Why is my journey to the world of anime a strange tale of rules?

Liang remained calm and gave Xingge a serious thumbs-up in response.

"Who's laughing at you? Tsk, Hongxia, are you alright? Check your feet. If you're injured, it'll be bad if you can't run when you need to escape later. And Liang... Thank you this time. You were clearly more perceptive than the two of us when dealing with those things. We'll have to rely on you again in the future."

Although she instinctively exchanged a few words with Ryo, Xingge, as an adult, quickly calmed down. She first gave Hongxia a few instructions, and then looked at Ryo and spoke very seriously.

"The hiring fee is calculated at thirty times the market price, and a penalty of 10% will be added each month after the deadline."

He made a peace sign with both hands and said expressionlessly again.

“Where did this unscrupulous vendor come from? Hongxia and I don’t have a single penny to our name right now. We’ll have to pay you back.”

Knowing that this guy was just being silly to ease the tension, Xingge waved his hand and answered casually, and Hongxia laughed along.

At that moment, the lights in the dimly lit apartment lobby flickered twice, and in the distance, one could hear footsteps moving about.

Chapter 5: The Rules of [Sheep Nest Apartment] and the Initial Establishment of the Three-Person Team

The apartment is called "Zhenyang Apartment," a name that sounds rather strange and inexplicable.

The apartment building itself has a U-shaped structure. There is a duty room in the lobby. To enter the apartment area, you need to go through security doors on the left and right. According to the map on the bulletin board on the first floor, the apartment building has three floors, with 12 apartment rooms on each floor. There are two laundry rooms on the second and third floors, while there is only one laundry room on the first floor because of the duty room. I wonder if this will cause any inconvenience to the local residents.

In the center of the apartment building is a small inner plaza, planted with some flowers and plants, which could be considered a small park. From this perspective, the apartment building can actually be considered a relatively high-end building. However, perhaps because it was built relatively early, many facilities show obvious signs of aging, and thus it has gradually fallen into disrepair.

Another noteworthy feature is the basement of the apartment building. The main water and gas valves, as well as the electrical equipment, are located there. Furthermore, a backup generator is also stored in the basement, presumably for emergency use during power outages.

Although, no matter how you look at it, the idea of ​​entering an unfamiliar street through a leak in the Starry Warehouse and then into an unfamiliar apartment building is still too strange, the three people who are in this situation have no choice but to accept the reality.

"Those things outside don't seem to be getting any closer anymore."

Xingge, who was guarding the door, peeked out through the crack in the apartment door. After watching for a while, she spoke softly.

“Generally speaking, this means that there is something more terrifying inside this apartment than those monsters outside, so they dare not come in.”

After carefully exploring the hall with Nijika and obtaining a map from the notice board on one side of the hall, Yamada Ryo turned to Hoshika, thought for a moment, and then answered seriously.

"...Can't you say something nice?"

Hongxia, who was standing to the side, noticed that Xingge had stiffened up, so she glared at Liang and said in an annoyed tone.

At this moment, having confirmed that the monsters outside had no intention of entering the room and that nothing unusual was happening in the hall for the time being, Hongxia and Xingge relaxed a little and rested for a while. Liang, however, remained vigilant, cautiously circling the area several times, carefully observing every corner. Because of her serious attitude, Hongxia followed along to help Liang survey the surroundings, and they eventually found a map and a note posted on the notice board.

Putting the map aside, the note was similar to the curfew notices she'd seen on street bulletin boards before—both were about local regulations. For some reason, even though the regulations seemed fairly normal, without much oddity, they gave Hongxia a strange, indescribable feeling. It was as if some invisible force existed within the text, continuously bringing an inexplicable sense of unease to the viewer.

[Temporary Management Regulations for Zhenyang Apartment]

Due to recent issues such as unstable electricity and aging water pipes in the apartment building, this temporary management regulation is now in effect. We hope that all residents will actively cooperate with the apartment management staff to work together to create a better apartment environment.

During the period of implementation of the temporary management regulations, we hope you will abide by the following rules.

[1. From 7:00 to 22:30 daily, please register your personal information in the duty room. Your name and the names of people living in the same house as you are required fields. If you cannot remember your name, please use your room number instead.]

2. Temporary power outages have become very frequent recently and are expected to continue for several weeks until repairs are completed. If you are in your apartment when the power goes out, please stay inside and do not leave. Power will be restored soon. If you are in a hallway or stairwell when the power goes out, please go to the nearest laundry room and wait for power to be restored. If you are in the inner plaza or not in the apartment building when the power goes out, please do not enter the apartment during this time and wait for power to be restored before entering.

3. The emergency generator in the basement is locked, and its internal parts are damaged; therefore, it should not be started under any circumstances. The key to the basement has been collected by the staff on duty; please do not attempt to enter. An automatic alarm system has been installed at the basement entrance; forced entry will result in legal consequences.

4. In accordance with the city's curfew regulations, please lock your doors and windows and draw your curtains to avoid direct contact with the outside environment between 22:30 PM and 7:00 AM the following day after the curfew begins. Apartment staff will not knock on your doors or windows during curfew. If this happens, you can contact the apartment staff or the police station by phone. Do not attempt to communicate with the person knocking on your doors or windows or open them.

5. Once the curfew begins, no one may leave their room in principle. If you have an unavoidable reason for leaving, please notify the duty room by phone first. The duty room will then call nearby patrol officers to confirm your need to leave. If confirmed, they will be responsible for protecting your personal safety during your absence.

6. The laundry room located on the inner side of the 3rd floor is temporarily closed due to water pipe repairs caused by aging. Please do not attempt to open the door of this laundry room, nor attempt to enter the laundry room with the door open, as you may slip and fall due to the wet floor.

7. To facilitate apartment management, please limit your daily outings to no more than twice. When entering and exiting, please try to use different staircases. There are four staircases in this apartment building, which should be sufficient for your use if you only need to go out twice a day.

8. Apartment management staff will patrol the hallways after the daily curfew begins. If you are woken up by noise from the hallway, please be understanding of the staff. You can also purchase earplugs to avoid being disturbed by the noise. In any case, please do not leave your room to go to the hallway to find management staff at this time, and do not try to speak to them through the door or observe the hallway through the peephole, as this will greatly affect their work.

9. A 24-hour smart surveillance system is being installed in the hallways of this apartment building. Installation is expected to be completed within a week. Please do not touch the installed surveillance equipment during this period, as it may already be activated.

10. Pets are not allowed in this apartment, especially cats, squirrels, and ducks. Please do not bring such animals into the apartment, otherwise you may be evicted.

【11. During the period of implementation of the temporary management regulations, this apartment will not receive visitors. Staff will patrol regularly and drive away non-residents. However, if you do intend to invite friends to the apartment, you can register your friend's name in advance at the duty room. After registration, please inform your friend of the current management regulations of this apartment. Visitors must also abide by the relevant regulations while in the apartment.】

[12. Employees carrying XX company employee ID cards should adhere to the company's shift schedule and are not required to comply with the apartment's time management regulations. The company's production work is a priority for the city, and Zhenyang Apartment will fully cooperate with the company's work arrangements.]

The order and beauty of Zhenyang Apartment require the joint efforts of every tenant, manager, staff member, and everyone else. Only through everyone's hard work can this place truly become a home for everyone.

The management rules, totaling 12 articles, were reflected in Ryo and Hongxia's vision.

Most of the rules seemed normal, but some struck Hongxia as rather strange. For example, the rule requiring apartment residents to use different staircases each time they went up or down seemed absurd, leaving her wondering what the point was. Similarly, the rule against observing apartment management through the peephole also seemed odd. Hongxia wondered if anyone could actually tell someone was watching them through the peephole.

Strange places, strange rules.

“Hongxia, we need to think like eccentrics here.”

While she was wondering what was going on, Hongxia heard Liang speak up beside her. Turning her head, she found that her friend's eyes were shining, and she was even giving her a peace sign with a serious expression.

"A weirdo's mindset? What kind of mindset is that? I'm not a weirdo."

Clearly, Hongxia didn't understand Liang's meaning and was instead somewhat confused by her.

"That's the problem. Neither you nor the store manager have the mindset of an eccentric. That's not good; it's easy to get yourself killed."

As Liang spoke, she glanced at Xingge, who was walking towards them from the gate. When she heard Xingge, who was talking to her, say something similarly puzzling, "What kind of weird thinking is this?", she cleared her throat and continued speaking to the two of them.

"We are now living in an abnormal world."

"On the surface, this place may seem not much different from the real world, but it is full of all kinds of monsters. They are very dangerous, and our bodies are very vulnerable to them. Even a slight touch could kill us."

"However, despite their extreme danger, they are not without weaknesses. These monsters clearly follow a set of rules that we do not understand, and perhaps this rule list contains some hints about their behavior. Therefore, only by following the rules can we survive and have any hope of finding a way to escape from here."

Liang's words were very serious.

Hongxia was still somewhat bewildered by this and couldn't immediately switch her mindset to adapt to the current situation.

However, she vaguely understood that her friend's idea was correct. Therefore, Hongxia nodded and decided very seriously to believe Liang's words, even though she didn't quite understand what to do next.

"Act according to the rules? Hmm, it still feels absurd, even though I've been through enough absurd things."

Xingge scratched her head and sighed again. It was clear that she was willing to believe Liang, but compared to Hongxia, she seemed more confused and at a loss, not knowing what to do.

"The first thing the store manager needs to do is to curb your curiosity and reckless behavior."

Then, Liang started criticizing Xingge without any expression, leaving the other party stunned on the spot.

"Wait, why are you suddenly criticizing me?"

