Chapter 9

[Hello, I'm glad you can see this letter. This means that you have realized that the environment you are in is not right.

[So, please read the following carefully.

[First, don't listen to [it]. Don't be afraid, don't believe it, and don't work. Try to ignore any information you see, but don't take off your work badge and don't deliberately make mistakes in front of it. This will directly anger it.

[Then, please judge the time you are in now. If you are there in the morning, please wait patiently until the lunch break, and remember not to miss the [exams] at 9:30 and 11:30, otherwise you will die; if it is in the afternoon, remember to enter the conference room before 5:00. It is a safe place, but if you want to spend the whole night safely, you must apply for at least ten hours of use rights, which you can only figure out on your own.

【If you are alone and cannot use the conference room, try to stay awake at night. It patrols here at night, so try to avoid its sight. If unfortunately you are seen, pretend to work, but don't really work.

【If you have safely spent the night, the next content is of utmost importance, please remember it well:

【The company gate will open at 12 o'clock in the daytime for lunch break. After coming out, go directly to the right into the escape passage and walk down. Do not stay on the floor, it is very dangerous.

【After entering the corridor, no matter what you see or hear, do not stop, not for a moment. When going down from the sixth floor, remember the number of stairs. If there are only fourteen stairs, do not go down, return to the sixth floor and walk again. If you walk three times and reach fourteen stairs, start again from the seventh floor. Keep walking until the number of stairs becomes fifteen. Only in this way can you enter the real fifth floor!

[Starting from the fifth floor, fire doors will appear in the corridor. Push each door and enter from the one that can be opened. Our people are behind the door and can be found by walking straight along the corridor. After meeting them, tell them the date you are in today and they will handle it according to the situation. If you and your companions are separated because of different dates, please don't panic, this is just a necessary process. We are here to help you, we will help you escape, please believe this. We will not hurt you!

[So, please don't lie about the date! This is very important! Report the day of the week when you see it!

[Finally, if possible, when you come, please bring your work badge and keep it as intact as possible. This is very important to us, and with that, we may be able to help more people.

[I wish you peace and hope to see you alive again.]

- The last signature is "口口".

...So, who is "口口"?

Putting down the paper in her hand, Qiu Yufei looked at the two people next to her. Xu Ming pondered and said nothing. Jiayi spoke thoughtfully:

"It seems that he wants to save our people?"

"But what if this is another conspiracy of the company?" Qiu Yufei said, "You know, fishing."

Jiayi frowned even more and glanced at Xu Ming. Seeing that she still didn't speak, she thought she was still thinking and didn't urge her.

But only Xu Ming herself knew that compared to this sudden letter, she cared more about a muttering that suddenly appeared in her mind when these words gradually emerged.

The strange voice said, "Yo, rule invasion?"

"That's interesting."

...

So, "rule invasion", what is it?

Xu Ming intentionally asked the question in her mind, but got no answer. So after a moment, she stood up decisively.

"Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom." She picked up her bag and stopped Qiu Yufei who wanted to accompany her. Just as she was about to leave, she was stopped by Jiayi again.

Xu Ming thought she was going to ask her what she thought about the letter, and was about to speak, but saw Jiayi waving her hands.

"No, no, I'm not asking about the paper. Let's talk about it when you come back - I want to... ask you something."

She pursed her lips: "You said before that I have been affected by this place, right? Then is it possible that the progress of assimilation will regress?"

Xu Ming:...

What regression?

Jiayi's wording was a little unfamiliar to her, so she was stunned for a moment before she reacted: "It should be possible, right? The key is to stay sober, don't forget your original intention, and don't follow the logic it gives you - this will be more or less useful."

Jiayi: "...Original intention?"

"Just like what I said to Teacher Otter." Xu Ming said seriously, "Remember, work is for money."

"Don't ask what you can create for the company, ask what the company can give you."

"Has the contract been signed? Can you give the salary? What about the benefits and internship certificate? No, why would you be its employee and make a lot of demands, such as loyalty, emotions, and behavioral norms. Does it have the right to ask for these? It deserves a key."

"——Recite the above paragraph repeatedly in your mind. When you can recite it fluently without any pressure, you will be almost done."

Jiayi: ...

I understand. Anti-PUA.

