Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Xu Haitang clenched her fist. “Entities have to follow certain rules when they kill. We humans also have a chance to obtain taboo artifacts inside scenarios and fight back.”
She encouraged everyone. “So don’t be afraid. As long as we all stick together, we can find a way out of the scenario.”
Everyone here had memories of a year spent living in the real world. Only Lin Yinxi did not. She had awakened a year later.
Since they would be working together, they exchanged names.
The man in tight trousers was called Ba Hu. When he introduced himself, he said he hoped they would call him Brother Hu.
The girl in the young couple was Chu Yanran, and the boy was Chen Fei. They had both been students and made their eagerness to rely on Xu Haitang abundantly clear.
The man whose hair covered one eye coolly gave his name: Yang Shu.
Beyond that, he said nothing.
Lin Yinxi silently committed their names to memory.
A broadcast sounded in the room.
[rm526: Deep Blue Aquarium] is now open.
[Threat level: C]
[Participants: 6]
[Survival objective: Remain inside the aquarium and survive for 7 days.]
[Survival reward: 8,000 Rabbit Coins]
[Additional information: Unknown water contamination is present in the target area. All documents posted on the premises bearing the aquarium’s official seal are guaranteed to be correct. After 7 days, a designated vehicle will stop at the entrance to Zone C to take survivors out of the contaminated zone. It will remain for 1 hour. Passengers must pay a fare.]
Lin Yinxi looked at Xu Haitang. “Is this C level high or low?”
“That’s what I wanted to ask!” Ba Hu exclaimed dramatically. He tugged the waistband of his tight trousers, his driving loafers tapping uneasily on the floor. “Is it high or low? Don’t keep us guessing!”
Xu Haitang’s brows drew together. Her sharp gaze swept over them as she explained, “Difficulty ranges from S to F. C is on the higher side of average. A veteran like me may be able to handle it, but for newcomers like you, who have only just been dragged into a contaminated zone…”
She paused, her tone icy. “The death rate is over seventy percent.”
Everyone in the room sucked in a breath.
Chu Yanran covered her mouth, her teeth chattering. The dark-skinned student athlete, Chen Fei, pulled her into his arms and pretended to be calm, but his calves were shaking as though he were dancing in a nightclub.
The two hugged each other and trembled together.
The taciturn Yang Shu lifted his eyelid. The eye not hidden by his long fringe was dark and unreadable, like a stagnant pool.
Xu Haitang offered some words of encouragement, trying to unite everyone present.
Just then, the countdown on the electronic display silently reached zero.
Click…
At the front of the enclosed room, the seamless metal wall made a dull noise. A door appeared and slowly slid apart to either side.
Lin Yinxi smelled the salt of seawater.
“Get up from your seats and stay close to me. Don’t touch anything.” Xu Haitang gripped her strangely shaped gun and stepped out first.
Lin Yinxi asked, “What happens if we stay in this room and don’t go out?”
Xu Haitang did not turn around. “You’ll burn to death.”
They filed out.
Xu Haitang seemed very experienced. Lin Yinxi chose to stay close and avoid unnecessary mistakes.
Once they were outside, the metal door slammed shut behind Lin Yinxi. She looked back and found it had vanished.
Before her stood the entrance to Deep Blue Aquarium. A cartoon blue whale formed the sign above it. At the ticket booth beside the entrance was a wooden hatch the size of a person’s head, with a narrow gap beneath it.
Thick mist surrounded them. The area looked empty, but deep in the mist lingered the same bloody smell as at Jincheng University.
Xu Haitang had plenty of experience and dared to lead them forward.
“What’s that?” Chen Fei, the dark-skinned student athlete, pointed to a freestanding sign near the entrance ahead.
The sign was white, crowded with clauses in bold black type.
Most striking was the bright red official seal stamped in its bottom-right corner.
[Deep Blue Aquarium]
The red ink looked as though it had not dried, with faint traces of blood running down from its edges.
Everyone gathered around the sign. Lin Yinxi stepped forward. Too much time on her phone had made her eyes hurt. She needed to stand close to read clearly.
Whether from nerves or something else, Ba Hu read it aloud while everyone else read silently. His voice sounded rather harsh at the quiet aquarium entrance.
[Deep Blue Aquarium Visitor Guidelines]
Dear visitors: Welcome to Deep Blue Aquarium. For your safety and enjoyment, please observe the following rules without fail.
[1. The aquarium is illuminated by deep blue lighting around the clock. The water is always blue.
If you see the water in a tank turn red, close your eyes immediately and turn your back to the tank. Do not leave until you hear water splashing.]
[2. Fish have neither hands nor feet, and certainly do not knock on glass.
If you discover a creature with human hands and feet asking you for help inside a tank, do not meet its eyes, and do not attempt to respond. It is a hallucination caused by water contamination.]
[3. All aquarium staff wear deep blue uniforms and name badges.
If an employee in a red raincoat offers you any item, do not accept it. Report the employee immediately to a member of staff in blue.]
[4. Do not feed the animals any food you bring into the aquarium.
Feeding takes place at a fixed time: 2:00 a.m. daily.
If you hear loud chewing after 2:00 a.m., do not go to the feeding area to watch.]
[5. For visitors, this aquarium has only Zone A (Viewing Area) and Zone B (Logistics Area). Zone C does not exist.
The exterior of Zone B is under maintenance today. Maintenance ends at midnight. Visitors should stay away to avoid accidental injury at the work site.
If you unfortunately see a sign for Zone C inside the aquarium, you have been visiting too long and are hallucinating. Find the nearest employee in blue immediately and ask for help.]
[6. All persons entering the aquarium must purchase tickets. Adult tickets cost 220 Rabbit Coins. Children’s tickets cost 50 Rabbit Coins. Anyone under 1.2 meters tall when standing upright is a child.]
After reading the final rule, Xu Haitang’s expression turned very grim.
Looking at the words, Lin Yinxi counted on her fingers. “The scenario’s survival objective is… uh… to board a vehicle at Zone C’s entrance and leave after seven days.”
Xu Haitang gritted her teeth and finished the thought. “But rule five says Zone C absolutely doesn’t exist. It’s a paradox!”
“Could the rules on this sign be lying to us?” Ba Hu curled his lip in disdain. “I’m using a 6G network these days. Isn’t this just like those rules-based horror stories online? Half true, half false. All to scare people.”