Chapter 1 Hide-and-Seek

"Bang!" The dilapidated classroom door was violently kicked open. Noisy children's voices echoed from outside!

"Brother, brother, let's play hide-and-seek! The kind where if you lose, you can never be found…"

"Brother, brother, let's play hide-and-seek! The kind where if you lose, you can never be found…"

…

The eerie and unsettling children's voices seemed to be everywhere, sending shivers down their spines and making them feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Shen Wei stared intently at the broken classroom door, afraid that those terrifying ghosts would seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

However, just as he was on high alert, a pale little hand tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother, let's play hide-and-seek. You're it this round. Count down from 100 and then go find the hidden people. If you can't find three people in five minutes, you'll die…"

The sudden appearance of this strange scene startled the fully focused Shen Wei into a cold sweat. He had no idea when this eerie little girl had gotten so close.

Shen Wei looked at the strange little girl, whose facial features were outlined with black lines, and felt an inexplicable chill in his heart. As he scanned the room, an invisible fear gnawed at his insides. The classroom was densely packed with bizarre children, and Shen Wei and the others hadn't noticed a thing.

Cui Jiani, Assistant Director Yu, and the chubby cameraman were so scared that they were trembling, unable to even make a sound.

Set Rule 2:

If you encounter frolicking children, please try to avoid them. If you can't avoid them or they find you, please participate in their game and win.

Therefore, these black-line-infested ghost monsters couldn't be refused. Agreeing might offer a chance of survival, but refusing would immediately violate the rules, causing them to attack as a group.

"Okay, you guys hide…"

Shen Wei said coldly.

The little girl with the black lines on her face ran out, singing a bizarre nursery rhyme.

The other strange children followed closely behind, disappearing from Shen Wei's sight in a short time.

At this moment, Assistant Director Yu, the chubby cameraman, Cui Jiani and the others looked at Shen Wei with eyes full of fear.

Because in this hide-and-seek game, Shen Wei was chosen as "it," and the three of them were the ones being hunted.

If they were caught by Shen Wei, they would most likely die. But if Shen Wei didn't catch them, Shen Wei might die.

And the little girl had given them the rule of three people.

There were only three people here, but could those strange little girls even be considered people? This game was a game of mutual slaughter.

If Shen Wei's martial strength wasn't so overwhelming, the three of them would have definitely joined forces to find an opportunity to kill him.

But unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Shen Wei's combat power was simply off the charts.

Assistant Director Yu, the chubby cameraman, and Cui Jiani didn't dare to act rashly.

"Brother Shen Wei, we're all humans. You wouldn't help the ghosts find us, would you…"

Assistant Director Yu tried to play the sympathy card, but even he thought he was being an idiot for asking such a question. The other two looked at Assistant Director Yu with surprise.

"Aren't you leaving yet? What are you waiting for? I'm going to start counting down. 100, 99, 98, 97…"

Shen Wei glanced at the three of them coldly, turned around, and began to count down.

If he really had to find three people to escape the pursuit of those terrifying ghosts, Shen Wei might not hesitate to find them.

After all, he didn't want to be any kind of saint or savior. In this terrifying Rule Anomaly world, saving his own life was the most important thing. If the situation were reversed, those three people would probably make the same choice as Shen Wei.

Of course, if there were other ways to survive, Shen Wei wouldn't actively consider that option. The survival of these people could also help Shen Wei share some of the risks and test some of the rules.

The others glared resentfully at Shen Wei's back before scattering and fleeing.

"Is it letting others die or letting yourself die? Most people probably wouldn't choose themselves…"

Shen Wei thought to himself.

"65, 64, 63…"

At this moment, the strange children and Director Yu, the chubby cameraman, and the others had disappeared. Shen Wei was still counting down unhurriedly. He was taking advantage of this rare moment of safety to constantly think about a way out.

"It's strange. The Cthulhu Right Hand, which is always cautious and sensitive to danger, hasn't warned me about the impending danger. This is very perplexing. And this guy always likes to make a fuss. Why did he fall silent, like he was asleep, after those strange little girls came in? Could it be that he was scared shitless?…"

Although Shen Wei had some dark humor in his heart, he knew that this was highly unlikely. That guy was a dignified Cthulhu, after all. He shouldn't be so scared by these little punks that he wouldn't dare to make a sound.

Shen Wei's mind was full of questions, and he finally couldn't help but call out to the Cthulhu Right Hand.

"Righty, are you there?"

"I have lifespan for you. Want to do a big deal?"

Shen Wei called out several times in a row, but the Cthulhu Right Hand didn't respond. Shen Wei raised his right hand and looked at it. It was still pitch black, so it looked like that guy hadn't left. But why wasn't he responding to him?

"You little brat, stop shouting. Are you trying to summon a ghost? This daddy is back…"

The Cthulhu Right Hand's voice echoed in Shen Wei's mind.

"Where did you run off to, you bastard? I almost got ambushed by a bunch of little punks just now…"

Shen Wei counted while telepathically communicating with the Cthulhu Right Hand in his mind.

"There was an annoying guy who pulled me into another dimension and talked to me about some things…"

The Cthulhu Right Hand replied faintly.

"Who?"

Shen Wei asked with great interest.

"I don't know, but he should be related to this place. He told me not to interfere with things here and said he would help me kill you and restore my freedom! Brat, what do you think I should do? Heh heh heh…"

The Cthulhu Right Hand suddenly stretched out while making an sinister chuckle and grabbed Shen Wei's neck, making it impossible for him to breathe.

"Righty, no way, are you serious…"

Shen Wei squeezed out these words from between his teeth with an incredulous expression.

"Although we have a good relationship, freedom is too important to this daddy, so I can only ask you to suffer a little…"

The Cthulhu Right Hand's voice echoed in Shen Wei's mind. Then, the hand that was strangling Shen Wei's neck began to tighten. Shen Wei rolled his eyes from being strangled.

"Righty, I can give you lifespan, can you not kill me?…"

"Sorry, Shen Wei…"