Chapter Summaries

Chen Han and the others survived the pool’s blackout as strange children appeared in the darkness and Blondie’s body vanished. Near two in the morning, a young woman selected Chen Han for a race, but a sudden foot cramp made him raise his hand and sound the whistle.

• Chen Han, Fang Lei, the middle-aged woman, and the girl with the high ponytail hurried into the lit area as anomalies approached through the darkness.
• A group of children appeared, laughing and taunting someone in a way that sounded like bullying, then disappeared when the lights returned.
• Chen Han found that Blondie’s corpse had vanished without leaving any trace and wondered whether the children appeared only in darkness.
• Near two in the morning, a bikini-clad young woman approached Chen Han and chose him for a pool race.
• Chen Han’s foot cramped painfully, and he raised his right hand before a shrill whistle sounded, alarming Fang Lei.

Chen Han pretended to twist his ankle and used the lifeguard’s rules to get banned from the swimming race. Li Chen and Fang Lei realized Chen Han had deliberately sought help, leaving Chen Han safe from the dangerous contest.

• As the eerie entity approached, Chen Han pretended that he had twisted his ankle, and the lifeguard came over to question him.
• Chen Han raised his right hand, and the lifeguard banned him from participating in the swimming race.
• Li Chen deduced that Chen Han had used the rules to seek help from the lifeguard and avoid racing the eerie entity.
• Fang Lei worked out that Chen Han had staged the injury and admired his boss’s convincing acting.

Chen Han avoided the swimming race by acting as if he had twisted his ankle, then reached the shrinking illuminated area during the second blackout. He discovered a bloodied child crouched behind the group, and Fang Lei smelled blood as the chapter ended.

• Chen Han recovered from his foot pain and realized the lifeguard had spoken to him, while Fang Lei praised his convincing act.
• The second blackout began at two in the morning, and Chen Han and Fang Lei hurried to the illuminated area in the shallow end.
• Chen Han noticed the illuminated area had shrunk to about 2.5 meters as children’s voices and figures appeared beside the deep end.
• Fang Lei asked Chen Han why the darkness felt cold, and Chen Han glanced back to see a bloodied child crouched behind the group.
• Fang Lei smelled blood, and Chen Han recognized the scent from the first blackout.

During the third blackout at the Happy Kids Swimming Pool, the girl with the high ponytail kicked the middle-aged woman away to reach the safe circle first. A child caught the middle-aged woman just before she arrived, leaving her trapped and begging for help.

• At three in the morning, the third blackout began, and the circle of light appeared ten meters ahead of Chen Han.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei reached the light first, while the girl with the high ponytail and the middle-aged woman struggled behind them.
• The girl with the high ponytail kicked the middle-aged woman away and entered the circle, accusing her of trying to get her killed.
• The middle-aged woman fought through the water toward the light, but a child in a swim ring grabbed her arm and held her fast.
• The middle-aged woman called for help and begged to be saved as the livestream chat reacted to her capture.

Chen Han’s cough and gesture led the older woman to ask the lifeguard for help during the power outage, and the lifeguard killed her instead of saving her. Li Chen concluded that Chen Han had used her to test Rule 7, though Chen Han himself had only coughed after choking on water and did not understand what had happened.

• Chen Han coughed and scratched his ear, prompting Li Chen to interpret the gesture as a hint for the older woman to seek help from the lifeguard.
• The older woman raised her hand for the lifeguard, while Fang Lei and the girl with the high ponytail feared the consequences.
• The lifeguard blew his whistle, the eerie entity released the older woman, and an invisible force lifted her before her head exploded.
• Fang Lei realized the lifeguard’s intervention had killed the older woman, and the girl with the high ponytail became afraid of Chen Han.
• Li Chen cited Rule 7, which warned players not to trust the lifeguard during a power outage, and told the livestream that Chen Han had tested the rule using the older woman.
• Chen Han remained confused after the older woman died and mistakenly thought he had caused the incident by signaling her to ask for help.

Chen Han and the others endured another power outage, then faced a child who offered to lead them out of the pool while the circle of light kept shrinking. The girl with the high ponytail agreed to go, but Chen Han gave the child candy and left the choice unresolved.

• After the third power outage ended, Chen Han and the others discovered the middle-aged woman's body had vanished, leaving tissue in the pool.
• During the fourth outage, the circle of light appeared late and shrank to about a meter wide as the children approached the players.
• The child in red told Chen Han, Fang Lei, and the girl with the high ponytail that the lifeguard was asleep and offered to lead them out.
• The girl with the high ponytail accepted the child's offer, and the child asked her for candy.
• Chen Han tossed the child in red a piece of candy, then said he had only had one as the other children stared at him.

Chen Han let the girl with the high ponytail leave the pool with the children during the power outage, and she was killed shortly afterward. Her death left Chen Han and Fang Lei to question whether the rule about trusting the children was misleading as they waited for the next outage.

