I really don't want to work in the world of weird rules!

However, it would have been better if we hadn't gotten involved in this awful place in the first place.

Thinking about this, Gu Changyuan felt that the entire system itself was like a huge tale of the strange.

"Tsk."

He glanced somewhat irritably at the still-glowing memo in mid-air and forced himself to look away.

"No matter how you look at it, it's a good thing."

Smile stickers. While figuring out how to stick them directly on someone might be a bit tricky, they could be a lifesaver in a life-or-death situation, making them an absolute trump card.

However, this also comes with a huge hidden danger.

This thing only appeared a few times in the original work before being completely destroyed for some reason...

He vaguely remembered that the issue of the sticker's strength caused a huge uproar in the author group, even sparking an epic forum war of words. In the end, the official team intervened and banned the item...

He couldn't remember the exact time, but the stack of items he had in his hand might be the last remaining batch of rare, discontinued goods in the world.

Gu Changyuan looked down at the smiley face stickers in his hand, his expression complicated.

Ok.

This thing absolutely must not be exposed to light.

Just in case, he carefully tore off five sheets and stuffed them into the hidden pocket of his suit jacket.

That way I won't forget to bring it on my first day of work.

...Going to work.

Gu Changyuan's mood began to grow heavy again, but he needed to sleep now.

After such an unbelievable and dramatic day, his body and mind were on the verge of collapse.

I need to recover my strength quickly.

He changed into the bathrobe provided by the apartment, checked the door lock several times, and then collapsed wearily onto the bed.

This was his first night after falling into the world of ghost stories.

To be honest, he didn't sleep very well.

The vivid images of people melting away before his eyes, and the twisted, deformed subway station, haunted his mind like a persistent affliction, even accompanied by surround sound.

He almost wondered if he had a top-of-the-line home theater system installed in his brain.

Fortunately, after two days, he finally got used to the intense fright. Although he still had nightmares, at least he was able to get a full night's sleep.

Several days passed in a daze.

Gu Changyuan checked the meager balance in his bank card, carefully budgeted, and bought a few sets of clothes and daily necessities to barely maintain a normal life.

Of course, he didn't forget the most important thing either.

These settings must be ingrained in our very being.

Like a student preparing for the college entrance examination, he tirelessly browsed the Wikipedia entry for "Strange Tales Exploration Records" stored in his "memory scaffold," forcing himself to memorize every single entry.

This was his only lifeline.

Monday arrived quickly.

The day he officially reported for duty at "Daydream Company".

……

Monday morning.

With two huge dark circles under his eyes and a deathly pale face, Gu Changyuan walked toward the company headquarters building.

His expression, as if he'd seen a ghost, startled even Gao Xinying, who happened to run into him downstairs.

"Um, Brother Gu, are you alright? Didn't you sleep well last night?"

"...A little, um. I'm fine."

"Ouch……"

The two newcomers walked side by side on their way to headquarters, and neither of them was in the mood for idle chatter during the fifteen-minute journey.

Along the way, they also encountered several newcomers who were also part of the on-site investigation team. They all had ashen faces and simply nodded stiffly in acknowledgment.

Check in and enter the elevator.

"I heard the on-site investigation team's offices are on floors ten through fifteen... Ah, I'm here. Brother Gu, let's do our best together..."

"Okay, keep it up."

Gu Changyuan watched Gao Xinying leave on the tenth floor, his gaze falling on the floor button he had pressed.

Thirteenth floor.

This number sounds unlucky.

He could only silently pray that it was just his imagination.

Gu Changyuan opened the onboarding message he had received the day before yesterday again.

[List of New Employees Assigned (On-site Investigation Team).pdf]

-Gu Changyuan/Group D

Ding.

The elevator doors slowly opened on the thirteenth floor, revealing a spacious corridor divided into sections using English letters.

Gu Changyuan took a deep breath, found the automatic door with a big "D" printed on it, and pressed the doorbell.

At the same time, he composed himself and pushed the door open to enter.

"Hello everyone."

"Yo!"

"A new person has arrived."

In the spacious office area, several busy men and women looked up and gave him friendly smiles.

One of the burly men stood up, strode towards him, and extended his right hand.

"Welcome to Group D, Class 15."

Following behind the man, a short-haired woman with a cold expression nodded slightly and added in a flat tone:

"By the way, because all the new recruits who came to our group died, everyone privately calls our Group D the Dead Group."

"..."

"Just kidding," the woman added expressionlessly.

Gu Changyuan swallowed.

Is it too late to resign now?

Fortunately, his superiors didn't intend to listen to his onboarding speech and immediately changed the subject.

Anyway, congratulations on surviving that battle royale.

Is it okay to say such things so openly in a company?

"But you really are number one? That's impressive."

"Show us how you did it!"

Gu Changyuan also wanted to know why.

"It was probably just good luck; they worked incredibly hard."

"Oh my, according to you, everyone can get into Tsinghua or Peking University."

"Alright, anyway, it was quite impressive. Welcome to our team."

Having excellent performance during onboarding definitely has its advantages.

At least in a department where everyone is under constant pressure, the senior staff don't seem to have the inclination to intimidate newcomers.

"The team leader has gone to the field and will be back soon. Please make yourself at home."

"OK, thanks."

Following the directions, Gu Changyuan walked towards an area that was enclosed by partitions.

There were four desks facing each other.

On the reception sofa and coffee table next to it, there was an old radio with an 1980s style.

His superiors took their seats and waved to him.

"Sit there and rest for a while."

As soon as Gu Changyuan sat down, the old radio on the coffee table started emitting a hoarse noise.

Upbeat background music accompanied a broadcaster's high-pitched voice.

[Hello listeners! This is a live traffic report. Currently, the morning rush hour traffic in Donghai City is as smooth as the sunny weather today, but starting this afternoon...]

Gu Changyuan subconsciously turned his head to look out the window.

It's raining heavily outside.

This sense of disorientation, so completely detached from reality, sent a chill down his spine.

This radio is also a strange story.

>The Mysterious Exploration Record of Ghost Stories / Ghost Stories

[Safe Traffic Report]

The anomaly that appeared in "Tales of the Strange" is identified by the following code: Qterw-E-63.

A bizarre radio that predicts the day's fortune based on traffic conditions. Although it occasionally offers advice, listeners often take its content too seriously, leading to disastrous results.

"You noticed?"

"They've already noticed something's wrong? This batch of new recruits has a really sharp sense of smell."

A tall man who looked like a sports student walked over and casually turned off the radio.

"This thing is essentially a fortune telling, a relatively safe urban legend, classified as a controlled 'green ghost story.'"