Chapter 1: Bus

Chapter 1: Bus

"Player No. 1000001 loading - Loading % - Loading - Load successful!"

"Welcome to the Realm of Rules!"

An exaggerated and bizarre synthesized female voice echoed in the void, reverberating in the confined space and causing Qin Fei's eardrums to ache.

What was that sound?

Qin Fei's thoughts were clear, but his body felt pinned down, unable to move an inch. He strained to roll his eyes, feeling a faint tearing pain around his eye sockets, yet still, he saw nothing.

He was surrounded by thick, ink-black fog that swallowed all light, making it impossible to see even an inch in front of him.

"Your first live broadcast will commence in five seconds. The content will be World No. 0039 - Night Patrol in Yin Village. Please prepare yourself."

"5—"

"4—"

"3—"

The inexplicable voice persisted, buzzing in Qin Fei's ears until the five-second countdown concluded. The thick fog around him suddenly dissipated.

The force that had been suppressing Qin Fei also vanished, allowing him to prop himself up slowly with his arms and examine his surroundings with a furrowed brow.

They were inside an old, dilapidated bus, jolting through a haze of grayish-white mist. Inside the dimly lit cabin, a dozen people were sprawled in various positions.

Qin Fei was the first to regain consciousness on the bus. All the other passengers remained unconscious.

Where was this? Why was he here?

He tried to recall but drew a blank.

His last memory was of a wide boulevard.

It was noon, and Qin Fei had just left his neighborhood's community center after work. Contemplating what to have for lunch, a white van suddenly careened towards him like a madman.

Unable to dodge, Qin Fei was sent flying into the air, his body twisting uncontrollably. He could even hear the sickening sound of his bones snapping.

After that, his soul and body seemed to have been separated into two halves.

Qin Fei felt his body become unusually light. He observed his body falling from the air with a detached, third-person perspective. He saw the pedestrians scream as they circled around him and watched the driver of the car being escorted out of the vehicle by the police.

It was a face Qin Fei was very familiar with. Five years ago, Qin Fei had personally sent him to prison.

In short, Qin Fei believed that he should be dead, and that he had died thoroughly the moment he was hit by the car.

The cause of death was clear: a car accident, a murder born of revenge.

Yet, he woke up again.

Reborn after death, he didn't awaken in a hospital's emergency room, his bedroom, or even a coffin. Instead, it was on a bus—where the hell was this dilapidated vehicle taking him?

Qin Fei lowered his gaze and reached out to touch his chest.

He was still wearing the clothes he had on during the accident. Before he lost consciousness, the dark red bloodstains had already soaked his entire body, looking terrifying and causing the people on both sides of the road to scream in horror.

But now, all those bloodstains were gone.

The light gray casual jacket was impeccably smooth without a single crease, and the skin beneath it showed no signs of damage – those lethal wounds had vanished without a trace.

Qin Fei's heart raced more intensely. This bizarre scene stirred an unusual excitement within him, a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long, long time, so much so that it felt slightly alien. The fluid in his veins seemed to boil, creating tiny, scorching bubbles that stimulated every nerve ending in his body.

Looking up, Qin Fei directed his gaze towards the front of the bus.

Hanging on the window next to the driver was a signboard. Most of the words were worn out and illegible, but Qin Fei could barely make out the phrase "///——Defend Yin Village."

In the darkness earlier, that eerie electronic female voice had mentioned "Night Roam Defend Yin Village."

The voice also mentioned "live broadcast," yet after scanning the bus, Qin Fei found no cameras or production crew members.

So, what exactly were they going to broadcast?

And where was this Defend Yin Village?

Given the bizarre occurrences so far, Qin Fei deduced that whatever live broadcast he was about to face certainly wouldn't be a lighthearted, soothing affair.

Perhaps it was a supernatural live broadcast? Or a horror live stream? Or... something even more gruesome?

Qin Fei felt a chill run down his spine.

As Qin Fei tried to grasp the situation, the other passengers on the bus were also gradually stirring, their voices filled with surprise and confusion.

"What's going on? Did anyone else hear that voice?"

"Where is this bus taking us?"

"Stop the bus, driver! Please stop!"

The fog outside the window grew thicker, obscuring visibility to the point where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face. Only the dim light from the bus windows illuminated a radius of less than half a meter around them.

