The Rules

Kai Qiyan sat in the command center, carefully considering what he should do next. He enlarged the search radius on the map, sending out more personnel to look for any signs abnormalities. He wasn't taking this lightly and had no intention of leaving just yet.

Unit 007, known as the Doomsday Computer, was initially just an ordinary gaming PC.

Three years ago, when they discovered it, the pixelated game inside was nowhere to be found outside and was inaccessible.

This half-finished, unplayable pixelated game served only one purpose: to issue warnings about disasters capable of wiping out massive numbers of lives.

Three years ago, after the Doomsday Computer was discovered, it issued its first warning.

The World Boss, the Flame Demon, was set to descend in the southern hemisphere of Earth.

They followed the principle of "prevention is better than cure," and alerted the people there.

Even if it turned out to be a false alarm, it was better than facing a real disaster.

Unfortunately, when the countdown ended and the World Boss arrived, the people in the southern hemisphere reported nothing unusual, it wasn't strong enough to be considered an apocalypse.

A few days later, they stopped paying attention.

After all, such a magical object wasn't infallible; it didn't mean everything it predicted was accurate.

But the events that followed became widely known.

When the people in the southern hemisphere finally recognized the problem, they mobilized their forces to eliminate the so-called Flame Demon. By then, the Flame Demon had already ignited vast forests, and the raging fire burned for a full six months.

During that time, countless lives were lost, the damage was incalculable, and smoke intoxicated the atmosphere, causing widespread effects on the entire planet that were impossible to predict.

At that moment, Kai Qiyan, along with others aware of the Doomsday Computer, understood that the so-called World Boss wasn't as powerful as they had expected. It didn't resemble the formidable bosses from games that arrived fully formed.

It was possible that this so-called World Boss was incredibly weak at the time of its arrival, so weak that people could overlook it entirely.

Classified investigations in the southern hemisphere had essentially confirmed that the Flame Demon, which grew at an astonishing rate, with its power proportional to its area of effect, posed a threat comparable to a tiny matchstick flame when it first descended.

This time, Kai Qiyan was in charge, and even after the countdown ended without any sign of an anomaly, there would still be personnel stationed here, constantly searching for clues.

He wasn't expecting to leave alive; his position had already been reassigned to this area.

For the next three years, at least, he would be stationed here.

———

Serenity Funeral Home.

Harry stood at the entrance, gazing up at the large sign.

This was where he had just been hired.

While the place might have its fair share of well-known issues, they had offered him a position quickly—so quickly that even Harry realized many formalities had likely been skipped.

As he approached the entrance, he could already see the large smokestack in the back, emitting purified steam.

"Harry! You're here so early?"

Harry turned around to see a middle-aged man with graying hair and a bit of a potbelly, wearing an ill-fitting black suit jacket even in the summer. He approached with a friendly smile, carrying breakfast.

This was his boss, Director Keith. Keith Turner.

"Good morning, Director," Harry replied with a smile, feeling a bit awkward. "I'm just getting used to waking up early, so I figured I'd come in a little early today."

The director chuckled and handed Harry a bag filled with soy milk and buns.

"Go on, eat up. Finish before we go in, or you might lose your appetite."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'? Hurry and eat. We don't have a cafeteria here, so we always eat breakfast before arriving. Once you're done, I'll take you inside for a proper tour."

The director pressed the breakfast into Harry's hands, refusing to go inside until Harry had finished eating.

Realizing the director was genuinely going to wait for him to finish, Harry quickly polished off the four buns and gulped the soy milk.

Following the director through the entrance, he felt a faint hint of something burning in the air. Even after passing through santising room, he could still detect that subtle scent drifting into his nose.

Yesterday, he had only been in the front office and hadn't noticed anything unusual.

The director led him deeper, past the front courtyard, the mourning hall, the embalming room, and the individual refrigerated chambers. As they walked, he provided Harry with explanations until they reached a point deeper than the crematorium.

Nestled against the hillside, there was a two-story building.

The director took out a key and casually said, "Harry, since you're new and lack experience, I won't assign you any complicated tasks just yet. If any area needs extra hands, just follow along and learn."

"Got it, I understand," Harry nodded. He figured they wouldn't let him handle anything technical just yet, as it would create trouble if something went wrong.

The director unlocked the side door of the building and handed a key to Harry.

"Here's your key. Keep it safe; if you lose it, let me know immediately."

Upon entering the small building, Harry was greeted by a large mirror over two meters wide, directly facing the entrance. He saw a blurry figure in the mirror that startled him.

The mirror was only two or three meters away from the door.

But for some reason, the sight of his own reflection startled him. It felt as if the reflection had a slight delay.

"Over here is the staff code. Make sure you memorize it."

The director's voice pulled Harry from his thoughts, pointing at a list hanging on the wall.

Harry thought it might be similar to a user agreement, but his expression turned odd when he read the first rule:

[1. No ghost stories or mentioning the word 'ghost.' Three violations result in termination.]

'What the heck is this? I mean, why?'

He continued reading:

[2. No fireworks or firecrackers. If any family members set them off without permission, immediately cover them with the nearest fire-extinguishing device and notify security.]

[3. No unauthorized personnel are allowed in the old office building. Violators will be terminated.]

[4. No one is allowed to enter the storage area without permission. Violators will be terminated.]

[5. No talking or phone calls in rooms with bodies present. One violation equals a formal warning.]

[6. Non-night shift employees are prohibited from staying overnight. One violation equals a formal warning.]

[7. No walking around the premises without a flashlight after sunset. One violation equals a formal warning.]

[8. No climbing over the fence to access the back mountain. Violators will be terminated.]

Harry stared at the dense list of staff rules, feeling a bit parched. 'This is pretty strict—getting fired for minor infractions?'

He counted them up, and about a third of the rules could lead to termination, 'Are they serious?'

He glanced at the director, who had dropped his friendly demeanor and nodded gravely.

"Make sure you remember these; they're important. The rules must be followed by everyone."

Harry straightened up and earnestly reread the staff code, trying to memorize it as hard as he could.

After studying it for about ten minutes, the director finally smiled again.

"Come on, I'll show you around the rest of the place."

Leading the way, the director continued deeper into the building.

As they approached the end of the hallway, the director's expression suddenly changed.He glanced down at the floor and before Harry could ask what happened, he screamed at the top of his lungs,

"Pull me back"

"QUII...!"

Before he could finish, the director's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.