"Whether it's insisting on checking the situation at the gate or shining a flashlight on the cat, objectively speaking, it has brought us a lot of trouble. Shopkeeper, you really need to restrain yourself. The place we are in now is very dangerous. The fact that nothing happened before was partly due to good luck. If you accidentally bump into or see something, we might be discovered and killed by some monster."

Clearly, Liang was seriously criticizing Xingge for his stubbornness and reluctance to think things through when doing things.

Normally, Xingge would probably have gotten angry and retorted because of so-called "adult pride," but after just experiencing a thrilling battle royale, Xingge had calmed down and realized that this was the trouble she had caused. Therefore, after a brief silence, she chose to bow slightly and apologize to Liang.

"I can't deny that this is indeed my problem, so, as I just said, I'll have to continue to trouble you. It seems that you are calmer and more resourceful than all of us when dealing with those things."

Xingge spoke with exceptional sincerity.

"elder sister……"

Hongxia was quite shocked that her proud older sister would adopt such a humble attitude.

"Well, the first thing we need to do is register our names. It seems that registering our names is the most basic requirement to comply with the management rules of this apartment."

Seeing Xingge's attitude, Liang felt that the other party would not repeat the previous behavior of lacking awareness of danger, so he stopped talking and turned his attention to the duty room located in the middle of the hall, which he had not yet investigated in detail.

Liang had already tried to open the door to the duty room before; like the north and south doors on either side of the lobby, it was locked. However, unlike the other doors, the duty room had a window separated by glass and iron bars. Several holes were visible through this window, but it was pitch black inside, making it impossible to see what was happening. Notably, next to one of the holes was a pen and a small booklet; Liang guessed that the booklet was probably the apartment's registration book.

I took a step and walked to the window.

Despite still feeling somewhat scared, Liang took a deep breath and picked up the booklet. Thankfully, nothing reached out from the window to grab her, and when she opened the booklet, nothing scary came out. There was just a bunch of messy, illegible writing on it.

No, there are also texts that are legible.

Liang flipped to the back of the booklet, to the last page where the text ended, and found that several names on that page were clearly visible and recognizable.

[The bird's tail is truly beautiful]

【Hondo Haruka】

【Ogiyama Shizuko】

【Grass Market Wisdom】

These four names are completely different from the previous ones. Could they have some special meaning?

Thinking this, Liang picked up the pen, opened the cap, and prepared to write her name.

"Ok?"

The next moment, she was somewhat astonished to find that the nib of the pen had disappeared, and the inside of the pen was completely hollow.

crunch--

At that moment, a clear sound of a door opening suddenly rang out. The three people in the hall turned to look at the source of the sound at the same time, and saw the south door on the first floor slowly open, and a small hand reached out from inside the door and gently grasped the door frame.

Chapter Six: The Survivors Who Arrived First and Their Initial Abilities

Glug glug—glug glug glug—

The electric kettle on the table emitted wisps of smoke, but the people present paid no attention to the water heater that could operate in this strange place. Instead, they turned their gaze to the three figures across the table who did not look well.

Yes, Hongxia, Xingge, and Liang weren't the only three humans in this apartment. Someone had arrived before them and noticed the situation at the apartment entrance, coming to investigate. Their initial movements had even caused a misunderstanding, almost leading Hongxia and the others to mistake them for monsters. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was cleared up in time, and the three followed the person who came to investigate into the apartment, eventually entering room 109 on the first floor.

"So, did you also encounter that female ghost who was shattered into pieces, and then find yourselves suddenly in this place while trying to escape?"

The first to speak was a young woman who called herself Torio Mami. She looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with obvious dark circles under her eyes that only office workers would have, and she was wearing what is commonly known as OL (office lady) attire for Japanese employees.

"Pretty much, that thing suddenly popped out when the house was leaking."

As the only adult among the three, Xingge stepped forward as the negotiator and nodded, speaking first.

"So that's how it is? The broadcast said that staying indoors would ensure safety, but it turns out that's not the case at all."

Upon hearing this, the other member of the three people opposite, a high school girl named Shizuko Ogiyama wearing glasses, revealed a gloomy expression, and her body trembled slightly, as if she had recalled something terrible.

"Sigh, so I really don't understand what's going on. It was the same when we were outside. Some really scary monsters suddenly appeared and chased us. We ran for a while before we realized we could come into this apartment. I don't know what Shizuko is thinking either. She insisted that we sign that registration form. I just don't understand the point of doing this."

The last of the three to speak was Hondou Haruka, who was dressed very fashionably and had her hair permed and dyed in bright colors. Judging from her bold and edgy style of dress, and her still nonchalant and fearless demeanor, Yamada Ryo thought that this person either actually possessed some skill, or was simply an idiot, the kind of character in a classic horror story who causes trouble for the main characters and drags them down.

Well, it seems quite likely that the latter is more probable...