Different Colored Pills

[Rule C]

[1. You need to take the black dog to the pet hospital every day at 5 PM until it turns white.]

[2. If you receive a call from your wife's company, ask which department is calling. If they say it's the R&D department, hang up immediately.]

[3. If you hear intense knocking from the storage room, do not open it.]

[4. Always pay attention to your family's emotions; it's key to maintaining a harmonious home.]

[5. Be wary of Aunt Wang next door.]

[6. If your mother goes out with Aunt Wang, give her the gray pill from the drawer when she returns.]

[7. When your wife comes home from work, give her the white pill from the drawer.]

After reading these rules, the system's voice echoed in Zhou Bai's mind.

[An error has been detected in one of the rules.]

Looking at the paper again, Zhou Bai saw that the last part of the first rule was highlighted in red: [until it turns white].

This meant that taking the black dog to the pet hospital every day at 5 PM was correct, but the part about continuing to do so when it turns white conflicted with Rule A, the sixth rule: [If your black dog turns white, throw it off the balcony].

If this part was wrong, what was "its" purpose in altering the rule? Perhaps the answer lay in the pet hospital he would visit in the afternoon.

Zhou Bai's attention shifted to the sixth and seventh rules. Before the system highlighted the error, he had hoped it would mark one of these two rules. The experts watching the live stream also frowned at these two rules. From Rule C's second and fifth rules, it was clear that both his wife and mother might exhibit some abnormalities upon returning home, possibly indicating contamination. But why did they need different pills? Was one of these rules incorrect, or were they affected differently?

The experts shook their heads, unable to come up with a clear answer. They hoped Zhou Bai would use the afternoon to gather more useful information before his wife returned.

Zhou Bai crouched down to pet the black dog's head, wanting to thank it for finding the paper. The dog, however, remained aloof, giving him a brief glance before returning to its corner. Zhou Bai shrugged and took the paper back to the study, placing it with the other rules in the notebook.

In the afternoon, Zhou Bai stayed in the study. The experts speculated that he might be opting for the third method of clearing the game: surviving in the house for 30 days. This seemed the easiest option for now. Although the experts had reservations about this choice, they couldn't force the Chosen One to change his decision. They turned to other countries' live streams for any useful information.

In Kimchi Country, Nam Myung-gi, after lunch, immediately prepared to go out. He had received a hint from his analysis team about the clearance conditions and decided to choose the third method decisively. He went to the supermarket and bought a lot of bread, snacks, water, and other supplies. He even planned for the possibility of not being able to leave the study to use the bathroom. The viewers in Kimchi Country were blindly confident.

—"Nam Myung-gi's approach is the smartest among all the Chosen Ones."

—"The horror world is so dangerous; no one can clear it using the first or second methods."

—"In the end, only Nam Myung-gi will clear the game."

—"Let them all die. Then our great Kimchi Country will own the whole planet."

The experts in Great Xia, seeing the celebratory atmosphere in Kimchi Country's live stream, shook their heads. The horror world was ever-changing, and passive responses could lead to greater dangers. But turning back to their own Chosen One, who was staying in the study and seeming even more passive, they sighed helplessly.

At 4:30 PM, Zhou Bai finally came out of the study. His father was still sitting on the sofa in the same position. Zhou Bai ignored him, took the leash, and put it on the black dog, then headed out. The old dog walked slowly, and Zhou Bai didn't rush it. The pet hospital was close to the community, so they had plenty of time.

They reached the security office at the community gate, where the guard called out to Zhou Bai.

"You, come here. Do some registration."

Zhou Bai stopped, glanced at the guard, and decided to comply. Since Nam Myung-gi had also been asked to register when he went out at noon, the viewers didn't find anything unusual. Zhou Bai looked at the registration book handed to him by the guard. He needed to fill in his name, house number, contact number, and destination. Zhou Bai found this strange. Why did he need to register his trip now? Had something happened in the community that required such strict control?

After filling out the form, Zhou Bai casually chatted with the guard.

"I haven't been out for days. Anything new happening in the community?"

The guard, a middle-aged man in his 40s or 50s, seemed eager to talk.

"How many days haven't you been out?"

"Over a week."

The guard looked surprised. "Young people these days, staying home playing games and on their phones, don't know what's happening around them. A week ago, a crazy woman caused trouble in our community. Did you know that?"

Zhou Bai shook his head.

The guard glanced at the registration book. "It happened in your building. You didn't know? She was quite pretty, wearing a red dress. Great figure... but crazy. You live in that building and didn't know? Young people these days..."

Zhou Bai's mind raced, recalling the woman in the red dress he saw outside his window last night. Could there be a connection?

He bid farewell to the guard and was about to leave when he noticed a white pill in the guard's open drawer. Zhou Bai froze, and the experts watching the live stream focused intently on the screen.