Above the State, Beneath the Rules

On the day the Rules descended, 470,000 people around the world were dragged into Rule Horror instances. Fewer than twelve percent survived. Those caught inside either went mad, died, or became part of the rules. Shen Yan was the first person to walk out of an instance alive. Everyone thought he was a lone genius who had solved the fatal trap in the “Silent Corridor” all by himself. But the truth was this: one number had always sat at the top of his phone contacts. The National Security tip line. He hadn’t even changed the contact name. The moment he made the call, a twelve-person analysis team at the Special Affairs Bureau was already standing by in front of their screens. Every rule he read aloud inside the instance was analyzed in real time by the team behind him. Every step he took was the optimal solution calculated by the machinery of the state. “I’m just an ordinary person. I can’t fight or solve puzzles. All I can do is read the rules.” “You don’t need to do those things. You just need to be our eyes.” Of the thirty-seven registered sensitives in the country, he was the only Level Four sensitive capable of sensing Class A rules. While others relied on talent, courage, and luck inside the instances, he relied on the strength of the entire nation.