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

Do not presume, do not insist, do not be stubborn, do not be self-centered.

Don't make wild guesses; when faced with a situation, proceed from reality and avoid subjective assumptions.

Don't be dogmatic or absolute; don't expect things to develop the way you want them to.

Don't be stubborn, be flexible and adaptable, and don't stick to the old ways.

Don't be arrogant or self-centered; be humble and objective.

Next to this sentence were countless "I'm sorry" messages.

I opened the drawer and saw the medicine bottles inside.

Qi Tong's gaze darkened, as if deep in thought.

Not long after, something bright caught my eye.

"Six, this random teleportation was pretty good!"

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.

Xu Ning's props transported her to the starting point, which was the chair she had been on at the beginning.

She was breathing heavily, trying to steady her breath as she looked around.

There was no one left here. Qin Yu had disappeared. Only the elderly shop manager remained, sitting in front of the cashier.

His withered hands mechanically turned the pages of the book, one by one.

Xu Ning glanced at the time; there were only 4 hours left in this instance.

Time flies so fast.

Aside from answering the strange questions and not triggering the rules, they found nothing else.

Xu Ning looked at the items she had. She had only cleared three dungeons, and her items were limited. She had already used two in this dungeon.

But with no leads, she had no choice but to take a gamble.

Xu Ning stepped forward and softly called out "Manager." The manager slowly raised his head, reluctantly shifting his gaze from the book to Xu Ning's face.

"Is there something you need...?" The shop manager's hoarse voice, like a rusty saw, sent chills down one's spine.

"Manager, we only have three days to borrow the books, and the three days are almost up. How are we going to get out?" Xu Ning asked, feigning innocence.

The store manager seemed to have heard something forbidden, his expression shifting from confusion to fear.

"Get out...get out...those who can't get out...will all die...will all die...hahahaha...die..." the shopkeeper said, laughing maniacally. "She's right outside, anyone who goes out will die...she won't let anyone go...she won't let anyone go..."

Xu Ning looked at the store manager's manic behavior and didn't know what to say.

Just then, Qi Tong came out from the door next to the store manager, holding a medicine bottle and a photo frame. She winked at Xu Ning, who blinked back expressionlessly.

Just as the store manager was about to yell angrily, Qi Tong shoved the medicine bottle into his wide-open mouth.

Then he slammed the picture frame heavily onto the table, and it shattered instantly.

The store manager didn't even bother to spit out the medicine bottle in his mouth first. He hurriedly cleared away the shattered glass and wood shards and took out the photos inside.

A mocking laugh rang out.

"Manager, your wife is right outside. Holding a photo is nowhere near as comfortable as holding the real person."

The store manager's dark, cloudy eyes twitched, and with a burst of strength, he bit the medicine bottle in his mouth to pieces and swallowed it all.

"You... what do you know?" The shop manager looked at Qi Tong, his eyes filled with anger.

"What do I know? Should I tell you, or should you tell me yourself, manager?"

The store manager remained silent, glaring angrily at Qi Tong.

Qi Tong remained completely calm, saying leisurely, "You caused your wife's death because of your subjective assumptions, and she's waiting outside for revenge. You act like nothing's wrong every day at the library, but you don't dare to step out even once!"

The store manager's expression changed. Not with anger, but with a deeper, more painful twitch. He remained silent for a full three seconds before finally squeezing out through gritted teeth, "You're talking nonsense!"

"Haven't I made up for her enough in the past twenty years? I am sorry for her, I was wrong! But I have already made up for it! For so many years, I have relied on sleeping pills to fall asleep every day, and I also take medication to suppress my bipolar disorder every day. The library has three days a month for free reading. I have already paid back what I owed her!" the store manager shouted irritably, his hoarse voice sometimes cracking due to his intense emotions.

"You're not wrong! You're just scared! Aren't you afraid that she'll come after you in the middle of the night and take your life?" Qi Tong remembered the rules and spoke in a normal volume, but with unwavering determination.

The store manager's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his voice grew louder and louder.

"Scared? She made me lose all face when she was cheating on me, why didn't she think about being scared? I've already done more than fair by killing her, haven't I suffered for twenty years too!"

If you're confronting a man and his voice gets louder and louder, it just means you're right.

Qi Tong sneered.

"Your sin is not because of her, but her misfortune is because of you!"

"You already have bipolar disorder. At first, you and your wife were very loving, but because of your inexplicable suspicions, your delusions, and your subjective assumptions, you sentenced her to death."

"You only realized it was your own delusion after you killed someone. You offer three days a month for free to teach others to be free from preconceived notions, assumptions, stubbornness, and ego. Those who fail to do so should be taught a lesson and punished. You haven't even done what you preach, yet you're still teaching others. The one who should be punished the most is clearly you! Not these people attracted by your methods that you believe can cleanse your sins!"

"The white candles you placed in the library were part of a trap you set to imprison her!"

"No, no, no..." The shop manager became increasingly flustered, his eyes darting around erratically. Suddenly, his eyes fixed on the door, his gaze filled with terror.

Qi Tong and Xu Ning also looked over and saw a woman lying on the transparent glass door with her limbs twisted into a bizarre position. She was disheveled and covered in blood. She was lying quietly on the door with her two irregular hands pressed against it.

The lights were dim, and the woman's hair covered most of her face, but Qi Tong could see that she was crying.

She was crying.

She may also be wondering why her husband, who had always been so loving towards her, would kill her, frame her with fabricated crimes, and even after she died, she would be hurled at the most vile words.

Everyone was comforting the store manager, but what about her?

No one knew the truth; they simply listened to the husband's one-sided story and believed it.

The husband was not even subject to the most basic legal sanctions because of his mental health issues.

She stood guard at the library entrance, explaining to everyone she met, but it seemed no one could hear her.

I can't see her, I can't hear her speak.

Yet he could stand in front of her and relentlessly insult her, humiliating her with the cruelest words.

Why?

Why can't you listen to what I have to say...?

The tongue has no bones, yet it can still hurt people.

Later, she became cruel, and everyone called her a demon. Finally, she was able to loudly tell them: You were right.

In my mind, the voice of 666 suddenly became very soft, unlike its usual loud and boisterous tone.

[Host...this person...I can sense her emotions. So complex. It's not pure hatred. There's something else involved.]

"What is it?"

[...It was love. She still harbored some lingering love for that shop manager.]

Qi Tong stepped forward and opened the door.

"Stop crying, come in and take revenge."

The woman was stunned, even forgetting to cry.

"I...I can't get in. I can only stay outside."

Qi Tong reached out, took the bell hanging on the door, put it into her spatial storage, and stepped back to make way for the shopkeeper.

The woman suddenly felt the feeling of being confined disappear.

Yes, yes! It's been so long she's forgotten.

The wick of that string of bells was made by her husband himself, by digging out her skull.