A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

The system says that to find a way out, you first need to understand the rules of this city.

After half a day of exploration, the group summarized several key points:

First, there are residents in the city, but not all of them are alive. The way to tell is by looking at their feet; dead people don't splash water when they walk.

Second, the bell tolls once every hour. You must stop when the bell rings, or you will be punished. What the punishment is is unclear, because no one dares to try it.

Third, there is a clock tower in the center of the city, but the road leading to the clock tower is constantly changing, like a moving maze.

"The key is in the clock tower," Han Yingying judged. "The core of the dungeon is probably there."

Meng Kai had no objection to this, saying, "It's up to you. We're just here to coast along anyway."

Lu Yuan paused in pushing up his glasses. "That being said, this instance is even stranger than the previous ones. Have you noticed that the rain is getting heavier?"

Han Yingying noticed. It was drizzling when they first came in, but now it was moderate rain. At this rate, it might turn into a downpour on the third day.

"And—" Lu Yuan lowered his voice, "I always feel that the system's prompts are incomplete. 'Don't look back after dark,' but it's always dark here."

good question.

As the group was discussing, a commotion suddenly came from the alleyway ahead.

"Someone's here! Help—" A man's voice came through the rain, accompanied by messy footsteps and the sound of something dragging on the ground.

Han Yingying raised her hand to signal everyone to stop. Su Xiaomian instinctively grabbed the hem of her dress.

A man, soaking wet, rushed out of the alleyway, fell to the ground, and crawled forward frantically. In the darkness behind him, something long and thin was writhing, slowly stretching along the walls and the ground, like a giant finger.

Han Yingying drew her dagger, about to strike, when she suddenly noticed the man—

When he stepped into the puddle, there was no splash.

"Ignore him," Han Yingying said.

Meng Kai's hand had already touched the weapon. Hearing this, he paused for a moment, and then he saw the feet.

"Damn it, it's a dead man." He withdrew his hand.

The "man" crawled to within five meters of them, then suddenly raised his head, his expression changing from terror to a strange smile.

Then, with a whoosh, he was dragged back by the dark figure behind him and disappeared into the depths of the alley.

Su Xiaomian almost screamed, but Han Yingying covered her mouth.

"Remember what I just said," Han Yingying whispered, "look at your feet."

Over the next few days, they were tempted three times by the "dummies," but Han Yingying saw through them all. Meng Kai became increasingly convinced, and his gaze towards Han Yingying changed from casual to serious.

Towards the end of the second day, the five finally made their way to the vicinity of the clock tower.

The clock tower was a Gothic building, its spire piercing the unseen sky, its exterior walls covered with some kind of luminous vines. The doors were open, and a regular ticking sound came from within—not the sound of clocks, but more like the dripping of some liquid.

"I'll go in and take a look first," Han Yingying said.

"I'll stay with you," Lu Yuan said.

Han Yingying glanced at him. This man didn't talk much, but he was decisive when it mattered.

The two entered the clock tower.

The first floor was a spacious hall with a coffin in the middle. The coffin lid was half open, and a booklet was inside.

Han Yingying walked over and opened the booklet.

The inscription above records the history of the isolated town—a normal little town that changed one day when a rainstorm began and never stopped. The residents discovered they couldn't leave, and the rain began to change them. The dead would rise again, and the living would slowly forget who they were.

The last page reads: "There is a bell at the top of the clock tower. Ring it, and the rain will stop. But the person who rings the bell will become the new keeper of the bell, and will remain here forever."

Lu Yuan's expression turned rather unpleasant after reading it.

"Does this mean someone has to stay behind as the price for this?"

Han Yingying didn't speak, and continued flipping through the booklet. Hidden in a folded compartment was a note; the handwriting was different from the previous entries, much more illegible:

"Don't believe it. After the bell rings, run. Everyone run together. The price is fake. I've tried it."

An arrow was drawn at the bottom of the note, pointing to the bottom of the coffin.

Han Yingying reached out to touch the bottom of the coffin. Her fingertips touched a protrusion—a hidden clasp. She pressed it, and the bottom panel popped open, revealing a brass key and a broken pocket watch inside.

The back of the pocket watch is engraved with the words: "Time is the only way out."

She packed her things and left with Lu Yuan.

On the third day, the rain indeed turned into a downpour.

Five people braved the heavy rain and rushed up the clock tower. The stairs were so narrow that only one person could pass sideways, and each floor had a different obstacle—the second floor had a locked iron door, which Han Yingying opened with a brass key; the third floor was covered with moving vines, which Meng Kai cleared with his knife; the fourth floor was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, so Lu Yuan took out a flare.

Although Su Xiaomian was scared, she did not fall behind the whole way, biting her lip and following behind Han Yingying.

Once you reach the top floor, the clock hangs overhead.

The bronze bell is rusted and worn; the hammer is still there, but the rope is broken.

"Who can climb up there?" Meng Kai asked, looking up.

Without a word, Han Yingying climbed up the crossbeams of the bell frame. Her skills, honed through countless dungeons, were agile and nimble. Reaching the bell hammer, she gripped the handle and swung it—

bang——

The bells rang out.

The entire isolated city trembled.

Han Yingying jumped down, yelling, "Run!"

The five of them desperately rushed downhill. The clock tower began to collapse behind them, rubble raining down and dust choking their eyes. Su Xiaomian tripped, but Han Yingying grabbed her, pulled her up, and hoisted her onto her shoulder as they continued running.

The rain stopped the moment I rushed out of the clock tower.

A crack appeared in the sky, and dark red light shone through the gap.

[Dungeon cleared.]

[Evaluation settlement in progress...]

Han Yingying put Su Xiaomian down, bent over and supported herself on her knees, panting.

"Sister Han—" Su Xiaomian's voice trembled, but she shouted it out firmly, "You're amazing."

Meng Kai sat on the ground: "From now on, I'll argue with anyone who says A-level dungeons are easy."

Lu Yuan didn't speak, but his hand was trembling as he pushed up his glasses.

The evaluations came out quickly. Han Yingying received an S grade, and the rest received an A grade.

The system popped up an additional notification:

[Su Xiaomian has established a trust bond with you. You can choose to enter the next dungeon as a team.]

Upon seeing the notification, Su Xiaomian hurriedly clicked "confirm," then looked expectantly at Han Yingying, "Sister Han, can I team up with you for the next dungeon run?"

Han Yingying glanced at her, "Come on if you're not afraid of dying."

Su Xiaomian nodded vigorously.

The system began teleportation, and a white light enveloped everyone. Meng Kai waved, "See you again someday."

Lu Yuan nodded slightly to Han Yingying, "You are very strong."

Then they each returned to their own reality.

Han Yingying sat up in bed.

The sky outside was bright, and the alarm clock showed 10 a.m. I was still wearing my pajamas, the blanket rolled up and kicked to the foot of the bed. I had a shallow scrape on my wrist—from bumping into the clock tower.