Staring at the little Daoist on the ground without breath, gradually dissolving into blood merging with the crimson tide, Xu Xiaoyou gently shook her head, choosing not to linger, and headed towards the exit.

Her body slowly sank into the wall, the feeling exactly the same as when she entered.

But this time, already mentally prepared, she felt little discomfort and passed through the wall in no time.

Several points of light flickered before her eyes; they were the neon signs of the city.

Fresh air greeted her face as it began to drizzle in the city at some unknown time, cool raindrops landing on her body.

Xu Xiaoyou couldn't help but close her eyes, savoring this pleasant sensation.

Her entire being relaxed, as if she had come alive again.

Surveying the familiar city streets around her, Xu Xiaoyou felt as if an entire era had passed.

The experiences of the past half month were as bad as they could be, her first confrontation with the Nest City tales nearly left her with psychological scars.

Figures she saw in Alley No. 5 flashed in her mind.

Ordinary people were pitifully small in the face of such disasters.

She looked back, and the wall had vanished, just as it had appeared out of nowhere in the city, it had disappeared without a trace.

"How did they suddenly appear just now?"

"Don't know, it was like they just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Time travelers? Could it be that the sci-fi novel 'The Time Traveler' I've been reading lately is true?"

"Look at the clothes on her, what's that red, squirming stuff?"

Ignoring the puzzled stares from the people on the street, Xu Xiaoyou just wanted to hurry home right now, think of nothing, and have a good sleep with her eyes closed.

She took Anya with her and boarded the last bus, quickly returning to the apartment.

As she opened the door, she saw a familiar figure.

Lin Ran was sitting on the sofa as usual, watching TV and munching on a shiny, transparent apple.

Seeing Lin Ran, Xu Xiaoyou felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity, and she gave him a big hug.

Lin Ran awkwardly cleared his throat twice and quickly switched off the melodramatic drama he was watching.

"I'm back, don't you have anything to say?"

"You're back?" Lin Ran tilted his head in confusion. "Back is back, isn't it."

"What's up with your clothes, why are they so dirty, what's all this clumpy red stuff?"

"The feelings have faded, they really have faded!" Xu Xiaoyou felt a mix of anger and despair.

"I've been gone so long, didn't you worry about me at all?"

"Have you... fried your brain?" Lin Ran cautiously asked, noticing something wasn't quite right with the young lady.

Xu Xiaoyou wanted to say something more.

But at that moment, a wave of intense drowsiness washed over, and nothing in her head could come together; she had never felt so mentally exhausted in her life.

She couldn't bother with all the anomalies along the way, didn't change her clothes, and after entering her room, she collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep in no time.

The scene froze on the clock by the bed.

[20:32:00]

...

[20:32:01]

...

[20:32:02]

...

The next morning.

She was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.

The window was left open, blowing cold wind all night; she shivered involuntarily.

Unwillingly, Xu Xiaoyou got up, closed the doors and windows, locked them, and sat on the bed with sleepy eyes.

Her nose was a bit stuffy, having gotten rained on last night, not wiping down before going to sleep.

Seems like she caught a cold again.

Xu Xiaoyou covered her forehead.

After getting up, she poured herself a cup of hot water; the warm water soothed her mouth and gave her a much more comfortable feeling.

Disappearing for half a month, she estimated a pile of trouble awaited her.

Thinking this, she lit up her phone screen, and upon seeing the date clearly, her eyes widened sharply.

Yesterday was the twenty-first of this month, and today is the twenty-second?

Could her memory be jumbled?

That's impossible, there was no mistake; she clearly spent half a month in Alley No. 5!

That half month was torture, akin to being in Hell.

An indescribable fear made Xu Xiaoyou jump from bed, quickly run to the living room, and found Lin Ran, who was sunning her clothes:

"What time did I get back yesterday?"

Lin Ran didn't understand what was up with Xu Xiaoyou, ever since she came back last night, she was jittery, as if a nerve was short-circuited.

But seeing her serious expression, she couldn't say much, tried to recall, and spoke:

"Around eight-thirty, I think."

Xu Xiaoyou felt like she'd been struck by lightning, retreating a bit.

"Eight thirty..."

"Eight thirty..."

"And also, I wanted to ask you, did you take Anya rolling in the mud? What's stuck on your clothes, I can't wash it off, and there's a weird smell all over, it's awful."

Lin Ran said loudly, yet Xu Xiaoyou, as if she hadn't heard him, wandered in a daze to the bathroom.

...

Steam filled the air.

Water droplets splattered from the faucet onto the young girl, washing away filth, Xu Xiaoyou's forehead against the wall, water trickling from her soaked hair onto the ground.

She stared intently at the drain on the floor, countless clues in her mind connecting together.

Last night, she entered Alley No. 5 at quarter past eight and was back home by eight thirty.

If you subtract the time spent traveling home with Anya, on the tram, it meant she was in Alley No. 5 for less than three minutes?

But she was certain she spent half a month inside!

This memory was so vivid, it couldn't be a mere illusion.

If it's not her problem, considering everything she experienced in Alley No. 5, there's only one possibility left.

The flow of time inside and outside Alley No. 5 is different!

It's very likely that while a minute passes outside, fifteen days have passed in Alley No. 5!

Realizing this, a chill surged up Xu Xiaoyou's spine.

This would explain why from the moment she entered Alley No. 5 till she was inside, it was barely two minutes, yet Qingfeng Office's Cleaners were wiped out, tens of thousands disappeared into thin air, and the whole city turned into a ghost town.

Because a whole month had already passed inside Alley No. 5!

The bloody night feast lasted an entire month...

She could even imagine the scene when disaster struck, those monsters roaming the city, the panic-stricken looks on people's faces.

From the initial hope of rescue, to gradually having hope devoured, until death and madness became a relief.

No wonder the woman showed that expression at the time, utterly desolate, devoid of any hope.

The image of that thousands-strong Corpse Mountain flashed in Xu Xiaoyou's mind, suddenly causing her stomach to churn, tightly covering her mouth, her face turning slightly pale.

Faces filled with pain, despair, and horror.

Hoarse, unpleasant, yet joyful sounds.

Scenes replayed in Xu Xiaoyou's mind, an inexplicable fear rising in her heart, gasping for air like someone drowning.

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