Chapter 88 Enter the Dungeon

Chapter 88: Entering the Instance

After checking two Wentian Marts, both had people attempting to pry open their doors. The second supermarket’s door had already been forced, and over a dozen individuals were busy stuffing large sacks with goods. They were eventually apprehended by Hua Diao, who conscripted them as involuntary porters.

Zhao Xu and her team didn’t intervene. As agents of the Special Operations Bureau, they couldn't exploit these petty thieves as free labor, but the supermarket owner certainly could—saving them considerable trouble. The request for additional manpower sent to the Bureau could now be rescinded.

From the two supermarkets, Hua Diao kept only the two barrels of oil, three bags of rice, and two barrels of water promised to Chen Fei, along with a box of ice cream she desired for herself. The rest was sold, yielding over 12,000 contribution points within the Special Operations Bureau.

With a strawberry-flavored ice cream in her mouth, Hua Diao parted ways with Zhao Xu and the others at the supermarket entrance, then walked off alone.

Some figures lurking in the shadows outside the supermarket watched her with dark eyes. "Quick, follow that woman. She must be the one who sold those two Wentian Marts; she’s bound to have a lot of gold coins. If we catch her, heh heh..."

Dark, greedy desires festered in the alley’s corners as several groups stealthily trailed her. To them, Hua Diao, a lone woman, was like a plump, unsuspecting lamb—everyone wanted a piece. They barely noticed the miserable, exploited laborers she had pressed into service.

Hua Diao herself ambled leisurely into a narrow alley, ice cream still in her mouth, like a vibrant, thorny rose in the darkness, her eyes glinting with mockery and disdain.

These petty thugs, who couldn't even conceal their movements, actually thought they could rob her? Hmph!

After slowly finishing the last bite of her ice cream, she tossed the stick into a nearby trash can, then retrieved a metal box from her spatial inventory. She took out four puzzle pieces and began assembling them.

After defeating monsters and opening treasure chests earlier, she had acquired five or six scattered puzzle pieces, two of which perfectly completed the final gaps in the Goblin puzzle.

When the four pieces were fitted together, the complete image of an Enraged Goblin emerged. Immediately, a brilliant light erupted from the puzzle, and Hua Diao felt a searing pain in her hand as if it had been burned. Instinctively, she let go.

The puzzle fell vertically, instantly unleashing a blinding white light that formed a circular array. At its center, a swirling vortex of mist-like energy rapidly condensed.

Hua Diao raised a hand to shield her eyes, ignoring her wildly wind-blown hair. She squinted, then, without a moment’s hesitation, stepped into the white vortex.

The wind ceased, the white light vanished, and Hua Diao—a living person—disappeared without a trace from the small alley.

The groups who had boldly followed, intending to capture their "easy mark," watched dumbfounded, their faces filled with horror. "W-what just happened? Where did she go? How did she suddenly vanish?"

"That woman disappeared in the white light... Could she... Could she not be human? Maybe a high-intelligence humanoid monster infiltrated us?"

The moment this speculation arose, the people in the alley shivered, a cold sweat breaking out despite the scorching heat, and they fled in panic.

News of a high-intelligence humanoid monster appearing in the alley quickly spread. The Special Operations Bureau even sent personnel to investigate but found nothing, and had to abandon the case.

Yet, rumors persisted—a female humanoid monster lurking in the alley, growing increasingly exaggerated with each retelling. Some even claimed she was responsible for the apocalypse.

Meanwhile, Hua Diao, now inside the instance, had no idea how wildly the rumors outside had spiraled during her brief entry. She was currently observing the environment within the instance with curiosity.

This appeared to be an underground lair. The space where she stood was not large, about the size of her living room. The surrounding walls were rough, uneven earthen surfaces, bare and devoid of vegetation. Under the flickering torchlight, she could see countless black holes dug into the walls like a honeycomb, each containing pairs of glowing red eyes fixed on her.

Anyone with trypophobia would likely be terrified. Hua Diao couldn't help but rub her arms, then drew her gun and adopted a defensive stance.

Her movement acted like a trigger. The owners of those red eyes stirred, scrambling out of their holes.

Three-inch-tall Timid Goblins, nine-inch-tall Common Goblins, and Goblin Priests wielding staffs swarmed out as if a hornet's nest had been disturbed, rushing fiercely towards her to attack.

Rocks, fireballs, and spears flew in countless numbers.

Hua Diao pressed her lips together, her small face set with an unprecedented resolve, and began firing.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh*—Goblins fell one after another, while all their attacks were harmlessly deflected by the Succubus Cloak she wore.

Fortunately, the first wave of monsters wasn't strong enough to breach the Succubus Cloak's defenses.

Once the first wave was completely defeated, all the Goblin corpses vanished, leaving behind only a single treasure chest.

Hua Diao had anticipated this and wasn't surprised. Novels had taught her that instance monsters arrived in waves.

A four-piece Goblin instance like this seemed more like a training ground, honing a player's combat skills and abilities. The monsters' strength gradually increased with each wave, giving players ample time to adapt.

The first wave of weak monsters was purely a warm-up; getting a treasure chest from it was already a bonus. In novels, the protagonists often found nothing after clearing the first wave of monsters.

Moreover, if too many chests dropped, the ten-second break before the next wave wouldn't be enough time to open them. Without storage space, these lingering chests would only become cumbersome obstacles.

Hua Diao didn't rush to open the treasure chest. She raised her hand and stored the floating chest in her Island Space, then took out a single-use Defense Scroll and tore it open.

*Petrification*—made the user’s skin as hard as stone without sacrificing flexibility.

This was perfect for Hua Diao, offering defense without hindering agility.

The ten seconds passed quickly, and the second wave of Goblins rapidly appeared. Like the first wave, they threw rocks, hurled spears, and launched fireballs. Outwardly, they looked similar, but their attack power had noticeably increased.

Rocks now made loud *thuds* when they hit her, and spears left deeper gouges in the ground than those from the first wave.

Hua Diao pressed her lips together, her expression serious. Without resorting to other offensive scrolls, she continued to use her gun. This round left her breathing more heavily than the last, and it took her a full minute longer to clear this wave of Goblins.

After the second wave, only one treasure chest dropped again. She stored the chest and took out another *Petrification* scroll just as the third wave of Goblins impatiently charged in...