The sound of the dungeon crumbling behind him grew louder, but Zhang Ying didn't look back. With one last leap, he hurled himself through the exit, landing face-first on the ground outside. A moment later, the entrance caved, sealing the dungeon behind.
Zhang Ying barely made it, but no one stepped up to help him. He had expected that much. Closing a dungeon in Otherworld was akin to destroying someone's shop. It was obvious the owner won't be happy and everyone would view him as troublesome.
"What did you do!?" the dungeon manager yelled.
Before Zhang Ying could reply, the manager yanked him off the ground and grabbed him by the hair. As much as it hurt Zhang Ying, he had to play his part.
Besides, getting hostile now won't do me any good.
Zhang Ying began acting crazy and grabbed the manager's shirt before pointing at the dungeon.
"My friend is trapped inside!" Zhang Ying cried out. "Please, you have to help him!"
The manager looked at Zhang Ying with disgust before pushing him away.
"You bastard! First, you ruined the dungeon and now you're crying?" he yelled. "Show me your hands right now!"
Zhang Ying acted confused, and the manager yanked him again, staring at his hand. However, there wasn't a drop of ink on his hands. Angry, the manager raised his hand to slap Zhang Ying, but he was already gone.
True to his act, Zhang Ying kept asking everyone for help to save his friend. But no one explained to him that once a dungeon was closed, it won't ever reopen.
Of course, Zhang Ying knew that. That's why he was acting out, knowing the truth of what happened inside the dungeon would remain hidden.
He was in the middle of his act when several city guards arrived there. But they weren't alone. An old, burly man led the way. Zhang Ying looked at the jewel casually thrown over the man and knew who he was.
Here comes the owner.
Most likely, the owner and the guards were there to arrest him. After all, he was the sole survivor of the dungeon collapse. In their eyes, Zhang Ying was a criminal who closed a dungeon without a permit. By forcing him to accept the charges, the man was hoping to get the insurance money to recover some losses.
Right... they've always been so uptight about their rules.
The burly man took off his sunglasses and smacked the dungeon manager. Blood drizzled out of the manager's mouth, but he endured the pain while staring at his feet.
"Some useless brother-in-law you are," the man scoffed, staring at the manager. "You can even manage a beginner-level dungeon properly, and you want to join my group?"
"I-I'm deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused—"
"Shut the fuck up!" the owner retorted. "Where's the brat who closed the dungeon? Bring him to me!"
The manager immediately pointed at Zhang Ying. The owner shoved the manager and walked to Zhang Ying, staring at him.
"I know you... the anomaly player," the owner said, crossing his arms. "I saw you at the auction. But I never thought you'd make trouble for me."
"...I'm sorry sir, it wasn't my intention." Zhang Ying replied.
The owner didn't respond and kept staring at Zhang Ying. Those who heard the boy's voice would think he was trembling with fear. But the owner knew better—Zhang Ying wasn't afraid of him at all. His eyes didn't show even the slightest trace of fear.
"What happened inside the dungeon?" the owner asked after a pause.
"...we're newbies, sir. I know little about the technicalities—!"
Zhang Ying was in the middle of saying, but the owner suddenly grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground with no effort.
"Don't take me for a fool, boy," the owner snarled. "Answer me straight, or I won't care if you're the Silvermane's dog. Is that understood?"
Zhang Ying nodded hastily, and the man let go of him. He fell on his butt, but the owner didn't have any patience as he glared at him. Eventually, Zhang Ying told them a twisted version of the event.
He told the owner that Gao Rong urged him to open the sealed doors after removing the paper things around the door. With no other option, Zhang Ying agreed.
But they soon realized their mistake. However, it was too late for them to back down. That's when Gao Rong threw him out of the boss's room and told him to get help. But by the time he got out, the dungeon collapsed behind him.
"I beg you," Zhang Ying pleaded. "Please help my friend."
The owner sighed deeply before patting Zhang Ying's head.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," he said.
Zhang Ying sighed, but the next moment, the owner punched him in the stomach. Zhang Ying double over on the ground. Ignoring the pain, he stared at the man, who showed no reaction.
"I told you, boy, don't take me for a fool," the man said, cracking his knuckles. "Dungeons only collapse when the boss is defeated. You expect me to believe some rookie beat the boss all by himself in the time it took you to get out?"
Zhang Ying silently cursed himself. His explanation was perfect, but the timing was off.
No matter how old a dungeon is, it won't collapse so quickly. It was more likely that he killed the dungeon boss and made a break for it, leaving the other guy behind.
If the theory gets proven, Gao Rong's death would be Zhang Ying's fault and he might get executed. But it would be near impossible to prove any foul play.
Given Zhang Ying's potential rank, closing the dungeon alone wasn't impossible, since he was low leveled and had a weak class.
Still, the owner knew Zhang Ying was lying, but couldn't figure out why. Thankfully, he knew people who could force Zhang Ying's mouth open.
"Arrest him," the owner casually announced.
The guards hesitated a bit, but when the owner glared at them, they rushed to fulfill his order. They didn't want to mess with Silvermane, but what choice did they have? If they didn't act, Bronson would kill them.
Within minutes, Zhang Ying was in cuffs and being led away. His brain was overworking to think of a way to escape the situation. Just then, another figure appeared out of the portal and everyone froze.
"Where do you think you're taking him?"
Alana's cold voice sent shivers down everybody's spine.