Chapter 57: Dungeon Anomaly, Forced Return

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Dungeon Anomaly, Forced Return

Tina Lewis’s face twisted, her eyes burning with insane fury.

She never imagined that she, a dignified Level 3 Advanced Player, would fall to a group of novices and end up being erased by the system.

"Damn it... Damn it all!" She stared daggers at Seraphina Sullivan, finding the situation even more unbelievable.

’This lucky bitch actually has an Identification Skill.’

Tina Lewis was envious and jealous, but now, all she felt was hatred.

Because from this moment on, nothing would have anything to do with her ever again.

The system’s countdown echoed coldly in her mind: [Violation Warning: Execution protocol will commence in 10 seconds... 9... 8... 7...]

Hearing the system’s countdown, Tina Lewis suddenly burst into crazed laughter. She looked at Seraphina Sullivan, Justin Brooks, and the others, a look of desperate cruelty flashing in her eyes. "If I can’t live... then none of you will have an easy time either!"

She whipped around to face Cheryl and Caleb Chase, screaming hysterically, "Haven’t you always wanted to know who we are? I’ll tell you! This world you live in is nothing more than a game dungeon! And we are the Players who came here to play the game! HAHAHAHA! At best, you’re just NPCs! What does it matter to me if you die?"

Her words exploded like a bomb among the survivors.

Caleb Chase’s face instantly turned deathly pale, while Cheryl Chase covered her mouth in horror. The other survivors also wore expressions of utter disbelief.

’Our world is... a game?’

Seraphina, however, didn’t see it as a game. She felt it was just a parallel world that had experienced an apocalypse.

’After all, their world, Azure Star, could just as easily become a dungeon for other Players.’

Hearing Tina Lewis’s unrestrained shouting, Justin Brooks was completely stunned.

Harvey Parker, the Blondie, suddenly felt like his head was about to explode. His Danger Prediction Talent was screaming at him that death was imminent.

A chill ran down Seraphina’s spine as a powerful sense of foreboding washed over her.

’Tina Lewis is trying to take us all down with her!’

’The system strictly forbids Players from revealing their identity to the Native People. The consequences for such a violation...’

Just as she expected, the next second, the system’s voice resounded in her mind.

[Warning! Player violation detected! Player identity has been revealed to the Native People!]

[Ding! Punishment protocol for all Players initiated!]

The cold system notifications detonated in the minds of every Player.

In that instant, it wasn’t just the faces of Seraphina Sullivan, Justin Brooks, and Harvey Parker that changed drastically.

Every Player in The Insect Frenzy received the same system message.

"No... Impossible!" Harvey Parker collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. "I didn’t do anything! Why are you punishing me too?"

Justin Brooks, however, quickly composed himself. He tightened his grip on his weapon and scanned his surroundings warily. "Prepare for battle! The system’s punishment will likely attract..."

Before he could finish, the entire building began to shake violently.

The ceiling started to collapse, and countless cracks spiderwebbed across the walls. But what was even more terrifying was...

...swarms of black insects were pouring out of those cracks. Each one was the size of a fist, their carapaces gleaming with a metallic sheen.

[Punishment: Hunted by the Swarm!]

[All insects will lock onto Players.]

[Duration: 24 hours.]

Seeing this punishment, every Player’s face turned deathly white.

’Hunted by every insect in the dungeon!’

’How is that any different from an instant death sentence?’

’Players can’t fight nonstop.’

"Run!" Seraphina made a split-second decision. "Everyone, evacuate this area immediately!"

Caleb Chase reacted quickly, directing the survivors toward the emergency exit.

But it was too late. Swarms of insects poured in from all directions, surrounding the entire floor in the blink of an eye.

Tina Lewis stood in the center of the swarm, her body already beginning to turn transparent.

It was the prelude to her erasure by the system.

But her face was contorted with twisted glee. "Hahaha... Let’s all die together!"

"Even if I die, a Level 3 Player like me can drag all the Players in this world down with me! Hahaha... Your world is finished!"

Her voice came to an abrupt halt.

Her body, like shattered glass, began to disintegrate inch by inch, starting from her fingertips. In an instant, she dissolved into countless motes of light that vanished into the air.

"She... she vanished?" Cheryl Chase asked, trembling.

It was the first time she had ever seen someone die like that.

’No, wait. I’m processing too much information at once. I’m at a complete loss.’

Seraphina had no time to explain, because something even more terrifying was happening.

The insects seemed to have been stimulated by something. They were swelling in size at a visible rate and becoming even more frenzied!

"So this is the punishment for revealing a Player’s identity in a dungeon world? It’s too horrifying."

Seraphina gritted her teeth. "Now they have a relentless, undying hatred for all Players!"

At this moment, Seraphina wasn’t thinking about Justin Brooks or the Chase siblings anymore.

Her only thought was how to survive the coming catastrophe.

Harvey Parker leaped onto Justin Brooks, wailing, "Mr. Brooks, you have to save me! I’ll do anything you say!"

Justin Brooks retorted, "Isn’t it a little late for that now?"

But just as Seraphina and Justin Brooks were bracing for the worst, the system’s voice sounded in their ears again.

[Ding! Upon inspection, the Player who leaked the information was not an Azure Star Player. Punishment suspended!]

[Ding! Warning. The Insect Frenzy Dungeon has been compromised by the intervention of a rule-breaking High Rank Player. The system is forcibly terminating this Disaster Game!]

[Ding! Rule-breaking Player has been eliminated.]

[Ding! Commencing dungeon anomaly repairs.]

[Ding! The Insect Frenzy Dungeon is terminated. Forcing all Players to return!]

[Ding! Calculating Player mission rewards!]

A rapid series of system notifications followed.

And then, right before Cheryl and Caleb Chase’s eyes, Seraphina and the other Players vanished in an instant.

The insect swarm outside also froze in place.

The entire world seemed to pause.

After Seraphina and the other Players departed, another system prompt sounded within The Insect Frenzy Dungeon.

[Ding! Uncontrollable factors detected. Level 1 Dungeon, The Insect Frenzy, has been upgraded to Level 2 Dungeon, The Insect Frenzy. Survival difficulty increased!]

However, no one heard this system notification.

It was as if the Chase siblings had forgotten something.

Or rather, as if something incredibly important had just happened.

Cheryl Chase looked around blankly. "Bro... what just happened? I feel like I’ve forgotten something important..."

Caleb Chase frowned, just as confused. "Strange. Why are we standing here? Weren’t we just reinforcing the fortifications?"

The two exchanged a look, seeing the same bewilderment in each other’s eyes.

The memories of "Players" and "dungeons" were being silently erased by the system...

But a voice in Caleb Chase’s mind posed a question: "The wisdom of plants is great. Can they be used to fight insects?"

"What’s going on? Why do I feel like I’ve forgotten so many things?"

Caleb wondered.

Cheryl was just as lost in a fog.

「Meanwhile.」

Seraphina was now surrounded by darkness, able to hear only the system’s reward calculations:

[Main Quest Complete: Survive for three days (Terminated early, counted as complete)]

[Ding! +150 EXP]

[Quest Two Complete: Collect Swarm corpses (Exceeded quota)]

[Ding! Reward: Silver Treasure Chest]

[Special Contribution: Discovered and assisted in the elimination of a rule-breaking Player]

[Ding! Received one random item from Tina Lewis.]