Rules of the Strange: I Can See Through All the Weird

The librarian didn't say anything, but the corners of his mouth were twitching more than AK's.

He led Xu Ning in a different direction and walked away.

The corridor was silent and dark, making it impossible to see the way ahead. The only light source was the white candle burning in the caretaker's hand.

Xu Ning followed slowly behind, her brain working at lightning speed.

Xu Ning was lost in thought when her steps slowed slightly. The candlelight slid across her shoulder, plunging half her body into darkness. In that instant, a cold hand rested on her shoulder.

Without thinking, she took a step forward and returned to the light.

The hand vanished. A very faint sigh came from the darkness behind him, as if in regret.

Xu Ning's back was covered in cold sweat. She stopped thinking and followed closely behind the administrator, keeping a half-step behind him.

It seems that light sources are very important in this instance.

Upon reaching an iron gate, the administrator knocked three times, then entered the password. The gate slowly opened, and the administrator placed a candle on a shelf beside the gate, indicating that Xu Ning could enter.

The administrator turned around, took two steps, and then disappeared from the spot.

Xu Ning looked around for a while before going inside. You can't see what's inside from here. Once the iron gate opens, there's a small space with a wall in front. You have to go in from the right side to see what's inside.

Upon entering, one's eyes are met with two operating tables and many containers filled with corpses, all soaked in formalin.

"You...you're here too..."

A male voice came from inside, startling Xu Ning.

It's Fang Hao.

He was slumped against the wall, trembling, looking like he was having a mental breakdown.

"The administrator who brought me here made me... made me skin them, saying it was the best material for making books..." He pointed to the container.

Xu Ning only realized upon closer inspection that the players soaking in the formaldehyde were all those who had failed in this dungeon!

There were also some unfamiliar faces, but she guessed they were players who had died in this instance before.

Half the people have already died since entering this instance, and they're all stuck here now, so it's no wonder Fang Hao is so scared.

At this moment, a strange figure dressed in surgical scrubs appeared out of nowhere. It stood still for a few steps, then paced back and forth, muttering something under its breath.

Xu Ning leaned closer and listened for a while before she could make out what it was saying: "Not enough...not enough..."

Xu Ning's alarm bells immediately went off, "Run!"

Fang Hao was startled by the shout. What? Run? Run for what?

At this moment, the eerie NPC also stopped, turned to look at them, and a strange smile appeared on his lips: "Oh~ not enough materials... but here are two more..."

Fang Hao immediately made a move to run outside.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Qi Tong was holding the candle she had taken from the toilet, and she lit it with a lighter she got at a store. There was no light along the way.

Just as I reached the iron gate, I saw Xu Ning rushing out.

Without saying a word, Qi Tong ran after him.

He asked as he ran, "What's going on?"

"There's a skinning monster inside. All the dead players are inside. They need to skin them to make raw materials for books. I just heard him say that it's not enough."

Qi Tong immediately understood what was going on.

Fang Hao was chasing after him, but as soon as he left the iron gate and lost the light source, and just as he called for help, it was as if something had choked him.

He clutched his throat tightly, and at that moment, countless pale hands reached out from the wall, pulling him towards the walls like withered branches.

I'm about to tear him to pieces.

The next second he was freed from restraints and quickly caught up with Qi Tong and Xu Ning.

These are Fang Hao's A+ grade item [Mercury Robe] and C grade item [Devil's Steps].

The Mercury Robe can remove control effects, but the cooldown is very long, requiring three days before it can be used again.

The Devil's Steps is a consumable item; once used, it's gone.

As a novice, he had no more items left to save his life...

Looking back, he saw that the strange creature was still chasing him and was about to catch up.

Fang Hao gritted his teeth, used a Type B consumable item [Miracle of Strength], and then desperately chased after Qi Tong, grabbed her, pulled her hard, and threw her backward.

Qi Tong was suddenly pulled back, and the next second she was face to face with the eerie creature, their eyes meeting.

The strange thing stopped, and the scalpel in his hand emitted an eerie glow. In short, everything was very strange.

It was Qi Tong who broke the silence.

"Hi~" Qi Tong waved and greeted him.

"Hehehehe... You volunteered to be the raw material? You're very conscientious. I'll turn you into a perfect work of art." With that, he raised his scalpel to stab him.

"Do not disturb unless it is involuntary." The next second, Qi Tong used the item [Love Bubble] to teleport away.

After seeing Qi Tong being pulled away by Fang Hao, Xu Ning immediately exchanged for a flashlight at the shop, but the flashlight's light was not bright enough; they could only use white candles here!

Xu Ning ran away angrily, yelling, "You're using Qi Tong as a scapegoat! She was holding a candle; now that there's no light, she's going to die too!"

The chaotic noises around her grew louder and louder, and a chill sprayed onto the back of Xu Ning's neck. Xu Ning realized that there must be other strange things around her.

It has come to the point where we have no choice but to use props.

"Isn't it just a competition of props?" Xu Ning glared at Fang Hao. "Can you outdo me in props?"

You should just die!

The next second, Xu Ning crushed a bead in her hand, and her whole body turned into a beam of light, disappearing from Fang Hao's sight.

Fang Hao was in pain, Fang Hao was in despair.

How come everyone's gone?!

Soon, the feeling of suffocation returned, his steps became increasingly sluggish, and his consciousness became increasingly unclear; all he could feel was extreme exhaustion.

The next moment, a tearing pain shot through his body; he felt as if many hands were tearing at him.

It hurts...it hurts so much.

He was unwilling to accept defeat. He was so close... he was so close to completing the game...

The force of the tearing grew stronger and stronger, his consciousness shattered into pieces, and in the end, only pain remained.

"Hehehehe..."

"Did you stay voluntarily?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Qi Tong was randomly teleported to an unknown place, which was a room.

The room was very simple, and everything looked old. There weren't many things in the room, just a bed and a set of tables and chairs, which made it look very rustic.

The bedding on the bed was yellowed, indicating that it had been lived in for a long time, and the things on it were also very old.

On the table was a framed photo of a couple; the man's arm was affectionately draped over the woman's shoulder, and both of them had happy smiles on their faces.

Setting down the photo frame, Qi Tong looked around the room.

There is a bookshelf above the table, filled with many books.

Qi Tong quickly skimmed through the list and spotted a familiar book among them—the Analects of Confucius.

Qi Tong opened the book, and found that this copy of the Analects was much more worn than the one she had initially placed on the table. The edges were yellowed and showed signs of frequent reading, with some parts even wrinkled from water stains.

She quickly flipped through the pages and finally found a clue.

A phrase marked with a pen: "Do not presume, do not be dogmatic, do not be stubborn, do not be self-centered."