Jiang Ming woke up right on schedule as usual. He stretched, got out of bed, and tidied up the desk.
He took a moment to assess his physical state. The missing strength hadn’t returned; the lingering sense of weakness persisted. It seemed this was permanent, not something sleep or food could restore.
He then opened his personal status panel. His Sanity Points, having recovered overnight, had reached eighty-five.
*Five Sanity Points recovered in one night? That feels a bit slow,* Jiang Ming thought to himself.
Closing the panel, he proceeded with his daily lottery draw. Once again, accompanied by the sound of a coin dropping, an item shot out from the dispenser:
Item: Zippo Lighter
Quality: Common
Description: A metal lighter manufactured by the American Zippo Company. Its windproof technology allows for reliable ignition in any adverse weather conditions.
Its fuel is a highly stable petroleum distillate. The flame it produces is not only safe and reliable but also exceptionally clean.
Note: Its appearance is quite exquisite too, isn’t it?
Jiang Ming examined the lighter in his hand, fiddled with it for a moment, then put it away. There wasn’t any immediate use for a lighter right now.
His gaze then shifted to the metal cabinet in the corner of the room, and then to the three books.
After his continuous study over the past two days, he had finally gleaned some clues from those books. He estimated it wouldn’t be much longer before he could crack the code and retrieve whatever was inside.
Just then, a sound of something being knocked over came from the living room, followed by the Labrador’s barking.
Jiang Ming instantly went on high alert. *Could there still be undiscovered dangers in this house?*
It was the third day now. The relatively safer first two days had passed. It was entirely possible for changes to occur.
Thinking this, Jiang Ming moved towards the bedroom door, opening it a crack to observe the living room.
The room remained shrouded in heavy black cloth, with only the ceiling light bulb casting its glow. The trash can lay overturned to the side. The Labrador was crouched in front of it, seemingly occupied with something.
Jiang Ming watched the scene, carefully scanning the surroundings. Only after confirming nothing else was amiss did he cautiously step out.
The Labrador ahead seemed to sense someone approaching. It instantly became alert, turning its head sharply.
Upon recognizing Jiang Ming, the wariness in its eyes faded. It trotted over happily, rubbing against Jiang Ming’s leg.
Seeing the dog’s affectionate behavior, Jiang Ming felt no joy. Because he saw what was in the trash can: several torn pieces of tissue and bandages lay inside.
“This…”
Jiang Ming felt a headache coming on. He hadn’t expected the remnants from treating his wound yesterday to have been eaten by the Labrador!
He glanced at the nearby table. The clothes he had casually tossed there last night—the bloodstained long-sleeve shirt and jacket—were also torn to shreds.
Undoubtedly, this was the Labrador’s doing.
Jiang Ming’s heart grew heavy. Because Rule 2, Clause 5 stated:
*Please feed the dog dog food, not other things.*
Did this count as violating a Rule?
Jiang Ming didn’t know. Even though the Labrador appeared completely normal now, Jiang Ming didn’t dare let his guard down in the slightest.
It wasn’t just that it had eaten something else. The more critical point was that the tissue and bandages it ate had his blood on them!
In this Weird world, a dog of unknown allegiance consuming his blood… Jiang Ming dared not imagine what might happen!
But the deed was done. Jiang Ming could only try to mend the fold after the sheep had escaped.
He found a rope in the utility room, securely tied the dog up inside, and then fed it dog food.
Watching the dog eat happily, Jiang Ming’s feelings were complicated. He hoped things would remain this calm for the next few days.
………
“Burp~”
Jiang Ming put down his bowl, letting out a satisfied belch. From yesterday’s incident, he knew eating was a crucial matter.
So, after securing the dog, he abandoned the instant noodles from before and personally cooked two dishes and a soup. After finishing the meal, he felt genuinely content.
Once full, Jiang Ming walked to the coffee table, unwrapped the bandage on his left hand. The wound showed no signs of infection.
Jiang Ming was quite pleased. He applied medicine and wrapped a fresh layer of gauze.
Even though the dog was tied up, just in case, Jiang Ming took the used bandage to the bathroom and flushed it away.
After completing all this, Jiang Ming began pondering what to do next.
His ultimate goal was to wait for Mom’s return. Currently, while many Rules’ authenticity remained unknown, there was no way to verify them.
He wasn’t foolish enough to test the Rules one by one. So, his primary objective now was to crack the cabinet in the room, then adapt to whatever changes might come.
With this in mind, Jiang Ming felt a renewed sense of purpose. Eagerly, he prepared to return to studying those three cryptic books. But before he could move—
*Knock, knock, knock—*
A rhythmic knocking sounded at the door. Jiang Ming checked the time. *It’s only nine o’clock, and they’re already knocking? Is human flesh that irresistible?*
Now that the dog was tied up, and he likely couldn’t out-shout Uncle Li in a verbal confrontation, Jiang Ming decided to return to the bedroom, lie down, and ignore it.
Sure enough, Uncle Li’s familiar voice came from outside the door. But what Uncle Li said wasn’t what Jiang Ming expected. He heard:
“Xiao Ming, open up quickly. Uncle Li is here for the dog meat.”
Jiang Ming was taken aback. *Was this the real Uncle Li this time?*
He looked at the time—9 AM. He recalled the time the fake Uncle Li came yesterday—one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Could there be a connection?
Jiang Ming didn’t understand. And now, Uncle Li was urging again outside.
“Hurry up, Xiao Ming. Uncle Li is really craving it.”
Faced with this situation, Jiang Ming naturally paid no heed. *Joking aside, whether it’s the real or fake Uncle Li outside now, I have neither human flesh nor dog meat to offer. Responding or not responding amounts to the same thing.*
He certainly didn’t dare let them in now. If they had the capability, let them break in and kill him and the dog directly. Jiang Ming had some confidence in the sturdiness of his door.
Ignoring Uncle Li, Jiang Ming returned to the bedroom, picked up where he left off reading last night, and also grabbed a blank sheet of paper to take notes.
As Jiang Ming immersed himself completely, time silently slipped by…
………
*Scratch—*
With the sound of a ballpoint pen crossing out on paper, Jiang Ming looked up helplessly and let out a sigh:
“Sigh, wrong again.”
The paper before him was covered with over a dozen strings of numbers, each marked with a large ‘X’. Seeing this scene, Jiang Ming pressed his temples and muttered:
“It shouldn’t be. The cabinet’s password must be hidden within these three books, and it’s related to those folded pages. But why can’t I deduce it?”
Jiang Ming was utterly perplexed.
He checked the time—10:30. Feeling the pressure in his bladder, he shook his head, got up, and prepared to use the bathroom.
Even though there were bottles in the bedroom for emergencies, it was broad daylight. He preferred to be less crude about it.