Rules

Amidst this sea as dark as ink, countless vessels drifted.

Wooden boats meant for a single passenger, or ferries carrying many, and occasionally, one could even spot large ships holding hundreds of people.

However, regardless of which vessel they occupied, the people were all in a state of bewilderment.

Their memories were being slowly swept away by the sea; no one knew where they were ultimately headed, and no one knew they were already dead.

Yet, within this sea that should have led to the realm of the dead, a lighthouse emerged, half-hidden in the mist.

The light emitted from its peak happened to fall upon a single wooden boat.

Guided by the radiance, the boat, carrying the youth upon it, drifted toward the lighthouse.

As the light shone more intensely, the pitch-black eyeballs embedded in the youth's face began to fade, slowly regaining their luster.

Gradually sensing a burning sensation from the light, when the boat drew within a certain distance, scorching patterns pierced through his skull. It carried a voice, as if it were a call from the world of the living.

Hum!

Before his eyes, the pitch-black sea was no more.

In its place was an old wooden table covered in wrinkles.

The youth, gradually prying his eyes open, stared directly at an old-fashioned kerosene lamp on the top right corner of the table.

The flame burning within it happened to overlap with the lighthouse from his consciousness.

Furthermore, beneath the arms he had been resting his head on, he felt the texture of coarse paper, corresponding to a yellowed sheet covered in scribbled handwriting.

On the left side of the desk sat a water glass, containing a transparent liquid with a strange odor.

Seeing such an unfamiliar scene, the youth's first thought was neither fear nor curiosity... but a notion that surfaced subconsciously, one that was incredibly important to him:

"My thesis!"

The final fragment of memory in his brain was of pulling an all-nighter in the laboratory, revising his graduation thesis.

At the same time, this final memory was accompanied by intense angina and a blurring of consciousness.

Thinking of this, the youth realized the crux of the matter.

"Did I die from overwork?"

He scrutinized his own hands.

The yellowed palms were covered in numerous signs of wear, his fingers had quite a few calluses, and his fingernails were packed with dirt-like grime.

The youth recognized at a glance that these were definitely not the old companions that had been with him for decades of bachelorhood.

"I... I transmigrated?"

The youth was named Yi Chen, a miserable graduate student majoring in chemical engineering.

As someone who enjoyed reading various novels and playing games in his spare time, the first keyword that came to his mind was—[Transmigration].

Upon reaching this conclusion, there was no anxiety, no panic.

Instead, he wore an expression of immense relief, and his entire body even relaxed... because the feeling of not having to write a thesis, not having to worry about reviews or the subsequent defense, was simply too wonderful.

Having come from an orphanage and lived twenty-four years as a lonely bachelor, he did not have much attachment to his original world.

However, this relaxation did not last long.

The stench of rot floating in the air made his nerves tighten once again.

"I must figure out the situation in front of me as soon as possible..."

Yi Chen shook his head, stood up, and looked around the wooden cabin, which was no larger than forty square meters.

To the left of the desk, there was a single wooden bed pressed against the side wall.

The legs of the bed showed obvious signs of mold, which had a lot to do with the humidity inside the wooden cabin.

Furthermore, the entire wooden cabin had no window design whatsoever.

The only connection to the outside world was a heavy, grey iron door, fitted seamlessly into its frame.

The old grey paint, rough and grainy to the touch, had likely been applied forty or fifty years ago.

The key to the iron door hung from Yi Chen's belt.

On the wall beside the door, a vintage landline telephone was mounted.

In Yi Chen's memory, he had only seen such phones during his childhood at the Orphanage... they had been completely phased out in the later era of ubiquitous smartphones.

A rubber-coated telephone wire extended upward, drilling through the roof to connect to the outside.

It is also worth mentioning that, The entire Wooden Cabin lacked any light source; the only illuminating device was a portable Kerosene Lamp on the wooden table.

Such a crude, sealed design for a wooden cabin, combined with the scent of decay in the air, reminded Yi Chen of something ominous—a [coffin].

It was as if he were sealed inside a cabin-shaped coffin.

Returning to the wooden table, Since there were no mobile phones or mirrors, he could not inspect his own appearance.

He reached out to touch his face; aside from some unkempt stubble, his features felt quite good overall, seemingly even more handsome than his original self.

Judging by the texture of his skin, his age should not exceed thirty.

Next came the exploration of detailed information.

His gaze returned to the wooden table, focusing on the [Letter] left behind.

"English? Is this abroad?"

Yi Chen brought out the level of focus he used for reading research papers and scanned it quickly.

The very first sentence of the first line contained an unsettling word—[die].

As he read deeper, the words on the letter seemed to crawl into his body like maggots, making him feel physically ill.

≮I am going to die; I will definitely die.

But at least, I still have the right to choose how I die.

Thinking about it, there doesn't seem to be anything in this world worth lingering for. The only person I feel sorry for is Dean Fran; I messed up the very first job I got after leaving the Orphanage.

