Chapter 45: The So-called Hidden Rules!

Compared to the calm composure of Zhang Yangqing and Mitarai Saburo, the others were somewhat restless and anxious.

Jones, a Chosen from the Land of Kangaroos, currently had a cluttered mind. He felt as though he had acquired a vast amount of information, but he was unable to connect these pieces of information into a single thread to form a clear line of thought. It was as if he knew partial answers to many questions, yet had no idea how to proceed with the actual execution.

At this moment, the role of the various national expert groups became apparent.

As long as there was an opportunity for a connection, the casualties among the Chosen were relatively not that tragic. The expert groups could view multiple large screens and, by analyzing the differences between them, provide the Chosen with critical suggestions.

Hu Liuqi stared intently at several large screens. Shortly after the bus drove out of the gas station, the brightness outside the windows of the Chosen changed. Even these minute details were recorded by the members of the expert group.

Seeing these changes and recalling the previous behavior of the Chosen, Hu Liuqi said, "I get it. If I'm not mistaken, Rule 4 says not to get off the bus before dark, and the radio messages say to try to hunt for food during the day. So that's how it works."

An expert beside him said in confusion, "Aren't those two pieces of information contradictory?"

Hu Liuqi shook his head and explained, "Darkness doesn't necessarily mean nighttime. An overcast sky also counts as darkness. Therefore, to get off the bus, two specific conditions must be met: it must be an overcast day, and it must be daytime."

Normally, the daytime period is from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM. If the sun sets after six, the so-called "ingredients" will be enhanced. Getting off the bus at that time would be extremely dangerous.

Through the radio messages, the expert group could also deduce that this bus trip was a search for ingredients. The Chosen's bus departed the station at 12:00 PM, meaning the Chosen only had six hours to find food for the passengers. If they failed to find any, the passengers would starve to death even if they didn't attack the Chosen. Once the passengers died, the Chosen would naturally die as well. This was the death ending of the Weird Tale instance, "The Horror Tour Group."

Hearing Hu Liuqi's explanation, the other experts nodded. After carefully reviewing the data, it made sense. Surely, some of the smarter Chosen had already guessed this, let alone people like Zhang Yangqing and Mitarai Saburo.

"I understand the logic, but can you control the overcast weather?" another expert expressed doubt. It felt like a matter of random weather—a game of who has better luck.

Hu Liuqi rolled his eyes at him and said, "You haven't been inside, so you don't know. That's why it's called a 'Rule Weird Tale' world. There are many hidden rules inside that you won't be able to guess unless you pay close attention. As long as the conditions are met, the corresponding hidden rules will be triggered."

Seeing the bewildered expressions of the expert group, Hu Liuqi continued his explanation.

A Rule Weird Tale is a world that follows specific rules. It is like a wax museum: even if some eerie wax figures have the ability to kill a Chosen ten times over, they cannot act if they cannot see the Chosen's eyes. That is the rule. In the tour group, as long as the Chosen does not bring their neck close to the eerie passengers, they will not be attacked. That is also a rule.

Therefore, within the tour group's weird tale world, "overcast weather" was by no means an accident; it was a condition that needed to be triggered.

That condition was the fuel from the gas station.

Hu Liuqi had observed a crucial detail: smart Chosen like Zhang Yangqing and Mitarai Saburo gave between 50 and 70 dollars. For them, the view outside the window was quite bright, as if it were broad daylight.

Remember how much Jones gave? He gave a full 200 dollars. The fuel from the bus's tank had been overflowing, spilling all over the gas station employees, yet the employees did not dodge, and their clothes had turned black. Meanwhile, the mist outside Jones's window was terrifyingly dark, as if it were night. Other Chosen who gave more money experienced the same thing outside their windows.

Thus, the money spent on fuel was the key factor in determining the weather. This perfectly triggered the condition "can get off the bus," because while it was "dark," it was still "daytime."

"I see! Those two pieces of information can actually be understood this way. As expected of a man who survived from a Weird Tale world. Brother Hu, your mind is truly agile and your talent is extraordinary."

Hearing Hu Liuqi analyze one of the key points of this stage, the expert group immediately showered him with a barrage of flattery. However, Hu Liuqi deserved it. Those without certain experience in clearing instances truly could not understand the Weird Tale world.

These intense contrasting details could currently only be seen by the expert group outside the large screens. The Chosen inside were still in the exploration stage; they might need to refuel several more times before they could guess this, as they could not see the other screens. Most of them were still contemplating the relationship between darkness and daytime, or what to do about the old lady's request. Very few could make precise predictions like Zhang Yangqing and Mitarai Saburo.

People like Jones were simply taking things as they came. Every Chosen had a different way of making judgments.

Jones felt that the old lady's task definitely had to be performed, after all, she was an eerie passenger. Rule 3 stated: "As a guide, when a passenger gives you a tip, please be sure to satisfy their request." Since it said "be sure," Jones felt that if he failed to comply, the old lady would definitely turn on him. Having watched many recordings of Chosen clearing instances, Jones was certainly not foolish enough to think that the combat strength of these elderly people was weak in the Weird Tale world. In the past, there had been Chosen who didn't believe in the danger and were slain by eerie elders in minutes.

He had to admit his luck was good. When the bus stopped at the "Happy Graveyard," the surrounding mist receded for a distance, revealing a sky filled with dark clouds that made the earth appear incredibly gloomy. Jones suddenly realized that he had just met the condition "can get off the bus."

Looking at the graveyard before him, he felt it seemed even safer than the bus. In a place like this, his advantage would come into play. After all, he was a vagrant; he occasionally went to graveyards to scavenge for food.

Jones was still very careful to wrap his collar around his neck. He called for his beautiful little assistant and followed the old lady off the bus, but he maintained a certain distance at all times. During "darkness," as long as Jones did not trigger a death rule, the passengers could not attack him.

Following the old lady's request, he dug up a grave, which contained only a box. After receiving the box, the old lady walked back onto the bus with satisfaction, placed the box in a seat next to her, and began "conversing" again.

At this time, Jones did not immediately return to the bus but wandered around the graveyard. As a vagrant, he had his own "special ability"—the ability to distinguish between a new grave and an old grave. If there were "ingredients" here, they would certainly be in a new grave; old graves contained nothing but bones. Unfortunately, there were only old graves here, so this likely wasn't the so-called "destination."

After scanning the area, Jones could only return to the bus to continue the journey. Having won his first battle, he began to gain so-called "experience" and was no longer as panicked when encountering issues.

Upon boarding, he noticed a detail: every time the bus driver stopped, he would fall asleep. He could only be woken up if someone called him; otherwise, he would sleep indefinitely. This made Jones thoughtful, as if certain clues in his mind were beginning to connect. In the parlance of Dragon Country, he had "opened his eyes" to the truth.

People always undergo changes during special moments—either they grow or they fall.

Jones, with his good luck, had managed to pass the first stage safely, but the dilemma for other Chosen had arrived. For those who had received the old lady's tip but had not yet reached "darkness," was it a guaranteed death sentence?

No, Mitarai Saburo provided a perfect answer.

(End of Chapter)