She was still digesting it. Xu Ming couldn't help coughing violently again. He kept patting his chest and coughing. Qiu Yufei looked over worriedly, but saw her waving her hands repeatedly.

"It's okay, it's okay. I can just relax for a while. You guys continue your research. I'll go to the bathroom first."

After that, she walked out quickly.

Qiu Yufei and Jiayi were left in the room. The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

After all, the other party was her supervisor. Qiu Yufei didn't dare to speak and just lowered her head to flip through the papers in her hand. Jiayi ignored her and closed her eyes and silently repeated what Xu Ming had just said. She didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but after repeating it several times, she really felt a sudden sense of relief.

On the other side, Qiu Yufei flipped through the "Employee Code" again out of boredom, but her movements suddenly paused.

...Did I see it wrong?

Qiu Yufei widened her eyes slightly, thinking in surprise.

There were several rules lined up in it, such as "employees must be loyal to the company", "employees must participate in work with a positive mood", "employees must not spread information that undermines the stability of the company", etc. -

at this moment, the color actually faded.

Some of them are even a little mottled - just like the kind of mottled that has been heavily glued with revision tape.

*

At the same time,

Xu Ming closed the cubicle door with his backhand and continued to cough.

But it seemed better than before, not so heartbreaking. She sat on the toilet for a while, and the coughing finally subsided.

After a while, she seemed to have finally made up her mind, and slowly spoke in her consciousness:

"Hey, are you there? I want to talk to you."

After waiting for a while, no one answered.

Xu Ming did not force it, and directly opened his handbag and took something out of it.

It was a notebook - the size of two palms, a thin book, and the front and back covers were covered with a layer of uneven wax.

It was the gift she got when she shopped online before, the notebook called Rule Book No. 9.

"Heh." This time, there was finally movement in her mind, still the ethereal voice, "Did you finally think of it? It seems that you are not that stupid. Well, if that's the case, then I won't pretend anymore."

"Kid, show me your respect. If you please me, maybe I will be happy to give you some key guidance."

Xu Ming: ...

Xu Ming ignored it.

Xu Ming stood up, turned around, and lifted the toilet lid.

Then he picked up a corner of the book and hung it above the toilet.

"Excuse me." She said in her mind, "What did you just say?"

Voice:...

"Hey, what do you want to do? How dare you!" The voice got a little louder, "Toilet? Interesting. Do you think I'm afraid of such a thing?"

"Of course I know you're not afraid of toilets." Xu Ming said, "But what about this company itself? Are you happy to stay here?"

"..." The voice fell silent.

Sure enough.

Xu Ming breathed a sigh of relief. She guessed right.

Although this guy's performance was also quite obvious - whether it was the unhappy "tsk" before they entered the company, or the ridiculous proposal to throw the bag out of the company not long ago.

"I'm glad we have reached a consensus." She self-consciously defined the nature of the conversation, "Now, don't say anything unnecessary, just answer my questions honestly."

"First question. What exactly is Rule Book No. 9?"

The voice sneered.

"Didn't you read it out? Rule Book No. 9 is Rule Book No. 9."

"I want to ask about its use." Xu Ming shook the book.

Voice: "..."

"Create rules, modify rules, cancel rules, randomly pay physical strength, health or flesh... How else can it be used? Isn't the rule book all the same? It's not like you haven't used it before!"

It sounded a little irritable.

Xu Ming was stunned. Does it mean that she has tried the skills in it?

After smacking the words of this genius, and recalling her previous cough and fatigue at certain times, she had a vague guess in her heart.

Xu Ming: "What about the usage? And the usage conditions determine the scope and specific effects... Who are you trying to fool with such generalities? Do you think I have never played the game?"

"How should I know? This is you - the book in your hand." The voice paused, and the tone slowed down, "You will know if you flip through it."

... Do you think I'm stupid? You can flip through it as you say?

"I'm really not trying to trick you." The voice was obviously helpless, "but since you asked me that, I really can't answer..."

Xu Ming: "Why, aren't you the rule book? Don't you know what is written in your body?"

Voice: ...

"Disgusting." The volume suddenly dropped, and the tone was still awkward, "Don't say such embarrassing things at this time."

...? ? No, what did I say?

