I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

The eerie consciousness remained unfazed: "The newcomer."

The strong man narrowed his eyes strangely, seemingly sizing him up: "New here? What proof do you have that you're a ticket seller?"

The eerie consciousness remained silent for a second.

Then, he raised his hand and slapped the other person across the face.

"Snapped!"

It was crisp and clear.

The strong, eerie figure staggered from the blow, clutching his face, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The eerie consciousness stared coldly at it: "Does it still need proof?"

The anger that had just surged up on the strong, eerie face was suppressed by an overwhelming aura of terror.

That was the aura of a Celestial Realm expert.

Its face turned pale instantly, and it quickly lowered its head, obediently taking out a handful of crystals from its pocket and offering them with both hands: "Brother, this is for the fare. I... I don't have any cigarettes."

The eerie consciousness took the crystal and nodded in satisfaction: "Sit still."

Strong and eerie, as if granted a pardon, quickly ran to the back row and sat down, no longer daring to utter a sound.

When viewers outside the big screen saw this, the live chat exploded with comments:
Hahaha, that's hilarious! This ticket seller is practically extorting protection money! I remember Zhang Tianshi did the same thing last time.

Proof? This slap is the best proof!

Weird consciousness: You're tired of living, aren't you? I'm giving you a way to live by playing a ticket seller, and you're still looking for death?
I've learned something! From now on, if I encounter any doubts, I'll just take action!
About half an hour later.

The fog outside the window is getting thicker and thicker.

The fog was so thick that you could barely see anything on the roadside, only the rolling gray-black mist, like an endless wall.

Upon seeing this, the strange passengers on the bus stood up, pressed the doorbell, and got off the bus one by one.

The nail-grinding weirdo left, the dozing weirdo left, and the other passengers left as well.

Soon, only three people remained in the car: the eerie consciousness, the mouthless eerie entity, and the driver who had been driving in silence.

A strange consciousness peered into the distance through the car window.

Through the mist, a bustling building could be vaguely seen.

The outline was strange; it didn't resemble an ordinary house, but rather something huge and twisted.

Could that be the gas station the scammers were mysteriously referring to?
He recalled the conman's eerie words: gas stations are dangerous, and it's best to get out of the car before entering, or you'll disappear.

But now, only he, the mouthless monster, and the driver are left in the car.

Getting off the vehicle would mean abandoning it and giving up the search for clues about the headless driver.

But if I don't get off the bus, will I be breaking any rules?
The mouthless creature walked over strangely and gestured in sign language: "Shall we get off the bus?"
The eerie consciousness paused for a second, then shook its head: "Not now."

He paused, then continued, "Since there are no clues around, according to the method the master taught me, the clues are most likely in the most dangerous place."

This was something the eerie consciousness learned when it observed Zhang Yangqing passing the test.

The mouthless creature paused for a moment, then asked in sign language: Who is the master?
The eerie consciousness's expression turned devout, at least on that half of its face: "You don't need to know this. Anyway, it's an invincible being, like a god, in heaven and earth. There's no need to question it. Perhaps you'll see it in the future."

He had absolute admiration for Zhang Yangqing.

In the past, the eerie consciousness always felt that as long as one was strong, one could solve all problems.

He was born from chaos and possessed immense power from birth, so he never took anything seriously.

But now, as he progresses through the world of ghost stories, he gradually comes to understand that some things cannot be solved by strength alone.

Rules, traps, the complexities of human nature, and uncanny cunning—these things cannot be shattered with a single punch.

The more intelligent he became, the more he realized how formidable Zhang Yangqing was.

That expert who was "AFK" all day, seemingly doing nothing, always provided the most accurate tips at the most crucial moments.

The problem that I racked my brains for ages could be seen through by an expert at a glance.

This is the gap.

The two were talking when suddenly the car stopped and the door slowly opened.

Outside the window, the "building" was already very close.

This is a place that can be called a "gas station".

But it is completely different from gas stations in the human world.

The dilapidated shed stood there crookedly, its supporting pillars covered with severed limbs—human arms and legs, as well as bizarre tentacles, claws, and unidentified organs. Some of the remains were dried and blackened, while others were still dripping dark red liquid.

Bloodstains.

Human bloodstains.

It was red, and shocking to the eye.

Several rusty oil guns stood under the shed, their oil pipes dangling to the ground like dead snakes.

There was a jumble of things piled up next to it: broken tires, scrap metal, and several black plastic bags that smelled of decay.

The eerie consciousness narrowed its eyes and examined the situation carefully.

Behind the shed, you can vaguely see an abandoned building with broken doors and windows, and it's pitch black inside, so you can't see anything.

The building's exterior walls were covered with eerie symbols, some glowing, some wriggling, as if they were alive.

The strangest thing is that there is no one here.

No, to be precise, it was completely empty.

There was no sign of life, no sound, no movement, only the whistling of the wind blowing through the shed and the creaking of the severed limbs as they swayed gently.

The eerie consciousness and the mouthless eerie stared at each other, both seeing the same two words in each other's eyes: creepy.

"Is anyone there?" the eerie consciousness tentatively called out.

no respond.

He called out again, but there was still no response.

He stepped into the shed and looked around.

There was no oil in the oil gun, and I didn't know how to use it.

He walked up to the abandoned building and looked inside; it was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

He tried to take a step inside, and suddenly a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart!
It was an instinct that compelled him to retreat immediately.

There must be rules here, there must be some kind of unseen trap, he just doesn't know what it is.

Perhaps these 'corpses' died from these very rules while they were still alive.

Just as the conman mysteriously said, once you go down there, you'll 'disappear'.

It could be said that the bizarre consciousness almost killed him just now. As a 'level clearer', he couldn't analyze it and survived by relying on his intuition. Zhang Yangqing almost 'took over' the account.

The eerie consciousness recalled the rules in its mind, going through them one by one.

He remembered rules 9 through 16 perfectly.

But none of them are about "gas stations". Why is that?

Is this place outside the scope of the rules? Or are the rules hidden elsewhere?
Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, Zhang Yangqing's voice suddenly came from his mind:

“Since it’s dangerous here and the car can’t go, try to recall the rules and see if there’s anything mentioned in the rules nearby. That is, extract keywords and look for clues from there. But it was right of you not to go in just now.”

A strange consciousness jolted him awake.

The expert has spoken!

He immediately began to recall the rules, analyzing them one by one.

Rules 14 and 15 quickly caught his attention.

[Rule 14: In the wilderness, there is a silent monument inscribed with the names of the deceased. If you pass by, you can place a stone in front of it, but remember, do not read the names on the monument aloud, and do not touch the inscription. Otherwise, you will become the next person to be engraved on it.]

[Rule 15: Some rivers in the wilderness are alive. If you see the river flowing backwards, or a reflection that isn't yours appearing on the surface, move away immediately. The river is "choosing" you.]

[The Monument to Silence] [The River]

These two keywords might be related to gas stations?
The eerie consciousness acted immediately.

He stepped out of the gas station shed and began searching through the surrounding fog.

The fog was so thick that visibility was extremely low, so he could only rely on his senses and feel his way forward little by little.

After walking for about ten minutes, he could no longer see the direction of the gas station at all.

Just as he was about to turn back.

Suddenly, he heard a sound.

The sound of flowing water? (End of Chapter)