The tenth resurrection.
Shen Yan opened his eyes from the dirt, his expression calm and composed.
He had now acquired "Vision Feedback LV.3", and awakened a secondary ability:
> [Perspective Shift] — Transfer one person's emotional tag toward him onto another target.
He knew he could no longer wait.
He had to use this power—to create a scapegoat, and disrupt the town's trust-based rules.
He set a trap: orchestrating a scene where the fat townsman "accidentally" witnessed him conspiring with the waitress—
Then transferred the emotion of "jealousy" onto the fat man.
On the eleventh night, the train came for the fat man.
The town trembled.
---
On the twelfth day, Shen Yan stood atop the bell tower.
With a nail, he carved a sentence into his palm:
> "This town is a prison where people devour themselves under their own gaze."
The waitress finally confessed the truth:
She wasn't an NPC.
She was a challenger from a previous Tower run, now trapped as a townsperson after failing.
"If you survive to the thirteenth day," she whispered,
"maybe… you can take me with you."
---
The thirteenth day.
The bell rang.
The train did not come.
A golden light descended from the sky.
A cold system voice echoed:
> [Layer 1 of the Tower: "Funeral Bell Town" Cleared]
Rating: A-Rank Clear
Rewards: Instance Authority +1 | Skill Upgrade +1
Shen Yan turned his head in the light—
And saw the waitress, still standing where she was, smiling softly.
> "We'll meet again," she said.
The next second, he was teleported away.
> ["Funeral Bell Town" Instance: Ended]
[Main Quest: The Tower's Truth – 0.5 Unlocked]
Finally—
he had truly survived.