At that moment, discussion was raging in Dragon Country's livestream chat.
When the viewers saw Su Chen put the map away, they immediately panicked.
"Su Chen only glanced at the rules before putting them away. Don't tell me he believed the first rule!"
"That makes sense. How else could he have memorized all the rules so quickly?"
"Guys, we're screwed. Go check Weibo! Someone posted Su Chen's personal information. Apparently, there's something wrong with his head."
"Holy shit, don't fucking screw over Dragon Country! How are we supposed to survive with an idiot as our Chosen One?"
"Last time, those little kimchi and Jap bastards screwed over our Chosen One. This time, we get an outright idiot. Does heaven want Dragon Country destroyed?"
"Why couldn't that fucking moron Su Chen have died sooner? Instead, he got picked as the Chosen One and dragged me into this. I swear I want to take a hammer to his ancestral graves!"
"To the guy above, this idiot's an orphan. You wouldn't even be able to find his ancestral graves."
After everyone saw Su Chen's personal information posted on Weibo,
the chat erupted in cries of despair.
As more and more people learned the news,
many could no longer hold back their curses.
After all, people became quick to anger when they fell into despair.
Meanwhile, in the conference room of the Dragon Country Strange Tales Department,
Elder Qin stared unblinkingly at the rules on the screen.
With his back to everyone, he asked in a grave voice,
"What results did the computer's analysis of these rules produce?"
"Based on the logic of the rules world, we can rule out the possibility that both the black and blue text are entirely false. Since many events described in the rules have yet to be triggered, we cannot calculate the possibility that only some of the black rules or some of the blue rules are correct. For this analysis, we compared only the three most likely scenarios!"
"The computer calculated a 41.77% probability that the blue text contains the correct rules, a 22.33% probability that the black text contains the correct rules, and a 35.9% probability that both the black and blue text contain correct rules."
The young man wearing rectangular glasses read from the data in his hands and answered clearly.
After hearing those figures, Elder Qin turned to face everyone.
"What do you all think?"
"Judging by the difficulty of previous instances and our experience, the blue text always indicates the correct options. This time should be no different."
An elderly man with graying hair was the first to answer.
"I agree. If the blue text is false, these rules would be a little too sinister. There's no reason for the strange tales to suddenly increase in difficulty this time."
"That's what I think, too."
"I agree as well."
Everyone voiced their agreement.
Elder Qin nodded without saying anything.
Then the gray-haired elder suggested, "Judging by Su Chen's behavior, he seems to have believed the first rule. Should we tell him now to trust the blue text?"
Elder Qin frowned.
He, too, felt that the blue text was the correct answer.
Following its instructions should guarantee a successful clear.
And yet, he still had a vague sense that something was wrong.
Especially when he looked into Su Chen's eyes.
Those clear, deep eyes looked nothing like those of the simpleton described in the investigation.
For some inexplicable reason, Elder Qin felt a flicker of trust in Su Chen.
"Let's wait. We'll decide after the intelligence division gathers its next batch of information."
Elder Qin rejected the suggestion.
Meanwhile, Kim Xiba, Pickle Country's contestant, smiled as he read the rules in his hands.
These rules are pretty interesting, but they're no challenge for me. I've already figured them out!
Based on previous instances, the blue text must be the correct answer. Although it looks a little strange at first glance this time, that very strangeness proves it's correct.
Knowing how the strange tales world operates, it just wants to scare us so we won't dare follow the correct rules!
I'm a genius!
Kim Xiba silently analyzed the situation.
With that thought, he turned and looked over the other Chosen Ones around him.
Most were still scratching their heads, struggling to work it out.
He couldn't help sneering, inwardly calling them idiots.
Then he suddenly noticed Su Chen from Dragon Country.
Su Chen had put the rules away and was now studying the zoo's main gate with interest.
After a moment's thought, Kim Xiba figured it out.
This guy obviously took the first rule seriously.
What an idiot!
Then his eyes shifted as a great idea came to him.
He forced a friendly smile and approached Su Chen.
"Hello, Dragon Country's Chosen One. I'm Kim Xiba from Pickle Country. First of all, you have my deepest sympathies over the death of your country's previous Chosen One."
"I'd also like to take this opportunity to clear something up for the Dragon Country viewers in your livestream. Your contestant's death really had nothing to do with me. As a neighbor, I'm more than willing to help Dragon Country."
"To prove my sincerity, I can help your Chosen One clear this instance."
"I heard Dragon Country only has seventy points of national fortune left? Don't worry. I'll tell you which rules are correct."
With that, Kim Xiba patted Su Chen on the shoulder, acting like a big brother.
As Su Chen listened, a memory surfaced in his mind.
The previous rules-based strange tale had been the Rock Climbing Instance. Dragon Country's contestant had enjoyed smooth sailing, overcoming every obstacle along the way.
But at the very last moment, Kim Xiba and Yamashita Kenichiro from Sakura Country had kowtowed and begged for help.
Moved by pity, Dragon Country's contestant had told them the hidden rule.
Yet after the two were saved, they hadn't thanked him.
Instead, to snatch a higher ranking for clearing the instance,
they had secretly sabotaged his rope, causing his death.
Recalling those memories, Su Chen narrowed his eyes, and a cold glint flashed through them.
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