Ten Day Ultimatum

Officer Li didn’t answer Qiao Jiajin but turned to Qi Xia. "I do have one more question. It pertains to Han Yimo... You left something unsaid. What does Han Yimo's death signify? And what about the sword?"
Qi Xia narrowed his eyes, studying Officer Li carefully before replying, "Officer, you're the expert in criminal investigation, and I'm an expert in deception. Isn't it strange that you're asking me for insight into the case?"

Officer Li lowered his head helplessly. "We've ended up in this bizarre place; how can criminal investigation still be of any use?"
Qi Xia was silent for a moment before choosing to share the clues he had pieced together. "Officer, all I can say is... Han Yimo might have recognized that sword."
"Recognized?" Officer Li frowned, then nodded thoughtfully. "You mean he had seen it before?"

"These aren't the issues you need to worry about," Qi Xia said. "You should focus on your own situation."
"What do you mean?"
Qi Xia sighed and turned to leave, but Officer Li grabbed ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) his arm, stopping him.

"Don’t go. What exactly is my situation?"
Lin Qin, covering her mouth and nose, leaned close to Officer Li's ear and whispered, "Mr. Officer, since Qi Xia won’t say it, I will. There are two things you need to be careful of."
"Two?"

"That's right. First, the only person who could easily lift the giant sword is that crazy female shop assistant. She’s incredibly strong. In other words, if Han Yimo really was killed, then she’s the prime suspect. You should leave this place as soon as possible."
Officer Li nodded, his expression grave, then asked, "And the second?"
"The second point of concern is your teammates. They don’t seem trustworthy."

Officer Li’s lips twitched slightly, as if he had realized something.
Among his current companions were Xiao Ran, a kindergarten teacher easily swayed by emotion and not particularly astute; Zhang Chenze, a lawyer indifferent to everything, always weighing pros and cons; and Doctor Zhao, who had previously clashed with him and seemed somewhat self-centered.
If the four of them encountered a life-threatening situation, could they truly trust one another?

Officer Li wrestled with this thought for a long time before finally speaking. "Qi Xia, no matter what, I’ll use the convenience store as my base and explore the surrounding area. If you get new information... come to me and we can exchange it."
Qi Xia neither agreed nor refused—he simply gave a calm glance and turned away.
The rest didn't know what to say and just followed him.

Officer Li watched the four of them walk away for a while, then returned to the convenience store with Doctor Zhao and Xiao Ran.
Of course he realized that the four outside were more reliable in a crisis. But they were going to collect Dào—in other words, they were courting death.
It wasn’t safe to follow them.
If he wanted to survive, they needed to establish a secure base first and carefully plan their next steps.

……
Qi Xia led the group forward and soon arrived at the plaza where they had first appeared the previous day.
He wanted to confirm one thing: the source of the loud bell they had heard that morning.

Just like yesterday, a large electronic display stood in the center, with a copper bell hanging above it.
When Han Yimo was killed, that bell had rung.
Lin Qin blinked and said, "I think I heard the bell ring several times..."

"Several times?" Qiao Jiajin paused. "When?"
Lin Qin thought for a moment, then recalled, "Do you remember the young man whose head was smashed by Mortal Goat when we first woke up? It seemed like the bell rang when he died."
Tian Tian's eyes lit up. "Could it be... every time someone dies, the bell rings?"

Several people nodded, thinking the hypothesis made sense. The copper bell seemed to serve as a death knell, marking each life lost.
"No," Qi Xia shook his head. "That corridor had at least a thousand rooms. While we were participating in the games, people must have been dying in those rooms constantly. If this were a death bell, we’d have heard it far more than twice."
"True..." Tian Tian admitted Qi Xia had a point. But then—what did cause the bell to ring?

"Huh?" Lin Qin looked up at the display screen. "I remember there was text on it yesterday, but now it’s blank."
Everyone looked up and confirmed the words had indeed vanished.
"It was something about reverberation," Qiao Jiajin said, touching his chin thoughtfully. "Something like... I beckoned a calamity of reverberation?"

"I hear the reverberation of Beckoned Calamity," Qi Xia corrected.
"Oh, right..." Qiao Jiajin nodded. "But what does that even mean?"
Qi Xia shook his head.

This wasn’t something they could figure out through simple speculation. There was too little they knew about the city.
What was Beckoned Calamity? What did Reverberation mean? And who was I?
"Never mind. Let’s check somewhere else," Qi Xia said, turning to leave—then abruptly froze in place.

A gaunt face loomed before him, smiling.
The figure had appeared out of nowhere and now stared at him intently.
Qi Xia’s pupils dilated. He instinctively stepped back.

The other three were startled as well. Before them stood a withered old man, hunched like a dead tree, standing awkwardly on his tiptoes.
"I’ve figured it out..." the old man said, smiling faintly, revealing a lone yellow tooth. "I’ve been pondering your question!"
Qi Xia felt a chill down his spine as the old man continued to gaze at him. "Are you talking to me?"

The man licked his cracked lips. "Young’un, I know the answer! It’s staking your life! Once you stake your life, everything becomes manageable!" He stretched out a hand, dirty nails reaching toward Qi Xia. "Escape is within reach! You just have to stake your life..."
Qi Xia frowned and took another few steps back. He couldn’t make sense of the old man’s words, but the obsessive mention of "staking your life" felt deeply unsettling.
"Hey! Old geezer, who are you?" Qiao Jiajin asked warily. "Do you know Qi Xia?"

The man’s expression shifted. He turned slowly to look at Qiao Jiajin, his eyes clouded with emotion. Then he asked, "Don’t you recognize me?"
"Why would I?"
A silence followed. The old man’s milky eyes flickered. After a long pause, he murmured, "Ah... I see. You all... have already encountered Celestial Dragon..."

"Celestial Dragon?" The four of them exchanged confused glances.
"There’s no hope..." the man whispered, shaking his head slowly. Then he turned and began to shuffle away. "We can’t defeat him... We’re trapped here forever... No wonder the Earthly Branches have returned..." His voice faded as he wandered into the distance, his frail figure swallowed by the silence.