Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 98 Complete Rule-Based Tasks

Jiang Jin suddenly woke up with a start.

He only saw the pale white lights in the subway car flickering on and off, and the cold sweat from his dream still lingered on the back of his neck.

The carriage was filled with a faint smell of paper ash, and six figures were scattered across the seats.

Each row of red seats is decorated with faded double happiness paper-cuts, and the frost flowers on the windows form the character "囍" (double happiness).

He recognized it immediately as Line 14.

"You're awake?" A man in a suit diagonally across from me suddenly spoke; he was reading a newspaper.

Jiang Jin was wondering why this person was wearing a suit for a dungeon trial when he suddenly saw the newspaper page in front of him that read: "[People in Sydney Harbour, Australia and Merlion Park, Singapore, were collectively affected by meme contamination, and simultaneously witnessed Manhattan Island across the coast]".

Upon seeing such a sensational headline, Jiang Jin immediately leaned closer to take a look. It was the evening paper that had just been published that day.

A normal person would definitely say that this illusion is too far-fetched. Manhattan is in the northeastern United States, while Singapore and Australia are in the Pacific Ocean. Even if you have a telescopic eye, you can't see Manhattan in those two places!
Jiang Jin couldn't help but say, "Isn't Manhattan the most dangerous quarantine zone in the world right now?"

“Yes, the newspapers took up two pages to report it,” the man in the suit said. “It’s obvious that the pollution layer in Manhattan has already seeped into Australia. I heard that from where the Sydney Opera House is located, you can even see the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, southwest of Manhattan, shedding tears of blood. Sounds crazy, right?”

Back in the Reincarnation Camp, Yu Tianlun had told Jiang Jin that the most terrifying quarantine zone in the world was Manhattan Island in New York. Jiang Jin still remembered the devastating blow the A-share market suffered when Manhattan was completely quarantined and locked down.

Yu Tianlun also said that there is a forbidden rule in Manhattan: when you encounter the Wall Street Bull, you must recite the original German text of "Das Kapital", otherwise you will definitely be swallowed up by it.

A bespectacled young man next to him said, "Don't exaggerate. The imperial court will probably take some measures. The strata in our sea area are still very stable. The ones that are really going to panic are Indonesia and Malaysia, these Southeast Asian countries with serious memetic pollution."

“We still need to be careful,” said a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in Conan anime merchandise. “Our island neighbor’s Oedo Special Ward is already heavily contaminated with memes, and now Manhattan has even invaded the Pacific region. I estimate the government will soon send someone to visit Southeast Asia.”

"It's the Pacific Ocean in the polluted layer, while Manhattan is still in New York in the material layer. Judging from the newspaper articles, the eyewitnesses are mostly below 50% SAN value, which means that the Manhattan Island that has appeared in the Pacific Ocean should still be deep in the Lost Layer."

At this moment, words appeared on Jiang Jin's left retina:
"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, the subway you are riding is about to enter the Mainland China Terrorist Containment Zone, the final stop of Line 14. Please abide by the following rules:"

First, a double happiness paper-cut must be placed on the red seat.
Second, if the station name is incorrect, repeat the correct station name three times.

Third, if you smell ashes, you should discard your transit card on the floor of the carriage.
Fourth, the paper figures are composites of the deceased's face, and should not be looked at directly.

Fifth, upon seeing the black coffin and scattered paper money, scatter the paper money into the coffin.
Sixth, if a subway worker's legs turn transparent, please immediately say, "May the deceased rest in peace."

Seventh, there are no connecting lines at the terminus of Line 14. If you need to transfer to another subway line, please leave the station immediately.
Note: If a wedding procession appears, touching the bride's sedan chair will reduce the SAN value by 30% and force a ghost marriage.

Once you arrive at the station, please wait for the staff to appear.

Jiang Jin smelled the ashes in the air, immediately reached into his pocket, took out his transit card, and threw it on the ground!

"Hello, handsome," a woman with dreadlocks across from me said, chewing gum and blowing a bubble. "My name is Azi, and I'm a medium."

She pointed to her eyes. "There are 37 ghosts in the nearby carriages, and they're watching us right now. Hey guys, we'll all be going into the same horror game soon, how about we introduce ourselves?"

The bespectacled young man pushed up his glasses: "My surname is Lin. I'm a doctor, formerly an attending psychiatrist, and now a soul-capturing master." A medical kit at his feet emitted the sound of fingernails scratching metal.

"Just call me Old Chen," a middle-aged burly man said in a deep voice. "I was infected with meme contamination back then, a poor guy who survived being dismembered seven times."

“My name is Jiang Jin, a hunter.” Jiang Jin’s answer was brief.

