Bloody Slaughterhouse

Dim yellow lights, a chaotic room, dark-red bloodstains blackened with age on the walls, and a dilapidated clock ticking away.

"Where is this place?"

Zhou Yi struggled up from the floor and looked around. He was in a shabby, filthy room.

The next moment, a cold voice rang out, disrupting his thoughts.

[Welcome to the multiplayer Weird Instance, Bloody Slaughterhouse]

[Difficulty: Hell]

[Please maintain absolute clarity of mind. It is the key to your survival.]

[Clearance condition: Survive for seven days and leave this place.]

At that moment, the Weird Instance livestream chat erupted.

"Holy crap, it's Bloody Slaughterhouse, known as the Chosen One meat grinder!"

"No one has ever cleared Bloody Slaughterhouse, right?"

"Even veteran Chosen Ones have died there without knowing how. These rookies seem doomed."

"Hell difficulty right off the bat? How are they supposed to play this?"

"Weird Instance!"

Hearing the cold prompt beside him, Zhou Yi's eyes widened. His heart sank, and a chill ran down his back.

Zhou Yi knew about Weird Instances. They were special spaces that had appeared out of nowhere in this world a year ago.

Every so often, Weird Instances would draw Chosen Ones from all over the world and bring them inside.

Weird Instances were a disaster, but also an opportunity.

If they could clear an instance and make it out alive, they would not only gain supernatural powers and soar to greatness, but also bring tremendous benefits to their country!

[Chosen One entering an instance for the first time: you will have the chance to draw a trait.]

The emotionless, icy voice rang out again. At the same time, a virtual wheel appeared before Zhou Yi.

Looking at the densely packed talents on the wheel, Zhou Yi felt a little more at ease.

Every Chosen One entering a Weird Instance for the first time could draw one talent. These talents granted them special abilities.

They could strengthen the body or mind, provide special effects, or grant powerful skills—things like that, which could greatly improve a Chosen One's chances of survival.

If I can draw a good trait, I might be able to survive in this extremely dangerous world after all. With that thought, Zhou Yi raised a hand and spun the wheel.

The wheel spun rapidly, then soon began to slow. At last, the pointer stopped on a golden slot.

[Congratulations, Chosen One. You have obtained the S-Rank Talent: High Damage]

[Description: Your left hand deals high damage, and your right hand deals high damage. Your strength is unparalleled, enough to shatter rules. Any supernatural being will have to steer clear of you!]

"Holy crap! I thought this was going to be a tragedy, but it turned out to be a power fantasy!"

Staring at his talent, Zhou Yi's eyes widened. He had thought Hell difficulty meant a disastrous start, but it turned out he'd hit the jackpot!

"Even with an S-Rank Talent, I can't let my guard down. I should look for the rules first..."

The effects of the S-Rank Talent hadn't gone to his head. Zhou Yi quickly regained his composure.

After all, the Weird World was full of danger. Countless people had died without even seeing what the supernatural beings looked like.

"I should be in a room right now..."

After taking another look around, Zhou Yi began searching the room for the rules of the rules-based horror story.

"Found it."

Before long, Zhou Yi found an employee handbook on a nearby table. It contained the rules for this instance.

[Employee Handbook]

As an employee of the slaughterhouse, you must follow these rules:

Rule One: At the start of your shift, gather outside the workroom. The Butcher is the slaughterhouse's manager, and you must obey his orders absolutely.

Rule Two: If you hear livestock calling for help, ignore it. It is a hallucination. Leave your workstation immediately and go to the break room for a drink of water.

Rule Three: Working hours are 9:00–17:00. You must not stay in the dormitory during work hours.

Rule Four: Ordinary employees wear white clothes. If you encounter someone wearing black, keep your distance.

Rule Five: Important guests have come to the slaughterhouse. Do not defy them.

Rule Six: The dormitory is the only safe place. You may rest there without worry.

Rule Seven: Do not harm your coworkers.

There were seven rules. After reading them, a curious look crossed Zhou Yi's face. He murmured, "Important guests at a slaughterhouse? How could a dump like this have guests?"

He didn't dwell on the question. Glancing at the shabby clock on the wall, Zhou Yi saw that it was already 8:50.

"It's almost nine. I'd better go gather..."

Leaving the room, Zhou Yi found himself in a dilapidated slaughterhouse. Black fog shrouded the area, the broken front gate creaked in the wind, and an eerie aura permeated every corner.

After memorizing his room number, Zhou Yi headed toward the workroom.

By then, seven Chosen Ones had already gathered outside the workroom.

Zhou Yi joined the group and sized everyone up. He didn't speak, simply standing off to one side.

Soon, it was nine o'clock. A burly man, covered in blood and carrying a butcher's knife, emerged from the mist.

At the man's side walked a young man and woman. Neither bore any trace of the supernatural; instead, they seemed otherworldly, like a pair of immortal companions, utterly out of place in this world.

They were none other than Mo Shang and Jiang Shuyu.

When the two appeared, Zhou Yi couldn't help but pause.

"Ordinary people? Could these two be the slaughterhouse guests mentioned in the rules?"

He immediately recalled the fifth rule he'd read earlier and began to wonder.

As Zhou Yi studied Mo Shang and Jiang Shuyu, Mo Shang was looking at him too—or, more precisely, at the traits above his head.

[Fortune Trait: Destiny's Chosen]

[Description: Favored by fate, you will succeed at whatever you do.]

[Purple Trait: Quick Thinking]

[Description: A young mind works fast.]

"Holy crap, one gold and one purple?"

There weren't many traits, but they were all high quality. Mo Shang couldn't help feeling envious.

A setup like this was rare even in the Mystic Heaven Realm, let alone in a small world. He had only ever seen it with Gu Qingzhou and Jiang Shuyu.

At that moment, as Mo Shang and Jiang Shuyu appeared, the Weird Instance livestream chat began scrolling furiously again.

"Are they supernatural beings? Their clothes are so strange. Are they supernatural beings from some ancient setting?"

"They're a handsome man and a beautiful woman, both with an immortal air. They don't look like supernatural beings at all!"

"They must be the guests mentioned in the rules. If they're guests, they should be supernatural beings too, right?"

"Aren't all the beings in a Weird Instance supernatural, except for the Chosen Ones? What else could they be, immortals?"

"It's not impossible. Just looking at how they're dressed, they seem terrifyingly strong."

"Breaking news: immortals have appeared in the Weird World!"

"Dude, you're wasting your talent if you're not writing clickbait headlines..."

Mo Shang knew nothing about the livestream chat. He didn't even know that anyone was broadcasting.

Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared...