Just like the bedroom, nearly everything in the living room was draped in black cloth.
But one could viscerally sense that this living room was incredibly massive…
This made the surrounding placement of tables, chairs, the television, and other items appear somewhat sparse and desolate.
The floor tiles were also buried beneath a thick black carpet; standing in such an environment felt exactly like being trapped inside a gigantic coffin.
Jiang Ming turned on every single light, drew the curtains shut, and began scrutinising his surroundings.
A clock hung upon the living room wall as well. Jiang Ming cross-referenced its time with the clock in the bedroom; they were perfectly synchronised.
However, the rules mentioned that the clocks would occasionally break. It seemed he would have to pay close attention to them moving forward.
After all, ‘Mother' returns at exactly 7:00 AM, and whoever returns at any other time is absolutely not ‘Mother'!
Does this imply the time must be accurate to the very minute, to the very second?!
If a fake ‘Mother' knocked on the door with one minute or even thirty seconds remaining until 7:00 AM, and the clock just happened to be off by those few dozen seconds, would opening the door be considered a catastrophic failure?
But what if the one returning was the genuine Mother, and she happened to have forgotten her keys? If he refused to open the door or opened it a fraction too late, would Mother leave?
If the real Mother left, would that also count as Jiang Ming's failure?
Jiang Ming did not dare to be certain. After all, the clues were simply too scarce, and his understanding of Rule-Based Anomalies was pitifully shallow. He could only approach everything by assuming the absolute worst-case scenario.
Just as Jiang Ming retracted his gaze, a critical issue abruptly struck him.
If either of these two clocks suffered a malfunction with their time, he would lose the ability to judge the accurate time. He desperately needed to locate more clocks.
As Jiang Ming plunged into his thoughts, a yellow Labrador materialised beside the sofa.
Carrying a yellow dog bowl in its jaws, it trotted up to Jiang Ming, dropped the bowl, wagged its tail, and let out two crisp barks.
Jiang Ming's train of thought was violently severed. He turned his head, his expression shifting slightly as he spotted a slip of paper resting inside the dog bowl. He pinched it between his fingers and unfolded it:
Rule Set Two:
1. The dog in the house has no name. Do not give it a name, and do not acknowledge what others choose to call it.
2. The dog enjoys roaming at night. Regardless of what commotion you hear, ignore it completely.
3. If you feel terrified while sleeping at night, you may bring the dog into the bedroom, but you must drive it out of the room after dawn.
4. If the dog is already in the bedroom before you enter, then please sleep in the living room for the night.
5. Please feed the dog with dog food, not anything else.
6. Do not let the dog go hungry, and do not harm it.
7. If you notice the dog beginning to shed its fur, do not panic. Collect its fur and hide it in a place it cannot find.
8. The dog is the guardian deity of the household; you can always trust it.
9. There is one and only one dog in the house.
After finishing reading, Jiang Ming's brows furrowed deeply. It wasn't because these rules were bizarre, but because they were far too normal!
There was absolutely no contradiction or conflict among them whatsoever!
Why was this? Could it be that all these rules were perfectly accurate? Why did they differ so drastically from Rule Set One?
Jiang Ming sank into deep contemplation once more, but he quickly shook his head, snapping out of it. With so few clues available right now, overthinking would yield absolutely zero results.
Looking at the nine rules before him, Jiang Ming did not dare make an absolute judgment.
But it was almost a certainty that the dog was an incredibly crucial part of this household; it could even protect him to a certain degree.
Glancing at the wall clock, it was already exactly 12:00 PM. It seemed he had squandered quite a bit of time in the bedroom earlier.
Thus, Jiang Ming walked over to a nearby table and spotted several massive bags of dog food. The portions were extremely generous, absolutely more than enough to feed the dog for seven days.
After pouring a full bowl for the dog, Jiang Ming felt the pangs of hunger striking him as well.
Rule Set One, Article Ten: Eat well, three meals a day, and do not let yourself go hungry.
Consequently, Jiang Ming opened the refrigerator and was greeted by a brim-full supply of ingredients. There was meat, eggs, along with fresh vegetables and fruits. It was fully sufficient to sustain a single person for seven days.
Jiang Ming pulled out some noodles from the fridge, grabbed a few eggs, tomatoes, and leafy greens, then strode into the kitchen.
…
Half an hour later, fully sated and hydrated, Jiang Ming resumed his hunt for any potentially existing clues.
The mechanical voice from earlier had stated that the first forty-eight hours of the Rule-Based Anomaly were a relatively safe period. He absolutely had to capitalise on this window of time.
Although he had yet to encounter any tangible danger, Jiang Ming refused to believe that an entity capable of facilitating transmigration, or curing his ALS overnight, had dragged him here merely for a practical joke.
…
The living room possessed a massive footprint, littered with numerous cabinets, corners, and the like. It cost Jiang Ming a substantial amount of time to complete his sweep.
He scavenged nothing but ordinary daily necessities, such as an ample supply of bandages, medical drugs, and rubbing alcohol.
Yet, he consistently failed to locate a third clock, nor did he unearth any clues regarding the combination lock on the metal cabinet.
The kitchen and bathroom yielded nothing of value either. There was also a guest bedroom and a storage room, but they remained similarly devoid of clues.
Jiang Ming took a temporary rest. After all, meticulously searching such a massive house consumed no small amount of physical stamina.
Jiang Ming grabbed a cup, poured himself a glass of water, and drained it in a single gulp. His gaze then shifted toward the one and only room he had yet to explore: Mother's bedroom.
The pitch-black bedroom door was shut tight, accompanied by bizarre, blood-red patterns that exuded an ominous, malevolent aura from top to bottom.
Just looking at it evoked a deeply uncomfortable sensation. This was exactly why Jiang Ming had avoided exploring it first.
However, with clues exhausted everywhere else, no matter how reluctant he felt, Jiang Ming could only bite the bullet and forge ahead.
He gently twisted the handle, and a burst of biting chill transmitted through his palm. With a drawn-out creak, the black door opened a fraction, and a slip of paper fluttered out from the gap:
Rule Set Three:
1. Conserve electricity; do not waste it.
2. Please ensure you remain in well-lit areas at all times. When you are shrouded in darkness, they will see you.
3. If you encounter difficulties, you may seek help from the neighbours.
4. Do not roam the living room at night.
5. Do not trust the dog.
6. The house is safe; do not let anyone else inside.
7. The door will block the monsters outside.
Jiang Ming meticulously analysed these newly manifested rules. Although there were only a brief seven articles, they generated massive, glaring conflicts with the preceding rules.
Article five alone produced a fundamental, irreconcilable clash with Rule Set Two.
Furthermore, the daytime required him to draw the curtains, yet he also had to remain constantly bathed in light. Being exposed to darkness meant being ‘seen.' This implied the lights had to be kept on indefinitely, yet the rules explicitly commanded him to conserve electricity.
Moreover, it introduced the concept of neighbours, but neighbours were inevitably outside the door, which directly contradicted the previous rule forbidding him from leaving the house!
Article six stated not to let anyone inside, but the prior rules declared that ‘Mother's' friend would visit, that she must be hospitably entertained, and that she was trustworthy.
Jiang Ming felt a throbbing headache coming on. Was this the reality of the Rule-Based Anomalies world? Was this the terrifying magnitude of S-grade difficulty?!
…
Jiang Ming's expression underwent a continuous myriad of changes. Ultimately, he stored the note away, pushed the door completely open, and stepped into ‘Mother's' bedroom.