Chapter 18 The alarm blared, and she saw herself.
On Gu Keke and Liang Jun's already distressed expressions, an even greater sense of disbelief appeared—
No, how was this hidden rule triggered?!
[Hidden rule triggered.]
5. Food served at each window is based on the chef's preferences; the chef will not serve food they dislike. The chef at window number one dislikes rice, and the chef at window number four dislikes sweets. If you notice anything unusual, please refrain from eating.
Gu Keke hadn't even cleaned the chocolate powder off her mouth yet. She stretched her neck and finally managed to swallow the pile of bitter chocolate.
"I triggered it?" She pointed at herself, her face full of disbelief. "Which sentence of mine triggered it?"
Immediately, she remembered the casual remark, "Master Number Four doesn't like sweets."
"Did I just get lucky?"
The belated joy made Gu Keke extremely excited, and she wished she could eat two more slices of Black Forest cake on the spot!
Liang Jun was equally excited, "You're speaking based on your abilities!"
Unexpectedly, they discovered an extra hidden rule about the dining area. Liang Xun quickly called over Song Ming and Luo Chuange, who were standing nearby, and they shared the information.
Although they all kept saying that "the cake was not good," they still ate everything they could, adhering to the principle of "not wasting food."
Song Ming still had half an apple left to eat, and he planned to take it out and eat it as he walked.
Before leaving the dining area, Leung Jung made a point of checking the time again.
14:25.
“It’s getting a little late today,” several players said, walking past Liang Jun with half-eaten apples in their hands. “There’s hardly any information left in the teaching building. Shall we head straight to the library?”
The others nodded in agreement, preparing to leave after the other players.
The players were tossing apples and chatting and laughing, but the moment they lifted the curtain of the dining area, they vanished before everyone's eyes as if by ghosts.
No one could figure out what was going on.
Liang Jun's body reacted before her brain did; she immediately grabbed Song Ming, who was about to leave.
Where are they?
Gu Keke rubbed her eyes several times behind her back. "Weren't there other people in front of us just now? Where are they now?"
Luo Chuange looked equally shocked. "I...don't know either."
[Hidden rule triggered.]
3. To ensure students can study with peace of mind, all food provided in the dining area is safe and guaranteed. Bringing in outside food or taking food out is prohibited.
Food must not be taken out...
Liang Jun's gaze shifted downwards and landed on the half apple that Song Ming was holding.
“It was apples,” Liang Jun said slowly. “Those people walked out with apples in their hands.”
Obviously, bringing out an apple violated the rules, so it's only natural that the player would be instantly eliminated by the rules.
Upon hearing Liang Xuan's words, Song Ming immediately got goosebumps all over his body.
"What should I do?" he asked, a little panicked. "Should I... throw it away? I can't eat it..."
"Don't throw it away!"
Gu Keke decisively rejected the idea, but immediately after speaking, she began scratching her head, appearing hesitant.
"I don't know why I can't throw it away... but I always feel like there's some kind of punishment for wasting food..."
Liang Jun also agreed with Gu Keke's sixth sense.
"There's only half left. Try your best and eat it."
After eating half an apple, Song Ming felt that the peak of his food intake had reached his throat.
He threw the clean apple core into the slop bucket, then waved to everyone, indicating, "Don't talk, or I'll throw up."
After confirming that they had not taken any food out of the dining area, the group lifted the curtain and left unharmed.
"Too slow..."
Hearing the commotion, Di Qing turned around. Whether it was from the sun or from being pushed to his limit, Di Qing's brows were furrowed, and his eyes were scanning Liang Xun.
"Where are you going next?" Di Qing asked her about the group's itinerary.
There was no point in hiding it, so Liang Jun simply invited Di Qing, "Let's go to the library to investigate. There are many of us, so we might be able to find some useful rules. Would you like to come with us?"
Upon hearing the word "library," Di Qing quickly averted his gaze from Liang Xun.
She placed her hands on her stomach and said, "I haven't eaten much, and my stomach hurts a bit. I want to go back to my dorm to rest. You guys go ahead."
Before Liang Xun and the others could reply, Di Qing left first.
Perhaps because the other party's investigation focused on the dormitory buildings, the group didn't think too much about it—after all, in a game, parting ways with former teammates is a perfectly normal thing.
The library was still packed with people in the afternoon.
There are very few players who actually come here to borrow and learn; most of them come in groups to explore the rules.
Liang Jun led everyone to a corner, saying, "If we want to investigate the library's rules, we'd better split into teams."
She glanced at the digital clock. "To be on the safe side, we only have about three or four hours left. Excluding the study room and the first-floor lobby, we still have four floors to investigate."
Each floor of the book lending area is very large, and if some rules are hidden in the books on the shelves, it is almost as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
“Then I’ll team up with Song Ming,” Luo Chuange volunteered, taking the lead in forming a group. “We’ll check the second floor first.”
“Then, shall I go to the third floor with Sister Jun?” Gu Keke continued, gesturing to Liang Jun with her eyes.