At that moment, the boy wearing Conan merchandise suddenly said, "Shouldn't the station announcement be coming soon?"

"They should be announcing the station names soon." The man in the suit said.

The girl with dreadlocks, Azusa, looked at the boy's clothes and saw Conan and Ai Haibara on them, and said, "Oh? You're a Conan/Ai shipper? I'm a Shinichi/Ran shipper."

The boy didn't bother with it at all and just waited for the station names to be announced.

Everyone listened intently, and soon a hoarse female voice came over the loudspeaker: "Next stop, Mingquan Road Station, is approaching. Next stop, Mingquan Road Station, is approaching."

The boy immediately said, "Wrong, the final stop is clearly Yinhuai Road Station!"

The crowd immediately shouted in unison, "Yinhuai Road Station! Yinhuai Road Station! Yinhuai Road Station!"

Jiang Jin's temples throbbed as he saw a paper figure pasted on the window of the seat opposite him. The paper figure's face seemed to be pieced together from the features of different people.

He immediately lowered his head, staring intently at the tips of his shoes, following the fourth rule of the forbidden zone: paper figures are the faces pieced together from the dead, and should not be looked at directly.

The subway finally stopped after shaking violently.

Only after confirming that the paper figure had disappeared did Jiang Jin raise his head.

He was thankful for the dog whistle, quickly took it from his watch, and blew it. Immediately, the death knell appeared at his feet.

"Wow, what a big dog!" The psychic Azi, who could actually see Deathstroke, laughed. "Handsome, could I borrow your dog for a bit later?"

“With hunters and mediums around, it seems we won’t have to worry about reconnaissance,” the man in the suit said.

At that moment, a woman in a red cheongsam, exuding charm, said, "Get ready, we're about to open the door."

The moment the subway doors opened, a blast of cold, damp air rushed into the carriage.

Jiang Jin took out the Mourning Hunting Rifle, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The dim lights on the platform seemed to be suppressed by some force, resulting in very low visibility, with the distance completely shrouded in thick darkness.

The entire platform was littered with trash and newspapers, and the ground was covered in dust. Jiang Jin noticed several yellowed notices on the wall, the writing on them blurred as if they had been soaked in water.

The seven people carefully disembarked from the train, their footsteps jarring in the quiet platform. Suddenly, the woman with dreadlocks, Azi, stopped. "Wait," she said, "I... I can't see through the walls here. Something is interfering with my abilities."

"Has anyone been to the terminus of Line 14 before?" Old Chen asked. "Or should we just wait for the staff to appear?"

“I’ve been here before,” the man in the suit said, “but the mission prompts were different then.”

The woman in the cheongsam also said, "I've been here before. The previous task was to find a transportation card."

But the staff didn't show up for a long time, and the platform was quite large, so they walked around the area first, only to find that all the exits were blocked by an invisible force. Old Chen tried to bump into the turnstile with his shoulder, but was bounced back and almost fell.

"Damn it, it's like hitting a cotton ball."

Just then, a notification from the reincarnation system appeared in my left eye.

The boy suddenly said, "Listen..."

A rhythmic "tap, tap" sound came from afar, like someone tapping metal with their fingernails.

The sound grew closer, and a figure in a faded uniform slowly walked backward from the darkness.

The staff member was hunched over and always had his back to them. Jiang Jin noticed a large, dark red stain on the back of his uniform collar, like dried blood. "Excuse me..."

Just as Jiang Jin opened his mouth, a new notification appeared in his left eye.

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have seen the staff. Please ask which exit to take to get to Yimin Convenience Store?"

So, all seven of them asked in unison, "Excuse me, which exit do we need to take to get to Yimin Convenience Store?"

So the staff member raised his arm and pointed in a certain direction. His movements were so stiff they seemed lifeless, and his joints made a "crackling" sound.

Following his pointing finger, everyone looked and suddenly an exit marked with the number 4 appeared in the distance. The lights at the exit were dimmer than elsewhere, and wisps of mist could be vaguely seen rising and falling.

Then, all the turnstiles leading to that side opened automatically!
"Are there ghosts waiting for us over there?" Old Chen asked Azi.

The boy replied, "What quarantine zone isn't haunted? Do you want to be trapped here?"

He walked towards the exit first, and the others quickly followed.

Jiang Jin walked at the back, and as he passed the staff member, he inexplicably turned back for a glance. The figure was still standing there, but Jiang Jin clearly saw that a lot of bright red blood was gushing out from the hem of the uniform.

It's possible that he was once a reincarnator.

As Jiang Jin stepped out of the turnstile and down the steps to Exit 4, a sharp suona horn rang in his ears, and before him lay countless burning paper money, blood-red "double happiness" characters, and a swaying sedan chair...

