Chapter 135: The Deformed Doctor, the Gut Puller, the Human Dog, the Invisible Stench…

Chapter 135 The Malformed Doctor, the Entrail Extractor, the Man-Dog Hybrid, the Unseen Decay...

At the same time, under Chang Shuyue's guidance, Yu Yin successfully established contact with Bai Feizhang.

Like two diverging rivers finally merging into one, the two groups of players with the highest exploration progress exchanged intelligence, assembling the "complete picture" of this dungeon's backstory—the "complete picture" arranged for them by Yi Fengchu.

Though they knew the existence of the Ill-Fate Witch was not something the three of them could contend with, the perfect clearance rewards and related hidden intelligence represented by this boss were simply irresistibly tempting...

Especially for Yu Yin. She thought of how her Mentor had recently been searching for a high-level ability-user of the Fate Domain. This would undoubtedly be a great opportunity to earn her Mentor's praise!

Thus, Yu Yin and the others once again considered rallying the remaining players to seek final cooperation.

And under the push of fate, the players who still had energy to spare coincidentally converged within the school for various reasons. Everything progressed exceptionally smoothly.

With this, the two protagonists, Chu Fu and Elius, were about to take their positions, while the secondary players and audience members moved toward their respective places. The entire dungeon operated like a massive theatrical stage, running in an orderly manner.

Inside Guiyin University.

"The following is an important announcement."

"Due to security threats, the university will suspend all classes effective immediately. Students still on campus are to remain in their dormitories for independent study, keeping doors and windows locked and communication devices operational. Avoid going out unless absolutely necessary, and strictly prohibited from approaching the library area. Otherwise, the university cannot guarantee your personal safety."

"Food, drinking water, and other necessities will be centrally distributed by the university at 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 6:00 PM daily, placed outside dormitory doors. Staff responsible for distribution will knock three times as a signal. If you hear any other knocking, do not respond."

"Important note: Do not answer unknown calls, do not respond to sounds outside the dormitory, and try to move in groups of 2–3 to avoid being isolated."

"Please be assured, the university employs enhanced security protocols. As long as dormitory doors and windows remain closed, the interior is absolutely safe and will protect students' personal safety."

"For the university's order, as well as your safety and future, we appreciate your cooperation."

"The announcement will now repeat..."

As Yu Yin listened to the announcement, she pinched a piece of blood-soaked raw beef between her fingers and fed it to the red dress she wore.

Countless thin, fungus-like red blood vessels immediately extended from the hem of the dress, pouncing on the beef like excited puppies. The tips of the vessels eagerly burrowed into the meat, draining it into a desiccated husk in the blink of an eye.

The players had gathered once again in the club's activity room, but Chang Shuyue, under the surveillance of the urban legend "I See You," couldn't attend. Yu Yin temporarily took her place as the leader.

As a disciple of the Red Tree Apostle and a future Life Domain divine chosen, none objected to Yu Yin assuming leadership.

Yu Yin scanned the room and chuckled. "More people showed up this time. Aside from those who might have been eliminated or restrained by urban legends, everyone should be here."

"It's unavoidable. Circumstances force our hand. This dungeon's progression is faster than we expected."

A player responded with a grim expression. "The first day was relatively normal, probably the dungeon giving us time to adapt. On the second day, urban legends everywhere became active, making defense impossible. And now—"

"All urban legends are moving abnormally, converging on this university as if answering some kind of call, or 'summons'... Even the local authorities have begun organized evacuation and defense measures. If we stay scattered, the risks will only grow."

"Clearly, the dungeon's core must be inside the university. But we don’t understand—what are the urban legends doing?"

Yu Yin smiled faintly. "I can answer those questions for you."

Her offhand comment instantly captured the attention of all players like a sharp fishing lure:

"Through joint investigation with Chang Shuyue, we’ve confirmed what the urban legends are responding to—and even know where the dungeon’s core is located and what we’ll face there."

"This isn’t a competitive dungeon, and everyone here is a friend. We’re willing to share intelligence, but on one condition—"

Under the players' expectant gazes, Yu Yin paused before emphasizing, "Those who share the intelligence must participate in exploring the dungeon’s core and follow orders, provided it doesn’t threaten their personal safety or interests."

"Don’t look for loopholes. You all know Chang Shuyue’s ability, right? Once you swear to this oath, your hearts won’t be able to betray or leak secrets."

A player studied her and probed, "It appears the dungeon’s core and that final boss are dangerous—dangerous enough that even a Life Domain player like you wants to share the risk."

"What dungeon boss isn’t dangerous?"

Yu Yin gestured openly. "Of course, you can choose not to hear my intel and go solo, relying on limited clues and truths, triggering a few urban legends and surviving for an average rating."

"None of the system’s three tasks require approaching the dungeon’s core or facing that troublesome boss—but I believe many players share our desire for greater ambitions and exploration."

"The final veil shrouding this dungeon is right before us. Don’t you want to reveal it yourselves?"

"......"

The players looked at each other and fell silent.

After a moment, a few stood and wordlessly left the classroom.

The rest turned to Yu Yin, their choice obvious without speaking.

"Good. Friends, here's to successful cooperation!"

Yu Yin mimicked Chang Shuyue’s tone before adding, "As a bonus, I’ll give you Task Three’s answer at no cost."

