Chapter 1 Survival progress detected a hidden rule being triggered.

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Coconut Mint / Text

2024/06/07

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Liang Jun was awakened by the sound of an explosion downstairs.

She woke up groggily and instinctively grabbed her phone from beside her pillow to take a look.

It's 3:58, two minutes to go.

Liang Jun leaned against the window and looked in the direction of the sound.

The sky was beginning to lighten in the early morning. The wreckage of the car collision was piled up, as if the sun had fallen straight to the ground, and the flames mercilessly devoured the wailing lives inside.

She slumped back onto the bed and sighed helplessly.

Someone still died.

Liang Xun silently counted down in her mind, and the moment the four o'clock mark was refreshed, the system announcement suddenly rang out—

[Current progress: Survival days 6/7...]

[Successfully surviving by following the rules will allow you to clear the level. Keep up the good work!]

Meanwhile, rustling sounds from the living room drifted into the bedroom through the door.

Liang Xun casually shook her head, as if to power on her body. With her hair all messy, she got out of bed and walked barefoot towards the door.

After confirming that the bedroom door was still locked, Liang Jun relaxed a little.

Just as she was about to slip into her bathroom, there was a loud knocking on her bedroom door.

"GunGun, are you up yet?"

The middle-aged woman's voice came from the lower part of the door, but the knocking that lingered on the upper part continued.

"It's almost ten o'clock, stop lying in bed!"

Hearing the sound, Liang Xun looked up at the clock above the desk; the hour hand was still slowly approaching the number five.

When she looked away, she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the crack in the door, and a faint green light seemed to lock onto her in that instant.

Almost simultaneously—

[Hidden rule triggered.]

5. Please do not make direct eye contact with anyone, as this can cause irreparable harm.

Liang Xun quickly looked away.

The moment she escaped, she felt like a drowning person who was about to faint but was swept back to the beach by the waves—the feeling of surviving a disaster sent chills down her spine.

"I understand, Mom."

Liang Yun tiptoed back onto the bed, waving the blanket vigorously in an attempt to create the illusion that she had just woken up.

"I just got up and was about to wash up."

The middle-aged woman's voice was much softer, as if she had temporarily left the vicinity of the door.

"Okay, then hurry up and come out after you're done packing. Dad and I are waiting to have dinner with you!"

"Okay, Mom, I understand."

Liang Jun responded to every word she spoke, and only after she sensed the dragging footsteps gradually fading away did her tense nerves finally relax.

Realizing that the other person wouldn't be returning to the bedroom anytime soon, Liang Jun rushed into the bathroom and turned on the tap, the icy liquid mercilessly splashing onto her face.

Liang Jun looked at herself in the mirror, forcing her mind to calm down little by little—

Everything that happened stemmed from that strange system that appeared six days ago.

Six days ago, at four o'clock in the morning, Liang Xun was awakened by a strange mechanical voice in her mind.

While she was still half asleep, she was given a few inexplicable rules, and then the voice disappeared into thin air, just as it had come.

Liang Jun didn't believe in these supernatural things. She firmly believed that she had stayed up too late the night before to finish her graduation project, which caused her to have hallucinations after waking up from a nightmare.

Within a minute, she heard a man and a woman talking in the living room.

But I live alone.

As Liang Xun regained her senses, she gradually realized that something was wrong.

She didn't know what kind of monsters were living on the other side of the wall; but she had observed from afar through the window those humans who were cruelly wiped out for breaking the rules.

So for the next six days, no matter what methods people outside used to lure her out of her bedroom, Liang Jun kept the door tightly locked and held her ground, as long as she was not violating any rules.

Water droplets dripped down the contours of her face into the pool.

Liang Jun pulled out a washcloth and casually wiped her face, then began skillfully operating the system to rebroadcast the known rules—

1. The rental property is a safe area; no outsider will harm you.

2. The bedroom is absolutely safe. The bedroom is absolutely safe. The bedroom is absolutely safe.

3. Mom and Dad love you very much, please don't hurt their feelings.

4. Please ensure you are in good physical health as much as possible, as hallucinations can cause you great distress.

5. Please do not make direct eye contact with anyone, as this can cause irreparable harm.

She put away the system panel and turned her head to look at the self-heating rice stacked next to the desk.

In order to survive these seven days, Liang Jun had to take care of all her eating, drinking, and relieving herself in this small bedroom.

Fortunately, in order to finish her graduation project, she had stored six boxes of self-heating rice in her room. During this period, Liang Jun only ate one box a day, and she managed to get through it.

But on the last day, her food supply was cut off.

Liang Jun dared not take the risk.

She was unsure whether her act of starving herself violated the "physical health" requirement of the rules, nor did she know what painful consequences her hallucinations would bring her.

Just as she was pondering whether drinking water could actually fill her stomach, the bedroom door was knocked on violently once again.

"Girl, are you done yet?" Mom asked anxiously. "We're out of meat. Hurry up and go downstairs to buy some. Your dad's starving!"

The man who was called on chimed in with perfect understanding: "Yeah, Junjun, it's already noon, and we haven't even had a meal yet!"

