“Welcome to the Rules of Weird!”
“The Rules of Weird always treats every participant with fairness and impartiality!”
“The Rules of Weird has an excellent reputation across all major worlds, with zero negative reviews. If you have any issues, you may submit feedback to the Peace and Happiness First Weird Tale Co., Ltd.!”
“Loading Rules of Weird Instance: [Living Alone]… Loading successful…”
“Instance Type: Solo.”
“Mission: Survive for seven days, wait for Mom to return.”
“When I’m home alone, everything in the house seems to have undergone some eerie change. I follow Mom’s rules, getting through each day.”
“I wait and wait. Finally, on the last day, Mom returns, and all problems are solved.”
“But I discover Mom might not be Mom, and I am no longer myself. Everything has changed, yet feels unchanged…”
—
In the room, Jiang Ming, lying on the bed, snapped his eyes open. Feeling the light streaming in from the window, he immediately sat up and scanned his surroundings.
“Where is this? A prank?”
Jiang Ming felt slightly bewildered. Wasn’t he supposed to be in a hospital bed? How did he end up here?
Then, Jiang Ming realized his body could move. This sudden surprise nearly overwhelmed him.
You see, he had been suffering from ALS, with only one finger capable of movement. Day after day, aside from sleeping, he could only stare blankly—a living soul imprisoned in a sealed body.
Seven years!
A full seven years!
He had yearned to escape that body every single moment. Now, he finally had!
Jiang Ming was ecstatic, then began to think.
A prank couldn’t possibly restore his body to its original state, and modern medicine surely wasn’t so advanced that it could cure ALS overnight without any aftereffects.
Based on the strange electronic voice he heard in his mind earlier, he must have… transmigrated.
After all, only something as extraordinary as transmigration could explain his current situation.
Jiang Ming sorted through the thoughts in his mind.
At that moment, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in his head:
“Welcome to the Rules of Weird world, newly born Inheritor.”
“Now, please set aside your doubts and confusion, for they are meaningless.”
“When you have lived long enough in this world, you will naturally understand everything.”
“My advice to you is that the first forty-eight hours are relatively safe.”
“Always remember the role you are playing!”
“Strive to survive!”
…
As the final word faded, the mechanical voice vanished instantly. No matter how Jiang Ming tried to inquire, there was no response.
Jiang Ming could only give up helplessly and shift his gaze to the electronic screen left behind after the voice disappeared.
On it were only two blood-red circles, each containing words:
Talent | Difficulty
Jiang Ming pondered for a moment, then placed his finger on “Talent.” The moment he lifted his finger,
a bizarre roulette wheel appeared before his eyes. It was divided into four sections corresponding to four ranks. The S-rank section was the smallest, while the C-rank section was the largest.
Watching the pointer spin rapidly, Jiang Ming understood. These four sections must represent talent ranks.
Seeing how minuscule the S-rank section was—smaller than a strand of hair—Jiang Ming recalled his lifelong streak of bad luck and instantly abandoned any hope of drawing an S-rank talent.
After all, he was the type who always hit the pity system’s maximum threshold. Getting the guaranteed lower-tier reward without it being off-banner was simply impossible!
So now, as long as it wasn’t an utterly garbage skill, he could accept it.
Soon, the pointer began to slow, gradually coming to a stop, finally landing… on the S-rank talent,
…next to the C-rank talent.
*Ding! Congratulations on obtaining C-rank talent [Vending Machine].*
*Talent Effect: You can buy anything from it (maybe).*
Jiang Ming: (?_?)
Of course, a creature of misfortune like him would never have a stroke of good luck!
But this talent is too lame, isn’t it?
He had seen other C-rank talents that at least offered physical enhancements or something. A vending machine?
What use is this thing?
Oh, wait, it does have a use. He could buy something before dying, becoming a satiated ghost.
At that moment, the “Difficulty” button beside it emitted a faint red glow, seemingly urging Jiang Ming to press it.
Jiang Ming glanced at it and immediately pressed the button.
The next moment, the familiar roulette wheel appeared. The wheel still had the largest section for C-rank and the smallest for S-rank. Staring at the minuscule S-rank difficulty section, Jiang Ming muttered to himself:
“It shouldn’t be this unlucky, right?”
