Shen Hai stood at the alley entrance without going in.
He stared into the deep, shadowy alley, lost in thought.
It was true that he had been absorbed in thinking about the rules just now, but given Xu Tingfang's personality, if she wanted to enter the alley, she would definitely tell him and only dare go in after getting his permission.
And from what Shen Hai knew of her, Xu Tingfang had some quick wits, but lacked a grasp of the bigger picture and was not particularly brave.
Even if she entered the alley, she would follow behind him.
In other words, either something in the fog had dragged her in, and she was now in the fog,
or she had entered the alley of her own accord.
Whichever it was, he had not heard Xu Tingfang's voice.
Most likely, when Xu Tingfang left the alley entrance, she had not seen him, or she had indeed made a sound and called to him, but some supernatural force had kept him from hearing her.
In other words... this alley could only be cleared alone. It did not allow two people to enter at once.
Interesting.
Shen Hai looked again at the rules on the sign beside him.
[Do not touch the walls.]
[Once you enter, don't stop walking.]
[Don't look back.]
He pondered for a long time, his gaze lingering longest on the rule [Don't look back.].
Shen Hai had been thinking that perhaps this rule was not a matter of choosing between two possibilities.
It was not entirely meant to protect the players, nor was it covering for the supernatural.
Perhaps... it did both?
This rule was neutral.
If the players did not look back, nothing would happen to them.
At the same time, not looking back also prevented whatever