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

"Mom," Su Nian turned around, "I don't know him."

"You just have amnesia—"

"I'll tell you when I remember."

Wang Li's expression darkened, but she didn't say anything more.

Su Nian returned to her room, closed the door, and stood leaning against the door for a while.

She looked at the rules on the wall again.

Then she made a decision—to go out and see what had become of the outside world.

She changed her clothes, went downstairs, and pushed open the door to walk out.

"Read it!" Wang Li called from behind, "What time is it and you're already running out?"

Su Nian checked the time; it was 10:30 AM. The rules said to be back in the room by 10 PM, so going out now should be fine.

"I'm going out to buy something." She didn't turn around.

The streets outside looked normal. There were just the right number of pedestrians, and vehicles were moving as usual. The only difference was—

Each lamppost had a red paper pasted on it.

Rules. Rules are everywhere.

Su Nian approached a lamppost, on which was written—

Outdoor Rules

1. Do not talk to pedestrians who have no shadow.

2. When the light is red at an intersection, do not stand on the first section of the zebra crossing.

3. If someone calls your name, do not turn around.

After reading it, Su Nian looked around. The pedestrians around her were all hurrying along, no one stopping. It seemed everyone had become accustomed to the existence of these rules.

She was the only one standing under the streetlight, looking like a fool.

She kept walking. After walking two blocks, she stopped in front of a convenience store. The store was lit up and appeared to be open for business.

Su Nian pushed open the door and went in.

The shop assistant, a young man, was arranging snacks on the shelf. He greeted her when he saw her come in.

Su Nian grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of cookies and went to the cashier. While paying, she asked, "When were these rules introduced?"

The shop assistant was taken aback: "Ma'am, where did you come from? The rules have been out for over a week now."

"More than a week?"

"Yes. At first, nobody believed it, but after a few people died, who dares not believe it now?" The shop assistant lowered his voice. "I heard that this is the case throughout the entire neighboring province. Other provinces are okay, only a few cities have experienced it."

Countless questions arose in Su Nian's mind. What exactly happened in this world during the three days she suffered amnesia?

She paid and walked out of the convenience store.

The wind started to pick up in the street.

She checked the time; it was two in the afternoon. She had unknowingly walked quite a distance.

Just then, something appeared in her pocket.

She didn't put it in herself. She was absolutely certain.

Su Nian reached into her pocket and found a piece of paper.

When I took it out, there was only one line of text on it—

"You have violated three rules. Penalty countdown: 10 minutes."

Su Nian's mind raced. What had she broken?

First point—when she left the house, she didn't count to three before opening the door. Just now, when she went to the convenience store, she simply pushed the door open and went in.

The second point – Just now at the intersection, she was standing on the first zebra crossing when the light was red.

The third point—Just now, a voice called "Su Nian," and she turned around.

She thought it was an illusion at the time.

It turned out not to be.

The "10 minutes" on the note turned into "9 minutes and 59 seconds" in front of her eyes. The countdown was on.

Su Nian turned and ran.

She ran three steps and then stopped.

Run? Where to run? She doesn't even know what the punishment is, how can she run?

"9 minute and 30 second".

The text on the note updates automatically.

Su Nian stood there, her palms sweating.

The pedestrians around her went about their business as usual, and no one noticed her.

"8 minutes."

She decided to go home anyway. After all, home was at least a safe place.

Su Nian ran all the way back and rushed into the house when the note showed "2 minutes and 14 seconds".

Wang Li was watching TV in the living room. Seeing her run in, she stood up and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," Su Nian said, panting.

"1 minutes."

She looked at the note.

"30 seconds."

"10 seconds."

「5、4、3、2、1——」

The words on the note have changed.

"Punishment Execution: Forced entry into a bizarre dimension."

Su Nian's vision went black.

When her vision returned, Su Nian was standing on a gray highway.

The sky was overcast, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The roadsides were barren land, devoid of buildings and trees. There was an indescribable smell in the air, like a damp, unventilated basement.

There were other people standing next to her.

Su Nian looked around. There were about ten people, both men and women. Most of them looked bewildered or fearful, while a few seemed relatively calm.

"It's another new batch." A voice came from behind.

Su Nian turned her head and saw a woman in a leather jacket leaning against a road sign. She was around thirty years old, with short hair, a tall figure, and an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth.

"Newcomers, welcome to this bizarre dimension." The woman in the leather jacket took a cigarette out of her mouth, dangled it between her fingers, and said, "I'm a veteran player, codename 'Scorpion.' As per the rules, you should all introduce yourselves."

"Introduce yourself?" a chubby man with glasses stammered. "Why...why are we here?"

"It violates the rules of the real world," the venomous snake shrugged. "The punishment is entering a dungeon. If you clear it, you can go back; if you can't, you die inside. Simple and clear."

A few gasps rose from the crowd.

Su Nian didn't speak. She was observing.

Among this group, besides the venomous one, there were two or three others who appeared relatively calm. A tall man, about 1.9 meters tall, stood at the outermost edge of the group, hands in his pockets, expressionless. A young man in a white shirt, with a clean-cut appearance, was looking down at the back of his hand, as if studying something.

There's one more—

Su Nian glanced at him again. At the very back of the crowd stood a man in a black hoodie, his hat pulled low, obscuring his face. But his posture was relaxed, as if he were a tourist.

"Alright, alright, stop spacing out." The scorpion clapped its hands. "Here's the rule: everyone, state your name, how many times you've been to the Strange Dimension, and what level of dungeon you've cleared. It'll help with team formation."

A girl with a ponytail spoke timidly first: "My name is Lin Xiaoyu. This is my first time here, and I haven't cleaned anything yet..."

"A newcomer." The venomous snake noted it down.

The next few people introduced themselves. Most of them were newcomers, with only two or three having been here once or twice.

It was Su Nian's turn.

Before she spoke, she quickly calculated in her mind. In a team full of newcomers, the newcomers were the burden. If she also revealed that she was a newcomer—

"Su Nian," she said, "This is my second time here. I cleared a C-rank dungeon before."

The moment the words left her mouth, she was stunned.

Why did she lie?

But what's even stranger is that as soon as she finished speaking, a line of semi-transparent text popped up in front of her eyes—

[Skill Acquired: Conman (Rank D)]

[Effect: The lie becomes reality. Your false statements will be recognized by the system as true experiences, granting you corresponding basic ability bonuses.]

[Additional setting: You now have a system record of "clearing a C-rank dungeon".]

Su Nian blinked.

What is this? Is it a reward for her lying?