Chapter 28: Rules
The medicine bottles that were previously on the shelf numbered at least twenty, and the leather photo frame was large and heavy. The probability of Tong Yishuai taking them home was minuscule. The most likely possibility at present was that this batch of items was either put away in some cabinet in the office or had already met its fate in the trash can.
And a place like the garbage room, the environment was expectedly not too pleasant. Especially since the wet kitchen waste delivered the day before hadn’t been cleared out yet. After a night of fermentation, the smell it emitted was like rotten fish and shrimp that had gained sentience, its stench possessing a strong presence and aggressiveness. Four huge ventilation fans were working hard, their “buzzing” motor sounds stirring the large-wattage light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The wires swayed, casting mottled light and shadows.
Zhuang Ningyu and Yi Ke looked at the mountain of garbage bags before them, still considering where to start. But Tian Luxin had already quickly put on her mask, sleeve covers, and gloves. She pointed a finger: “After my job rotation was successful, I put different colored inner bags in the trash cans of different areas. The boss’s office is purple, the third-floor corridor is yellow, the fifth-floor dorm area is pink. Captain Zhuang, Brother Yi, the trash bags in your rooms are white. The trash bags on the first and second floors of the bar have always been black, and the kitchen waste is a thickened black version. As for the fourth floor, hardly anyone goes there, so changing the trash bag once a week is more than enough.”
The two men on the scene looked at her in unison, astonished.
Tian Luxin put her hands on her hips, her whole person like a pinch of Himalayan pink salt in a crystal bottle. She raised an eyebrow, sparkling: “I’ve said it before, I’ve been watching ‘Forensic Heroes’ with my parents since I was a child.”
The crime drama kid’s dream of becoming a senior forensic scientist had finally come full circle in her teenage years. She continued: “I’m in charge of cleaning all the trash cans in Tong Yishuai’s office, and I haven’t seen any medicine bottles or photo frames. If he threw them away himself, it’s highly likely they were thrown into the round trash can at the end of the third-floor corridor, because only that one is big enough to hold them.”
“…Ms. Tian, you are truly,” Yi Ke, having recovered, applauded silently, “a master strategist.”
Zhuang Ningyu pulled a pair of gloves from her apron. “Take a brother’s advice. After you get out of the rule zone, really, reconsider your career plan.”
Tian Luxin replied cheerfully, “You got it!”
The three of them, properly protected, split up and started rummaging through all the yellow garbage bags. Sure enough, in less than five minutes, they pulled out a package of medicine bottles wrapped in a black plastic bag. As for the photo frame, it had probably been smashed to pieces for easier disposal and was wrapped in a similar black bag. Yi Ke cut the tape binding it, and the broken frame immediately clattered to the ground. At the same time, a pile of shredded paper was also brought out, scattering everywhere.
“This is…” Tian Luxin picked up a few pieces, trying to piece them together in her palm.
Zhuang Ningyu continued, “It’s the photo that was in the frame. It seems Tong Yishuai’s mood has not been good lately. First, he argued with A’Jie and smashed things, and now he’s tearing photos and breaking frames.”
“Tearing is one thing, but his sanity is still intact. Before tearing it, he remembered to cut himself out first.” Yi Ke flipped all the pieces to the front. “These irregular white edges are from tearing, while this smooth curve is clearly from cutting.”
Tian Luxin remarked, “His narcissistic persona is truly rock-solid.”
Zhuang Ningyu added, “It’s also possible he wants to draw a clear line with You Hong.”
This matter seemed quite easy to analyze—Tong Yishuai discovered that the Vitamin D3 had been swapped by You Hong, became furious, and tore the photo and threw away the medicine?
Zhuang Ningyu poured out the large white tablets from the D3 bottle, took a photo, and sent it to the relevant colleagues and Pei Yuan. Feeling it wasn’t enough, he went through the same process for all the medicine and their corresponding packaging. While helping, Tian Luxin asked in confusion, “But why would You Zong swap the medicine? It’s not like in the TV shows, where they use slow poison to eventually kill someone, is it? But why would she kill the boss?”
Zhuang Ningyu couldn’t sort out the grudges between them for the time being, but one thing was basically certain: if it was really You Hong who swapped the medicine, then Tong Yishuai must have already known what these large white tablets were when he threw them away, and he did not intend to hold You Hong responsible. Otherwise, according to normal logic, whether he sought medical attention or reported it to the police, he should have kept the evidence.
