New rules
noon.
The sky and the earth were gray and yellow, a large number of fine particles were floating in the air, and the towering buildings became hazy silhouettes.
The streets looked like deserted ruins, with cars passing by on the road stirring up thick smog.
Lu Miao stayed in the dormitory, closed the doors and windows, and ate instant noodles with mushrooms and chicken stew.
The mushrooms bring out the umami flavor of the chicken, making it taste amazing.
What’s even more rare is that the soup of the soup dumplings does not contain MSG and chicken powder. It is so delicious that she drank it all and was reluctant to leave a drop.
Laptop beeps to indicate new email.
The sender was a forensic doctor, and a copy of the autopsy report was sent to Lu Miao.
"The body's organs were not corrupted. Only when the body arrived at the autopsy room did it show faint livor mortis. Conventional examination methods are difficult to determine the actual time of death. An autopsy is required to examine the rectal temperature and the temperature of the organs to determine the time of death."
Lu Miao frowned and read out the contents of the autopsy report.
"According to the test, the deceased died two days ago. Based on the DNA test of the deceased's hair follicles, it was confirmed that he was a male, 37 years old, suffering from hereditary liver tumor disease and multiple chronic diseases..."
The second page contains the deceased’s detailed information and ID photo.
Unfortunately, she had never seen the deceased before.
The deceased originally had facial features, but his face seemed to be flattened, with flat skin covering relatively flat facial bones.
The victim's supernatural death meant that the police were destined to be unable to solve the case. What Lu Miao really cared about was the last paragraph of the autopsy report.
"The deceased's chromosome number and structure were abnormal, but his immune cells still retained weak activity. It was not until a few minutes before the autopsy report was written that the immune cells completely lost their activity."
She called He Ping'an and asked him to investigate the deceased's medical records.
"Captain, you asked me to investigate BEB-072. I haven't found any relevant records in the archives, on the dark web, or by hacking into the research institute's system. Maybe I can hack into a famous biological company to look for it?"
"No need. There's no record even on the dark web. I don't think it can be found. Don't worry about BEB-072. Just focus on helping me monitor the alarm system and investigate the medical records of the deceased."
"OK."
"Thank you. Keke called me, I'm hanging up." Lu Miao turned to answer the call from Wang Keke.
"team leader!"
Wang Keke's voice was deafening.
She put on her headphones again. "You're so excited. Did you find out?"
“About half of it.”
Lu Miao became interested. "He's so mysterious?"
"Yes, at least he's not a wanted criminal. I asked people in the underworld, and they haven't heard of this guy called Weekend. He was wearing a suit when he was at the Botanical Gardens. I guess he has an identity in the white world, but I haven't found it yet."
Lu Miao recalled. "The foam boxes used for material rewards were labeled with the real names of each survivor. I saw the name 'Weekend' on his foam box. Maybe he usually uses a pseudonym to hide his real name 'Weekend'."
Wang Keke was in a dilemma. "This is hard to investigate. No, I'll ask people on the street. I don't believe I can't find out the identity of that guy! Oh, there is one more thing. Today, many people in the Red Street District were discussing a male corpse without a face."
"I have asked Lao Li to block the news, so the media can't get much information."
"Ah, does that corpse have anything to do with the strange story about the penguins?"
"Yes." She paused, "Maybe it's not just related to the strange talk of the penguin group..."
"ah?"
"I'll tell you when I'm sure."
"OK! I'm going to hang up now. Come on, Captain!"
"It's foggy weather now, be careful when you go out."
"OK!"
Lu Miao smiled and hung up the line.
The group had heated discussions about the countdown, the "Listen to Songs Together" function, and members being kicked out of the group.
But no group member mentioned the faceless male corpse in the red block.
Someone tagged [Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter], and the other party responded with three words indifferently.
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: Still alive
[Drunk on the Battlefield]: You are awesome. You dare to listen to music while the administrator is on patrol, and you listen to music together in the group!
[萌兎爷]: Have you encountered any strange things?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: Smelling a strange odor
[Dream Chaser]: I smelled it too! It smells like dead fish!
[Drunk on the battlefield]: +1
[Writing in Love]: +1
…
Young people love to act as parrots when they chat.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: @Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, why did you choose such a scary song to listen to?
[Caribbean Seaweed]: I slept in the bathroom all night and my back and waist ached.
[Above the Moon]: Me too. If I wait a few more days, I will get rheumatism.
[After a long separation]: The smell in the bathroom kept me awake.
