hotmtlnovel Chapter 238 New and Old Friends
Chapter 238 New and Old Friends
The structure supporting the entire entrance is, in fact, a huge animal skeleton.
The skeleton was wrapped in rings of dark green vines, the edges of the vine leaves were strangely serrated, and the color was so dark it was almost black.
They were not still, but were wriggling very slightly, as if they were carefully "embracing" the skeleton.
At the highest point of the archway are five large, scarlet characters outlined in twisted iron wire: 【Forest Ghost Zoo】
That red color resembled congealed old blood, or perhaps the color of the blood vessels under the skin of some living creature.
The moment Lin Feng's gaze fell upon those five characters, two dark red dots suddenly lit up within the closed "mouth" of the character "园" (garden), like eyes opening in an abyss, precisely locking onto him standing in front of the door.
Lin Feng felt his heart suddenly clench, and his breath caught in his throat.
A powerful, instinctive warning exploded in my mind: Don't make eye contact!
He almost immediately forced himself to look away, and only then did the oppressive feeling slowly subside.
Just then, a series of spatial distortion sounds suddenly came from beside Lin Feng.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"
One after another, figures appeared from the void: a burly man with blond hair and blue eyes, an old man wrapped in a white robe, and a dark-skinned youth. All sorts of people came from different countries.
The number of people quickly rose to about fifty, and everyone's face was filled with confusion and wariness.
Just then, a familiar figure squeezed through the crowd, grinning at Lin Feng:
"Brother Lin Feng, it really is you!"
It's Wasim.
His left arm was still wrapped in bandages, and he looked thinner than the last time I saw him, but his eyes were still bright.
Lin Feng happily hugged him, then looked at his arm:
"What happened? Did the last dungeon run not go well?"
"Don't even mention it," Vassim waved his hand. "On the last day in the prisoner canteen, some guy suddenly attacked—his claws were like ice, and he scratched through my uniform in one go."
He tugged at the corners of his mouth, his tone sounding relaxed, but with a hint of lingering fear, "Luckily, no bones were broken."
As he spoke, he moved his left wrist slightly, the range of motion was small, but some stiffness was still visible:
"It's a minor issue. It might affect fighting a bit, but it won't interfere with daily activities."
Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, his brow furrowing slightly: "I didn't see Evelyn or Anna."
"That's a bit strange," Vassim said, also looking around. "They both cleared the level smoothly last time, so why are they nowhere to be seen now..."
Lin Feng unconsciously stroked his chin with his fingertips, and after a moment of contemplation, he said:
"It should be a parallel instance. Look at the number of people here, it's just around fifty."
"I estimate that this instance has only so many slots available, so the two of them will most likely be assigned to another identical zoo instance."
"Parallel instance..." Vassim repeated under his breath, clicking his tongue in frustration, somewhat disappointed: "I thought I could reassemble the old team."
As the two were talking, a sweet yet somewhat urgent female voice suddenly broke in.
"すみません......あなたは林峰（りん・ふう）さんですか? (Excuse me...are you Mr. Lin Feng?)"
It's in Japanese.
However, the language barrier in the ghost stories had been removed, so Lin Feng understood it very well.
Lin Feng and Vassim turned their heads at the same time and saw a girl standing behind them wearing traditional Japanese furisode and black work boots.
Her long, light brown hair was loosely tied into a bun, with a few wisps of hair falling beside her small face. Her delicate features exuded the radiance unique to magazine models, and her slender waist and long legs made her stand out in the crowd.
When the girl saw Lin Feng looking over, she immediately bowed slightly in greeting.
"Hello Mr. Lin Feng, my name is Chiba Saori. I am a print model from Japan and also a fan of supernatural tales."
"I carefully studied each of your previous three live streams; your wisdom and courage in them are truly admirable!"
As she spoke, she extended her hand, her fingertips slender and fair.
Lin Feng politely raised his hand to shake hers. The moment their fingertips touched, he saw Chiba Saori's cheeks flush slightly. After releasing his hand, she couldn't help but clutch the hem of her clothes, her tone full of excitement:
"It's a pity I didn't have my phone with me, otherwise I would really like to take a picture with you!"
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Lin Feng's face, but he wasn't surprised.
After all, his charm had been boosted three times, so it wasn't surprising that he was being pursued by girls. He simply nodded and said, "You're too kind."
........................
Studio:
"I know this girl! She's Chiba Saori, a super famous print model from Japan! She's my lock screen wallpaper!"
Wow, she looks even better in person than in the magazines, her aura is amazing.
"At the fan meeting, the girls' eyes were shining; they must have met their idols."
"Be careful, Brother Feng! There are no coincidences in the ghost story dungeon. What if it's a honey trap?"
"Don't be so sour, upstairs. My Fengshen attracts fans by overpowering everyone with both talent and good looks, okay?"
"Brother Feng should just take her down. After all, men in Japan have all shrunk by 2 centimeters. Let her see what a real man is like!"
........................
Chiba Saori quickly turned to Vassim, who was standing to the side, and introduced herself with the same respect. When her gaze fell on his bandaged left arm, she asked him with concern about the injury.
After getting to know both of them, she clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with sincere expectation, and her voice soft:
"I really hope I can team up with the two of you this time. I know I don't have much combat strength and may not be able to help much, but I will definitely provide plenty of emotional support!"
As she spoke, Chiba Saori swayed slightly on her tiptoes, her eyes curving into crescents, her tone sweet and gentle yet earnest:
"For example, if you two get tired of breaking the rules, I can dance a bit of 'Gokuraku Jodo' or sing 'Auntie's Massage' for you."
"If you encounter any tricky situations, I'll be right there cheering you on—I definitely won't cause any trouble, I'll just be your exclusive support team!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng and Vassim both froze, and then several black lines appeared on their foreheads simultaneously.
Are you kidding me?
This is a bizarre and dangerous dungeon where life and death hang in the balance. Who cares about her insignificant emotional value?
Just then, a rough, hoarse voice rang out—
"You're Lin Feng from the Dragon Kingdom?"
The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a burly man striding closer.
He was wearing a tight black vest, and his arm muscles were as tough as iron; he looked like a ruthless guy who had been practicing boxing for years.
He is none other than Park Chang-beom, the chosen one of South Korea and a boxer.
Thinking of the Chosen Ones who had perished tragically in previous dungeons in his own country, he felt nothing but disdain.
Those good-for-nothings couldn't even grasp the basics of the rules; they deserved to die!
This time it's his turn, and he's determined to win back the face of South Korea.
He sized up Lin Feng, thinking to himself that this kid was indeed handsome and tall, but in terms of build, he looked like a pale-faced scholar compared to him.
Park Chang-beom felt even more confident, puffing out his chest proudly:
"My name is Park Chang-beom, a boxer from South Korea. Those guys were too weak before, they humiliated us. This time I'm here to avenge them in this instance!"
As he spoke, he extended his large, fan-like hand: "Shall we get to know each other?"
........................
Studio:
"Park Chang-beom? That's a name that knows how to introduce oneself... (doge)"
"Hilarious, did they trade their intelligence for those muscles? They're obviously cannon fodder."
"I thought South Korea would have a smarter one this time, but it turns out to be all brawn and no brain."
"Learn from those girls in Japan! Sticking to Brother Feng's coattails is the right way to go!"
"He who tries to show off will get struck by lightning. I bet he won't survive a single episode."
"To 'avenge the humiliation'? You should be grateful if you don't make things worse for yourselves."
"No matter how big your muscles are, can they withstand the rules? Brains are the real currency, bro."