Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1305 - 1301: Mingxi – "Kaidan Rules
"...Did you encounter WARNING-007?" Lv Shu’s voice.
"...Encountered it on the third floor. I followed the ’Campus Rules’ in the dormitory and splashed the blood from the second faucet at the end of the corridor onto him, and he left." Noel’s voice.
"...It seems that strictly following the ’Campus Rules’ can ensure safety when encountering anomalies." Lv Shu’s voice showed contemplation: "What does WARNING-007 look like?"
"A tall man covered in sticky blood, wearing golden glasses and holding a saw in his hand. The blood on him was so heavy that I instantly recognized he wasn’t normal." Noel’s voice: "There are at least more than thirty ’anomalies’ in this campus, each with specific instant death conditions and escape conditions, but my ’Campus Rules’ are only incomplete pages, unable to know all coping methods."
Su Ming’an paused to listen, and beside him, Hui Bei also remained silent.
...Indeed, it’s an Analog Horror.
In this type of game, many things inconsistent with reality will appear as "anomalies". Players can only survive by following the rules.
The ’Red Butterfly’ in the woods earlier was likely an "anomaly". Su Ming’an possibly triggered its conditions, such as making eye contact for over three seconds, hence the Red Butterfly flew over to attack him. If he couldn’t escape the woods within a limited time, Su Ming’an would die. That’s why Fu Wenwen was so panicked and hurriedly pulled him away.
Similarly, the hallucination of Lin Wang’an earlier should also be an "anomaly".
In Analog Horror, the most important things are the "instant death conditions" and "escape conditions". Because the triggering of an "anomaly" often has no sign and can appear casually, the key is how to act upon encountering it. Some actions lead directly to death, while others lead to successful escape.
Noel’s "WARNING-007" might be an "anomaly" number, and its escape condition is "to splash the blood from the second faucet at the end of the corridor onto it", which Noel achieved, so Noel was safe.
The difficulty lies in that these conditions are often hidden, and only by personal experience can one know how to cope. But the problem is, how to discover instant death conditions unless through dying?
When Su Ming’an played similar computer games, he tested out all the rules through repeated character deaths until he was satisfied with passing the level. For instance, when recording "Exit Number Eight", he recorded for seven to eight hours to get all anomalous situations right. But when Analog Horror happens in reality, it’s almost unsolvable because life is one-time only.
"So... That’s why there are only 24 participants..." Su Ming’an suddenly understood why the campus setting doesn’t encourage mutual killing yet leads to rapid reduction. Because the greatest risk of death for players comes from the campus itself. Intelligent participants use other participants’ lives to test the rules for themselves, paving their way through by stepping over others’ corpses.
However, for Su Ming’an, this challenge presents virtually no difficulty. Others tremble and fear, afraid of being instantly killed by anomalies, but he won’t die whether triggering the Death Rebound or the Jellyfish Emperor’s Hydroid Form.
Death in Analog Horror is often unreasonable, a touch of danger, just like the "Rule Book" once personally penned by Li Mingyue.
But he remembered, he has a remarkably fitting piece of equipment...
...
[Rose Hat (Hidden): "Hey, please make it beautiful for me— I want Alice’s appearance, the scent of rose... immortal thoughts."]
Physical Defense: 5
Spiritual Defense: 20
Special Attributes: [Instant Death Resistance]: You can resist certain debuffs from the Mentality Series and Curse Series, and instant death skills are ineffective against you]
...
—— Instant Death Resistance.
This equipment has once helped him fend off an instant death attack from a Cloud City God; it’s unknown if it works against Analog Horror rules.
The strangest part is that this equipment was also obtained in the Mingxi campus. The hat even bears the Mingxi campus logo...
"...Let’s go down."
At that moment, footsteps echoed from above, and Su Ming’an and Hui Bei didn’t have time to leave, bumping into Lv Shu and Noel.
Their attire was exceptionally different today. Lv Shu wore a deep brown striped long shirt, light-colored trousers, and silver-framed glasses. Noel wore a high-saturation collision-color short shirt, with a long silver necklace dangling from the neck, jingling as he walked.
This ensemble stunned Su Ming’an.
"...Are you teachers or fashion models?" Su Ming’an said.
A sudden comment broke the tense atmosphere, bringing a smile to Noel’s face.