He then fell into a semi-conscious state.

When their gazes refocused, the seven were already standing on an unfamiliar street.

On both sides were a large cemetery, with fine ashes floating in the sky, as if a grand cremation ceremony had just taken place.

At this moment, Jiang Jin's SAN value naturally returned to 100%.

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin, you have entered the horror instance."

Please enter the Yimin Convenience Store on Mingquan Road in the outer urban area of ​​the city at 6 PM tonight. The Yimin Convenience Store is open 24 hours a day, and you will be working as night shift employees.

Please work at Yimin Convenience Store from 6 PM until dawn tomorrow, until the day shift staff come to hand over the shift.

Those who fail to complete the above tasks will be removed by the cleaners.

Special reminder: This terrifying dungeon quest is a [completely rule-based dungeon quest]. Reincarnators will have all their class skills, items, and summons sealed.

Upon completion of the mission, you will receive 45% SAN points, 50 Resentment Crystals, 3 Resentment Shards, and one [Annihilation Layer Pass].

Almost all the reincarnators shouted "Fuck!" in an instant!
"Completely rule-based dungeon quests?"

"The only dungeon quest that will give out resentment crystals through the reincarnation system?"

"There's also an [Annihilation Layer Pass]?"

Do you think we're lucky enough to get it?

Ah Zi, with her dreadlocks, turned pale: "What incredible luck! Wasn't the probability of encountering a dungeon quest like this comparable to winning the lottery?"

"Back then, the Bloodthirsty Team relied on a completely rule-based dungeon quest to allow Blood Lord to earn his first pot of gold for his rise! Damn it," Old Chen stomped his foot angrily, "Do you think we can reach the level of the Bloodthirsty Team?"

"I want to go back! Go back! I want to go to another quarantine zone!" Azi turned around to look for the subway entrance, but she couldn't find it anywhere.

"You think this is ordering food at a restaurant?" the boy sneered. "You can change it? We've entered a terrifying instance; we can only go back after completing the mission."

"You make it sound so easy!" Azi started to become hysterical. "We can't use any of our professional skills now! We're completely powerless against ghosts!"

On Jiang Jin's side, the death knell beneath his feet gradually became transparent and finally disappeared completely. The system notification indicated that the death knell had returned to the Reincarnation Camp, and the funeral bell he had retrieved had automatically returned to his watch.

And the medical kit that Dr. Lin was carrying was also gone.

All class skills, items, and summoned creatures have been completely sealed!

In other words, their professions have lost their meaning; they are now just ordinary people...

Except for Jiang Jin!

Once the cooldown period is over, he can still use the rule-altering ability again!

Jiang Jin was extremely grateful: Thank goodness! Thank goodness! I still have this hidden profession!
The woman in the cheongsam said, "Alright, let's not talk about that now. Do you want to chat in the cemetery? I'm afraid the ghosts will surround us in no time, and then none of us will be able to fight back!"

The woman in the cheongsam's words were a wake-up call, and everyone quickly left the area.

"I think I vaguely remember you. I think I saw you in a dungeon before, but you weren't wearing a cheongsam then..." Old Chen suddenly said to the woman in the cheongsam, "You're a witch, right? Your name is..."

“Murong Yan,” the woman in the cheongsam replied, “is just a level 1 witch.”

“Why don’t we all introduce ourselves properly?” the man in the suit said. “My name is Qiu Feng, and I am… well, it doesn’t matter what my profession is, since I can’t use any skills here anyway.”

The boy said, "My name is Wu Ge, and I am a curser."

"You're so young, yet you've chosen the profession of witchcraft?" Old Chen was somewhat surprised.

“Don’t judge a reincarnator by their age,” Wu Ge replied, “especially in a very insidious profession like mine.”

Old Chen said, "My name is Chen... Chen Yingjun, don't laugh!"

Azi: "Anyway, my name is Azi."

Dr. Lin said, "You can just call me Dr. Lin."

"I said..." Wu Ge, the young man, suddenly asked, "Are you the forestry worker from the Dawn team?"

Upon hearing the word "forestry," almost everyone turned to look at him!
"You..." Murong Yan asked in shock, "You're Lin from the Dawn Team..."

"Don't be so surprised. I'm just a Soul Locker Level 1 Soul Captor in Dawn."

"But you participated in that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons back then... and you weren't LV1 back then!"

“That’s all in the past,” Dr. Lin shook his head. “It’s not worth mentioning.”

Jiang Jin was shaken.

So he was... Commander Yu's former subordinate?
　Wu Ge is the character played by the leader of the alliance, Wu Zhe Zhi Ge!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)