25. Afternoon / Third Basement Level (Please follow for updates~)

Third basement level.

"Are we supposed to stay here until we die?" the young girl asked, sitting in the corner of the room. "Or do you have a plan?"

Marn opened his eyes and looked at her.

"I do have some ideas."

He certainly did.

He would head to Ward 213 on the second basement level, locate the Bureau of Abnormal Control, use the "employee passage" he had mentioned to leave this place, and set off for the Southern Federation to enjoy his retirement.

Of course, he would also have to "greet" Xu Wen.

He then asked, "By the way, how long have you been waiting?"

Ning Changkong stood up and shrugged. "Half a minute, maybe."

"I arrived almost immediately after you; logically, you shouldn't have had time to sit down." Marn shrugged as he said this. "But then again, time is not constant in physics."

A rustling of footsteps echoed from outside.

Both the girl and Marn turned their gaze toward the doorway.

*Click.*

Something pushed the door open.

The first to walk in was a wizened old man, his skin so wrinkled and his body so thin that his skeletal frame was visible. When he saw Marn and Ning Changkong, his face lit up with distinct joy.

"These two newcomers look quite lovely," said the fat man who squeezed in behind him, his entire body covered in green fish scales. His eyes swept over Marn and Ning Changkong with greed.

The third to enter was a woman. The left side of her face had no flesh left, replaced instead by chitinous, insect-like armor. A massive compound eye occupied two-thirds of that side of her face, and her left arm resembled a giant insect pincer.

The skeletal old man spoke: "You are lucky. You didn't run into the Cannibal Cult on the seventh floor, nor the Pathfinders on the eighth, and you managed to avoid the frenzied beast herds of the ninth. And then, we found you.

"Plus, you both look quite good. I almost want to peel your skin off right now."

The insect-woman added: "The Queen will be very satisfied. Come with us. Don't be afraid; not only do you have no chance of escaping, but soon, you will be just like us."

The fat fish-man suggested: "I'm hungry. Can I tear off two of their arms first?"

The old man replied: "The Queen doesn't want damaged goods. Be patient. Even I can control my urge to skin them."

Hearing the mention of skinning, the fish-scaled man flinched and took two steps back.

Seeing this, Ning Changkong stood silently behind Marn and lowered her voice: "I don't know if it's just me, but I see a skeleton, a fish monster, and an insect-woman with feminine features."

Marn said: "Could you... could you give me a moment?"

The three freaks looked at him simultaneously.

The old man grinned, his expression eerily twisted. "Go ahead. I was worried you two might run away, but you’re both surprisingly calm."

Marn asked: "Could you introduce me to this place? For instance, the 'Queen' you mentioned, or the other floors. We're new here..."

"Excellent, absolutely excellent!" The old man's tone was one of crazed jealousy. "A brave man and a beautiful girl—she will surely adore you."

The girl whispered behind Marn: "Should we run?"

Marn raised a hand slightly, signaling her not to panic.

"Follow us and see for yourselves," the old man said, gesturing for his companions to head out. "Then we'll talk."

They followed.

Marn and Ning Changkong immediately noticed how this place defied reality.

Behind them, aside from the door, were endless gray walls. The corridor felt like a bottomless, dark abyss, and the ceiling towered dozens of meters above.

The old man led them back the way they came. "This place is infinitely more spacious than the hospital you once knew. Corridors connect to corridors, practically without end. The former lobby has become a vast plaza, large enough to support tribes.

"Just like the levels above, there are nine floors here. The third, fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth floors all have their own rulers and inhabitants, while the ninth floor is where the exiled beast herds gather."

Marn noted that he hadn't mentioned the first, second, or sixth floors.

"Our ruler is the Queen. She is fond of pretty boys and girls, so you are in luck. You won't have to scramble for survival like us, pointlessly delaying the death that is inevitable."

"What are the 'beast herds'?" Marn asked.

The insect-woman sneered: "What is a beast herd? We are, I am, and you are too. Look at us—this is your future. Here, we don't die easily, but every injury brings you closer to becoming a frenzied beast."

The fat fish-man added: "It also brings strength."

The woman said coldly: "The more you gain, the more you lose. There are only two paths here: become a mad beast, or be truly killed."

Marn asked, his expression unchanged: "What does it mean to be 'truly killed'?"

He was quite interested in this.

"There are some strong ones," the old man said with a raspy voice. "They can grant others true peace, killing you completely and thoroughly. Because of this, they are both feared and worshipped. The rulers of the five floors are all such powerful individuals."

Marn asked: "What about the other three floors?"

The old man glanced at him sinisterly. "The sixth floor collapsed years ago. It used to be no different from the other floors, but at some point, no one could reach it anymore.

"As for the first floor, no one truly knows what is there. Some say it's the exit, others say hell or heaven. There are all sorts of rumors.

"The most terrifying monsters, those who actually care about such things, have gathered on the second floor. It is a forbidden zone that only the strong can enter. The other floors trade and interact, but if you enter the second floor without permission...

"The strong ones who occupy it will kill you mercilessly and use your flesh to delay their own beastification."

So, the door he needed to leave was on the second floor?

It seemed he had been to the basement before, had entered the second floor, and had used a method he no longer remembered to leave behind the Bureau’s "employee passage."

The old man suddenly stopped. "Almost forgot."

He raised his palm, extending sharp, bony fingers from his skin. "Every newcomer must surrender a finger. This is to test your potential."

As he spoke, the three freaks stared at them, their eyes flickering with a strange, dark emotion. Their expressions grew gloomy and manic, as if some terrifying thoughts were churning in their hearts.

This was indeed the rule of the basement levels. The strength gained from beastification could often be glimpsed through such displays, and they also needed to consume fresh flesh to increase their power.

But the reason they held onto this tradition was a rumor: it was said that on the first floor, there was a door leading to the surface, but only "pure" ones without any signs of beastification—or beasts that had gone completely insane—could enter.

Thus, none of them could ever go back.

"Could we cut it off later?" Marn asked politely.

"Count yourself lucky," the old man said with a bloodthirsty smile. "If it weren't for the fact that we need to present you to the Queen, we would have torn off your limbs for dinner already. Take this as your first lesson here: learn to bow your head to the strong."