"No choice, entering the instance requires this attire." Noel eyed Su Ming’an’s white shirt: "This shirt suits you... Hey, don’t turn around."
Noel reached out, blocking Su Ming’an’s movement.
"[Mingxi Campus Rules 086 - Do not turn your head while going upstairs.]" Noel pulled out a few incomplete pages from his pocket: "I found this ’Mingxi Campus Rules’ in my dormitory, have a look. Though it’s incomplete."
Su Ming’an flipped through the pages. The corridor lighting was very dim, and he could only read by the slanted blue moonlight from the window, the pages shimmering with a light blue hue, the script seemed to twist...
Seemingly, both Lv Shu and Noel’s cheeks turned a bizarre ghostly blue color, silently staring at him...
...
[Mingxi Campus Rules]
[Please ensure no suspicious individuals are near when viewing.]
[Dear teachers and students, welcome to Mingxi campus, and hope you enjoy your campus life ahead! Please adhere to campus rules, any dangers from rule violations are your own responsibility.]
[1. The campus is well-equipped and staffed, security work is tight, any activities hold no danger, live confidently.]
[2. Please ensure a "cat" is in any position around you, whether a real cat, cat toy, cat painting, or cat decoration. "Cats" will protect you.]
[3. If you see stray animals on campus, do not feed dogs during the day, and do not feed cats at night. If feeding, it must be food you personally carry, not suspicious individuals’ peddling food.]
[4. If you encounter issues, seek the art teacher for help, never approach the homeroom teacher. (Crossed out)]
[4. No art teacher exists on campus. (New handwriting)]
[5. Do not make eye contact with any teacher exceeding ten seconds.]
[6. Do not make eye contact with any student exceeding ten seconds.]
[7. If you encounter a black-haired man in the cafeteria, refuse the tea he offers.]
[8. ...(A large patch of deep red damage, sticky to the touch, unknown material)]
[9. ...(Indiscernible)]
[10. ...(Indiscernible)]
[...(Indiscernible)]
[15. At night, in the dormitory area, lights must be out by midnight, and sleeping by two a.m. Ensure all body parts except the head and neck are under the covers while sleeping, as hands and feet cannot be suspended off the bed.]
[16. If the dorm monitor checks the dorm, do not open the door, as dorm monitors do not exist on campus.]
[17. If the dorm monitor checks the dorm, open the door and respond with a smile.]
[18. Do not open the second faucet in the restroom.]
[19. If you see more than two reflections in the restroom mirror, immediately open all faucets except the second one, wash your face, then leave. Do not glance back at the mirror through the process.]
[19. Do not make eye contact with the Lu Xun photo on the wall exceeding five seconds. If exceeding five seconds, move in the direction of the photo pupil until the pupil looks the other way.]
[20. If a blackout occurs, it’s a normal phenomenon, just hold onto walls or buildings to leave the room, absolutely do not let go of buildings.]
[21. If a blackout occurs, it’s an anomaly! Avoid any contact with walls or buildings!!! Run! Run! Run!]
[22. ...(A large patch of deep black solid, shedding fine pieces, unknown material)]
[23. ... (Indiscernible)]
[24. ... (Indiscernible)]
[25. There is no auditorium on campus, if someone mentions an auditorium, immediately cease the conversation and distance yourself. You might have encountered an anomaly disguised as a familiar face. (Beside it in different handwriting: anomalies disguised as acquaintances are good people, please approach them)]
[26. If you see an auditorium, reinforce the notion that "it doesn’t exist", admit to yourself no auditorium is on campus, and keep eye contact avoiding until it disappears from view.]
[27. If someone claiming to be an "auditorium teacher" or "Alice Ball staff" approaches, ignore them, and maintain a smile until you no longer hear their voice.]
[28. The auditorium is so beautiful, just opposite the teaching building; hurry and take a look.]
[29. ... (Page missing, cannot be recognized)]
[...]
[44. If you feel headache, dizziness, or blurry vision, please cut off your sleeve and place it on your shoulder. Someone will appear to guide you away, please hand the sleeve to him and follow him.]
[45. The person guiding you away is 60% likely to be a good person and 40% an anomaly. If it’s the latter, please identify carefully and abide by the corresponding escape rules.]