In the pitch-black darkness, something was thumping against the body of the bus with rhythmic precision, each impact growing stronger than the last.

The fragile windows rattled, emitting a creaking noise as if they might shatter into pieces at any moment. Someone stumbled forward, holding onto the seats of the bus, heading towards the driver's cabin. "Driver! Driver! Stop the bus!"

Inside the carriage, chaos reigned, yet Qin Fei sat serenely on his seat, observing it all unfold.

This was a 45-seat coach, but including Qin Fei and the driver, there were only nineteen people on board. The spacious cabin exuded an eerie chill.

The driver, facing away from the group, obscured his appearance from Qin Fei. Among the passengers, fourteen individuals exhibited a palpable sense of panic, manifesting in their movements, speech, and expressions. It was as if they were fourteen sheep that had mistakenly wandered into a pack of wolves, their breaths laden with a sense of helplessness and confusion.

Three others, with cautious expressions, quietly occupied three corners of the bus.

Unlike the panic displayed by others, these three individuals appeared remarkably composed. Though their expressions were also tense, their anxiety contrasted starkly with that of the other fourteen people, as if they possessed a clear understanding of the situation they were about to confront.

Qin Fei raised his eyebrow imperceptibly, his gaze inadvertently locking with that of one of the three individuals present.

It was a young man with short hair, dressed in a dark gray robe. The robe wasn't new nor old; it appeared to have a design resembling a Taoist robe. He seemed to be around the same age as Qin Fei.

In such a bizarre situation, one must not show fear.

When their eyes met, Qin Fei did not avert his gaze but instead slightly curved his eyebrows and eyes, revealing a perfectly measured and seemingly benevolent smile to that person.

The person couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment. After a brief hesitation, they crouched down and softly ran over to sit beside Qin Fei.

Qin Fei, upon seeing him approach, merely turned his head to give him a glance before calmly resuming his original posture, neither moving nor speaking.

The other person soon couldn't hold back anymore: "…Are you also an experienced player?"

An experienced player.

Qin Fei savored the meaning behind these three words.

Of course, Qin Fei was not an experienced player.

He smiled and replied, "No, you've misunderstood."

He delivered this sentence with great finesse, his voice clear and soothing, his tone calm and resolute. The short and rapid negation somehow gave off the misleading impression that he was actually saying the opposite.

The man indeed didn't believe him after hearing this, suspicion etched even deeper on his face.

After hesitating for a few seconds, he said confidently, "You must be an experienced player. I know you woke up earlier than me."

As he spoke, he nervously observed Qin Fei. Seeing no sign of displeasure on Qin Fei's face, he continued the conversation, "My name is Xiao Xiao, what's yours?"

"Qin Fei."

As the conversation progressed, Xiao Xiao grew bolder. He ventured, half-flattering and half-probing, "Qin Boss, you were the first one to wake up in the bus this time, right?"

Qin Fei remained silent, which only fueled Xiao Xiao's curiosity. "Don't be modest, Boss. When I woke up, you were the only one with your eyes open. Your mental resistance must be incredibly high. How many live streams have you participated in?"

Xiao Xiao's eyes sparkled as he looked at Qin Fei, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure. "Three times? Five times?"

Qin Fei: "..."

Well, truth be told, it was actually zero.

Assuming nothing unexpected happened, this might just be his very first time?

From the context of Xiao Xiao's words, 'mental resistance' seemed to be one of the factors measuring strength in this bizarre live stream world. Qin Fei made a mental note of this.

Qin Fei's silence lent him an air of mystery, further convincing Xiao Xiao that he was dealing with a powerful figure who preferred anonymity.

Seeing Qin Fei's unresponsive demeanor, Xiao Xiao didn't dare push the issue. The two of them sat quietly at the back of the bus.

Xiao Xiao frowned, gazing at the darkness outside the car window, while Qin Fei sat calmly in his seat with his eyes closed, exuding an air of a detached sage.

The chaos within the vehicle escalated rapidly, with wailing, shrieking, and panicked individuals darting about everywhere.

The burly man who went to trouble the driver did not receive a response and has now approached the driver's seat.

"Hey, driver! Stop the car!" he shouted at the driver.

The driver paid no attention.

The burly man's emotions were clearly off, as he forcefully reached for the steering wheel.

