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

"Brother Yan, how long do you think it will take him to get out?"

"He seems quite calm; I estimate he'll be out in three days."

"One take? Wow, Brother Yan, that's too high a compliment."

Daydream Company On-site Investigation Team D.

Two veteran investigators were squatting on the rooftop next to the warehouse, smoking. They had just pushed a new employee into the ghost stories for a trial.

No matter how many times you do it, sending a living person into a ghost story still makes you feel uncomfortable.

But this time, we were actually quite lucky.

Because the version of "Choose One of Life or Death" that Gu Changyuan drew was only available for three days.

This ghost story has an extremely strange characteristic: the shorter the time limit, the higher the level of danger.

If you're unlucky and get the extreme "one-hour limited time" version, the vengeful ghosts will swarm you like crazy; that's the real hell mode.

Fortunately, this time it's a three-day version.

With a survival time limit of 72 hours, as long as Gu Changyuan can maintain his composure and survive these three days in that convenience store, his survival rate is actually quite good.

Treat it as an immersive haunted house experience.

This kind of welcoming ceremony for new employees is extremely cruel, but all the veteran employees understand that if they can't even get past this hurdle, they'll be cannon fodder the moment they leave the scene.

I can't stand it anymore. It's better for everyone if we leave sooner rather than later.

Group D has driven away countless new recruits because of this welcoming ceremony, and the HR department protests every now and then, but they still do as they please.

After all, watching a newcomer who was greeting you yesterday die on the spot the next day is extremely damaging to their mental state.

However, this time, the two veteran employees surprisingly felt a glimmer of hope.

"Speaking of which, there's that Gu Changyuan."

"Um."

"This kid's got some skills."

"really."

They were discussing Gu Changyuan, the chief rookie who had just been assigned to Group D that day.

It's rare to see a newcomer with such a composed demeanor on their first day of work. Most newbies would be terrified if they learned that their daily work would involve navigating through countless bizarre tales where they could lose their lives at any moment.

But Gu Changyuan was shockingly calm.

"He didn't seem flustered at all; he was even carrying a cup of coffee before he went in."

She did not lose her mind, did not hide in the toilet and cry uncontrollably, and did not try to run away.

This was all because Gu Changyuan had been spoiled by the plot and spent three days mentally preparing himself by giving up.

But in the eyes of these two seasoned veterans who were unaware of the truth, this kid had an iron will.

"It seems like Brother Yan really likes him."

"Of course, such promising talents are rare."

"There's one thing I don't quite understand. This kid usually seems quite composed, so why doesn't he even take notes?"

"He probably lacks experience since it's his first time working. He can give you a few pointers when he comes out."

In this line of work where you risk your life, not having intelligence and manuals is practically the same as being dead.

"When he comes out, we have to make him write it down. A bad pen is worse than a good memory. We can't expect him to memorize the answers beforehand."

But Gu Changyuan had indeed memorized the answers beforehand.

Unaware of what was happening, the two stubbed out their cigarettes, dusted off their hands, and prepared to end their casual conversation.

"Let's go, it's time to write the situation report."

"Sigh, I always have to write those pieces of paper that nobody reads."

Even if that kid is the top newcomer and has an iron will, he won't show up for at least three days. At least there's food and drink in the ghost story area, so surviving shouldn't be a problem.

The two casually picked up the tablet computer containing the portal to the ghost stories.

"Alright, go back to your workstation..."

drop.

A black shadow suddenly shot out from the tablet.

The newcomer, who should normally have stayed inside for three whole days, landed safely at this moment.

Gu Changyuan skillfully brushed the dust off his suit, making it as neat as it had been when he entered an hour and thirty minutes earlier. He slowly raised his right hand.

He was holding a "source liquid collection tank" with the scale fully filled in his hand.

"It's full."

The scene was silent, and the two veteran employees stared wide-eyed.

It was no more than 1 hour and 24 minutes since that kid went in.

The newcomer, who drastically broke conventional records, stared at his superiors with a completely expressionless face.

I was so scared I almost had a heart attack.

......

A rainy Monday afternoon.

In the office area of ​​Group D of the "On-site Investigation Team", the sound of keyboards clicking was as dense as rain. Two veteran employees filled out the situation report at a record-breaking speed and then used their leader's account to complete the signature approval on their behalf.