• The child in red accepted one piece of candy from Chen Han, and the girl with the high ponytail swam across the pool and left with the children.
• After the fourth power outage ended at 4:10 a.m., Fang Lei asked Chen Han whether the girl would be safe and why he had given the child candy; Chen Han replied that it was for what came next.
• The child in red led the girl with the high ponytail along a hidden, weed-covered path while the other children surrounded her.
• The child in blue and the child in orange struck the girl with wooden sticks, killing her and shutting down her livestream POV.
• The livestream viewers debated why the children had killed her and whether the rule allowing players to ask them for help during outages was partly false.

During the fifth power outage, Chen Han saved an exhausted Fang Lei, who discovered that candy restored his stamina. After a bloodied child offered to lead them out, the two left the pool and Chen Han received a new set of rules that both urged him to trust the child and warned him against believing him.

• Chen Han pulled Fang Lei into the circle of light just as an anomaly brushed Fang Lei's back.
• Fang Lei ate a candy he had taken from the front desk and quickly regained his strength.
• The bloodied child asked Chen Han for candy, and Chen Han left one for him by the poolside.
• Fang Lei asked the child to lead them out, and the child agreed while warning that they must not be caught by them.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei climbed out of the pool, and Chen Han's watch displayed ten new rules about the child, his corpse, and the dangers ahead.

Fang Lei followed Chen Han’s hint and asked a beaten child for help, triggering new rules and convincing the livestream viewers that they had found a way to clear the instance. The viewers debated the clues behind their success while Chen Han mistakenly concluded that Fang Lei had solved the puzzle on his own.

• The livestream viewers were stunned when new rules appeared after Fang Lei followed the beaten child with Chen Han.
• Li Chen reasoned that Chen Han had used candy to attract the child’s attention and that Fang Lei had acted on Chen Han’s earlier hint.
• The viewers questioned how Chen Han had known to choose the beaten child rather than the child in red.
• A viewer explained that Rule 7’s wording referred to one child, not children, identifying the beaten child as the intended choice.
• Chen Han thought Fang Lei had independently found a way to clear the instance and decided to leave future puzzles to him.

Chen Han and Fang Lei followed the child through the freezing darkness, using the rules to find bath towels. When the child asked Chen Han for his towel, Chen Han found a way to share it without giving it up, leaving Fang Lei amazed by his resourcefulness.

• Chen Han and Fang Lei accepted flashlights from the child and followed him along a weed-choked path as the temperature dropped.
• Chen Han asked the child where to find bath towels, and the child produced two from behind his back.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei wrapped themselves in the towels, which stopped them from feeling cold.
• The child claimed he was cold and asked Chen Han to give him his towel, trapping Chen Han between conflicting rules.
• Chen Han draped part of his towel over the child's shoulder and shared it, satisfying the child's request without surrendering the towel.

Chen Han avoided freezing by sharing Kid Bro’s bath towel, then led him along a treacherous path and apparently left a trail of candy. As they walked, Kid Bro recounted how classmates bullied him for living with his grandmother, before revealing that the class monitor was still at school after everyone else had left.

• Chen Han persuaded Kid Bro to share his bath towel and continued walking with him while Fang Lei followed.
• Chen Han retrieved a sturdy branch to probe the overgrown path, tearing his swimming trunks and spilling candy from his pocket.
• Fang Lei and some livestream viewers suspected Chen Han was deliberately leaving a candy trail.
• Kid Bro asked Chen Han why he was always bullied, then explained that he lived with his grandmother while his parents worked away from home.
• Kid Bro described how classmates mocked and bullied him, stole his lunch money, and beat him when he had none.
• Kid Bro said he had stayed at school rather than go home after being beaten, then revealed that the class monitor had not left because they were cleaning.

Chen Han recognized that kid bro’s heartwarming story concealed a threat and used candy to lure the children in red into stopping his transformation. With kid bro distracted, Chen Han and Fang Lei ran toward the exit while the children in red beat kid bro.

• Kid bro asked Chen Han and Fang Lei to stay with him forever, then began transforming into an eerie being when they did not answer.
• The children in red arrived, and kid bro trembled and stopped transforming when he heard them.
• Li Chen explained that Chen Han had deliberately let candy fall from his torn swimming trunks to lure the children in red, following the rules’ hints about seeking their help in danger.
• Chen Han ran toward the exit with Fang Lei close behind, while the children in red attacked kid bro.

Chen Han escaped Kid Bro and asked Fang Lei to choose their way out, while Fang Lei followed white petals that led them to an old tree. Beneath it, they found the corpses of the child and the three people who had died earlier.

• Chen Han fled from Kid Bro when the children in red appeared, then stopped after realizing he did not know where the exit was.
• Chen Han asked Fang Lei to decide which way they should go, and Fang Lei searched for flowers mentioned in the rules.
• Fang Lei followed paths scattered with white petals while Chen Han walked behind him.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei reached an old tree shedding white petals and found a child's corpse beneath it.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei discovered the corpses of the blond guy, the middle-aged woman, and the high-ponytailed girl beside the child.