Xu Ming was shocked. What the hell is this!

The urge to throw this thing away suddenly became extremely strong - but after a moment of hesitation, she still withdrew her hand little by little.

It was a weird thing. But it was really curious.

After staring at the "Rule Book No. 9" in front of her for a while, Xu Ming finally made up her mind and carefully turned the pages.

Of course, she was careful and turned the book over before opening it to ensure that she would not see the things inside directly - but she soon realized that she seemed to have thought too much.

Because she couldn't open this book at all.

The only part that could be opened was the gap between the cover and the title page. The rest of the paper seemed to be stuck together and could not be pulled apart no matter what.

However, the only thing she could see between the cover and the title page were still those five words, "Rule Book No. 9".

"...... Eh." After trying for a while, Xu Ming's voice lowered, "What's wrong with you?"

"How should I know? This is the first time I've taken No. 9 in my life...

He didn't finish his words, as if he realized something, and suddenly stopped talking. After a while, the voice rang again, with that ethereal and mysterious tone again:

"It seems that you and this book are not destined to be together yet, so there's no need to force it."

Xu Ming:...

She reached out again and hung the book over the toilet.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing, is it dirty, there's staphylococcus!" The voice screamed again.

Xu Ming ignored it and maintained his posture.

So it admitted it himself: "Okay, I'll be honest, I don't know... Maybe you haven't made enough progress in unlocking it."

"Progress? "Xu Ming was puzzled.

"Rule books are all melted with 'roots'. The number depends on the order of birth and the number of 'roots' when it was first melted. This book is numbered nine, which means that three 'roots' were melted in when it was first melted... In other words, its upper limit is relatively high, and it will be relatively troublesome to unlock it. "

Xu Ming: "But didn't you say that I have used its power before?"

Voice: "That means it has awakened, but not completely awake."

Xu Ming: "So you are not actually the rule book."

Voice:...

"It doesn't have to be that absolute." After a silence, it said softly, "It can only be said to be, but not completely."

"So it is not." Xu Ming was determined.

"..." No more rebuttal.

Xu Ming took a breath in restraint.

In other words, he still couldn't figure out how to use the rule book for the time being. He didn't know if he could figure it out on his own.

"Then what do you mean by 'rule invasion' you mentioned before?" Xu Ming asked immediately, "and... 'idiot'?"

"Rule invasion means that the rules created by other beings have entered the current strange story area. For example, the secret letter you just found obviously belongs to another existence. Don't ask me how it got in, I don't know..."

The voice didn't seem very happy, and the speed of speech was so fast that it seemed that there was no money to buy punctuation: "And your previous modifications can also be regarded as invasions in a sense!"

"Ah?" Xu Ming was stunned, "Not really?"

"You have already made the changes, do you think it counts?" The voice sneered again, "It's a pity that you didn't change much, and they were all marginal rules, which failed to attract the attention of the domain master. Otherwise, you will see whether it will tear you apart."

Xu Ming:...

"I don't know whether it will tear me or not, but I can guarantee that before I die, I will definitely hold you in front of it."

She patted the cover of the notebook: "No need to thank me." "

Okay, then explain the next noun. Remember not to speak so fast, it makes my hands shake."

Voice:...

*

Same time.

In the small conference room.

Qiu Yufei and Yuan Jiayi are still waiting for Xu Ming to come back.

After waiting for a while, no one came, but some movement was heard from outside.

It was a man's voice, as if they were arguing.

The conference room cannot be left with only one person. The two exchanged glances and tacitly decided not to go out for the time being. However, Jiayi still stood at the door and watched for a while, with a strange look on her face.

"Sister Jiayi?" Qiu Yufei asked nervously, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's Lao Li and Heizi who are back. They seem to be unhappy and are arguing. Xiao Wang is trying to persuade them."

Jiayi said, but her brows were even more tightly knitted.

Noticing her expression, Qiu Yufei became more nervous: "Sister Jiayi? Is there any other problem?"

"Not really a problem..." Jiayi pondered for a moment, and suddenly looked at Qiu Yufei with a serious look in her eyes.

"Xiao Qiu, I have something to ask you, think about it carefully before answering me.

"Just, do you still remember, when you and Xiao Xu got off work, how many people were left in the company?"