“Aaaagh!”
Another person had died of freezing for no apparent reason.
The faces of the survivors were pale, drenched in cold sweat.
They instinctively looked toward Yue Shi and Bai Wanyang, their eyes reflecting fear, hope, and a faint, imperceptible trace of resentment.
They resented the transcendents for being useless, for failing to resolve the predicament quickly, and for failing to prevent the deaths of their team members in time.
However, this resentment was quickly suppressed. No one dared to show it openly, let alone voice their accusations.
The current situation was far too dangerous. The transcendents were their only lifelines; no one was foolish enough to offend them with harsh words at a time like this.
“Everyone, stay exactly where you are. Do not move, and especially do not shine your flashlights around blindly,” Yue Shi said coldly.
His words carried significant weight, and the commotion among the crowd ceased instantly.
After a long while, no one else turned into an ice sculpture.
The deaths had stopped.
Yue Shi had confirmed his suspicion: making a movement triggered certain conditions that led to being frozen to death. Remaining still could effectively avoid it.
And these triggers were very likely related to the abnormal information he had seen.
At this moment, everyone stood stiffly, not daring to budge, their eyes darting around in terror.
Someone’s lips trembled, wanting to bolt for the cold storage door to escape, but rationality suppressed the impulse.
As members of the Investigation Bureau, they were well aware of the danger of supernatural incidents. No one could guarantee they wouldn't be frozen mid-run, nor could they guarantee that getting outside the cold storage would be safe.
Staying away from the transcendents might be even more dangerous. At least Yue Shi could provide actual life-saving advice. Standing still was cold, but it didn't lead to instant death.
Yue Shi summoned several ravens. The pitch-black birds flew silently, weaving through the shelves as their vision scanned every corner.
He performed a cursory search through the ravens' perspectives for a moment but found no one else inside the cold storage besides the Investigation Bureau members, nor did he find any suspicious clues.
To find the anomaly, he would still have to rely on his own Insight vision to observe everything one by one.
By now, the frost on the frozen Bai Wanyang’s body began to melt. His supernatural power was taking effect, allowing him to endure the freezing damage and quickly restore his bodily functions.
As time ticked by, the temperature in the cold storage continued to drop visibly.
The chill seeped through their clothes and deep into their bones. Those standing still began to shiver uncontrollably, their teeth chattering.
“Mr. Yue Shi, how much longer?” a young investigator whispered. “I’m... I’m freezing to death...”
Yue Shi didn't answer, still observing and thinking. In any case, he didn't feel the cold.
Bai Wanyang moved his arms, which had just regained sensation. Enduring the discomfort, he gritted his teeth and said, “We can't just wait here. The longer we stay, the more things will change. I’ll go test the path and see if we can walk straight out the cold storage door!”
With that, he took a deep breath and began to move slowly toward the door. He took each step with extreme caution, his entire body tense and alert, fearing he might suddenly be turned into an ice sculpture again.
Everyone watched him tensely, their hearts filled with anxiety.
Ten meters, five meters, three meters... He was getting closer...
Finally, Bai Wanyang reached the door safely without any accidents occurring along the way.
Good!!!
The surviving investigators wanted to cheer. Joy spread across their faces, and they were about to step out, following in Bai Wanyang’s footsteps.
“Wait, don't move yet,” Bai Wanyang called out urgently. He had noticed a yellowed piece of old paper stuck to the inner edge of the door, which had some... strange content written on it.
“Brother Yue, come over here! Something’s not right!”
Hearing this, Yue Shi activated a barrier and walked steadily toward the door.
“Look at this.” Bai Wanyang pointed to the paper on the door.
Yue Shi’s gaze fell upon the paper. The handwriting was small and blurry, with some words covered by stains. It wasn't the standard cold storage operating regulations, but something much stranger—
Welcome to the Wei Zhen Xiang Food Processing Plant Core Cold Storage. To ensure your safety and product quality, please strictly observe the following rules:
1. It is forbidden to damage the cold storage or any items within it.
2. The cold storage constant temperature system is set to -18°C. It is forbidden to adjust the set value on the temperature control panel, regardless of how cold you feel. If you find that the temperature displayed on the panel is not -18°C, please immediately █████ until the temperature returns to -18°C.
3. Cold storage lighting is controlled by a central system, which switches between primary and backup circuits every two hours. There will be periods of total darkness of indefinite duration; this is normal. During the blackout, do not use any other light sources to directly illuminate the ceiling area until lighting is restored.
4. Please maintain low-volume communication within the cold storage and avoid sudden screaming or loud laughter. If you hear unknown whispers or chewing sounds coming from deep within the shelves, please pretend you do not hear them.
5. The cold storage has one and only one exit. If you find a second door marked 'EXIT', no matter how much it looks like an exit, absolutely do not open it, and do not look at it for an extended period.
6. All meat products are packed in uniform white hard plastic boxes with clear numbering. If you see black plastic boxes or plastic boxes oozing dark red liquid, do not touch them and do not be curious.
7. If you find any tools that are unusually warm, covered in non-frozen grease or ████, please do not touch them and ████.
8. Within the cold storage, any form of water stains is abnormal; absolutely do not step on them. If you see water stains forming a path, move in the opposite direction immediately.
“This is...” Yue Shi almost immediately mapped the bizarre deaths that had just occurred to these clauses.
The first victim seemed to have violated the rule about “using a flashlight to shine directly on the ceiling.”
Then, he activated his Insight. Information about the paper emerged in his vision:
【A piece of paper (Records special rule information for this location)】
Hmm?
Special rules?
“This looks like Rules Horror!” Bai Wanyang whispered in shock beside him.
In the prosperous era before the supernatural arrival, Rules Horror had been a popular genre of internet literature. Even now, these web novel resources could still be found in some old databases.
Unfortunately, since the supernatural power had manifested in reality, the field of literary creation had undergone earth-shattering changes. Many interesting genres had vanished into the long river of history; after all, literature must be based on reality while also being elevated above it.
“Rules Horror?” Yue Shi’s gaze became subtle as a certain... person flashed through his mind.
No, it was a supernatural creature.
Bai Wanyang’s expression was grim. “If this really is Rules Horror, I’m afraid it’s not just the cold storage. Perhaps there are rules everywhere in this entire food processing plant, and we’ve been trapped inside. Based on my experience, we have to use our wisdom to eliminate false rules, scrutinize the rules for loopholes, and peel back the layers to find the true path to survival through constant decryption...”
Rate on N.U.
