【Detected that players Cen Yao, Zhu Lingxi, and Pei Tinglan have cleared the dungeon in a special way.】
【The core rules of the dungeon have undergone irreversible changes.】
【The dungeon “Cat Cafe” will enter a lockdown and upgrade state starting today.】
【During the lockdown, this dungeon will be temporarily suspended.】
【Upon completion of the upgrade, the dungeon will reopen with brand-new rules.】
【All players, please pay attention to subsequent game announcements.】
Cen Yao was stunned for a moment.
“Dungeons can actually upgrade?”
This time, Pei Tinglan did not answer immediately.
He stared at the phrase “lockdown and upgrade state” for a long time, his brow furrowing bit by bit.
Zhu Lingxi also fell silent. Obviously, this was the first time she had ever seen such a situation as well.
“Master Pei?”
Zhu Lingxi asked softly.
Pei Tinglan snapped out of his thoughts, his finger slowly tapping the armrest.
“I've never heard of such a situation.”
Cen Yao looked up.
“What?”
“A dungeon entering a lockdown and upgrade.”
Pei Tinglan's gaze did not drift from the panel.
“I've seen dungeons reset, I've seen dungeons collapse, and I've even seen dungeons directly reclaimed by the System because their core Boss died.”
“But I've never seen the System deliberately lock up a dungeon to upgrade it after it was cleared.”
He paused, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
“Probably no one on the forums has ever seen this either.”
Cen Yao looked at the line: “The core rules of the dungeon have undergone irreversible changes.”
“Is it because we closed down the coffee plantation and left behind the cat statue?”
“Possibly,” Pei Tinglan said. “But it might be more than that.”
He looked up at Cen Yao, his eyes darkening slightly.
“We didn't clear the dungeon using its original logic.”
“The original rules were for players to turn into civet cats and escape while being hunted by the manager and the monsters.”
“But you didn't just think about escaping.”
“You kept the trapped cats alive, brought retribution for the deceased souls, and even left behind a statue and an array in the dungeon that will continue to function.”
He paused here.
“The dungeon was originally a slaughterhouse.”
“Now, it has guardians.”
Zhu Lingxi stared at the announcement and slowly nodded.
“This is what they call changing its destiny.”
Cen Yao fell into deep thought.
“So that's why the System is taking it back to... rewrite the rules?”
“Who knows,” Pei Tinglan said softly.
This time, there was none of his usual mockery in his tone, only vigilance toward the unknown.
“But any change that prompts the System to issue a dedicated announcement is no small matter.”
Cen Yao blinked.
“Then what will it look like after the upgrade?”
Pei Tinglan fell silent for a moment.
“I don't know, but hopefully, it's a good thing.”
“And hopefully, that statue will still be there.”
Zhu Lingxi gently placed her hand over her Nuo mask.
“It will remain.”
She spoke with absolute certainty.
“Once good intentions take root, they will not easily dissipate.”
Cen Yao looked at Zhu Lingxi and smiled.
“Then we'll go take a look when it reopens.”
Pei Tinglan glanced at her.
“You certainly aren't afraid.”
Cen Yao took it as a matter of course.
“Afraid of what?”
“We built the cat statue, and you were the one who taught the guardian deity inside.”
“Strictly speaking, doesn't that make them half our... dungeon relatives?”
Pei Tinglan: “...”
Zhu Lingxi thought about it.
“I suppose so.”
Pei Tinglan took a slow, deep breath.
“You two had better not say things like that outside.”
“It's easy for people to think there's something wrong with your mental state.”
Just as his voice fell, a voice much grander and colder than before suddenly echoed throughout the entire settlement space.
It no longer rang only in the ears of the three of them.
Instead, it penetrated the settlement space like an invisible storm, sweeping through every single area covered by the Horror Game.
The game lobby.
Dungeon entrances.
Guild headquarters.
Point shops.
Training grounds.
And even into the ears of players in the real world who were currently staring at their System panels.
Everyone heard it.
【Server-wide Announcement.】
【The C-rank special dungeon “Cat Cafe” has completed its rule upgrade evaluation.】
【The dungeon is temporarily locked down. Estimated upgrade time: Unknown.】
【During the upgrade period, no players may apply to enter.】
【Upon reopening, the dungeon's rank and reward pool will be adjusted according to the new rules.】
【Players, please explore special dungeons with caution. The future development direction of the game will no longer be limited to single-player survival.】
When the final sentence fell, the entire game space fell into a brief silence.
No longer limited to single-player survival.
No one could fail to understand what this sentence implied.
The dungeon system would not waste breath on nonsense.
Since it had gone out of its way to emphasize this, it meant that the future dungeon mechanics would likely undergo even greater changes.
Teaming up.
Factions.
Cooperation.
And even more complex multiplayer quests.
Cen Yao looked down at the Permanent Team Card in her hand, lost in thought.
The System had placed this card in the first-place reward for a special dungeon.
And now, it had released such an announcement.
It was practically slapping the words “team up more in the future” right onto the players' faces.
Cen Yao tucked the card into the inner pocket of her Witch's Robe.
The System panel then popped up with new options.
【Settlement complete.】
【Please choose your teleportation destination.】
【1: Return to the real world.】
【2: Enter the game space.】
Cen Yao looked at Zhu Lingxi.
“Lingxi, are you returning to reality or going to the game space?”
Zhu Lingxi thought about it.
“To the game space.”
“I want to buy some incense and cinnabar.”
Cen Yao nodded, then turned to Pei Tinglan.
“And you?”
“To the game space, of course.”
“So we're all going to the game space then.”
Cen Yao raised her hand excitedly.
“You two can show me around.”
“I haven't been there yet.”
Pei Tinglan squinted at her. “Dream on.”
Cen Yao immediately said, “Well, you don't have to show me around.”
Pei Tinglan sneered. “Do you even know the way?”
Cen Yao: “...”
Zhu Lingxi also spoke up honestly.
“I probably... don't really know the way either.”
Cen Yao looked at this directionally challenged girl, and then at Pei Tinglan, who was the only one who knew the way but looked completely reluctant.
She naturally flashed a sweet, well-behaved smile.
“Then I'll have to trouble Tour Guide Pei.”
Pei Tinglan closed his eyes, his earlobes beneath his messy hair turning slightly red.
“...I must have owed you both in my past life.”
Cen Yao immediately pushed her luck.
“Tour Guide Pei is the best.”
“Shut up.”
The three of them chose to enter the game space.
The white light flared once again.
And at the exact moment they teleported, the forum—which had only been quiet for a brief moment after the dungeon live stream ended—completely exploded.
The real-world live stream incident of the Cat Cafe was still fermenting.
Countless screen recordings were being shared across various regions.
The news of the manager and the animal-abusing staff being arrested, the coffee plantation being shut down, and the emergency drafting of animal protection regulations dominated every news headline in the real world.
But for the players of the Horror Game, the most shocking thing remained that server-wide announcement.
A special dungeon locked down and upgrading.
The sole SSS-rank clear rating.
The Permanent Team Card.
And the hint that the future of dungeons would no longer be limited to single-player survival.
The game forum's popularity soared to its peak within nearly an hour.
Rate on N.U.