After cleaning up, the three of them left the garbage room. While waiting for the elevator, Yi Ke glanced at his watch. The second hand had just covered the number 12, and then the minute and hour hands moved forward a small step simultaneously—the time was now three o’clock in the afternoon.
The elevator, pulled by the gantry, slowly ascended.
The three of them had ridden this staff elevator countless times and had long grown accustomed to the extravagant decor of leather and diamonds. But now, for some reason, the familiar environment suddenly felt oppressive. The small carrige seemed to be compressed by an external force, the air becoming thick and heavy, clogging their nasal passages, making every breath abnormally difficult, stuffy, and alarming.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Tian Luxin’s forehead. “Did something happen?”
Zhuang Ningyu and Yi Ke exchanged a look and stood in front of Tian Luxin. Yi Ke looked back at the pale-faced girl and reminded her softly, “The rule has appeared.”
Tian Luxin gripped the shoulder straps of her apron, trying to slow her heart rate. “…I know. Okay.”
After the elevator stopped, the carrige vibrated slightly. Tian Luxin grabbed the handrail behind her, her breathing unconsciously quickening again. This time, her reaction was swift. She immediately pressed the protective bracelet on her wrist. The reading showed that the current mental contamination index of the external environment was 321, serious level.
With a “ding,” the elevator doors slowly opened to both sides.
The stuffy, painful feeling of suffocation finally disappeared. Tian Luxin gasped for air and raised her hand to catch a flyer that floated before her eyes. The girl in the center of the picture was slender and beautiful, lying in a bed of roses, wearing the very pink tulle dress she had once tried on—
Welcome to the Doll Party, join this unparalleled feast of beauty!
- This party operates on a real-name invitation basis. All dolls who have received an invitation will appear at the party on time.
- Behind the carnival, an unseen danger is quietly approaching. There are a total of six insiders at the party.
- Flames will rise at midnight. When the flames kiss the earth, it is considered the arrival of the god of death. However, Gate No. 3 is the “Gate of Life,” and all dolls can leave early through Gate No. 3.
- Gate No. 3 is closed year-round, but do not worry. One of the insiders has the identity of a “key” that can push the door open.
- The state of the vast majority of dolls will be affected by the bar’s atmosphere. The more “HIGH” the atmosphere, the more likely the dolls are to lose control. Please note that dolls who have lost control will become extremely aggressive.
- Before midnight, the restrooms are safe areas.
- The party starts at 8 PM. During the party, the two regular entrances, other than the “Gate of Life,” will be closed.
Yi Ke crumpled the flyer in his hand and looked up at the crowd constantly passing through the corridor, at this group of familiar yet unfamiliar “colleagues.” They had collectively shown signs of becoming dolls. Their once lively features were now set in pale, stiff faces. When they stared straight ahead, they had an eerie, pseudo-human feel, exquisite yet terrifying.
The door to 501 was open. A’Lin and the bartender had returned to the dorm at some point and were now standing in front of the mirror, fixing their hair. Their eyes were empty, like black glass beads, and the wooden-like joints of their fingers appeared and disappeared.
Zhuang Ningyu glanced at the electronic clock on the wall. The time showed September 12th, 18:20. This meant that with the finalization of the promotional poster, the time within the rule zone had been disrupted and reorganized, skipping over the preparation period and jumping directly to the day of the doll party.
The countdown had begun. There were less than six hours until midnight.
Wen Yue’s phone was still in a state where it could be called but no one answered.
“You two, why are you still standing here like fools?” A’Lin came out of the dorm and saw that Zhuang Ningyu and Yi Ke hadn’t changed into their work clothes yet. He urged, “Hurry up. The anniversary event is about to start. Quickly change and come to the first floor for a meeting.”
“Okay.” Zhuang Ningyu looked at his already unclosable, heavy eyelids and nodded slightly. “We’ll be right there.”
A’Lin got into the elevator first.
The three of them returned to dorm 503. The first thing Tian Luxin did after entering was to look in the mirror. She slapped her own face several times, and only after confirming that her skin was still soft and hadn’t turned into a hard doll did she let out a slight sigh of relief. Yi Ke comforted her, “The rule mentions that the dolls will be affected by the bar’s atmosphere. The so-called ‘bar atmosphere’ should be the source of mental contamination. Don’t worry, as long as you wear your bracelet properly, you won’t be turned into a puppet.”