The reason for such swift action is only one: the newcomer who ignores time limits and clears the mystery at lightning speed is back!

"I remember... the set survival period was three days, right?" Han Yan, the supervisor, sat on the sofa and stared at Gu Changyuan across from him.

The veteran employees next to him nodded in agreement.

The coffee table was piled high with snacks the two had scavenged from the break room. They pushed them all in front of Gu Changyuan, exchanged a glance, and finally got down to business.

"How did you manage to get out so quickly?" The supervisor cleared his throat.

Gu Changyuan paused briefly, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for lunch: "I sped up the time."

This nonchalant attitude left the two veteran employees speechless.

Before they could even catch their breath, Gu Changyuan had already begun a clear and organized review.

"Since there's a time limit, there must exist events that determine the 'passage of time,' and I've only grasped this key point."

He recounted his risky maneuver of using the expiration date of his bento box to set a "time alarm clock."

Upon hearing these words, the two seniors' minds went blank for a moment.

Genius! This is absolutely a genius we can't let slip away.

A keen intuition and logic that can see through the underlying mystery of ghost stories? This guy is practically a freak tailor-made for the on-site investigation team. We have to keep him firmly in Group D and help him integrate perfectly into the team!

"I was blind to your greatness. I was actually thinking of holding some kind of welcome ceremony for Gu Shen just now," the veteran employee said half-jokingly, while his face was full of awe.

Manager Han shook his head with a wry smile: "I reckon it won't be long before you kick me out and make me the manager."

"Don't forget us when you become successful! And when you get the 'All-Powerful Wish-Granting Device,' remember to bring it over and show it to us!"

Gu Changyuan felt a little uncomfortable under this pressure: "That's not true, uh, actually."

He seemed to be confessing some shameful secret: "I was just scared to death, that's why I wanted to run away as quickly as possible."

The air suddenly went still. Was it because they were afraid of urban legends that they showed off the evil spirits in the face at lightning speed?

Is this some kind of deadly ghost story being played like an escape room game?

This newcomer is too Versailles!

Gu Changyuan kept a straight face and added seriously, "Next time, please be sure to give me advance notice. I almost fainted from fright."

"Do you think it's appropriate for someone who can complete the game in an hour to say something like that?" Manager Han couldn't help but complain.

Gu Changyuan's expression was strange: "I really thought I was going to die inside."

The manager took a sip of coffee and lowered his voice: "Gu, how many gold coins did you get?"

Gu Changyuan was stunned for a moment. "What?"

"It's the cash reward for clearing the level," a veteran employee said, winking.

"Oh, um, they gave me 500,000."

This is the completion bonus for the "F-level" ghost story, which is clearly written in black and white in the employee handbook of "Daydream Company".

[50% of the extra rewards generated from clearing F-rank mystery tales with well-developed walkthroughs will be distributed as bonuses to employees.]

In other words, the company takes half of the money earned by simply copying the homework to pass the test.

Moreover, the onboarding test for new employees is not covered by this benefit at all!

The company's excuse is always high-sounding: since the assigned items are supernatural tales that have undergone hundreds or thousands of tests and have a very high level of safety, there is naturally no danger allowance.

Gu Changyuan had already memorized this rule.

The supervisor waved his hand dismissively: "Logically, this money should be handed over to the company in full, but you can keep it for yourself this time."

Gu Changyuan was somewhat taken aback: "Huh?"

Experienced professionals in the workplace have plenty of ways to falsify accounts!

The Bureau can easily fool the authorities by triggering the special clause on the grounds that "the game can be completed using an unknown escape plan, and the existing manual does not apply".

After all, receiving a huge sum of money on the first day of work makes even the biggest grievances seem more rosy. This was the umbrella they held up for newcomers after getting caught in the rain years ago.

"Keep it, we'll handle the follow-up reports." The veteran employee waved his hand repeatedly, smiling very kindly.

In reality, it was one million. Gu Changyuan, who originally planned to pocket half of it, broke out in a cold sweat.

Overjoyed at getting 500,000 for free, Gu Changyuan felt a slight pang of conscience and obediently stood up with the two seniors.

"Now that you're back safe and sound, it's time to get on with the most important things." The supervisor patted him on the shoulder.

"The most important thing?"

"Employee Benefits Mall Points!"