Noticing this, the front-seat passenger immediately intervened, "What are you doing? Are you insane? Grabbing the steering wheel could cause a car accident!"

Yet, it was too late; the burly man's hand already rested on the driver's shoulder.

The driver's upper body was pushed askew against the wall by him, yet both hands remained firmly gripping the steering wheel, as if glued in place.

The burly man, flush with anger, fixed his gaze on the driver: "You—"

In the next moment, his expression drastically changed.

His unfinished words dissipated into the air as the burly man recoiled as if electrocuted, hastily retreating to the back of the carriage.

The others were startled by his reaction. "What's wrong with you?"

The man's face was deathly pale, and he panted heavily, clearly gripped by extreme fear.

After a moment, he forced himself to speak. "That driver..."

"He... He doesn't have a face."

It was true. The driver's slender neck supported a smooth, featureless head. There were no facial features on that terrifying visage, only an eerie bluish-black hue that resembled a decaying human skin wrapped around an oval shape.

The burly man's eyes still held remnants of terror.

It was too bizarre. How could someone without a face possibly see the road and drive? Qin Fei raised an eyebrow subtly.

It seemed that this live broadcast was indeed of the paranormal genre.

The burly man's words amplified everyone's fear and anxiety to the extreme, like a needle piercing the surface of a balloon, shattering their pretense of calmness instantly.

Reason was drowned by fear, and chaos spread throughout the bus.

Someone pounded the walls of the vehicle in a fit of desperation. A hot-tempered passenger yelled, "Get out! We need to get out! What kind of lousy live stream is this? I refuse to participate! Do you know that what you're doing is illegal!"

"A suggestion: we can open the windows and jump out," another man proposed.

To Qin Fei, this sounded utterly irrational, yet someone actually echoed in agreement, "I agree. The bus isn't going fast. We can climb out through the windows."

?

Finally, Qin Fei lifted his gaze, looking at the chaos ahead with confusion.

In the middle of the bus, two experienced players were crouching low, seemingly trying to keep themselves out of trouble. Xiao Xiao glanced at Qin Fei with concern, whispering a warning, "Let's ignore them."

Xiao Xiao added, "Most of the people on this bus are newcomers." This was not difficult to discern.

Xiao Xiao was well aware of the extremes to which people could go in a state of utter madness.

Leaping out of the window might very well be a suicidal act, but it was less risky than confronting those men head-on to stop them. After all, their departure wouldn't affect the others in the vehicle...

Xiao Xiao realized that he had disclosed too much to someone he had known for less than ten minutes. However, for some inexplicable reason, he found himself unable to hold back when speaking to Qin Fei.

There seemed to be a magnetic quality about Qin Fei that effortlessly inspired trust in others.

If Xiao Xiao were to describe this young man sitting beside him with one term from his limited vocabulary, it would undoubtedly be "gentle as jade."

His eyes were a light, translucent amber hue, radiating an extraordinary warmth when they fixed upon you. Simply sitting there, he exuded an irresistible charm and amiability.

To Xiao Xiao, it felt as if there was a caption floating above Qin Fei's head: Hello, I'm a good person.

In the realm of rules, "good people" were a rare find, let alone ones who appeared to possess considerable strength.

Qin Fei didn't respond to Xiao Xiao. A few seconds earlier, that electronic female voice had sounded again in his mind.

[Congratulations, Player Qin Fei, on achieving "Survive in the Rule Realm for 10 minutes." Your player attribute panel has been unlocked.]

The instant the voice faded, a palm-sized, luminous white screen filled with text gently materialized before Qin Fei's eyes.

"Player Profile"

Name: Qin Fei

Gender: Male

Health Points: 90

Sanity Points: 100

Spiritual Immunity: ??? (System malfunction. Please repair promptly.)

#For more details, visit the Rule Realm - Central City - Personal Information Management Center#

Broadcast Points: 5

System Rating: F (Terrible rookie broadcaster with no appeal whatsoever)

Current live viewers: 13 (a 30% decrease in the last 5 minutes)

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow.

It was evident that the voice was not only heard by Qin Fei, but at that very moment, all the newcomers in the carriage stopped their actions simultaneously, whether sitting or standing, and began to stare blankly at the air in front of them.