“Understood, I’ll be careful.” Tian Luxin glanced out the door again and happened to see the stiff back of the bartender walking into the elevator. She actually felt a bit regretful about his appearance and asked in a low voice, “Didn’t he and A’Lin take leave? His sister passed away, he should have stayed home for a while. Why… it would have been better if he hadn’t come.”
Zhuang Ningyu didn’t speak. In the tragedy five years ago, the victim list did indeed include bartender Yang Yi and marketing supervisor Lin Cong, who were Donn and A’Lin in this rule. They hadn’t been able to escape back then, but now, Yi Ke patted Tian Luxin’s shoulder. “We will stop the Grim Reaper’s scythe.”
It was known that a total of seven rules had appeared so far—
The first rule was easy to understand: a real-name system, no entry without invitation, basically the same as five years ago.
The second rule, the “unseen danger” should refer to the impending death. As for the six insiders at the party, Zhuang Ningyu said, “Subtract the three of us, then subtract Wen Yue, and there are two insiders left at the party. At least one of them is the murderer.”
The murderer was an insider to the death, because the death was created by him in the first place.
The third rule, the rule must be broken before midnight, otherwise all the tragedies will be re-enacted. A re-enactment of the tragedy meant the failure of Zhuang Ningyu’s group’s mission. And the method to break it was to open the “Gate of Life,” allowing all guests and staff to leave before the tragedy occurred.
The fourth rule, the key to opening the “Gate of Life” was one of the six insiders. Tian Luxin asked, “Could it be the three of us?”
“Possible, but not likely,” Yi Ke replied. “Under normal circumstances, the murderer is defaulted as the ‘key,’ because opening and closing the door represent the two sides of life and death. Since the murderer can control ‘death,’ he can also control ‘life,’ which is the opposite of ‘death’.”
Tian Luxin continued to ask, “Under normal circumstances, the murderer is defaulted as the ‘key.’ What about in abnormal circumstances?”
Zhuang Ningyu answered for Yi Ke, “In abnormal circumstances, each case must be analyzed individually. There is no ready-made formula to apply.”
The fifth rule, the more “HIGH” the atmosphere, the more uncontrollable the dolls become. It was conceivable that the atmosphere at Yin Bar tonight would be nothing but HIGH, which meant there would be a whole venue of “crazy puppets.”
The sixth rule, the restrooms are safe areas. There was more than one restroom on each floor of this bar, which meant there were “safe houses” on every floor.
The two regular entrances mentioned in the seventh rule were the front and back doors of Yin Bar.
“Try to stick with us later,” Zhuang Ningyu instructed. “Be smart. If anything feels wrong, go hide in the restroom immediately. Also, from now on, no eating or drinking. Although the rules don’t mention it, considering the poisoning case back then, it’s generally assumed in operations that all food is dangerous. Understood?”
“Don’t worry, Captain Zhuang, I won’t hold the team back.” Tian Luxin had already recovered from her earlier panic. Compared to herself, she was more worried about Wen Yue. The party was about to start, and the poster girl was also one of the invitees. Logically, Wen Yue should have already appeared on the scene by now.
“Wen Yue received complete system training before entering the rule zone. She knows how to deal with initial mental contamination,” Zhuang Ningyu said. “It’s about time. Tidy up and let’s go downstairs.”
Tian Luxin agreed and stood in the room without moving, because she felt she had nothing to tidy up.
Zhuang Ningyu: “…”
Yi Ke: “I need to change my pants.”
Zhuang Ningyu: “?”
Tian Luxin: “Oh, oh, oh, I’m sorry! I’ll go back to my dorm and wait for you!”
She retreated at lightning speed, clearly a bit embarrassed, running so fast she tripped over her own feet and almost hit her head.
Yi Ke leaned against the table and laughed. Zhuang Ningyu’s forehead was full of black lines. He wanted to scold him but felt time was tight, so he finally just waved his hand. “Go back and change.”
“Wait a minute.” Yi Ke reined in his smile. He propped himself up on the dining bar with both hands, trapping Zhuang Ningyu between himself and the bar. “There’s still one important thing to do.”
Zhuang Ningyu’s eyelid twitched. He thought, this person has finally gone completely insane. Seeing the other was about to lean down, he clenched his left fist and, without a second thought, threw a calm and collected punch, saying a loud NO to workplace harassment! Yi Ke let out a muffled grunt but still didn’t straighten up. Instead, he continued to bend down and, taking advantage of his distraction, pulled out a canvas bag from under the dining bar.