The pointer slowly rotated. Under Jiang Ming’s hopeful gaze, it ultimately landed on the extremely small S-rank difficulty section! This was an immense stroke of luck!
*Ding! Congratulations on drawing the S-rank difficulty for the Rules of Weird Instance [Living Alone] with a one-in-ten-thousand chance!*
The voice even sounded a bit joyful?
But faced with such glad tidings, Jiang Ming didn’t show a single expression.
He fell silent!
His silence was deafening!
This is the wonder of being a creature of misfortune!
…
Jiang Ming contemplated for a while, then a simple screen panel appeared before his eyes, displaying:
Name: Jiang Ming
Talent: Vending Machine (C-rank)
Sanity Points: 100
Current Weird Tale: *Living Alone*
Difficulty: S-rank
Mission: Survive seven days, wait for Mom to return!
Hint: Who you are, time is very important!
Jiang Ming looked at the screen before him and finally focused his mind on his talent.
Soon, he roughly understood his talent. This thing called a vending machine actually had nothing inside. It was more like a gacha system. He could draw once for free each day, refreshing at midnight.
After using the free draw, subsequent draws would consume Sanity Points. Drawing an item cost 1 Sanity Point, while materializing the vending machine required 2 Sanity Points.
However, a materialized vending machine came with one free draw, essentially meaning 2 Sanity Points bought a physical vending machine plus one draw.
Initial Sanity Points were always 100, but they could decrease due to hunger, lack of sleep, fear, fright, etc.
When Sanity Points dropped to a certain level, a series of problems would arise—auditory and visual hallucinations were the mild ones.
Of course, Sanity Points could also slowly recover through sleep and eating.
So, Jiang Ming’s talent was practically a blessing for unlucky players!
Thus, Jiang Ming didn’t hesitate to give it a try:
“Draw!”
*Ding!*
With the sound of a coin dropping, the vending machine in his mind began to vibrate slightly. Two seconds later, an object flew out of the dispenser, landing in Jiang Ming’s hand out of thin air:
*Congratulations on obtaining a box of Durex condoms.*
*Quality: Common.*
*Description: A product designed and invented by the intelligent lifeform—humans—of a certain planet.*
*Primarily used as protective gear during reproductive intercourse between human heterosexual or homosexual partners.*
*Using it can slightly prolong your intercourse duration and protect against sexually transmitted diseases.*
*Note: Perhaps it’s not only for use between humans.*
“…”
Jiang Ming fell silent once more, feeling the profound malice this world held for him.
What kind of lousy talent is this?!
It’s too abstract!
Expressionless, Jiang Ming flipped his hand, and the condoms disappeared. This was one of the few benefits of this talent—it could store drawn items.
Jiang Ming had already decided not to rely on this garbage talent. He began to carefully examine the room.
It was a very ordinary single male bedroom: a desk, a chair, a wardrobe, and paper balls in the trash bin…
The only difference was that every potentially reflective item in this room was covered with black cloth.
Even the floor was covered with a black carpet, and the windows were completely draped in black cloth. If the window weren’t currently open, Jiang Ming was certain the room would be pitch black.
Then, Jiang Ming noticed a note pressed under the calendar on the bedside table. The handwriting was neat and elegant:
Rule One:
1. There is only you in the house. If you see anyone else appear, do not respond. Immediately return to the bedroom and lock the door.
2. Never lift the black cloths. Do not let *them* see you.
3. There is enough food in the refrigerator to last until Mom returns. Do not step outside the house during this time.
4. Mom will return at 7 AM on the seventh day. If anyone else knocks on the door before then, do not respond.
5. The clocks in the bedroom and living room may malfunction sometimes. Keep them synchronized.
6. Be careful not to sleep during the day. Always remember the time.
7. Keep the curtains closed. Do not open them. Do not let *them* discover you.
8. On the fourth day, Mom’s friend will visit. Please entertain her warmly. She will help you solve some problems. She is trustworthy.
9. Good children go to bed early and wake up early. Between 23:00 and 8:00, maintain sleep. Stay away from *them*.
10. Eat well, three meals a day. Do not starve yourself.
…
After reading the rules, Jiang Ming frowned. There were some contradictions.
For example, don’t respond to others, but then it says a friend will come on Thursday who is trustworthy. Should I respond or not?