Liang Jun turned the tap to its maximum, and the rushing water made her answer sound muffled.

"Dad, Mom, I haven't finished washing up yet..."

She tapped the inside of her water glass with her toothbrush. "Why don't you wait a little longer? I'll go downstairs to buy some meat after I've finished washing up."

Not receiving any feedback from the outside world, Liang Jun felt a chill in her heart.

She quickly added, "If you're really in a hurry, Dad, you can go buy some meat first..."

"My dear, Daddy's so hungry he can barely walk..."

The man's voice sounded incredibly heavy, as if he were about to tear off his mask and explode completely at any moment.

"Do you want Dad to starve to death on the road?"

Alarm bells rang in Liang Jun's mind; she realized that danger was approaching.

"I'm sorry, Dad, that's not what I meant."

Liang Jun is able to quickly soothe and please others with words—an experience she gained from being bullied as a child.

"I misspoke, and I hope you won't be angry."

Dad snorted and didn't dwell on it any longer.

"We can only give you ten more minutes. If you don't come out in ten minutes, your parents will be heartbroken."

"I understand, Dad."

The eerie silence gave Liang Jun goosebumps.

She nervously turned off the still-guzzling faucet, walked back to her desk, and sat down. As usual, she scribbled in her notebook to try and sort out her chaotic thoughts.

I only had ten minutes left to prepare.

She didn't know what would happen if she hurt her parents' feelings, but Liang Jun was very clear that stepping out of her safe haven was not an easy task.

Liang Jun circled the words "outsider" in her notebook.

According to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to harm themselves inside a rented house.

But are Mom and Dad considered outsiders?

The answer is obvious.

The pen tip left more and more circles, and Liang Xun's extreme unease made her feel a little anxious.

Her eyes searched the desk for any usable props, and after glancing at a black glasses case in the corner, Liang Jun's mind gradually calmed down.

She took a pair of black sunglasses from the box and decisively put them on.

[Hidden rule triggered.]

5. Please avoid direct eye contact with anyone, as this can cause irreparable harm. If you find items that can reduce eye contact, using them is a wise choice.

She made the right bet.

After standing up, Liang Jun took a few deep breaths and turned the group photo of the orphanage standing in front of her upside down on the table.

She glanced around briefly, and after confirming several times that the sunglasses would not obstruct her vision, Liang Jun walked to the bedroom door.

The door lock turned, making a "click" sound, and Liang Xun also caught the sound of the object moving quickly in front of her.

The sudden chill made her shiver involuntarily. Despite having made thorough preparations, Liang Xun still couldn't help but slowly open the door, her trembling uncontrollable.

This was the first time in over twenty years that she had met her "parents".

They jostled and crowded into the doorway.

Their obese bodies were pressed together, and the strange fluid flowing beneath their skin made them look swollen and distended. The distorted human figures intensified this eerie discomfort.

The pupils of Mom and Dad emitted a chilling green light—and it wasn't just their eyes.

Although Liang Jun's sunglasses had absorbed some of the color, she could still detect the lifeless fluorescent green beneath their skin.

The smell of decay—

Liang Jun naturally did not expect this to be the case.

She couldn't hold it in and started coughing and gagging physiologically.

A look of worry flashed in her mother's eyes, and her bloodless lips moved as if preparing to devour her prey.

"Are you alright, Junjun? Is something wrong with your health?"

The mother patted Liang Yun's back, the touch feeling like a lump of slime spreading out on her skin.

Liang Jun suppressed her nausea and shrank back. "I'm perfectly healthy without a mother."

She kept the fourth rule in mind.

Before there is a definitive conclusion on whether the determination of NPCs is equivalent to the determination of rules, Liang Jun must be extremely cautious in her words and actions.

"That's good."

Mom nodded meaningfully, and as she withdrew her hand, she exchanged a glance with Dad beside her.

Dad bent his knees slightly to meet Liang Jun's gaze. "Don't stand at the door, come into the living room."

Upon seeing the other person's face clearly, Liang Xun's eyes were instantly filled with utter disbelief—

He has the exact same face as the dean!

Dean Liang was like a father to me.

In that environment where he was constantly bullied by his peers, it was the headmaster who protected him, gave him a name, and taught him how to survive independently.

He is the person Liang Yan is most grateful to in her life, but he would never appear in front of her in this way!

She staggered slightly.

The other person's eerie green skin and swollen limbs were right in front of her, reminding Liang Jun that she shouldn't make simplistic assumptions.

This is not the dean...

This is just an NPC who could take his own life at any moment...

This is definitely not Dean Liang...

Liang Jun realized she was somewhat dazed; she hadn't even noticed that she had been led to sit at the dining table—

This is not a good sign.

The father sat down opposite Liang Jun, his deathly green pupils fixed on Liang Jun's sunglasses.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses in your room? Take them off."

Liang Jun turned her head to the side and said, "I have a stye and my eyes can't stand bright light, so I need to wear sunglasses to cover them."

The completely unrelated reason made Liang Jun immediately regret her words. She prayed frantically in her heart that the other party would not see through her lie.

But obviously, simple-minded NPCs wouldn't consider all that.

