Finding a Way to Break the Deadlock... Maybe?

The barrage quieted down, seemingly replaying the footage to search for a way to break the deadlock.

After calming themselves, Zhu Zhuqing and the other two continued following Ghost Granny ahead. Along the way, they found several rooms with closed doors. If nothing happened later, they would rush back as quickly as possible to avoid triggering the punishment of Rule Four.

After another hundred meters, Ghost Granny finally stopped before a room with its door open. Seemingly not caring about Zhu Zhuqing and the others behind her at all, she cackled at the room and shouted:

"Time to pay the rent!"

Hearing that, Zhu Zhuqing and the other two's pupils shook. The thing inside the room had to be something strange too, right? Ghost Granny was actually demanding rent from them?

[I get it! Ghost Granny is the real horror! The one inside must be an Imposter!]

[I know what you mean! Strange incidents randomly select people to join the Rules Horror Tales! If those people stay in this strange space for too long, they become Imposters!]

[No wonder Ghost Granny didn't directly make things difficult for Zhu Zhuqing and the others earlier! The rules were protecting them! She couldn't kill them outright!]

[So the rules on the doors were actually left behind by the people before them! Our predecessors were truly righteous!]

The barrage really came through! With its explanations, many things Zhu Zhuqing and the others had failed to understand before suddenly became clear.

So Ghost Granny had been lying to trick them into breaking the rules! Her conscience was rotten to the core!

"Please, give me a little more time! Everyone selected recently has been driven to Central City! No one has passed through here at all!"

A desperate male voice came from inside the room. The so-called rent was actually the hearts of normal humans!

The rooms along the street had been built for the Imposters. On one hand, they kept them from becoming food for the existence above them; on the other, they made them lure normal people into breaking the rules.

Looking at it now, Ghost Granny was the one who had established the rules of these streets. Normal human hearts were tools she used to maintain the rules or grow stronger!

"No rent, then you can only move out!"

Ghost Granny gave a strange laugh. Then a surge of Law Power descended into the room and dragged out the Imposter hiding inside.

The Imposter dragged out of the room wore a look of despair. The next instant, right before Zhu Zhuqing and the others, he turned into a pool of blood, leaving only his heart behind!

[Holy shit! Is this really a 12+ story? Barrage shield!]

[Who can handle an instant opening move like that? Barrage shield!]

[I came here for fun! Not to watch a horror movie! Barrage shield!]

[This livestream hasn't been banned? Is the author's backing really that strong? Barrage shield!]

[Baby Zhuqing, stop looking! Run already! Barrage shield!]

[Barrage shield!]

This time, it wasn't just Zhu Zhuqing and the others trembling in fright. The barrage had been utterly cowed by the scene too, flooding the screen with barrage shields. Once the pool of blood was covered up, things did indeed feel much better.

Ghost Granny cackled as she turned her head to glance at Zhu Zhuqing and the others. That one look sent chills down their spines, and the Shrek girls immediately stood at attention!

Even after Ghost Granny continued onward, Zhu Zhuqing and the others remained frozen in place, too afraid to move. It was only because the barrage kept urging them to hurry and look for anything useful that they did not miss the chance to obtain crucial information.

[There aren't any Imposters left inside! Hurry up and see whether there's fuel or anything else useful! Why are you just standing there?]

[Holy crap! You guys really have some nerve! Didn't the rules say you can't enter rooms with open doors? Even if the Imposter inside is dead, that doesn't mean the rule is invalid!]

[I don't think they should rush in either! They should first see whether this pool of blood left anything behind!]

[Your imaginations aren't big enough! Don't just fixate on the rules! There are plenty of things you can do outside the rules!]

[Exactly! What's the biggest use of this pool of blood? Just use it to dye their clothes red and pretend to be Imposters!]

[Holy crap! What a tricky angle! Your IQs are at least fucking one hundred and sixty!]

[But if they become Imposters, won't Ghost Granny have authority over them? If they can't pay the rent later, this pool of blood will be Zhu Zhuqing and the others' fate!]

[And this is a mechanics kill! Even if Zhu Zhuqing and the others are far stronger than ordinary Imposters, it won't matter!]

[No harm in trying! At worst, Zhu Zhuqing and the others still have one second of Law Power to try fighting a mechanics kill! That's better than wandering around like headless flies!]

Listening to the barrage was better than studying for ten years!

The analysis was logical and even came with a fallback plan. Zhu Zhuqing and the others almost suspected the viewers were the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes!

"Should we try it?"

Xiao Wu looked at the pool of blood. It disgusted her, but if it really worked, it was not entirely unacceptable.

"I'll do it!"

Ning Rongrong was even more decisive. After inspecting the pool of blood and confirming that it held no other information, she boldly tried the barrage's suggestion.

As she slowly smeared the blood over her clothes, Ning Rongrong felt as though she had formed some kind of connection with those rooms whose doors stood open. As her clothes became a deeper red, that sense of connection grew stronger!

"There really might be something to this!"

Delighted, Ning Rongrong quickly turned around, wanting to discuss this discovery with Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. Instead, she saw them looking at her with complicated expressions, silently saying nothing.

[Right! Ning Rongrong is now someone wearing red too! They can't respond to anything she says!]

[Holy crap! I finally understand how terrifying that rule is! Someone must have fallen for it before! That's why someone wrote this rule down!]

[Could Ning Rongrong be forced to part ways with Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu? It's all because of your idea! You didn't get Baby Rongrong hurt, did you? Don't let that happen!]

[Why panic? There are still two options! Let Ning Rongrong enter the room to search for fuel, then find a way to change out of the red clothes. That would fulfill the lamplighter's request!]

[Or Zhu Zhuqing and the others can dye their clothes red too! That might free them from the restrictions of Rule Three!]

[What if people in red can't respond to other people in red either? If they all dye their clothes red but are still restricted by Rule Three, then not only won't they be able to keep traveling together, they won't be able to get help from anyone they meet later!]

It seemed the barrage was not completely certain either. One person's opinion was quickly questioned by another.

Fortunately, Zhu Zhuqing and the other two were all smart. With their tacit understanding and the barrage serving as a bridge, they quickly found a solution.

Ning Rongrong silently walked toward the open room. She would carry out the investigation and hopefully obtain fuel.

Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu stood guard outside. Their task was not to respond to Ning Rongrong's words, then later find a way to help her change out of the red clothes.

The rules said they could not respond to people wearing red, but they never said people wearing red could not respond to them!