Liang Xun nodded, "After we finish investigating, we'll meet up in the study room and share the known clues then."
Then, she pointed to the elevator on the left and said, "Let's go, let's take the elevator up."
Of the known library rules, two are related to elevators, so naturally we should seize every opportunity to decipher the hidden rules.
There are two enclosed elevators on the left side of the library.
The elevator door was covered in a metallic, bright silver finish, and the original plastic film from the packaging had been completely torn off.
It looks no different from an ordinary elevator in daily life.
The elevator on the left was always in a "occupied" state, so the group had no choice but to choose the elevator on the right.
The elevator descended from the fourth floor, and with a "ding," the elevator doors slowly opened.
There are no mirrors in the elevator.
Liang Jun looked around the elevator car and noticed that the walls were all made of a frosted metal material. Needless to say, it wasn't as clear as a mirror; even if someone pressed their face against the wall, they probably wouldn't be able to make out their features.
There is no button for the sixth floor in the elevator.
Besides the basic door open/close buttons and emergency alarm button, the elevator has floor buttons for floors one through five, and...
The button on the seventh floor.
Why is there a seventh floor?
Song Ming noticed this as well and asked in a low voice, "Isn't the library only six floors in total?"
“It’s okay,” Liang Jun said, turning to the side. “As long as there’s no button for the sixth floor, it’s in accordance with the rules.”
That being said, what does the unexpected addition of a seventh-floor button signify?
Liang Jun couldn't understand it.
As the elevator doors slowly closed, the car emitted a heavy, creaking sound.
The numbers on the right-hand display screen were changing rapidly. When the number two appeared, the elevator came to a smooth stop, and then the elevator doors opened.
"bite--"
"Second floor, we've arrived."
Luo Chuange and Song Ming, who were assigned to investigate on the second floor, got off the elevator one after the other.
Players carrying books and investigating everywhere came in an endless stream, verifying the stability of the external environment.
Luo Chuange and Song Ming waved to the two people inside the elevator, preparing to see them off in case anything unexpected happened.
"Oops, my shoelace is untied."
Gu Keke bent down slightly, untying the laces of her boots and preparing to tighten them again.
After waving to them, Leung Yung pressed the close button on the nearest elevator.
After receiving the instruction, the elevator doors on both sides slowly closed towards the middle.
Liang Jun looked up, her peripheral vision catching the half-open elevator door that had just appeared in front of her—
She saw herself.
The elevator doors, which used to have a frosted metal finish, have lost that frosted layer at some point.
The gleaming metal reflected a chill as Liang Xun stared at her own dazed half-face reflected on the door.
The alarm blared loudly—
[Hidden rule triggered.]
2. There are no mirrors in the elevator. If you see yourself in the elevator, please leave the elevator before the doors close and walk to your destination via the stairs.
Before closing time!
Liang Jun's subconscious action was to press the door open button.
However, no matter how much force I used, the indicator light on the door opening button never lit up, and the elevator closing process was not affected at all.
Luo Chuange, standing outside the door, noticed Liang Xun's unusual expression. "Something seems off..."
Gu Keke kept her head down tying her shoelaces the whole time, completely unaware of the danger that was about to befall her.
The door gap was now only wide enough for one person.
If we don't escape now, it will be too late!
Liang Xun grabbed Gu Keke's scraped arm and, without saying a word, prepared to dart out through the crack in the door.
That burning pain spread throughout my body again.
Gu Keke's reflexes were instantly heightened; she grimaced in pain and didn't have time to fix her shoelaces.
What are you doing—
The elevator doors slammed shut with tremendous force, like a medieval guillotine, mercilessly severing a section of Gu Keke's shoelace.
Liang Jun stood at the elevator entrance to calm herself down, while Gu Keke sat down on the spot, her eyes filled with tears as she protected her scabbed wound.
"What's wrong?"
Luo Chuange and Song Ming rushed over, looking anxious. "What just happened?"
"I want to know too," Gu Keke said, her voice filled with pain and frustration, "my wound has finally scabbed over..."
After catching her breath, Liang Jun explained, "Mirror, I saw myself in the elevator."
Then, she told the other three about the hidden rule that had just been triggered.
Although she received the system's verification, Gu Keke's eyes were still red. "Why didn't I sense the hidden rules?"
"You're tying your shoelaces."
Liang Jun let out a long sigh of relief. "You didn't witness the whole process with your own eyes, nor did you see yourself in the mirror, so I was the only one in that area who triggered this rule."
Gu Keke slowly got up from the ground and carefully put away the severed shoelaces.
"So, according to the rules, we'll have to walk to our destination, right?"
The other three exchanged glances and nodded in agreement, their expressions knowing each other perfectly.
"Although you don't know what the punishment will be, you have no choice but to do as I say."
A hint of worry appeared in Luo Chuange's eyes. "Do you need us to help you walk up the stairs to the third floor?"
"Need not."
Liang Jun waved her hand in refusal, saying, "You can investigate all you want. We'll see each other in the study room."
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Author's Note: I'm back fully recharged!
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