Dad scratched his face and thought for a while. Only after the green scratches and dents had smoothed out did he temporarily abandon the idea of ​​taking off his sunglasses.

"Oh well."

Liang Jun leaned back into her seat.

But before she could catch her breath, her mother rushed out of the kitchen in a great hurry.

She was holding an unfamiliar kitchen knife, the blade already showing obvious serrations, and bright red liquid was dripping from it.

"We're out of meat! We don't have enough for cooking!" Mom's expression turned ferocious. "Gan Gan, when are you going to go down and buy some meat?!"

His arms, thick with green fat, were swinging the cleaver haphazardly, as if he were about to chop down on Liang Jun at any moment.

Not wanting to anger the other party, Liang Jun had no choice but to stand up.

"I'll go right away..."

The dizziness in my brain is getting stronger and stronger.

Liang Jun desperately tried to keep her eyes open and move towards the door, half-leaning against the wall.

The system remained quiet and did not trigger any hidden rules.

The safety level outside a rental property is completely unknown.

Without any warning of the rules, there is a possibility that Leung Yung could have been killed instantly as soon as she stepped out of the house.

My parents' greedy eyes were always fixed on me.

Liang Jun gently placed her hand on the door, trying to slow down everything and buy as much time as possible.

There must be another way!

There must be more!

"You child..."

Seeing that the door to the rented house remained closed, the mother gritted her teeth and walked step by step toward Liang Jun, knife in hand.

Realizing that the situation was turning against her in the blink of an eye, Liang Yan no longer hesitated and was about to turn the handle.

Just at this critical moment, there was a sudden, urgent knocking on the door of the rented house.

Things seem to have taken a turn for the better.

Liang Jun quickly took two steps back, creating a safe distance from the gate.

The mother's steps seemed to be paused, and her gaze shifted from Liang Jun to the direction of the door.

"GunGun, go open the door."

A fake smile appeared on her ugly face. "Let's see who's here as a guest?"

If Liang Jun wants to reduce the risk to her mother, then she needs to obey all her mother's orders.

Liang Jun nodded obediently, silently enclosing herself entirely within the rented room.

In this way, the person outside the door cannot harm them.

The moment the door was opened, it was frantically pried open by the people outside.

Immediately afterwards, a girl in a high school uniform knelt down in front of Liang Jun.

"Sister Junjun! Please save me! Please save me!"

A thick, green liquid covered the girl's entire body, and her white school uniform was stained with some dark red marks.

The girl crawled on her hands and feet to Liang Jun and hugged her legs tightly.

"Sister Junjun, I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Please save me, please save me!"

Just as Liang Jun was about to bend down and pull her up, she heard that rapidly moving sound again in her ears.

The dark green light in her mother's eyes intensified, and murky saliva dripped from the corner of her mouth.

"The meat is here."

A note from the author:

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Below is the synopsis for the upcoming novel, "I Reconstruct a Murder Scene in a Detective Game." If you're interested, feel free to add it to your favorites on my author page!

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Is this the difficulty level of the beginner tutorial?

Xi Yuran glanced at the constantly flashing mission markers at her feet and scoffed at this part.

She knocked on the door of the building in front of her, only to find a six or seven-year-old girl opening it.

Xi Yuran smiled and said, "Hello, little friend. May I ask to see your parents?"

The little girl nodded blankly, then closed the door.

Not long after, the door was pushed open again.

The little girl was carrying a head in each hand, the neck covered in a bloody mess, leaving two curved trails of blood on the way she came.

"Hello, sister. These are my mom and dad."

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ExTruth is a case-solving game that requires a special sleep pod to play. It became an instant global sensation upon its release, attracting over a billion beta testers.

Xi Yuran was fortunate enough to become one of them.

Lying in the sleep pod, she slowly closed her eyes.

The moment she connected with the brain, she found herself enveloped in a soft, silvery light.

The second after the brain-computer interface was established, a noisy and urgent alarm began to sound—

She was informed by the system that some players' sleep pods were malfunctioning.

These types of players cannot quit the game midway; they can only quit automatically after all the murder cases in the ExTruth case database have been restored to an S rating.

Xi Yuran was "lucky" enough to become one of them.

To achieve a high score in recreating a murder scene, one needs extremely strong mental strength.

Not only that, there was also a case deployment department head named Xing Huan who always tried to find fault with his own case closure reports.

The harsh demands tormented Xi Yuran, who considered ending the relationship several times.

One day, on a whim, she went through all the previous case reports and was surprised to find that the first two words of each of Xing Huan's approval comments could be connected to form a complete sentence—

"You are the only savior, don't give up."

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The long-awaited pit has finally opened! I'm so excited!

Those who join us now are all angel investors, and every bit of your support is the biggest motivation for our team to overcome challenges!

The first volume's tutorial section mainly explains the background setting, so the pace is relatively slow; from the main levels onwards, it will return to a fast-paced mode!

It is strongly recommended that you read the introduction and reading guide first. If you feel uncomfortable while reading, you are welcome to exit at any time.

I've been busy with my graduation thesis and various exams lately, but I'm also trying my best to become a typing machine (head in hands).