Typically, a streamer's action of checking their attribute panel during a live broadcast is quite conspicuous.

Though the screen was visible only to the host, a person's blankly staring into thin air could easily catch others' attention. Qin Fei, however, scanned the words on the screen at an alarming speed, completely oblivious to Xiao Xiao's awareness.

The young man's bright chestnut eyes were gazing directly into Xiao Xiao's eyes, a look that could be described as "tender and affectionate." Xiao Xiao not only failed to notice that Qin Fei was distractedly looking at the light screen, but even felt that the young man in front of him was the most respectful person he had ever met in his life, listening to him speak so attentively with just a few words.

"Ah, Mr. Qin," Xiao Xiao spoke cautiously, "What did you do before coming here?"

In the world governed by rules, encountering a reliable teammate is quite rare. Xiao Xiao, with the intention to pledge allegiance, dropped a significant piece of information: "I used to be a Taoist priest."

In the world governed by rules, the Taoist priest is undoubtedly one of the most useful professions.

Despite the diverse range of scenarios in the Rule-bound World, paranormal ones made up at least 80% of them. The mere mention of the word "Daoist" was enough to instill a sense of ample security in people.

Unfortunately, Qin Fei is not quite like most people, and remains unmoved as he continues to browse his information panel.

Education: Doctorate (Post-doctoral), graduated from the Department of Psychology at SU University.

Occupation: Distinguished Professor of Criminal Psychology at Hua National People's Public Security University, Distinguished Psychological Consultant for the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Beijing Public Security Bureau, National First-Class Psychological Counselor... Community Worker of Chunyang Community.

Xiao Xiao made an effort to get close to Qin Fei, addressing him affably, "Big Shot Qin?"

"I am a..." Qin Fei swallowed the unsuitable "materialist" label, his gaze sweeping past the outrageously long list of job descriptions on the screen, and landing directly on the last one, "Community grassroots staff member."

Qin Fei is not wrong to introduce himself this way.

His health had deteriorated significantly over the past two years, necessitating his departure from his original position at work.

Out of boredom, he ventured to the community where he resided and signed up as a volunteer, thereby embarking on a new role as a social worker. His daily routine henceforth entailed collaborating with the local police station to address neighborhood disputes.

Trivial matters and domestic squabbles might not be to the liking of most, but Qin Fei's professional acumen enables him to navigate interpersonal relationships with remarkable ease.

Most importantly, Qin Fei reveled in this atmosphere, as it allowed him to experience the rare sense of being part of the mortal world. It reassured him that he was still a regular person.

"Community staff?" Xiao Xiao was taken aback, not expecting to hear such an ordinary occupation. Wasn't that just a community service worker?

Seeing Qin Fei's lack of interest in further conversation, Xiao Xiao wisely kept silent.

Regardless of their professions in the outside world, once they entered the Realm of Rules, strength was paramount.

The revelation of the Player Status Panels did little to soothe the newcomers' anxiety. After a brief lull, the chatter resumed.

Intimidated by the earlier confrontation with the burly man, no one dared to provoke the driver. However, a small group started to gather by a window, eager to take a look outside.

The others watched them worriedly. One person tried to dissuade them, "Is there something out there?"

Among the window climbers was a man with a scar on his face, who spoke rudely, "What could there be? It's just a bumpy road."

Something about this place felt off, and the scarred man had a hunch that their destination would be extremely dangerous – a place he didn't wish to approach.

He raised his voice, sneering as he asked, "We want to open the window and get out. Anyone against it?"

None of the newbies dared to speak up, while the three veteran players chose to observe coldly.

Xiao Xiao heaved a sigh of relief upon witnessing the situation.

According to Xiao Xiao's assumption, Qin Fei, being "an even more experienced player than himself," would surely ignore these fools as well.

But in the next second, a clear voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"I object."

A soothing tone, like an ice cube thrown into a boiling pool of lava, immediately caught everyone's attention on the bus.

In the last row of the bus, a refined and elegant young man sat with his hands crossed, his slender back straight, and his long eyelashes slightly raised. His gentle demeanor gave off an harmless vibe, making it seem as if he were not seated on a bizarre bus but rather on a pulpit bathed in divine light in a church.

Faced with the gazes of the crowd, he spoke again, emphasizing with a smile, "I don't agree with you opening the windows."