「Task 3 (Side): They died, but they will return—Identify their killer.」

"'They' refers to all members of the Paranormal Society. Over half a month before we entered the dungeon, they died in an urban legend’s scheme. Now, some members have been replaced by players, while others are urban legend constructs of unknown origin. If encountered, be cautious."

"The killer is the urban legend 'Sacred Spirit in the Mirror,' also called the 'Person in the Mirror.'"

Someone couldn’t help interrupting, "Thanks for generously sharing the task answer, but how does this relate to the dungeon boss?"

"According to our informant at the containment facility, a survivor affected by the Person in the Mirror unconsciously uttered an unfamiliar honorific on their sickbed. Two lines in it contained significant information."

"One line was 'Mother of All Urban Legends.' This confirmed the containment files’ speculation about urban legends’ origins—there truly exists a 'mother' who creates terror and disaster, birthing all urban legends. She is undoubtedly this dungeon’s foundation."

"The other line directly pointed to the boss’s identity. If you’ve studied occult history, you might have heard of her... the Ill-Fate Witch, who vanished a millennium ago, said to govern the negative aspects of fate."

Here, Yu Yin couldn’t help but feel grateful for the days and nights her Mentor forced her to read *The Twelve Volumes of Occult History*.

Otherwise, what young player would remember a figure from thousands of years ago?

Indeed, such ancient titles immediately revealed which players were history-blind.

But they didn’t need to know the Ill-Fate Witch’s exact deeds. Much could be inferred from the honorific’s meaning.

In a sense, "ancient" in the occult world was synonymous with power and danger, while keywords like "negative aspects of fate" hinted at the boss’s general ability domain.

Yu Yin continued, "The urban legends are all converging toward the school—more precisely, toward their 'mother’s' dwelling: the large-scale scenario urban legend inside the school library, the 'Endless Library.'"

"Our mission is challenging, but the hidden rewards are immense. Perfectly clearing the dungeon won’t just grant higher ratings and point rewards—there’s also a chance for hidden achievements, auras, and items."

"More importantly, this dungeon likely involves the latest intelligence on a Fate Domain High Lord."

Among all the lures of points and items, the last line stirred the other players the most.

Intelligence meant foresight, which could be decisive in a close struggle.

In the occult world, while power was the timeless currency, intelligence on high-level secrets was equally priceless—especially concerning an ancient existence like the Ill-Fate Witch, who had been in a unique state and vanished for years.

The sharp-minded players had already begun to speculate, piecing together clues to recent rumors of oracles issued by the Lord of Fate...

By that logic, the Ill Fate Witch was a fugitive personally denounced by the True God, an enemy of His.

If they could uncover her current state and offer it to the ascendant new gods with growing influence, they might earn the allegiance of all Fate's faithful—perhaps even the favor and blessings of fate itself...

This was a direct line to a True God!

As for the risks, the players present were all high-level with impressive credentials, each holding a few get-out-of-jail-free cards. In critical moments, they could even emergency log out—risky, but manageable.

After running the numbers, their exploration bug bit harder.

They were no hesitation types; once a goal was set, they moved fast. To avoid the ramping up threats of urban legends, they quickly made their way to the school library.

It was already past nine in the morning.

Yet the morning mist, instead of dissipating under the sunlight, grew thicker, like a heavy wool blanket hovering low in the sky.

The fog enveloped the library, swallowing up the sky and sunlight, leaving only a wall of gray.

Walking through the mist felt like being tangled in wet spiderwebs, their skin clammy with damp, their breaths filled with humid air.

"What unpleasant weather," Yu Yin murmured, gazing up at the library before her.

The library was designed in a neo-Gothic tower style, with two symmetrical white spires resembling mirrored sentinels in white facing each other from afar, connected by arched bridges and corridors.

Now, the towers were nearly invisible in the fog, blending into the haze like a slumbering leviathan.

Whoosh—

Just as the players cautiously surveyed their surroundings, a chilly wind swept by, tearing a gap in the fog slightly to reveal a shadowy figure behind it...

A pure white statue.

The statue depicted an alumnus renowned for outstanding achievements in medicine, clad in surgical attire. Above the carved medical mask were keen, dissecting eyes, one hand holding a stack of medical records, the other gripping a scalpel.

"Wait..."

A player squinted and suddenly spoke up, "That statue—I don’t remember it being placed there before!"

Before the words fully left his mouth, the statue abruptly turned its gaze toward them, as if brought to life. With stiff, synchronized movements of its limbs, it charged toward the players—heavy-footed yet alarmingly fast.

The statue’s charge was like a cavalry charge breaking the line, shattering the illusion of calm.

Behind it, more shadows emerged from the mist—various urban legends:

A bloated corpse with intestines coiled around its neck, a slobbering, ravenous hyena with a human face, and an invisible, putrid stench seeping into their lungs...

The system’s notifications flooded in, syncing eerily with the players’ rapidly accelerating heartbeats:

「Congratulations, players have unlocked urban legends—Deformed Doctor, Gut Ripper, Human Hound, Invisible Rot...」

「For delving deeper into the dungeon’s core, an additional 20% exploration progress has been rewarded.」

「Good luck.」