I am always so careless; I made mistakes just like this back at the Orphanage.

The Third Rule in the Manual... even though I looked at it every day, I still messed it up.

There is nothing left to say. I only hope that whoever sees this letter can forgive my cowardice and incompetence. I truly dare not face the [consequences] caused by my mistake.

If possible, please burn my corpse.

Whatever you do, do not bury me here!≯

"A suicide note?"

Yi Chen grabbed a water glass from the corner of the table and sniffed the liquid residue inside.

He could now fully determine the basic situation of this body's original owner.

"This Guy spent his childhood in an orphanage too? Is it because of similar experiences, similar looks and build, and the overlap of death that I happened to transmigrate into him?

Knowing he would die, he chose to commit suicide by poison?

Just because he didn't follow a certain rule, he had to pay the price with his life? What kind of hellish place is this?"

The deep analysis made Yi Chen smell the unease and crisis permeating the air.

At the same time, he began to ponder his own 'predicament.'

"Since I have transmigrated here, the [mess] naturally falls to me to handle... This Guy didn't even bother to write more useful information in his suicide note.

After making a mistake, what kind of danger will actually come?

Will a killer from some organization come to eliminate me? Or is there some weird thing that will come knocking?"

Thinking of this, Yi Chen looked around the room again.

Even though the entire Wooden Cabin was sealed tight like a coffin, he still felt no sense of security.

"Calm down~ I've already died once; there's nothing to be afraid of.

Let me first find the [Manual] mentioned in the suicide note to see what exactly this guy did wrong and what kind of work he was doing."

He pulled open the desk drawer.

A map made of parchment and a special manual bound in black fur lay inside.

According to the map, This place was a [Cemetery].

The Wooden Cabin was located in the center.

Surrounding it in a clockwise direction were Graveyard Plot 1 through 6.

Additionally, in the corner of the map, a strange Graveyard Plot 7 was marked, completely isolated and requiring one to traverse a path over a hundred meters long to reach it.

"So this is a cemetery? Is this guy's identity a gravedigger? No wonder there's a faint scent of rot drifting even inside the Wooden Cabin."

Yi Chen turned to pick up the handbook containing important information.

[Employee Handbook (Easton Town - Cemetery)]

The first page recorded the work schedule in detail.

The gravedigger must patrol the corresponding numbered plots at fixed times, for example:

The patrol time for Graveyard Plot 1 is 7:00-9:30.

The patrol time for Graveyard Plot 2 is 1:00-3:00.

And so on.

Additionally, Graveyard Plot 7 has no patrol time and does not require inspection; it is a special area.

The schedule was barely considered normal.

When Yi Chen flipped to the second page of the handbook, his expression immediately turned grave.

Right at the top was bright red text marked with asterisks:

Please read each of the following graveyard rules carefully and commit them to heart. Failure to follow or any error in any one of them will invite disaster, and you will pay a price that transcends death.

Ⅰ. [Strictly follow the schedule to patrol each graveyard plot; the margin of error for start and end times must be less than one minute.]

Ⅱ. [When patrolling Graveyard Plot 2, ensure the cross tombstone is not inverted or hung with items resembling a Goat Skull.

If the above occurs, you must restore the tombstone and clear the debris within the patrol time.]

Ⅲ. [When patrolling Graveyard Plot 4, ensure the number and Order of the tombstones remain consistent with the original.

If there is an abnormality in quantity or Order, you must remove the extra graves or reorder the misplaced tombstones during the patrol.]

*For ease of memory, the appendix of the handbook contains a thumbnail of the original layout of Graveyard Plot 4.

Ⅳ. [Before performing the patrol task for Graveyard Plot 5, ensure there is absolutely no sound inside.

Once any form of strange noise is heard, the patrol time must be delayed by one hour. If there is still sound after one hour, you must report the information to the Administrator.]

Ⅴ. [If a newly delivered corpse is found at the cemetery entrance, carefully inspect the Corpse Transport Cart to ensure the correct 'Organization Mark' is printed on the bottom.

If the mark is correct, transport it to the entrance of the corresponding graveyard according to the numerical carving on the corpse's surface; the corpse will bury itself.

If no mark is found or the mark is incorrect, please deliver the Corpse Transport Cart and the corpse on it to Graveyard Plot 7 during daylight hours.]

*See the appendix for details on the Organization Mark.

Ⅵ. [For all other graveyard plots, perform only a Basic Check-up to ensure the graves have not been damaged and there is no foreign activity.]

Ⅶ. [During non-patrol hours, stay in the Safe House as much as possible to reduce the possibility of accidents.]

Ⅷ. [If an error occurs in your work that leads to the arrival of disaster, the organization is willing to grant one chance for survival.

Pry open the floorboards under the bed, take the defensive tool, and handle and resolve the problem.]