1.From now on, remember that you are Patrick. Don't forget...
2.Please do not catch jellyfish with SpongeBob unless absolutely necessary.
3.Gary cannot talk.
4.Squidward is always unhappy. Finding Squidward's clarinet can make him happy, because his performances will have many viewers.
5.When Mr. Krabs is not in his office, giving him money can make him do anything for you.
6.If you find Sandy's body stiff, please stay away immediately.
7.Never eat a delicious Krabby Patty unless it is made on the spot.
Looking at the scrawled handwriting on the paper, Nao felt a chill run down his spine. But possessing a photographic memory, he instantly remembered all the rules.
Except for the first rule, which was smudged into a black blob at the end, all the other rules were written in blood-red letters.
Looking around, there was a TV made of sand in front of him, a sofa made of sand beneath him, a sand refrigerator, and sand walls all around.
The unreality of the scene before him made Nao feel somewhat absurd, but the incredibly realistic sensation constantly reminded him that this world truly existed.
Judging from the surroundings, this was clearly Patrick's home.
Looking at the rules in his hand, Nao wanted nothing more than to escape this hellhole immediately.
He had to find a way to escape this strange world.
Nao originally wanted to scratch his head, but he found that his hand had no fingers at all. Instead, it was a pink, tender point of a starfish.
He examined himself and saw that he was indeed a pink starfish wearing flowery green shorts.
After a while, he accepted the fact that he had become Patrick and began analyzing the situation starting with the rules.
From the rules, the most important thing right now was to make money. With money, he might be able to bribe Mr. Krabs to protect himself.
No matter where he was, money made the world go round.
Moreover, it seemed that SpongeBob was probably the most dangerous one, so he had to avoid SpongeBob to prevent being dragged off to catch jellyfish.
No sooner said than done.
Nao began searching for banknotes in the sand-filled pits, and the outcome was predictable.
He found a stack of banknotes made of sand. As soon as he picked them up, they slipped through his palm without even needing the wind to blow them away.
Just then, there was a sudden knock at the door.
"Patrick~"
The knocking continued, and SpongeBob's voice came from outside.
Nao was stunned for a moment; it was as if whatever he thought of would appear.
However, as long as I don't open the door and pretend not to be home, SpongeBob shouldn't just come in, right?
Nao thought to himself.
"Patrick~ Are you playing hide-and-seek with me? If you don't open the door, I'm coming to find you, hahahahahaha~"
SpongeBob laughed heartily, his small yellow hand already on the door, ready to push it open at any moment.
"Patrick is not home."
Nao took a gamble, betting that SpongeBob wouldn't come in.
He couldn't think of any way to stop him, so he could only try to fool him. After all, SpongeBob in the cartoon wasn't very smart.
"Oh, then I'll leave~"
SpongeBob rubbed his head and turned to leave.
Hearing the squishing footsteps fade away, Nao finally let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, SpongeBob was foolish enough. Nao patted his chest; SpongeBob had truly scared him just now.
Just as he was about to study the rules further, Nao felt a chill run down his back, and cold sweat broke out involuntarily.
Someone was behind him.
The air suddenly fell silent, followed by a burst of maniacal laughter.
Nao's whole body went numb, as if he had been electrocuted. Damn it—this laughter, which often appeared in the cartoon, had now become his death knell.
"Patrick~ I knew you were playing games with me."
SpongeBob kept laughing, looking very happy.
Taking a deep breath and steadying himself, Nao slowly turned around.
But the scene before him was still terrifying.
One of SpongeBob's eyes was gone. Only one of his iconic buck teeth remained, and one corner of his square body looked as if it had been torn off, exposing his brain inside.
From the holes in SpongeBob's body, the smell of rotting flesh drifted out from time to time, incredibly foul.
But his remaining eye was still clear and foolish, and a bright smile still spread across his face. It was as if he didn't know that his current appearance was terrifying.
A thin layer of cold sweat formed on Nao's back, but this alone wasn't enough to break him. The most important thing right now was to disguise himself well. He didn't dare imagine what these sea creatures in Bikini Bottom would do to him if they saw through his disguise.
"Of course, SpongeBob! I'm your best friend."
Nao raised his hands over his head, imitating Patrick's tone of voice.
The smile on SpongeBob's face suddenly disappeared.
Nao instantly felt goosebumps all over his body.
Did he say something wrong?
At that moment, SpongeBob turned around and searched frantically through Patrick's house—under the sofa, inside the refrigerator—then showed a look of disappointment and walked toward Nao dejectedly.
"Do you know where Patrick is hiding?"
SpongeBob returned to Nao, scratching his head.
Nao was confused. Did SpongeBob not recognize him?
But the way SpongeBob scratched his head seemed strange. He was scratching the air above his head. His fingers, like dry branches, scraped above the missing corner—but found nothing.
At that moment, SpongeBob seemed to sense something. The corners of his mouth slowly turned downward, and his only eye began to turn red.
Noticing that something was wrong, Nao immediately answered.
"He's hiding right here."
Nao pointed to himself, taking another gamble based on the thought process of these two simple-minded friends.
"Finally found you, Patrick!"
SpongeBob's mouth immediately curved upward, and his eye returned to its clear, foolish look.
Nao breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally managed to fool him.
But SpongeBob's next sentence nearly made him collapse.
SpongeBob took out a net from behind him. It emitted a foul smell, and there seemed to be fish bones tangled inside.
"Patrick, let's go catch jellyfish together."
Nao froze.
If he refused, SpongeBob would definitely go insane again. But he still had to try. He didn't want to die in Jellyfish Fields.
"But I want to eat a Krabby Patty."
Nao tried to change the subject. He could also use this opportunity to go to the Krusty Krab and find a chance to get money.
A strange expression appeared on SpongeBob's face—both anxious and angry.
"You have to..."
SpongeBob's two arms twisted together, and his eye grew slightly red.
Afraid that SpongeBob would go crazy again, Nao immediately agreed.
"Okay, let's go catch jellyfish first, SpongeBob!"
SpongeBob instantly returned to normal. He pulled out another net from behind him and handed it to Nao.
This net, however, was brand new and spotless, as if it had been carefully cleaned for a long time.
Holding the net, Nao left Patrick's house with SpongeBob.
Outside, the seawater was a clear blue, but the air was filled with a strange fishy odor. There wasn't a single fish on the road, which made everything feel eerie.
"SpongeBob, do you smell anything?" Nao asked.
SpongeBob tapped his chin and looked up at the sky, as if thinking.
"No, I don't," he replied.
Nao gave up. But the smell still felt wrong.
Not long after, the two arrived at Jellyfish Fields. Deep within the fields stood a large tree, and beneath it was a swarm of jellyfish.
However, their colors were strange—white ones, red ones, and even green ones.
The colorful jellyfish wriggled constantly in the seawater. Because they were too far away, Nao couldn't see them clearly.
"Hahahahaha~ Patrick, let's go catch jellyfish together!"
SpongeBob's laughter once again frantically stimulated Nao's nerves.
While SpongeBob was laughing, Nao thought he heard faint wailing—but it vanished instantly. He wasn't sure whether it had been his imagination.
Then he noticed a wooden sign planted in Jellyfish Fields.
After stepping closer, he could clearly see the words written on it.
They were the rules of Jellyfish Fields.