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

The bandaged security guard stood at attention, appearing very obedient, like a new employee on his first day of work listening to his boss's instructions.

"Please speak, brother!"

His voice carried a hint of anticipation, a hint of nervousness, and a hint of solemnity that he was ready.

Zhang Yangqing looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"If you see that weird guy with hair covering one eye, try not to provoke him. If you really can't get rid of him, you can come to me. If I'm in a good mood, I'll help you solve it."

Upon hearing this, the bandaged security guard's eyes widened, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Then his eyes flashed with excitement, an excitement that wasn't feigned.

"Thank you for your guidance, brother!" His voice was a little louder than before, and he bowed even lower.

In this internal struggle, Zhang Yangqing emerged victorious.

Because Zhang Yangqing had already misled the bandaged security guard's way of thinking by using the topic.

Zhang Yangqing's inner analysis: This bandaged security guard must have been injured by some powerful and strange being. He happened to have encountered one before. That one had one strange eye, was very silly, but had considerable strength.

Since the bandaged security guard is a security guard, he has to patrol and "might" have encountered it. So when Zhang Yangqing said this, and then showed that he had no wounds on his body, didn't he mean that he had also encountered it and was fine? Wasn't he a "big shot"?
The bandaged security guard would think: This guy has the ability to solve that weird thing, and he's qualified to be my boss!
If the bandaged security guard was indeed beaten by that one-eyed weirdo, then he would be even more eager to seek Zhang Yangqing's protection.

But the bandaged security guard concealed it well, and Zhang Yangqing could hardly tell from his expression who had hit him.

But he needs help, which is simple enough for the Chosen Ones to tell.

Someone covered in injuries, afraid to be alone, and constantly looking for teammates—what else could they be but someone who needs help?
After chatting for a while, Zhang Yangqing started trying to extract information: "I'm usually in the monitoring room, and I only come out when there's a problem with the monitoring. What about you? How many areas here have you explored?"

They still downplayed the important details and changed the subject.

The bandaged security guard, unsuspecting, walked and talked at a moderate pace, as if reporting on his work: "I've explored three underground levels. The entrance to each area is different. The first basement level is just down the stairs. The second basement level requires finding a special elevator. The third basement level requires opening a door with a sunglasses symbol. I've gone down there before."

As he spoke, he observed Zhang Yangqing's expression to see which piece of information Zhang Yangqing was interested in.

Zhang Yangqing performed exceptionally well; his facial expression remained unchanged, his eyebrows did not move, his eyes did not brighten, and he appeared completely uninterested.

It seemed his rule was simple: as long as he was in the monitoring room, it didn't matter whether the other floors were alive or dead.

The bandaged security guard, unable to see any flaws, continued speaking.

"I explored seven levels on the ground. I got all these injuries on the seventh level. I don't even know how many levels there are in total. It feels like it's endless, and I can't seem to reach the end."

His tone was somewhat bitter when he said this, as if he were recalling some unpleasant experience.

Zhang Yangqing yawned, covered his mouth with the back of his hand, then put his hand down and nodded to indicate that he had heard.

"Okay, take your time to explore. Tell me if you encounter any problems."

Zhang Yangqing didn't agree to form a team like the other chosen ones.

Help is fine, but teaming up is out of the question.

You can explore your own world; it's none of my business.

Moreover, the security guard with bandages just now turned on the restaurant's surveillance cameras, which doesn't count as helping, since he was the one who turned them off; it could even be considered adding trouble for Zhang Yangqing.

Chatting, Zhang Yangqing led the bandaged security guard to the library. He pushed open the door and went inside, with the bandaged guard following behind, curiously looking around.

Bookshelves, tables and chairs, lights on the ceiling, shadows on the floor—it was clear this was his first time here.

He walked to the wooden board by the door, stopped, and read the precautions written on it.

Article 1: Books are the ladder of human progress. Please cherish books and do not take any books out of the library.

Article 2: Keep quiet and refrain from making noise.

Article 3: Murder is prohibited in the library.

After reading the last line, he paused for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Yangqing, who was already flipping through books on the bookshelf.

Zhang Yangqing pulled a book from the bookshelf and opened it.

It wasn't one of those thick tomes I'd read before, not a book about geography, history, astronomy, or biology; it was a fairy tale.

The cover was old, with curled corners and yellowed pages, but the illustrations inside were still in color, depicting castles, princesses, dragons, and knights.

The bandaged security guard walked over and stood next to Zhang Yangqing. He glanced at the illustrations on the pages and then at the title on the cover: "Brother, you like fairy tales?"

Zhang Yangqing turned a page, then another: "It's alright, fairy tale worlds are all wonderful."

His tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether he was being sincere or just being perfunctory.

The bandaged security guard chuckled, a smile that held both a fawning tone and an intention to build rapport: "I didn't expect you to be an idealist, brother."

He said this with a hint of a joke in his tone.

Zhang Yangqing looked at him and closed the fairy tale book in her hand.

He moved slowly, first inserting the bookmark, then closing the book, smoothing the cover with his palm, before looking up at the bandaged security guard and saying, "Do you know what the key to our survival here is?"

The bandaged security guard paused for a moment, then thought for a moment and said seriously, "Stay until your shift ends and someone takes over."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yangqing thought to himself: Damn it, the rules are almost identical to those I used to follow when I was a security guard.

But he showed no outward reaction, only nodding, his tone remaining calm: "These are the rules for clearing the level, not the rules for survival. To survive here, you must have a strong presence. For example, I am a monitor. The more I monitor, the stronger my presence becomes, and the more the strange creatures cannot attack me. Do you understand?"

The bandaged security guard suddenly realized something. His eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again, as if he were thinking: "Thank you for the guidance, brother. So, what is my sense of presence? I didn't write any rules about it."

His tone carried a hint of anxiety and confusion.

Zhang Yangqing looked at him and said, "You're a security guard. Your presence is mainly determined by the area you patrol and explore. The more areas you patrol, the stronger your presence in this building becomes. So if you stay in the security room, you're doomed."

The bandaged security guard nodded emphatically: "I see. I really didn't know that if you hadn't told me, brother."

His tone was sincere, at least this time he was genuinely sincere, because he really hadn't guessed that his rules weren't written down.

As Zhang Yangqing flipped through another children's book, he continued, "But there's one thing you can do: gain a lot of a sense of presence."

The bandaged security guard leaned closer, tilting his ear towards Zhang Yangqing: "Brother, please enlighten me."

Zhang Yangqing turned a page of his book, his eyes still fixed on the words on the page. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Besides the two of us, there must be other humans of other professions here. If humans share the presence of this building, you can choose to kill people of other professions, including me, to gain a sense of presence." (End of Chapter)