When he woke up again, it was already bright outside.

However, the closed leaf window blocked the light, making everything in the room appear dim.

The flames in the fireplace burned quietly, occasionally making crackling sounds.

The flickering flames cast moving shadows, giving the air a faint smoky smell.

Gu Chi opened his eyes while lying on the sofa. He looked at the ceiling, which had obvious repair marks on the chandelier. A hint of confusion appeared in his sleepy eyes, but it quickly disappeared. It seemed like he remembered something and suddenly sat up, wanting to reach for the phone on the coffee table to check the time.

He completely didn't notice that there was still someone lying on him.

Ling Mao, who was sleeping, looked cute with her long eyelashes fluttering gently with her breath. Her face was slightly red, and there was a faint sparkle on the corner of her slightly parted lips. She seemed to be sleeping soundly.

It wasn't until Gu Chi got up that she slipped off him like a fallen blanket.

Thud.

"Ouch!"

Gu Chi: "..."

He didn't do it on purpose.

"Ouch..." Ling Mao supported herself with one hand on the sofa and rubbed her head with the other. She climbed up in a daze, still not understanding the situation. Then she heard a cold male voice, "Don't move!"

Startled, Ling Mao tensed up and lost all sleepiness. After two seconds, she realized that the person speaking was Gu Chi.

At this moment, this man was staring at her intently.

Ling Mao's face felt hot under his gaze. She didn't understand why Gu Chi suddenly looked at her with such a serious expression. It could easily lead to misunderstandings... She stammered, "W-what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Gu Chi: "Stand up."

Ling Mao: "Oh."

The girl obediently stood up.

Gu Chi then said, "Turn around."

What a strange request... Ling Mao complained in her heart, but still blushing, she obediently turned around.

Gu Chi kept his arms crossed the whole time, like an experienced tycoon.

His gaze never left Ling Mao. After the girl finished turning around, he came to a conclusion.

"You've grown up," Gu Chi said.

"Eh...?" Ling Mao obviously didn't expect that after Gu Chi stared at her for so long, he would come up with these four words. Her cheeks turned red in an instant, and she wanted to curse Gu Chi as a pervert, but for some reason, the words seemed to have been lost at the tip of her tongue. Ling Mao lowered her gaze and glanced at her own chest, shyly smiling. "R-really?"

Gu Chi remained expressionless. "I meant your age."

Ling Mao: "..."

The air fell silent for a second.

Ling Mao's face became even redder, but her expression became very calm.

"Is that so?" She clenched her toes and said lightly, "I know you were talking about my age."

Gu Chi: "Oh."

While the two were talking, Mustard Soup and Jiang Niao also woke up one after another.

Their changes were even more obvious.

Ling Mao had only grown taller, and there was a bit more femininity in her eyebrows and eyes—just a bit, like a college student who hadn't graduated yet turning into a young white-collar worker who had just entered the workplace. There was a hint of maturity in her temperament, but not much. Overall, she still looked quite youthful.

From the appearance alone, Ling Mao didn't look much different from yesterday.

Mustard Soup and Jiang Niao, on the other hand, were different. One had gained weight and had a beer belly, while the other grew a beard and longer hair, like an aging otaku who hadn't taken care of his appearance for several days.

These changes were obvious at a glance.

Not yet understanding the situation, Mustard Soup and Jiang Niao saw each other's appearance—

"What the f*ck!?"

"You're Tang?"

"You're Niao?"

"Why do you look like this?"

At this moment, Ling Mao also realized that Gu Chi wasn't joking with her. She had really grown up.

But... she glanced at Gu Chi. Why did he seem unchanged?

That cold and handsome face didn't have a single wrinkle, and there was no trace of the passage of time.

After about three minutes, Jiang Niao and Mustard Soup finally realized that they had aged.

"It's a good thing we're relatively young," Jiang Niao said with a relieved tone. "Let's just consider it an early experience of what it feels like to be a mature man. It's not a big problem."

Is it really not a big problem?

"No, it's a big problem." Gu Chi threw his phone to Jiang Niao, indicating for them to see for themselves.

When Gu Chi noticed Ling Mao's changes earlier, he had a feeling that they might have slept for more than just one year.

And his feeling was right.

"November 15, 5782..." Jiang Niao was puzzled. "So we slept for a whole five years?"

