The blood-red portal in front of Lin Feng suddenly contracted, and the intense pulling sensation almost tore his soul apart.

"Damn it! What kind of passage is this? There's no record of this model in the Underworld's passage registry!"

His professional instincts made him question the compliance of the passage, but the next second, his vision brightened.

It wasn't real light, but a kind of grayish glow, as if eternally shrouded in twilight.

He found himself standing in a living room.

A typical modern home decor, with beige wallpaper that had yellowed and peeled, a fabric sofa with frayed edges, and a glass coffee table with a fruit platter on it.

Except the fruit in the platter had already rotted and molded.

"What is this place..."

Lin Feng steadied his soul, and as an official Soul-Reaper of the Underworld, he maintained a basic professional composure in unfamiliar environments: observe first, then act.

Just then, his soul trembled violently!

Not from fear, but from ecstasy!

Three distinct waves of yin energy were clearly detectable, in different locations within this house!

Each one had reached... Wild Ghost Level!

"One, two, three..."

Lin Feng's eyes lit up, and his pale face flushed with an eerie blue tint from excitement:

"Three Wild Ghosts! At least thirty performance points! Enough to complete this month's quota."

He instinctively reached for the Soul Hook Chain at his waist, the standard issue for a ninth-grade Soul-Reaper, a Low-Grade Magic Tool specifically for capturing souls.

He also had a Ghost Beating Stick, a Spirit Calming Bell, and a Soul Capturing Bag for collecting ghosts.

Just as he was about to spring into action, a semi-transparent panel suddenly popped up in front of him.

It wasn't the kind of ghostly screen made of resentment flames from the Underworld, but a more... modern interface.

[Welcome to "Warm Home"]

[Dungeon Level: E (Beginner's Trial)]

Search "pawread dot com" for the original.

[Number of Players: 1]

[Clear Condition: Survive until dawn]

[Rules have been issued, please read carefully]

"What the hell?"

Lin Feng frowned:

"'Dungeon'? 'Player'? A new training system developed by the Underworld? No way! I've never heard of it! And this seems to be the Yang Realm, not the Underworld."

As he pondered, he glanced at the panel:

["Warm Home" Rules]

[1. Finish all the food Mom makes, no waste allowed.]

[2. Dad is working in the study room, keep quiet, do not disturb.]

[3. Do not dirty Sister's dolls, she will get angry.]

[4. Keep the room clean and tidy.]

[5. Stay in your assigned room after midnight, do not go out.]

[6. If you hear strange noises, pretend you didn't hear them.]

[7. Love this home, and the home will love you back.]

Lin Feng quickly scanned through, his frown deepening.

What he didn't know was that his every move was being broadcasted to a live audience.

A line of comments floated by:

"Newbie? What's with that outfit? COSPLAY?"

"To be fair, the outfit looks the part, but the quality is so poor, it's obviously cheap."

"Warm Home! Newbie's grave! No one has cleared this dungeon yet. The last player got turned into dinner by 'Mom' within an hour!"

"But why isn't this newbie scared at all? Look at his expression... he seems... excited?"

"Probably scared stiff, pretending to be calm. Wait till he meets 'Mom', then he'll know fear."

"Place your bets! How long will he last? I'm betting he won't make it past dinner!"

"I'm in, betting two hours!"

Lin Feng couldn't see these comments; he was focused on sensing the location of the three yin energies:

One was in the kitchen to the right, the strongest, likely "Mom";

Another was behind the closed door to the left, with a repressed agitation in the yin energy, probably "Dad";

The last one was upstairs, the weakest but most erratic, likely "Sister".

"Three Wild Ghosts, ranging from early to mid-stage..."

Lin Feng was quickly assessing.

Just then, footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen.

Heavy, wet footsteps, like something dragging across the floor.

Lin Feng turned to look.

A "woman" emerged from the kitchen.

She wore an apron stained with grease, holding a large tray with some steaming, oddly colored stew.

The woman's face... barely recognizable as human, with her mouth stretched to her ears, revealing uneven yellow teeth, her smile stiff and horrifying.

What caught Lin Feng's attention the most were her eyes.

Those eyes had no pupils, just two swirling gray mists in the sockets, a sign of resentment condensed to a certain degree.

"Mid-Stage Wild Ghost... high concentration of yin energy, worth at least 25 performance points."

Lin Feng quickly made a professional judgment, forcing a smile onto his face.

As a Soul-Reaper, his smile wasn't much better.

"Child, you're awake?"

The woman's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping:

"Come eat, Mom made your favorite... duck neck."

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan