed. It's a beautifully crafted glass key that you use by lightly touching the door you want to open.

Song Yuan put away the key and checked the door lock. The wooden doors here all used bolts, so prying the lock wouldn't work.

She flexed her wrists, and just as she was considering whether to kick the door down, a small toy was tossed to her feet:

Zhao Meng sobbed, "Use this. Waaah... It'll be a waste of your time. Even if you open the door, you won't be able to get out. He gave me this prop, waaaah..."

Song Yuan picked it up and saw that it was a small decoder. It was disc-shaped with a handle in the middle, like a small iron.

[Ding~ Player Song Yuan has used an A-grade item, the Universal Decoder]

I picked it up and placed it on the wooden door, and the small device automatically attached itself. The fluorescent blue display screen flickered a few times, and the outer door latch clicked open—it actually opened!

As expected of a prop taken from the nephew of the vice president of Midnight Ghosts, it works really well.

Song Yuan removed the decoder and tossed it back into Zhao Meng's arms: "This is much better. Get up, let's leave here."

She went back into the room and checked the women's breathing. When she found one who was still breathing, she supported the person's back with one hand and the back of their knees with the other, picked them up horizontally, and carried them out of the room to the ground outside.

After smelling the fresh air, the women felt a little better, but they weren't ready to wake up anytime soon. Song Yuan turned to ask Zhao Meng, who looked completely bewildered:

"What other items do you have? What are your weapons and talents? What did you mean when you said you couldn't get out even if you opened the door? Tell me everything, quickly."

Zhao Meng was stunned by her command, and answered blankly while wiping away her tears:

"I... I don't have any other items on me... My weapon is a mini deck of cards, my talent is speed escape, and what I meant by not being able to get out even after opening the door is... Wait a minute! Why am I telling you all my personal information in such detail?!"

Song Yuan put the girl down and turned to politely ask, "What's your IQ?"

Zhao Meng: "6...60? What's wrong...?"

Oh, no wonder.

"Nothing much," Song Yuan said, standing up after settling the women in the room. She walked up to Zhao Meng and said firmly, "Tell me everything you know, and we'll work together to leave this place. The fact that the players were brought here means there might be some clues on the escape route. Don't you want to finish the game?"

She nodded tearfully, instinctively reaching for Song Yuan's hand for comfort, but Song Yuan avoided her. Zhao Meng felt a little wronged.

"But we can't get out. I've been here for a day and a night. There are dogs in the front yard; we can't force our way out. We can only go through the back hill. But there are... there are..."

Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally spoke in a trembling voice:

"There's... there's a ghost wall! No matter how long or how far I run, I always end up back in the same place! I must be possessed by a ghost!"

Song Yuan nodded, opened the door and walked out: "Okay, let's go then."

Zhao Meng quickly tiptoed to catch up: "Hey, are you even listening to me...? I'm not lying to you! I've tried dozens of times..."

Song Yuan went to the front yard to check the situation first. She crouched behind the wall, peeking out with only her eyes to observe carefully. She found that there was indeed a wolfhound. This dog was well-fed and glossy, with strong muscles in its limbs and a set of white teeth as sharp as knives. If it were bitten, the bones would probably be bitten through.

Zhao Meng muttered under her breath, "I wonder what this dog ate to grow so big..."

Song Yuan casually remarked, "Maybe it's human flesh search."

"What did you say?! Don't say things like that, it's terrifying!"

Song Yuan judged that the place she was in was probably an abandoned thatched hut belonging to a family—because both the interior decoration and the clogged, dusty well in the yard indicated that no one had lived there properly for a long time.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhao Meng sniffed and explained to her:

"Women who are disobedient no matter what, or whose bodies are broken, will be sent here."

They must have all been trafficked. Ugh... because they're no longer of any value, they're kept here, only paid a tiny amount of money... and after they've done *that*, they'll be locked up again.

These injuries on my body were inflicted when they attacked me after I escaped and when I returned... Each time, they drained a large portion of my health, making me weaker and weaker, and further hindering my escape.

As Zhao Meng spoke, she observed Song Yuan's expression. From the moment Song Yuan entered, Zhao Meng felt that something was off about this young girl—she showed very little emotional fluctuation.

Most people would feel pity, sympathy, or anger upon hearing these words.

"Really?" Song Yuan responded indifferently, indicating that she had overheard. "Then why are you still here? Hasn't anyone bought you?"

Zhao Meng tapped her index finger: "Because my prices are high, no one is buying me yet. It seems to depend on luck; those with bad luck set their prices lower and leave even faster."

Song Yuan, who had the worst luck: "...Have you searched the room?"

"Hmm! There are only a few old chairs and a few old books. They're all very strange things, but you didn't see anything..."

Song Yuan picked up a book and quickly flipped through it: "Just because it's useless to you doesn't mean it's useless to me."

Zhao Meng: "......"

Please, don't be so cruel and hurtful.

The books were important clues in the copy. Song Yuan examined them one by one. They mainly recorded two things: one was teaching people how to draw talismans to exorcise ghosts—but strangely, this part was blurred and Song Yuan couldn't see it.

Only the latter part, which teaches how to perform rituals to summon ghosts, is clearly visible:

"...Choose an auspicious year, month, and day, in a damp and shady place, and select a pure black dog without any impurities."

They cast bronze into bells and used human teeth as tongues.

Ring the bell forty-nine times, then offer a live sacrifice to the black dog, and a chilling wind will arise.

Hanged ghosts, drowned spirits, and all sorts of evil spirits gather at the sound.