"That's not the point." Gu Chi looked at the two and said, "Your hair, beard, his body shape, belly, and Ling Mao's height—all of them prove one thing: our own condition is also affected by this passage of time."

Yesterday, his attention was drawn to the zombies, and it had only been a year, so Gu Chi didn't notice any changes in everyone's appearance. But now, after just one night, five years had passed, and the power of time became real.

The first night was one year, the second night was five years. What about the third night?

Ten years?

Or twenty years?

What would happen after a few more nights?

Jiang Niao, who had just realized this, was horrified. "Are we going to grow old and die here?"

Gu Chi stated the facts, "If we can't find a way to stop the passage of time, yes, we definitely will.""So that's how it is." Mustard Soup sat on the ground, muttering to himself, "I'm so stupid, really, I actually believed that the S-level instance had no time limit..."

"Wait, did we forget someone?" Ling Mao suddenly spoke up.

Jiang Niao, upon hearing this, gradually widened his eyes and pointed his finger, saying, "Right, right, Neil! Neil is an NPC, maybe he can help us."

"What about him?"

"I don't know..."

"Is he still sleeping?"

"Let's go upstairs and check."

They had been gone for five years, and Neil should have also been gone for five years. Judging from Neil's appearance yesterday, he was only a few years older than them. At this time, he should be in his prime. Even if he couldn't help them solve the time problem, he would at least be a qualified fighter. They couldn't waste him.

Unfortunately, they couldn't find Neil.

They only found a rough letter on Neil's desk in his bedroom.

————————————

Guys, I have some bad news to tell you - our stored food is gone.

It's all because of this damn weather. It froze all the crops we worked so hard to grow into ice debris.

A few days ago, there were still some cute little creatures that came to us voluntarily to fill our stomachs, but they haven't appeared in the past few days. I had to go find them myself.

Someone has to step up, right?

Do you remember when we first met?

I said I would provide you with food, shelter, and protect your safety.

I have been doing this before, and I will continue to do so in the future.

I know it's dangerous outside, but don't worry, your Neil is not weak... Hey, I seem to understand why my father rushed into the hospital back then.

Living shouldn't just be about staying alive.

Honestly, I'm reluctant. I enjoyed the time living with you all - although saying this is disrespectful to my father and my old friends - but these five years have been the happiest time of my life.

How many five years does a person have in their lifetime? Time always slips away while we sleep.

What makes me grateful is that I have tasted soup that is even more delicious than what the chefs in luxurious restaurants in the city make.

Your little explosive gadgets have also opened my eyes.

I have witnessed the most accurate marksmanship in the world - yes, I admit it, you are better than me!

And the only lovely lady among us, I have always suspected that your medical skills are some kind of magic. It can heal wounds quickly, it's truly unbelievable...

I seem to be talking too much?

Anyway, thank you all. If we hadn't met five years ago, I might not have made it this far.

Alright, I'm going to continue fulfilling my promise. If everything goes smoothly, I plan to go to the clock tower. You guys said you liked that clock, right? I'll take it down and give it to you, hahaha!

In case, I mean in case, I don't come back, please don't be sad for me.

Death is not scary, loneliness is. And since the day I met you all, I have never been lonely again.

Love you all, Neil, 11.09, 5782

————————————

After reading this letter, Mustard Soup fell silent.

Neil had been gone for six days, and the result was obvious.

He knew this was a scripted death, but he still felt a bit sad.

Gu Chi gently patted his shoulder to comfort him.

He had noticed early on that Mustard Soup was not good at socializing. People like him often had richer and more sensitive emotions than others. Mustard Soup probably never saw Neil as just an NPC from the beginning, so it was normal for him to feel sad when Neil died.

Gu Chi wouldn't judge whether this was good or bad, he could only say that he understood Mustard Soup's feelings.

Jiang Niao felt a bit awkward. He had always treated Neil as a tool, including now.

Was his empathy too low?

He also read the letter carefully, not missing a single word, but he didn't feel anything special...

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Ling Mao glanced at Gu Chi but didn't say anything.

She didn't know which side Gu Chi stood on.

Actually, Gu Chi didn't stand on either side - in his opinion, this letter was not meant to evoke empathy from the players. Otherwise, why not directly inject the memories of these five years into their minds?

Clearly, this letter was a clue to a mission, and it had nothing to do with whether they should empathize or not.

Gu Chi hadn't forgotten the scene before he fell asleep last night. Even without Neil's mention, he knew that the time leap must be related to the clock tower. Neil specifically mentioned the clock tower at the end of the letter, which made Gu Chi believe even more that the contents of the letter were not just Neil bidding them farewell, but also contained many key pieces of information, just like the "clock tower".

Such as the "damn weather" and the "cute little creatures that came voluntarily".

Gu Chi looked at the fireplace, which was burning with flames, and walked to the window, opening the blinds.

"Whoosh."

Suddenly, a strong light came in, instantly illuminating the entire living room.

It also illuminated Ling Mao's face.

The huge contrast in brightness made Ling Mao quickly raise her hand to shield her eyes. But when she saw the scene outside through the gaps between her fingers, her narrowed eyes widened again, and she murmured, "Oh my god..."

Jiang Niao was also stunned.

Outside the window was a sea of white snow.The road was covered with thick snow, reaching the height of the car wheels. The trees and grass were wrapped in a silver-white coat, losing their original colors. Icicles formed on the eaves of the houses, as if the entire city had been frozen stiff. They kept their doors and windows tightly closed, burning wood for warmth, completely unaware of when the outside world had turned into a pure white icy wonderland.

"That's insane..."

"But it's also quite beautiful."

Gu Chi caught a glint in Ling Mao's eyes and promptly extinguished it: "Want to play in the snow? Go ahead if you don't mind turning into an ice sculpture."

"Oh, there's also the possibility of being eaten by a monster that suddenly jumps out."

Gu Chi hadn't found any so-called 'cuties' yet, but since Neil had mentioned them in his letter, they must exist.

Ling Mao: "......"

How did he know what she was thinking?

Was it not even okay to think about it?

Damn it!

Ling Mao huffed at Gu Chi.

Gu Chi couldn't be bothered with her, he turned to Mustard Soup and asked, "Have you sorted out your emotions?"

Mustard Soup: "Mm."

Gu Chi: "Then get to work. We're relying on you for our food from now on. Also, make something to keep us awake. We're not sleeping tonight."

"Okay." Mustard Soup nodded, giving Gu Chi a grateful look.

This left Ling Mao somewhat confused.

He asked you to work when you're upset, and not only are you not angry, but you're also grateful to him?

Is there something wrong with you?

Clearly, Ling Mao didn't understand the logic behind it.

Mustard Soup was saddened by Neil's death. To others, it seemed like he was too immersed in his emotions, or perhaps being overly sentimental. What he needed at this time was not comfort or solitude, but someone to tell him that he wouldn't be despised or looked down upon because of this, that he still had irreplaceable personal value.

This is called value affirmation in psychology.

One of the CPU techniques.

As for why they weren't sleeping...

The reason was simple.

Both time leaps occurred after they fell asleep, and Neil had mentioned the same sentence twice—

"Time always slips away while we sleep."

This was a clue thrown right in their faces. If they didn't catch on now, it would be impolite.

Gu Chi looked at the distant snow-covered clock tower.

If time was related to the clock tower, then where would the prophet be?

...

Night fell.

Heavy snow began to fall from the sky.

Everyone gathered around the fireplace for warmth.

They hadn't felt too cold during the day, but when the wind blew and the snow fell at night, the chill seeped into the house.

Wrapped in a thick cotton jacket, Ling Mao's small face was still frozen red. She rubbed her hands vigorously while asking in a trembling voice, "Gu, Gu Yuan, is it really useful for us not to sleep?"

The hot breath she exhaled as she spoke condensed into mist, floating in the air.

"We have to try," Gu Chi said, "At least to figure out how the hands of the clock tower move after twelve."

Jiang Niao and Mustard Soup remained silent, busy warming themselves by the fire.

Neil was right to curse, this damn weather was too cold.

If the snow continued to fall, they might not even be able to leave the house.

Ling Mao didn't try to talk to Gu Chi anymore. She felt that every time she opened her mouth, she lost a lot of heat.

Gu Chi, on the other hand, was pondering over Neil's letter.

The air briefly fell silent, leaving only the sound of the burning fire and the heavy breathing of the few people.

As they quietly waited, time ticked away, second by second.

Until exactly twelve o'clock, the bell rang on time.

"Dong!"

...