(Rules-based horror) (Live comment interaction) (The whole nation lends its strength) (Lighthearted and sharp-tongued) (Golden finger)
The day the rules-based horror descended, Chen Du was eating instant noodles in his rented apartment.
A global livestream began, and one challenger from each country was randomly selected to enter a terrifying instance.
Break a rule, and you’re eliminated.
Fail to clear the instance, and you’re eliminated.
Each person had to go in alone, with no teammates and no hints. They were on their own from start to finish.
The other challengers crept through the instances in terror, testing each step and risking their lives to uncover the traps hidden in the rules.
Only Chen Du noticed the lines of semitransparent text floating in the corner of his vision.
“I analyzed this instance on the forum last night. The third rule is a trap!”
“Don’t touch that mirror! The challenger from Sakura Country next door died that way!”
“Streamer, take two steps to the left. There might be writing on the ground.”
Chen Du froze for a full three seconds.
Then he crouched down and spoke to the air. “Comments, how do I beat this instance?”
The comments flooded in at once.
Medical students taught him how to identify poison, construction workers taught him how to pry open doors, and a retired reconnaissance soldier taught him how to climb walls.
A folklore professor taught him how to read the feng shui, and an auntie from the square dance group taught him to ward off evil with salt.
From then on, Chen Du enjoyed the most laid-back instance-clearing life in history: if he didn’t understand something, he asked the comments; if he didn’t know how to do something, he searched the comments; if he couldn’t win, he called out to the comments to save him.
While other challengers risked their lives to figure out the rules, he asked the comments for the answers.
Gradually, viewers around the world realized something was off about the challenger from Dragon Country.
Before every decision, his gaze would drift in the same direction, and the corners of his mouth would lift ever so slightly.