[Tears in the corners of eyes]: What does the countdown mean?
[Writing Acacia]: Who knows
…
Lu Miao's questions were drowned out by the chat messages in the water group, and the other party did not pop up again.
She scrolled back through the chat history and clicked on the avatar of [Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter] to start a private chat.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Honey, are you there?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]:?
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Have you been hiding in the bathroom and coming out only at sunrise?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: About the same.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: When you were listening to music, did you find that the songs were different or there were strange noises in the group?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]: None.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Wow!
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: Actually, I wasn’t that scared when I was listening to songs. It was okay for me to hum along.
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: The administrator might have been scared away by my tone-deaf singing, hahahaha
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: What? Aren’t we required to keep quiet according to the rules?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]: Brother, the administrator won’t enter the bathroom. Even if we make noise in the bathroom, the administrator can’t do anything.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Oh, is that so?
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: We can’t even see such an obvious contradiction. Everyone is too nervous.
Lu Miao frowned and held his chin, pondering what the other person said.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: She hung hers on the tree as well, and the pulse of her beloved boy recovered.
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]: ???
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]: Brother, don’t scare me suddenly
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: I am asking you what you mean by this sentence!
After a while, the other party replied.
[Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter]: Scared me to death. The lyrics are just to be weird, I deliberately listened to it in the group to scare them, hehe.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: ...
[Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter]: Brother, are you really a muscular man who is 1.8 meters tall?
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Um, guess.
Her eyes reflected the white light of the mobile phone screen, dim and bright.
In fact, the weirdest lyric in "Paper Money Girl" is another one: Don't be afraid of this body as thin as a cicada's wing.
Outside the window, the gray-yellow haze was widespread, almost covering the building opposite.
"Attention, citizens, the orange haze warning is now in effect! Citizens going out are requested to wear visual glasses and filter masks. If it is not necessary, please reduce going out..."
Lu Miao was lying on the bed, listening to the weather forecast video, and his lifeless eyes suddenly lit up.
She picked up her phone and sent a message to the group.
At this time, group members are breaking down each rule for analysis.
[①Everything for you]: It’s so lively tonight? ?
[Drunk on the Battlefield]: @①Why are you showing up now just for your old friend’s sake?
[① Everything for you]: The life of a social animal. What are you talking about? Analysis rules?
[Above the Moon]: We analyzed that there may be more than one administrator.
[①Everything for you]: I missed 100 million!
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Does anyone know Dr. Reina?
Lu Miao's interruption had nothing to do with their topic, so it was insignificant and no one responded to her question.
It didn't matter, she didn't need the group members to notice.
In a blink of an eye, more than 100 new messages were added to the group chat.
[System Message]: The group owner has muted all members!
Lu Miao stared at the static group chat interface.
[Group owner]: Since the orange smog warning has come into effect, for the sake of everyone's health, we are now issuing new group rules.
[Group owner]: Rules for members of Night Owl House
1. This group prohibits members from voluntarily leaving the group, otherwise they will bear the consequences.
2. This group has only one group owner and one administrator.
3. This group does not set group member titles.
4. The chat time of this group is from 8am to 0am the next day. During this period, communication by any means other than text is prohibited.
5. It is forbidden to upload any group files, including those of group owners and administrators.
6. The administrator's patrol time is from 0am to 2am every day. Please keep quiet and turn on the lighting in your home during this period.
7. Do not stay or stare in the dark at home. If you feel uncomfortable, please return to a bright place immediately.
8. During the administrator's inspection, please do not answer incoming calls, video and voice calls, beware of messages sent by strangers, and you can fall asleep.
9. During the sleep period as mentioned in Article 8 above, if you hear any sound in the room, do not open your eyes and remain quiet, remembering that you should be asleep.
10. After 2am, if you feel any sensory discomfort or the clock at home stops working, please strictly follow Article 9.
11. Be wary of online fraud. Never disclose personal information during group chats. Also be wary of group members who chat with you privately.
12. It is forbidden to privately chat with the group owner and administrator. At the same time, except for the group owner, the administrator will not privately chat with you.
[Group owner]: The new rules of this group prohibit forwarding, and it will be synchronized to the group announcement. I wish you all a good evening!
The purple, circular text was cold.
Lu Miao waited for a long time before the group owner lifted the ban on all members.
When the rules were updated in the middle of the process, she could imagine the other group members wailing into their phones.
This was also the first time she encountered such a situation.