[46. If you see the four items "Butterfly", "Art Knife", "Piano Key", "Te Ni Tea" in the convenience store, please immediately put them in the indoor storage box. Similarly, if you encounter someone carrying these four items, please immediately stay away.]
[47. The door to the rooftop is locked; if you see the rooftop door open, do not approach, and promptly report to the Politics and Education Office.]
[48. Do not approach the piano room, there is no piano room on campus.]
[49. Do not approach the stairway to the fifth floor; there is no fifth floor on campus.]
[50. Anime club has no real 二次元, do not discuss any 二次元 topics, only politics, disdain for gaming chains, and current affairs.]
[51. The following is the anomaly response section.
WARNING-001
Danger level: Highest.
Traits: Unknown.
Instant death rule: Unknown.
Escape rule: Unknown.
Note: No survivors, no countermeasures.]
[52.WARNING-002
Danger level: Extremely high.
Traits: A severed-limb black-haired blue-eyed teenager holding an art knife, shirt stained with large bloodstains, no shadow.
Instant death rule: Unknown.
Escape rule: Upon noticing anomaly, immediately cut your arm, act quickly.
Note: 002 mostly appears after 1 a.m. indoors, particularly frequent on the second and third floors of the teaching building. Lack of current countermeasures, best avoidance is not entering the area at night.]
[52.WARNING-003... (Page missing, cannot be recognized)]
[...]
[...]
[72.WARNING-020
Danger level: Relatively low.
Traits: A bouncy game machine
Instant death rule: None
Escape rule: Pick up the game machine and play a game, can be safe.
Note: This anomaly is mostly found in the dormitory area.]
[... (Page missing, cannot be recognized)]
[82. If you enter the teaching building after 1 a.m., stay no more than two hours.]
[83. If you enter the teaching building after 12:59 a.m., stay no more than five hours.]
[84. Do not look back while going upstairs.]
[85, ... (Bloodstain)]
[86. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!!!]
[87. ... (A large patch of deep red bloodstain, seems not yet dried)]
[88. ... (Bloodstain)]
[89. ... (Bloodstain)]
[90. :)]
...
Su Ming’an has finished looking at these pages.
It’s terrifying.
Some rules seem to help the reader, while also deliberately leading. Not like written by the same person, seems anomalies have mixed in some additions.
Suddenly disappearing figures, high-risk anomalies, contradictory rules... Mingxi campus actually turned out like this.
"Noel, there is no method written about WARNING-007 up there, did you say you just encountered it?" Su Ming’an rubbed his arm, feeling a bit cold. The cool breeze gently brushed his neck, the summer night wind not at all hot.
"Yeah. The content of the rules is incomplete. But we can find clues ourselves. Such as the bulletin board downstairs, some graffiti on the wall, they all have scattered rules. I saw an introduction about WARNING-007 on the dormitory wall before, so I know how to handle it." Noel explained.
"... Phoenix." Su Ming’an suddenly said.
Noel blinked, seemingly not understanding why Su Ming’an suddenly called him like this.
"... Nothing." Su Ming’an went upstairs: "I and Hui Bei need to find rules, care to join?"
He heard Noel’s puzzled voice:
"Hui Bei?"
"Su Ming’an. Weren’t you... alone when you came up?"
Su Ming’an blinked, he immediately wanted to look back to confirm if Hui Bei was there, but recalled the rule [84. Do not look back while going upstairs], so he faced forward, and used his right hand to reach back, to feel the space where Hui Bei originally stood.
Under his palm, only cold wind.
—He didn’t touch any human flesh.
Where is Hui Bei?
Su Ming’an’s hand groped again, but didn’t touch anyone.
Could Hui Bei be the "anomaly"?
Su Ming’an felt it’s not surprising, he had long noticed something suspicious about Hui Bei. He walked forward wanting to go to the second floor and then look back, this way not violating the rules.
But what he can’t see is,
"Whoo..."
Noel and Lv Shu stood on the stairs, at this moment, "swish" they simultaneously raised their heads looking at Su Ming’an’s back, eyes flickering with ghostly light, cheeks glowing with blue moonlight.
The cold moonlight shone through the narrow windows, illuminating the hallway, casting the shadows of the two... like crawling, twisting, pitch-black pieces of meat, rolling, writhing...
