Strange things happen, and I drive the evil god mad by chasing debts.

Shen Qingchan nodded slightly, her eyes carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation and determination.

"Keep going. The next illusion is coming soon."

The two continued walking along the brightly lit street, where the surrounding traffic, people, and shopkeepers' calls remained vivid and lifelike.

Having just experienced the trap of the illusion of familiar faces, the two had completely abandoned any sense of luck and remained on high alert throughout, not daring to relax for even a moment.

Before I had gone far, the street scene in front of me suddenly distorted and shifted.

The warm yellow streetlights instantly switched to old, pale white bulbs, and the wide asphalt road disappeared, replaced by a narrow, secluded old-fashioned alley.

The modern shops along the street have all disappeared, replaced by rows of old residential buildings with peeling paint and dark, unlit windows.

As fragments of spacetime shift, a second layer of illusion quietly descends.

[System notification: Successfully entered the second layer of spacetime illusion—the old alley at night.]

[New explicit rule unlocked: Do not make eye contact with anyone on the windowsill of an old alleyway late at night.]

[Warning: The intensity of the illusionary obsession's erosion is doubled in this layer. The eerie shadows can capture people's greed and amplify their obsession with returning home.]

Fang Yue stopped abruptly, lowering his voice nervously, "The scene has changed again! Is this the second layer of illusion? It looks much more eerie than the street we just left!"

Shen Qingchan's gaze swept quickly across the densely packed windows of the residential buildings on both sides, her expression solemn: "Remember the new rule, absolutely do not look at any window."

This layer specifically amplifies our obsession with going home, and will most likely use more realistic visuals to tempt us into making mistakes.

"I understand!" Fang Yue stared intently at the ground beneath his feet, resolutely refusing to look up. "Walking with my eyes closed won't work, but I'll only look at the road the entire time, and I absolutely won't look up at the windowsill!"

The alley was eerily quiet, without a sound of wind, except for the faint echoes of two people's footsteps.

The deeper you go, the colder the air becomes, and that familiar yet eerie sense of oppression builds up layer by layer.

Before long, faint indoor lights began to illuminate the dark windows on both sides.

One door, two doors, three doors...

The once lifeless windows now shone with warm, cozy home lights, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere—the kind of home the two had cherished on countless nights before their transmigration.

Immediately afterwards, familiar figures appeared behind the windowsill.

There are the busy backs of parents, the profiles of family members chatting, and the relatives and friends who used to be with us day and night, with gentle eyes and lifelike expressions.

Fang Yue stopped abruptly, his heart clenching painfully.

He clenched his teeth, his throat tightened, and his voice trembled with suppressed emotion: "Sister Qingchan... I... I saw my parents."

They were watching TV in the living room, exactly as I used to live at home.

Shen Qingchan's fingertips trembled slightly. A glimpse of the scene outside her window filled her with a bitter pang, yet she remained calm and spoke: "Don't believe it! It's all an illusion! Looking up into your eyes means death!"

"I know! I know it's fake!" Fang Yue closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the surging longing in his heart. "It's too real, even the way my mother habitually rubs her temples is exactly the same... Just how many of our memories did this instance capture?"

Just then, the figures on both windowsills turned their heads simultaneously, focusing precisely on the two people in the center of the alley.

A gentle smile graced their faces, and a familiar voice drifted softly through the glass window.

"Ah Yue, it's cold outside, come home and eat."

"Qingchan, don't wander off outside. We're waiting for you at home."

Each cry of "Go home" was gentle and tender, without a trace of coldness or eeriness, precisely striking the deepest soft spot in their hearts.

Compared to the invitations from acquaintances on the previous level, the illusion on this level is so gentle that it makes one completely fall for it.

Fang Yue's eyes were red, and his feet lifted slightly involuntarily. He almost subconsciously looked up to meet her gaze.

"Don't look up!" Shen Qingchan immediately hissed, her tone sharp. "The stronger the obsession, the deeper the trap! Once our eyes meet, we'll be trapped in this illusion of time and space forever, never able to return to the true path ahead!"

[System notification: High-intensity psychological manipulation detected.]

[Second hidden rule unlocked: Do not respond to the calls of your loved ones inside the window, and do not linger in the warmth of the illusion.]

[Warning: Those who become addicted to the illusion of home will be permanently sealed in time fragments and turned into dungeon puppets.]

The cold system warning instantly brought Fang Yue back to his senses. He snapped back to reality, gritted his teeth, and kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the stone pavement beneath his feet.

"I won't look! I won't listen!" his voice was hoarse. "It's fake! My family isn't here! It's a trap!"

But the gentle calls from inside the window did not stop; instead, they grew softer and softer, wrapping around their ears like countless hands trying to drag them into a gentle cage.

"Come back, this is your home."

"The end times are tough. Stay here, and you won't have to fight and run for your life anymore."

Fang Yue was tense all over, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and he moved his feet with difficulty: "Qing Chan, this is too torturous."

Compared to being killed, the feeling of watching loved ones but being unable to get close is far more agonizing.

Shen Qingchan walked steadily, keeping her eyes straight ahead the whole time, and calmly said, "This is the terrifying aspect of the Time and Space Ruins."

It doesn't kill with a sharp blade; it only uses the tenderness you crave most to destroy your reason.

"Hold on, ignore it, don't look at it, and don't respond, and you can break through this illusion."

The two walked side by side with their heads down, taking one difficult step at a time. Despite the warm calls in their ears and the dazzling and realistic illusion before their eyes, they always adhered to the rules without wavering.

I don't know how long I walked, but the lights in the homes behind me gradually dimmed, and the gentle calls slowly distorted and broke, eventually disappearing completely.

The residential buildings on both sides returned to darkness and silence, and the illusion of the second layer of time and space completely collapsed.

[Instance Progress: 2/7 - Illusion Debunked.]

[Note: The second layer of the Obsession Illusion has been successfully broken; the player's mental resistance has been slightly increased.]

[Next layer of illusion: A time-space dislocation classroom, where the intensity of rule constraints has been greatly upgraded.]

Fang Yue's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat and dampness from his face: "It's finally over..."

I almost couldn't resist looking up just now. Just one glance, thankfully I managed to hold back.

Shen Qingchan breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her eyes still held a hint of seriousness: "This is only the second level. The next five levels will only get more and more difficult."

The classroom is the most cherished setting for us after all these years of schooling; the traps on that level are only more deadly.

Fang Yue felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this: "I want to leave here... This place is too damn terrifying."

I've only been here a short time, and I've already experienced so much.

Who knows what awaits us next?

Fang Yue: "I feel like I can't hold on much longer."