A buzzing vibration came from the system panel.

Ge Dalong sent a message in the team chat, reminding everyone to get ready to set off once they were all packed.

Zhang Shi gathered his thoughts and checked the equipment one last time to ensure everything was in perfect working order.

At exactly nine o'clock, Ge Dalong launched the dungeon challenge on time, and the group disappeared into a streak of light within their respective shelters.

The four of them appeared simultaneously in front of a village. When Zhang Shi opened his eyes, he found that the sky was dark and the surroundings were filled with a thick fog that stretched as far as the eye could see. Only the direction of the village in front of him was vaguely visible.

Zhao Feng looked around in confusion and asked softly.

"Where did this village come from in this wilderness? Could there be an indigenous civilization here?"

Ge Dalong reached out and felt around with both hands before replying.

“We arrived at nine o’clock in the morning. It had been light for a while, the sunlight was very strong, and the body temperature was about minus 10 degrees Celsius.”

"The temperature here is around 10 degrees Celsius, and the sunlight is blocked, so it's impossible to judge the time from the sky."

Wu Qing added.

"Are you saying this isn't a wilderness?"

After listening to everyone's deductions, Zhang Shi thought of the mysterious storage room behind the mine and was more inclined to believe that this was a relic left over from the wilderness.

Ge Dalong glanced at the team interface and noticed that an additional quest objective had appeared after the dungeon opened. It read:

Main storyline

Task 1: Find the path to the Village of Doubt.

Ge Dalong informed everyone of his discovery.

Zhao Feng immediately became interested and teased him with a smile.

"You know what, this dungeon actually does have a bit of an escape room vibe."

...

The group walked slowly toward the village entrance, only to find upon closer inspection that the entrance was surrounded by a dark wall with a large, dark red wooden gate in the center. The rest of the village was shrouded in mist and could not be clearly seen.

Zhang Shi used the Dingzhen method to conduct an appraisal and received an unexpected hint.

"Ding! I can tell at a glance: Lost Mist."

【Lost Fog: Commonly found in dungeons haunted by evil spirits and ghosts. Extremely dangerous creatures lurk deep within the fog; survivors who venture too far will quickly lose their senses and become lost in the mist.】

Zhang Shi flicked the appraisal tool at the wooden door again. This time, no information appeared; instead, the wooden door was highlighted in the mirror.

Zhang Shi seemed to be deep in thought, then shared the appraisal information and helplessly shrugged.

"It looks like we'll have to solve the puzzles step by step."

Somewhat skeptical, Zhao Feng unleashed a sweeping attack towards the edge of the mist. The Firestone Giant Axe swept into the mist, leaving a trail of flames.

As expected, the air currents stirred up by the giant axe did not disperse the fog, and the axe blade did not react when it entered the fog.

Zhao Feng sheathed his giant axe, examined it carefully, and found nothing unusual. He then abandoned his study of the mist and turned to chop fiercely at the wooden door again.

Ge Dalong's eyes narrowed; he wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

"Bang!"

There seemed to be an invisible wall of air above the wooden door, which deflected all of Zhao Feng's force back.

Zhao Feng's strength attribute was as high as 16 points. The sudden force transmitted from the axe knocked him to the ground.

Zhang Shi's heart tightened, and he was about to step forward to check. Zhao Feng, on the other hand, had already gotten up first, staring angrily at the wooden door, his hands still trembling slightly from the force of the impact.

Seeing that Zhao Feng was alright, Zhang Shi breathed a sigh of relief and scolded him.

"Brother Feng, be careful. This place is eerie. Don't let a moment of carelessness cause you to make a mistake."

Zhao Feng felt utterly humiliated, but there was nothing he could do about the wooden door, so he could only nod dejectedly.

Seeing Zhao Feng's setback, Ge Dalong guessed that opening the wooden door was the key to passing the checkpoint, and also gave up the idea of ​​climbing over it.

Ge Dalong must have some kind of method for identifying items. He leaned closer to the wooden door and examined it carefully. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly took two steps back.

Seeing his expression, Zhao Feng quickly stepped forward and asked him.

"Old Ge, what did you find? Stop keeping me in suspense."

Ge Dalong's expression was solemn as he pointed to the wooden door and said, "This door, the threshold, and the bolts are all made of locust wood, and the paint on the door is..."

"What is it? Finish your sentence!"

Ge Dalong's face was already quite pale at this point. He let out a breath before continuing.

"The ancients believed that 'one should not put their head on mulberry wood or step on locust wood,' because they thought that this type of wood had a heavy yin energy and rarely used locust wood to make furniture."

"And the paint on this gate wasn't ordinary oil paint, it was blood."

Ge Dalong's words sent chills down everyone's spines, and the scene fell silent. Wu Qing even silently took two steps closer to the crowd.

Zhang Shi also noticed the village's anomaly. The group had been inside the instance for some time, yet they hadn't heard a single sound; the space seemed like a sealed environment, without even a breeze.

Although the group had become accustomed to the various dangers of the wilderness, those were all battles against wild beasts and natural disasters. This bizarre scene was something they had never encountered before, and they couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

Zhao Feng, however, refused to believe it and wandered around the courtyard wall, shouting loudly.

"I am a staunch materialist and I do not believe in these superstitious beliefs."

As soon as he finished speaking, as if in response to Zhao Feng, he lost his footing and seemed to fall into a trap.

With lightning speed, Zhao Feng swung his giant axe horizontally, wedging it in the ground and hanging himself on it.

Zhang Shi quickly pulled Zhao Feng out and glanced at the hole Zhao Feng had fallen into. He discovered it was actually a dry well, right next to the courtyard wall. Suspiciously, none of them had noticed its existence.

As Zhao Feng climbed out of the well, his heart rate soared. He dared not speak loudly anymore, fearing that he might have offended someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Zhang Shi examined it and found that the dry well was also highlighted.

I took a closer look at the dry well. It wasn't deep and was very dry. In the dim light, I could see many palm-sized pieces of wood inside, with words carved on them.

Zhang Shi guessed that these wooden blocks were likely the key to opening the wooden door. He steeled himself, took out a long rope, tied one end around his waist, and handed the other end to Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng was taken aback, then immediately stopped him.

“Stone, this place is very eerie. You saw it just now, this well suddenly appeared under my feet. There might be something strange inside. We can’t go down.”

Zhang Shi shook his head and said firmly.

“Since this place is a dungeon, nothing appears out of nowhere. The thing in the well is likely the key to opening the door. The well isn’t deep, so if there’s any danger, pull me up as soon as possible.”

Seeing that Zhang Shi was determined to leave, Wu Qing took out an incense stick and lit it.

Everyone discovered that their physical attributes had increased by 2 points.

Ge Dalong also took out a headlamp and handed it to Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi hung it on his head and was lowered into the mine like a miner.

Zhao Feng tied the rope around his waist as well, keeping his eyes fixed on the well. If anything seemed amiss, he would pull Zhang Shi out immediately.

The well opening was not wide. Zhang Shi spread his arms and legs and slid down the well wall slowly. He reached the bottom of the well in no time.

By the light of his miner's lamp, Zhang Shi could see the scene below. There was nothing unusual at the bottom of the well; apart from a dozen or so wooden plaques with inscriptions, there were no other objects.

After putting away the wooden sign, Zhang Shi looked up and found that the well opening was shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly. He could only see four heads peering into the well.

Zhang Shi's pupils contracted, and he immediately got goosebumps all over his body, feeling as if every hair on his body stood on end.