Chapter 136: Entering the Instance

The man in white acted as if he hadn't heard Qingyan's words at all, continuing to speak to himself.

"Our wedding should be in a month. Have you thought about what kind of wedding dress you'd like?"

Hearing this, Qingyan was furious. "I'm talking to you, Bai Chen! Can you not understand what I'm saying? Is there something wrong with the brains of everyone in the Bai family?"

Bai Chen smiled and replied, "Darling, you should know that I have a bottom line, and that is that no one is allowed to speak ill of the Bai family."

Upon hearing his words, Qingyan's expression suddenly darkened.

Bai Chen continued, "It seems you really have fallen for this pretty boy. In that case, I suppose I'll just have to send you both to your deaths."

His tone had been calm for the first half of his sentence, but as he finished, a sinister smile crept across his face.

Sensing that something was wrong, Qingyan immediately moved to Xi Yan's side and said urgently, "He’s very dangerous. We have to leave here immediately."

"But do you really think we can get away now?"

Xi Yan looked around and gestured for Qingyan to do the same. She turned to see that the Lost Ones, which had previously been stationary, were now active once again. Behind the horde, Bai Chen watched them with a terrifying smile playing on his lips.

"Roar!"
"Roar!"

One after another, the Lost Ones charged at them. Xi Yan could only barely hold them back with his Light Wood Sword, while Qingyan summoned Little Jin to assist her.

But they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Although the Lost Ones were not high-level, there were simply too many of them. Before long, fatigue began to set in. They could no longer fend off the creatures perfectly, and Xi Yan missed several times, nearly being struck by the monsters.

As the situation deteriorated, Xi Yan’s brain raced, desperately searching for a way out of the predicament. He suddenly remembered the map Clara had given him; logically, Clara shouldn't be trying to harm him, even if the supermarket had indeed been the site of an accident.

Forget it!

Xi Yan pushed the chaotic thoughts aside and said to Qingyan, "Hold them off for me! I need to check the map to see if I can find a way out!"

"Right!" Qingyan agreed.

The roles shifted: Qingyan stood at the front, blocking the assault, while Xi Yan stood behind her, pulling up the map to study their escape route. Perhaps it was the pressure of the crisis, but Xi Yan felt his mind go blank; he couldn't think of any solution.

"Calm down, stay calm! You have so much left to do. Think slowly; there must be a way to get out of here."

Xi Yan desperately repeated these words to himself. The mental exercise worked; his heart slowed, and he began to examine the map carefully. It marked many dungeons, and their current location was the largest one in the area.

They were surrounded by Lost Ones, and there was also the mysterious, powerful Bai Chen. Judging by Qingyan’s reaction, Bai Chen was formidable, and staying to fight would end in disaster.

Then...

Xi Yan analyzed every path leading to other dungeons and finally selected one, calling out to Qingyan immediately.

"Qingyan! Follow me!"

Qingyan turned without hesitation and followed Xi Yan as he ran toward the supermarket where the accident had occurred. It had collapsed, leaving no visible path, but after a moment of doubt, Qingyan continued to follow him.

When they reached the ruins of the supermarket, Xi Yan suddenly stopped. The Lost Ones behind them were about to catch up. Although Qingyan was anxious, she didn't urge him to hurry. For some reason, she felt an instinctive trust in Xi Yan—she believed he could lead her to safety.

"Here! Follow me!"

Time was running out, so Xi Yan instinctively grabbed Qingyan’s hand and pulled her into the collapsed structure. Though Xi Yan didn't notice his own action, Qingyan did. As she looked at their joined hands, her heart skipped a beat, and a blush crept onto her cheeks—a detail that went entirely unnoticed by Xi Yan.

"I’ve realized that Clara likely didn't try to hurt us on purpose. There’s no benefit for him in harming me now. If he wanted me dead, he could have acted back at the service area; there was no need for such an elaborate ruse."

"Therefore, the collapse of that supermarket wasn't an accident—it was caused by the man standing behind those Lost Ones."

Xi Yan explained his analysis as they ran, and Qingyan listened silently, allowing him to keep holding her hand.

"And I’m leaning toward the latter. That means there must still be a way to enter this dungeon!"

"Right."

That single, soft word made Xi Yan glance back at her while he ran. The look made him feel a strange sensation, and he immediately turned his head back.

He led Qingyan to the front of the vending machine again. If the map’s method wasn't working, he would try the most brutal approach possible. Just as he raised his foot to kick the machine, something suddenly sucked them in. Because he was still holding Qingyan’s hand, she was pulled in with him.

The Lost Ones behind them stopped in their tracks. Bai Chen watched the spot where they had vanished, his eyes darkening.

"Let’s see how you two manage to survive this dungeon. Even if you do, I’ll be waiting here to finish you off."

A sinister smile remained on Bai Chen’s lips.

...

Xi Yan and Qingyan were sucked directly into the dungeon. They felt the world go black for a moment, only to see light again a second later.

When they saw the scene before them, they were filled with a profound sense of helplessness. They stood in front of an enormous amusement park, and the park was filled with... people.

"Are... are these real people?" Qingyan asked in disbelief.

The crowd looked perfectly normal, but it was impossible for there to be so many people in this dungeon.

"I think... some of these people are survivors, while others are likely products of the dungeon itself."