Obviously, the latest rules have become more difficult to enforce.
[Drunk on the battlefield]: Oh my god! Why did you suddenly change the rules? @Group leader, please come out - please
[Caribbean Seaweed]: Help, group leader, can you dare to say that this is not a layoff?
[① Everything for you]: My eyes went dark, my legs stretched out, and I just lay down.
[Writing in Lovesickness]: Ahhhhhhhhh
[Chasing Dreams in Half Summer]: How am I going to get through tonight? Looking for a partner!
[After a long separation]: I also ask
[Above the Moon]: Don’t be impulsive, do the rules allow it?
[Dream Chaser Banxia]: I don’t care. I don’t want to face the administrator alone.
[萌兎爷]: Why did you suddenly change the rules?
…
The group owner no longer shows up and seems indifferent to the lives of group members.
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: It’s better not to look for partners. Will the group members who were kicked out in the early morning be kicked out of the group by the group owner because they found partners?
Lu Miao's reminder made the group explode like a pot of hot oil.
[① Everything for you]: Brother! Tell me more, I want to hear it!
[Above the Moon]: Brother Xiaocao has a point
[萌兎爷]: I also agree that everyone should not be impulsive
[Red Leaves]: @小草芳芳, what do you think? Can you elaborate on your opinion?
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: Didn’t you notice that the last two rules have the subject “you”? And the group owner said that these are the group rules and every group member must abide by them, so the rules with subjects are for individual group members, right?
[Blue Ocean]: Rules without subjects contain hidden rules
Lu Miao couldn't help but take a few more glances at [Blue Ocean]'s profile picture and chat content.
This guy is really quick to react.
[Hongyeshang]: Does it mean that the rule without a subject can be used to target a single group member or multiple group members? But is there any difference?
[Xiao Cao Fang Fang]: When targeting a single group member, does it constitute a violation of the rules if multiple group members execute the action "together"?
Suddenly, the group fell silent for a moment.
[Drunk on the battlefield]: Damn it! My mom asked me why I was kneeling down to look at my phone @小草芳芳大佬, help me pass the level
[① All for you]: Boss, you will definitely get full marks on the reading comprehension test (crying face)
[Meng Tu Ye]: It's getting dark, everyone should stay at home tonight. If you don't live alone, I suggest you stay in a hotel for one night.
Looking at [Mengtuye]'s suggestion, Lu Miao raised an eyebrow.
No one dared to verify whether finding a partner violated the rules, and they all agreed to it regardless of their hesitation.
It was pitch black outside the window, mixed with a hint of dirty grey and yellow, and the outline of the building was completely invisible.
Lu Miao answered the call from Lao Li.
"Ahem... Captain Lu, we have discovered three more cases of mysterious disappearances this morning, ahem... "
"Mr. Li, are you okay?"
"It's okay, I just breathed in too much smog. There aren't many cases related to the field of ghost stories. Since the 'Chaos' incident, the polluted people rarely return to reality. I, Lao Li, must prevent the 'Chaos' incident from happening again!"
The "Chaos" incident refers to a case where a ghost story investigation team stayed in the ghost story field for more than 48 hours before escaping. After returning to reality, they suddenly became mentally disturbed and attacked pedestrians.
She sighed secretly. "Have you made any new discoveries?"
"There is one thing, I don't know if it helps. We investigated the social circles of the missing persons through their mobile phones and found that the girlfriend of one of the missing persons had entered the strange story area of Nanjiang Botanical Garden."
Lu Miao's eyes lit up. "Please continue."
"His girlfriend has been missing since then, and it is estimated that she did not escape. We found that the missing person's phone still had his girlfriend's mobile phone number and social account, and the chat history between him and his girlfriend stopped two days ago."
"What did his girlfriend say last?"
"She said she wanted to go to Nanjiang Botanical Garden to earn supplies."
“Are the other missing persons related to Nanjiang Botanical Garden?”
"There is a similar indirect connection. But the most important thing is not this matter, but about the faceless male corpse."
Lu Miao concentrated and held his breath, spinning the pen at a very fast speed.
"We have traced the relationship network of the faceless man and found a chat record in his wife's phone. I will read it to you: Wife, a strange story field has appeared in Nanjiang Botanical Garden. We are going to cook dinner tonight!"
"Based on these clues, I can only make one guess: the faceless male corpse died in the strange story area of Nanjiang Botanical Garden two days ago..."
She frowned and remained silent, with mixed feelings.
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