Deceptive Rules

Chen Yi only realized after arriving in the small town that it was practically a scam compound in Myanmar. Not only was it extremely dangerous, but prices were outrageously high. It was truly a case of: Earn your money in town, spend it all in town, and don't expect to bring a cent home. Even in another world, was money still what trapped her?

The town seemed peaceful on the surface, but danger lurked everywhere. The so-called chance at a new life seemed more like an illusory bait.

Chen Yi had no way back. Amid the jumble of information in the town, where all sorts of claims and rumors were as tangled as the telecom scams of northern Myanmar, she had to carefully sift out what was truly useful and correct. Fortunately, even in this dangerous town, she could see something in Bai Wei's eyes that was unmistakably human: the feeling of sharing the same misfortune. It gave her some comfort.

The cameras were everywhere, the eyes and ears of the rules. Though they could protect her to some extent, their gaze held an unmistakable malice beneath the rules' pretended benevolence.

And the more densely packed the cameras were, the higher the prices. Chen Yi had no choice but to take risks. Even in town, she hadn't given up thinking: What role had Jiang Ciyue played in the great fire before her death? Why had Jiang Ciyue changed so much, and what secrets was she hiding? Chen Yi thought she and Jiang Ciyue were merely allies, each with her own agenda, but she never expected genuine feelings to develop between them.

On this uncertain expedition, Chen Yi, Bai Wei, "Jiang Ciyue," and Xie Yehe each had their own goals, yet they supported one another, huddling together for warmth in this eerie place.

The cover background was provided by LYRE. Many thanks!

Theme: Rules cannot be trusted completely, and they are not set in stone.