Endless darkness. A feeling of weightlessness, followed by tearing pain, ripped through David's nerves. He coughed up a mouthful of dark blood and snapped his eyes open.
There was no collapsed 5-star hotel. No ruins. And no signs of Kelvin and Nicole. He was lying on a rotten wooden floor that smelled heavily of mold and faint blood.
It was an extremely dim living room. The wallpaper was peeling off, and the furniture was covered in dusty white cloths. Outside the window was dead, suffocating fog. No moonlight. Right in the middle of the living room, sitting on a torn sofa, was a human-sized black plush bear. Its button eyes glowed with an eerie red light in the dark, staring dead at him.
Just as David struggled to stand up, a cold, emotionless mechanical voice exploded in his mind:
[Ding! Welcome Player No. 7749 to the "Rules Horror" World.][Matching your first trial dungeon...][Match successful. Current Dungeon: The Midnight Haunted House.][Dungeon Difficulty: ★ (1-Star, Extremely Dangerous).][Main Quest: Survive in this house until 6:00 AM, and find the truth of the haunted house.]
David clutched his aching ribs, his eyes instantly turning sharp. A 1-Star difficulty? This hellhole actually had a rating system?
[Detecting first-time entry. Initiating "Exclusive Talent Draw".][Talent tiers: E, D, C, B, A, S. Your talent is bound to you forever. It cannot be changed.][Drawing...]
A massive virtual roulette wheel appeared before David's eyes. Icons glowing in various colors spun crazily. White (E), Green (D), Blue (C), Purple (B), Red (A)... Finally, the pointer stopped with a violent shake, landing on a zone that erupted with a blinding, dark-gold light!
[Ding! Congratulations! You triggered a micro-probability event!][You have drawn the supreme S-Rank Talent: Infinite Deduction!][Talent Description: You can consume your mental power to run a 100% realistic simulation of your future choices in your mind. During the deduction, real-world time is relatively paused.][Current Mental Power: Low. Max deduction limit in this dungeon: 5 to 8 times. Warning: Overdrawing will result in brain death.]
"Infinite Deduction..." David took a deep breath, calming his racing heart. This was a god-tier skill! In this world where one wrong step meant death, having the chance to "trial and error" was like having a God's perspective!
He looked around and his eyes landed on a scratched coffee table. A diary covered in dried blood lay quietly on it.
David walked over and opened the first page. Written in crooked, red handwriting were the [House Rules]. However, when he looked closer, his pupils shrank. Some rules were clear, but others were maliciously altered with fingernail scratches or fresh blood, reeking of "pollution."
[Midnight Haunted House Rules]Rule 1: Welcome to your new home. You must stay here until 6:00 AM. Absolutely do not leave through the front door early. Rule 2: After 12:00 Midnight, if someone knocks on the door, absolutely do not open it, no matter whose voice it is. Rule 3: There is no basement in this house. If you see stairs leading down, ~~go down immediately to find answers~~ (The second half was smeared with black blood, and written sharply next to it was: TURN BACK! GO TO THE BEDROOM!). Rule 4: The [Black Bear] on the living room sofa is your best friend. If you feel scared, please hug it tightly. (This rule was written in incredibly bright red, like fresh blood).Rule 5: Between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM, you must never look directly into the bathroom mirror. Rule 6: If you are hungry, there is food in the fridge. ~~Please eat only raw meat~~ (The word 'raw' was carved in violently, tearing the paper).Rule 7: The master bedroom on the second floor belongs to Father. Entry is strictly forbidden. Rule 8: If you hear heavy footsteps approaching, hide in the closet or under the bed immediately. Close your eyes and stop breathing. Rule 9: The Black Bear is very lonely. If it asks to play hide-and-seek, you must agree. Rule 10: Remember, Father hates disobedient children.
Looking at these ten bizarre rules, David's back was soaked in cold sweat. It was obvious: two forces were fighting in this house. One was the original rules trying to keep him alive, and the other was "Polluted Rules" designed to lure him to his death!
David glanced at the wall clock. The time was: 11:50 PM.