Are the Rules of Weird always contradictory? Do I need to judge and choose for myself? Jiang Ming pondered.
Then he looked at rules two and seven again.
What are “*them*”?
After thinking for a while, Jiang Ming still reached out and turned on the bedroom light, then drew the heavy black curtains. The room darkened slightly.
After carefully reading the rules several more times, Jiang Ming formed a preliminary hypothesis:
The bedroom should be able to protect me. The mechanical narration at the beginning said to wait for Mom to return, and the rules repeatedly mention time. The mission hint also directly stated that time is very important.
And things related to time…
Jiang Ming scanned the room and spotted the clock hanging on the wall, showing 10:00. Combined with the sunlight he saw earlier, it should be 10 AM.
The pages before the current date on the bedside calendar were torn off; their remnants could be found in the trash bin. The currently displayed date was July 1st, Monday.
Jiang Ming continued to look around the room, searching for other clues.
He felt the entire room couldn’t have only the rule note as useful. There should be clues elsewhere. He needed to search carefully.
So, Jiang Ming opened the first drawer of the bedside table, but the first thing that caught his eye left him speechless:
Sleeping pills.
A whole drawer of sleeping pills!
Why would someone keep so many sleeping pills in their bedroom?
Jiang Ming truly couldn’t understand.
He silently closed the drawer.
Opening the second drawer, the contents were even more… unsalted. A row of rat poison packets lay neatly arranged.
Did this person want to die that badly?
Where did they get so much medication?
Jiang Ming was speechless. He wanted to say something but didn’t know how to phrase it, so he silently closed the second drawer as well.
*Haa—*
Jiang Ming let out a long sigh, instantly feeling his agitated mind calm down considerably.
Shifting his gaze from this legendary cabinet, he looked toward the desk. Logically, a desk is for writing, so it should have recorded some clues.
Walking to the desk, it was covered with textbooks and study guides. Pens were scattered messily, and an empty drink bottle sat nearby.
Was the original occupant a student? Jiang Ming guessed.
Jiang Ming thought the original occupant might have inadvertently recorded some clues while doing homework.
So, he picked up the thick *SAT Prep for the Damned, Advanced Placement: Necromancy,Calculus for Cultists* on top. Opening it, his eyes instantly widened in shock as he discovered:
How is this thing cleaner than my face?
With an incredulous expression, Jiang Ming picked up *Golden Exam Papers*, *Weird Exam Simulation 38 Sets*, *Weird Exam Final Sprint 45 Days*—all completely blank!
But it wasn’t until Jiang Ming picked up another book that he sharply inhaled, his eyes widening as he repeatedly checked the cover before finally exclaiming in astonishment:
“He didn’t even write in his textbooks!”
How am I supposed to find clues in this mess?!
With complex emotions, Jiang Ming slowly put the book down. Just as he was about to leave the desk, he suddenly noticed a few different-looking books pressed under the pile.
Jiang Ming’s spirits lifted. Could the clues be underneath?
The books’ spines looked slightly yellowed and somewhat dirty, indicating the original occupant frequently flipped through or used them. Noticing this detail, Jiang Ming felt a bit more confident.
He pulled the books out. There were three, each with exquisite covers and a few gilded characters:
*The Zombie Survival Guide*
*The Anarchist Cookbook*
*SAS Survival Handbook*
Jiang Ming had heard of these three famous books before. They were the renowned “Three Great Transmigration Manuals.” He had even studied them briefly in the past.
It seemed the original occupant, though not very keen on living, read quite useful books.
Jiang Ming couldn’t help but nod slightly, feeling he should gain something from this.
Upon opening them, he found that although these three books had exquisite packaging, their contents weren’t much different from what he had seen before.
The only difference was that a few pages in each book had their corners folded. Perhaps these pages contained something unique?
Jiang Ming wasn’t sure but still focused on reading those pages. In the end, he naturally couldn’t discern anything special.
This result didn’t surprise Jiang Ming.
He put the three books down and began searching for other clues in the room.
Finally, Jiang Ming discovered another valuable item in the room: a metal cabinet placed in a corner, locked with a combination lock.
But Jiang Ming couldn’t find the combination. If there were still clues in this room, they should be inside this cabinet.
Seeing that he couldn’t extract much more information from this room, Jiang Ming turned and walked toward the living room.