The place seemed to be used for keeping live experimental subjects. It had many small rooms, and the walls of more than half of them were covered in scratches, probably made by fingernails. Some crevices had gone black from years without cleaning, and a faint stench lingered in the air.
The six of them made their way down floor by floor. They hadn't noticed anything on the first or second levels, but when they reached the fifth, they suddenly realized their backs were prickling with cold. It was as if something dangerous lurked deep inside the dark underground laboratory.
Yet whether they looked near or far, they couldn't sense the presence of anything unusual.
The two teams exchanged glances, then silently left Underground Level 5 through the elevator passage.
The elevator car had been removed long ago, so the shaft led straight to the surface. Sensing the unusual atmosphere, none of them dared to linger. They headed straight up. To their surprise, as they passed the Elevator Shaft, a cloud of dust suddenly burst through the door to Underground Level 1. Leike, who was closest, took the full blast—and then vanished without a sound.
The Players were quick. By the time they came to their senses, Xu Huo and the other four had reached the surface. They didn't even dare look back, and immediately put some distance between themselves and the Elevator Shaft.
Only after they had retreated outside the main entrance on the first floor did Hehe speak, still shaken. "Was that cloud that rushed at us just ashes or something? It couldn't have been the Dungeon Boss, could it? Does it come out to kill people during the day too?"
The others looked grim as well. After all, their theory had been that the Dungeon Boss acted at