"Remember, you must keep this on you at all times. Don't let a Participant take it."
Lu Qing handed the still-warm protective charm to Ren Yi. He noticed that the original lustrous glow of the hairpin in her hand had dimmed significantly.
He only had time to say "Thank you, Auntie" before being pushed into the small cubicle by Lu Qing.
Ren Yi closed the door behind him and stood where the Participant had first appeared. He lowered his eyes slightly, letting his gaze go blank, perfectly replicating the bewilderment and helplessness of someone newly entering an Instance.
Just as he finished arranging his expression, a sensation of being watched suddenly appeared. Immediately afterward, a flurry of prompts flickered before his eyes.
For some reason, the prompts for the Participants' side seemed to have a bad signal, flickering in and out as if to heighten the horror atmosphere.
【Welcome to the "Lu Family Courtyard", Participant Mr. Mo Ming】
【You will survive within this Instance for three days】
【Please explore the remaining rules and conditions on your own】
【Attention! This Instance contains a special Auxiliary Rule: Do not feel pain together with others!!!】
【Good luck!】
The prompts were shorter than expected. Was it because all Instance prompts were like this, or was this world no longer able to provide more help to Participants?
Ren Yi pondered privately, his gaze lingering on the name "Mo Ming," etching this temporary identity into his heart.
Next, the only piece of information was this: Do not feel pain together with others.
This line of text was blood-red and used three exclamation points. Ren Yi inexplicably sensed a feeling of panic from these words.
With a thought, he pulled up the Anomaly Web panel.
Sure enough, the previous text saying "Auxiliary Rule still generating" had disappeared, replaced by a fresh line of text:
【Auxiliary Rule generated: Do not feel pain together with others.】
It was the exact same information. The Anomaly Web provided no further explanation, causing Ren Yi to frown.
It was a bit strange; the phrasing of this rule seemed to be framed from the perspective of a Participant who needed to follow it.
If they were supposed to utilize the Auxiliary Rule or actively spread it, shouldn't it be something like "Please make Participants feel pain together" or "Make Participants die in the same pain"?
Could it be that the Auxiliary Rule also applied to their side?
He quickly dismissed this idea. Neither the Alliance regulations nor the shared experiences of senior Anomalies ever mentioned that an Auxiliary Rule would cause direct harm to oneself; theoretically, there was no need to worry.
Perhaps the rule itself could only be presented in this form of a reverse warning?
More importantly, the rule itself was a bit too vague.
How was "together" defined? Was it close physical proximity, or emotional synchronization? Would venting pain to each other over a phone count?
And what was the scope of "pain"? Was it mental-level negative emotions like anxiety and fear, or physical agony like being cut or burned?
If it was the former, broadly speaking, all negative emotions could be considered "pain." If it was the latter, if two people were stabbed once each and then tied together, would they be violating the rule?
Ren Yi shook his head, setting his doubts aside for now.
The Auxiliary Rule was just an additional regulation, not an immediate lethal threat. How to utilize it could be planned later. The most important thing right now was to play the role of the Participant "Mo Ming."
He looked up and noticed a yellowed slip of paper pasted on the door. Reaching out to peel it off, he saw the number "17" written at the top, followed by a dense list of regulations written in faded blue-black ink:
【Lu Family Servant Code of Conduct】
1. You are a servant of the Lu family. Be mindful of your identity and do not perform actions inconsistent with it.
2. The Lu family has three "Masters." Masters are supreme, Attendants are second, and servants are at the bottom. Those of lower status must obey the orders of those of higher status.
3. Servants should keep to their place. Do not disobey any order from a Master, and do not rebut any decision made by a Master.
4. Servants are lowly. Servants have no names. Do not let your name soil the Masters' ears; you may refer to each other by code numbers.
5. Servants should not be grinning or laughing; servants have no right to feel happiness.
6. Servants cannot leave the Lu family grounds. Your range of activity is limited to the Lu Family Courtyard and designated work locations.
7. Servants should be diligent and exert their maximum effort to complete their work. Servants who fail to complete their work will be punished.
8. Servants should take pride in working for the Lu family and must not damage any property belonging to the Masters.
Line after line of rules—between the lines, they seemed filled with disdain and malice toward "servants," but in Ren Yi's eyes, they were a grand guidebook on how to resist Anomalies like them.
"Do not rebut any decision made by a Master" was clearly a rule targeting Lu Zihan.
"Servants have no right to feel happiness" was targeted at himself.
As for "Servants have no names," it was very likely a rule targeting Auntie Lu Qing.
Additionally, the second rule stating "The Lu family has three Masters" was likely a hint born after he had blended into the Participant group. It didn't seem to have any flaws now, but it might point to him when combined with some later clues.
The road ahead is long and difficult.
Ren Yi sighed softly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the protective charm in his pocket. He hadn't forgotten that he still carried the mandatory target of "personally killing one Participant."
Just then, a coarse, loud voice exploded outside the door, making his eardrums ache: "Everyone, get up! Mao hour is approaching! You new servants, how dare you try to slack off on your first day?"
As soon as the voice fell, rustling sounds came from the surrounding cubicles one after another, followed by the sound of doors being pushed open in sequence. Ren Yi straightened his clothes and followed the crowd out.
The crowd outside was already bustling. At a glance, Ren Yi felt a wasteland aura blowing toward him.
The most conspicuous people in the crowd were several men and women wearing faded camouflage and carrying massive military backpacks. They stood straight, scanning the environment with sharp eyes, completely out of place with their surroundings.
More common were people in tattered clothes with weary faces, wrapped in stained cloaks or jackets, carrying bulging woven bags or old backpacks, and tightly clutching various homemade tools like crowbars and machetes.
The air was filled with low murmurs and heavy breathing.
Ren Yi scanned the area and easily discovered six or seven firearms hidden in clothing or backpacks.
But his experience from the last Instance told him that compared to these thermal weapons, the Espers hidden in the crowd were the true threat.
He made no effort to hide his observation, his gaze slowly sweeping through the crowd.
About half of the people stood alone in corners like him, maintaining a sense of detachment; the other half had huddled into three distinct groups, whispering in small clusters of three to five.
Most of these Participants looked calm and moved steadily; they were clearly not newbies experiencing an Anomaly Instance for the first time.
Ren Yi felt no nervousness about this.
He didn't need to kill every Participant here by himself. According to Lu Qing, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Ren Yi had confidence in the "adults" on his side.
Rate on N.U.