“…”
Yi Ke, rubbing his stomach, sucked in a breath of cold air and walked to the table. He turned the canvas bag upside down and shook it!
Zhuang Ningyu: “Hey!”
With a “clatter,” a whole table full of No. 9 painkiller injections rolled out, “clinking and clanking,” a good dozen or so of them.
Zhuang Ningyu silently covered half his face with one hand.
Yi Ke knew he would bring medicine, but he never expected it to be in such a quantity that could take down an Ultraman. He was stunned for a moment. He even counted them twice before looking up in disbelief. “You, you, you… That Pei guy actually gave you so many! Is he trying to die!”
Fine. When he needed a favor, it was the life-saving Dean Pei. At a time like this, it became the self-destructive “that Pei guy.” This style was indeed very Yi Ke. Faced with the question, Zhuang Ningyu chose to pass the buck without any hesitation. He mumbled some non-committal “mmph, mmph” sounds and went forward to tidy things up, but his wrist was grabbed firmly by Yi Ke, and he stumbled onto the sofa.
“Sit still!” Yi Ke seemed genuinely angry. He paced around the room several times before speaking. “Do you know what the consequences are of injecting so much medicine?”
“I know, I know,” Zhuang Ningyu placated him. “I’m just used to carrying all my belongings with me. I won’t actually use them.”
Before the Taoli Community incident, Yi Ke might have listened. But after Taoli Community, with Qing Gang’s description of “I just looked away for a second, and Captain Zhuang had already injected himself and disappeared” in front of Pei Yuan, he really couldn’t accept this thoughtless answer.
Seeing him silent for a long time, Zhuang Ningyu spread his hands. “Then what should we do? Should you just confiscate them all?”
This time, the one in a dilemma was Yi Ke. Confiscate the No. 9? And then what? If they encountered danger later and he couldn’t get back in time, then the other’s previously injured knee, without a painkiller, would most likely not be able to withstand any high-intensity impact. This wasn’t Taoli Community; there were no other helpers to be found here.
Zhuang Ningyu sat on the sofa, watching him go from angry to deflated. Finally, he hung his head and returned to the table, one by one, carefully gathering the scattered injections and clenching them all back in his palm.
The room was very quiet, as if even the dust in the air had congealed. Every breath was clearly audible.
Yi Ke squatted back down in front of Zhuang Ningyu. After a moment of silence, he said in a low voice, “About last time, in Taoli Community… I’m sorry… I thought I could definitely take care of you then.”
Seeing this little puppy’s eyes starting to redden again, Zhuang Ningyu was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. He couldn’t scold him, so he could only reach out and pat his head, his tone calm and dismissive. “You’re a fresh graduate intern, on your first mission. You hadn’t even had time to analyze the rules, and you thought you could ‘definitely’ take care of your other teammates. Is that what your teachers taught you in school?”
Yi Ke didn’t say anything, but his whole body was steaming with pent-up frustration. His life had been too smooth. At certain times, in certain aspects, he did have a certain unnoticeable arrogance. He once thought he wouldn’t care about any consequences caused by this bit of arrogance, but reality had taught him a lesson.
Zhuang Ningyu was helpless. “Alright, I’m not blaming you. As for the medicine, unless it’s a last resort, do you think it’s comfortable to inject this stuff?”
Yi Ke said stubbornly, “Last time wasn’t a last resort either, but Brother Qing said you disappeared the moment he turned around.”
“Because I didn’t know you well enough back then,” Zhuang Ningyu’s attitude was good. “So I was momentarily careless and underestimated Comrade Yi’s solo combat capabilities, making a very inappropriate and wrong judgment of the situation. It won’t happen this time. This time, you take the lead, and I’ll be your support.”
Yi Ke’s mouth twitched. He looked like he was struggling between laughing and not laughing. In the end, he didn’t laugh, just handed him three of the injections that were still warm from his own body heat. “These are enough for an emergency.”
It was enough. Zhuang Ningyu nodded. “Okay. You get up first.”
“I’m not getting up.” Yi Ke stuffed the remaining injections into his own pants pocket. “You have to promise not to misuse the medicine.”
Zhuang Ningyu mustered all the patience he had in his life and raised his hand cooperatively. “Okay, I promise.”
Yi Ke rested his chin on his knees and sniffed. “Mm.”
His expression was so pitiful that among all the famous people Zhuang Ningyu knew, only Poliwag (Pokémon) could barely compete.
