Xiao Jin suddenly turned his head and saw that blurry human faces were slowly emerging on the previously empty wall, and the laughter was coming from those faces.

The human face was distorted and deformed, with empty and eerie eyes. Several arms reached out from the walls and the floor, trying to grab Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin drew his sword and slashed at the outstretched arm, but even as the surrounding arms were chopped into pieces, they continued to appear one after another. As soon as one piece was cut down, a new one would appear.

Xiao Jin jumped up to dodge the arm under his feet, and when he landed, he crushed it hard, causing the arm to explode instantly.

This situation is now somewhat unfavorable.

Xiao Jin couldn't cut off all the arms, but they could continue to harm him. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Jin took out the Ghost Lamp.

As light suddenly burst forth from the darkness, the shrill screams intensified wherever the light touched. The arms on the wall that had been poised to tear Xiao Jin apart seemed to be burned by an invisible force under the glow of the ghost lamp, making a hissing sound, and finally could only reluctantly retreat into the shadows.

The surrounding air distorted slightly, and the mist that had trapped Xiao Jin gradually dissipated, revealing a clearly visible stairwell ahead.

The bright red "1" on the stairwell sign was particularly glaring under the dim yellow light, indicating that Xiao Jin had never been upstairs.

On the ground lay the corpses of players, their faces contorted, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

The players' limbs were brutally torn apart, and blood stained the cold floor tiles. The air was thick with the stench of blood and death, making it suffocating.

However, only a small portion of those who died here were actually killed; at least Xiao Jin didn't see Lu Jing's body inside.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept by, and Xiao Jin seemed to sense something. She turned her head.

The old gatekeeper, a thin man, stood silently at the gate not far behind, his wrinkled eyes gleaming with an eerie light.

The old man's lips curled into a cold smile, seemingly a provocation. The smile was sinister and sent chills down one's spine.

Xiao Jin stared at him for a long time, then narrowed her eyes slightly. The next second, she suddenly sprang out, the blade in her hand flashing like lightning, cutting through the air, and aimed the knife straight at the old man's face.

Damn it, you think you're so great just because I didn't beat you up!

Xiao Jin wouldn't tolerate him. If you're going to just quietly guard the door, don't try anything funny. Can't we all be more peaceful along the way? Why do you have to ask for a beating?

The person opposite seemed to be stunned by Xiao Jin's sudden attack. The smile on his face froze, and he watched as the cold light of the Shattered Shadow Blade tip gradually magnified in his eyes.

This... this isn't going according to the script! Shouldn't you be running away in fear?

Clearly, the gatekeeper is good at using tricks, but he's actually quite incompetent. Those dead players on the ground were probably killed by the arm in the illusion earlier.

If they believe the harm they suffered in the illusion, then that harm will also affect their real bodies.

Xiao Jin shattered the illusion, and the gatekeeper, having no other recourse, could only endure Xiao Jin's crushing beating.

With his main body injured, the gatekeeper could no longer maintain the illusion. His entire ghost body was riddled with holes by Xiao Jin, dripping with blood, and he was firmly pinned to the wall by the shattered shadows.

Those players who were struggling desperately in the illusion seemed to sense something. Suddenly, the ghostly figures in front of them began to distort and dissipate, as if they had been erased by some force.

When the last ghostly figure vanished without a trace, they were surprised to find themselves standing once again in the familiar stairwell, as if no arms or faces had ever appeared, except for the scattered pieces of flesh on the ground.

What's going on?

"I was just fighting those arms so hard, I almost died!"

At that time, some players saw the gatekeeper nailed to the wall and Xiao Jin standing in front of him with murderous intent. What else could be unclear about that?

It turns out it was all that old devil's doing.

One of the lucky ones, whose leg had been torn off, immediately followed in the footsteps of the players around him. With red eyes and trembling, he pulled out a nano-therapy needle and injected it into his body.

Less than a minute later, a new leg grew from his broken joint.

The intense pain seemed to linger in his body, but the player with the broken leg didn't hesitate at all. He stood up impatiently, raised his weapon, and charged at the gatekeeper.

His eyes were filled with rage, and he went straight for the other man's head: "I'll kill you."

"Get out of my way!"

A leg stretched out halfway and kicked him aside.

Meeting his resentful gaze, Xiao Jin felt that any explanation was superfluous. She walked up to the gatekeeper, reached out and pulled out the broken shadow, then strode away.

The player was still unwilling to give up, and was stopped by the person next to him as soon as he stood up.

"Hey! Calm down, they were trying to save you. Have you forgotten what happened with Class Four?"

The player's body trembled slightly, his face pale from lack of blood looking rather unpleasant. He stared at the muddy mess on the ground, raising his weapon several times.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and gave up!

This time, Xiao Jin arrived at the dormitory without any problems. The room she drew was 414, which was separated from 404 by most of the corridor.

Pushing open the door, a musty smell wafted out, and the dimly lit room was filled with flickering light and shadow.

The room wasn't big; it was just a normal school dormitory with three bunk beds inside. There was also a rusty metal cabinet standing by the door.

Xiao Jin walked to a bunk bed by the window, reached out and touched it. The bedding was clean. Then she squatted down and bent her head under the bed.

Beneath the bed lay what seemed like an abyss that swallowed all light, enveloped in a thick, gloomy darkness. But the densely packed, yellowed, old talismans that caught Xiao Jin's eye added a touch of eeriness and unease to this small space.

The edges of the bed frame were slightly rough, and on the wall deep inside, streaks of brown stains clung stubbornly to it, standing out even more in the dim light. At first glance, it was hard to tell whether they were dirt or dried bloodstains.

Xiao Jin's brow twitched visibly.

She didn't touch the talismans pasted under the bed, but instead gently rubbed her forehead and got up. She then checked under the other two beds and found the same thing.

Finally, Xiao Jin stood at the doorway, staring intently at the white paper pasted on the wall.

Dormitory Precautions:

1. All students must be in their dormitories during dormitory checks.

2. Lights out promptly at 10 PM.

3. No talking is allowed in the dormitory after lights out.

4. Ignore any knocking at the door at night.

5. If you encounter a restroom with the lights off, please turn around and leave immediately.

Bold characters were printed on the white paper. Xiao Jin didn't know how much of what was on the paper was credible, but at least on the first night, the players who didn't know the dormitory situation would just obediently follow the instructions.