Chen Han and Fang Lei found a child who appeared dead, but he revived and offered to lead them to the true path. Li Chen realized the rules distinguished this child from Kid Bro, leaving Chen Han with a possible guide to the exit.

• Chen Han leaned over the drowned-looking child's body, and the child suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes.
• Fang Lei screamed in fright, startling Chen Han and the livestream viewers.
• The child recovered his normal appearance, stood up, and said he would lead Chen Han and Fang Lei to the true path.
• Li Chen explained that the rules referred to Kid Bro in some places and to the revived child in others, identifying the latter as their guide to the exit.
• Chen Han accepted that the child might help them clear the instance, while Fang Lei excitedly slapped himself again.

Chen Han and Fang Lei reached the exit with Xiaobai, and the ticket seller let them leave because Chen Han had kept their swimming stubs safe. Afterward, Xiaobai captured Kid Bro in a gourd, and a revealed memory showed how Kid Bro had helped the red-clad boy lure the monitor to the pool, where the monitor was killed.

• Xiaobai led Chen Han and Fang Lei through the maze to the exit, where the ticket seller was surprised to see Fang Lei.
• Kid Bro chased after them and claimed they could not leave without their swimming stubs, but Chen Han had left the stubs with the ticket seller.
• Chen Han and Fang Lei walked out through the gates, leaving Kid Bro stunned to see the ticket seller holding both stubs.
• Xiaobai appeared and sucked Kid Bro into a small gourd despite his desperate struggles.
• A short animation revealed that the red-clad boy had bullied Kid Bro into luring the monitor to the swimming pool, where the red-clad boy captured and killed the monitor as Kid Bro laughed.

Chen Han perfectly cleared the Happy Kids Swimming Pool instance and triggered the hidden ending, then returned to System Space with a new item and increased strength. After skipping his rest period, he was sent to the entrance of a new instance as the map began navigating for him.

• Chen Han and Fang Lei witnessed the truth behind the class monitor’s death, and Chen Han perfectly cleared the instance by triggering the hidden ending “Ingratitude.”
• Chen Han returned to System Space with 19,358 fans and a new item, Kid Bro’s Eyeball, which could circle an incorrect rule once.
• Chen Han received a 30% increase to his strength as a reward for his perfect clear.
• Chen Han skipped his twenty-four-hour rest period and returned to the entrance of Happy Kids Swimming Pool.
• Chen Han’s watch announced that the Rules Horror Story Map would navigate for him, and a new instance began.

Chen Han entered a new dungeon at Overseas Chinese Middle School, where he found himself back in a high school classroom and received rules for surviving the lesson. As he silently read, a teacher began savagely beating another student behind him.

• Chen Han reached the empty Overseas Chinese Middle School and entered the dungeon, appearing in a classroom during morning reading.
• Chen Han saw the classroom rules, which warned players to obey the teacher, stay in their assigned class, and avoid exposing themselves as players.
• Twelve players entered the dungeon, and Chen Han’s livestream drew a large audience as viewers watched him calmly assess the situation.
• A middle-aged teacher approached Chen Han’s area and reprimanded a student for looking around instead of studying.
• The teacher punched and kicked the student behind Chen Han until the student screamed in pain.

After Teacher Li savagely beat Li Shixin for slacking during morning reading, Chen Han studied the stricter rules and realized players had to hide their identities. The livestream viewers discovered that each player had a different character setting, and Chen Han’s was to be a good student.

• Teacher Li beat Li Shixin for not taking morning reading seriously, frightening the other players into hiding their reactions.
• The players recognized one another by the red names above their heads, while Gu Xiao’s startled cry made the classroom atmosphere feel threatening.
• After the bell, Chen Han read the rules and noted restrictions on talking, entering the wrong classroom, revealing player identities, and leaving his seat before class ended.
• Chen Han considered the conditional rules about strange writing and a blue pen, and worried he could not meet the requirement to be a good student.
• The livestream viewers noticed that each player had a different Rule 4 character setting and concluded that players needed to act according to their assigned roles.

Chen Han received a perfect math score and avoided Wang Xihu’s suspicious attempts to talk to him, while another player was punished for chatting. After three relentless classes, Chen Han finally left his seat for the restroom, but someone tapped his shoulder.

• Chen Han discovered he had scored 150 on the math quiz, while Wang Xihu tried twice to start a conversation with him.
• Teacher Li whipped Liu Mingjie for talking with his deskmate and ordered him to stand at the back; Liu Mingjie suspected his deskmate had deliberately set him up.
• Chen Han noticed Wang Xihu’s sinister smile and decided there was something wrong with his deskmate.
• Chen Han endured three consecutive classes without a break and concluded that the teachers were powerful anomalies, while the students seemed more like people in the instance.
• After third period ended, Chen Han hurried out to find the restroom, but someone tapped him on the shoulder and put him on alert.

Li Hebing recognized that Chen Han was keeping up a top-student persona and proposed that they form an alliance. Chen Han abruptly left for the restroom, rejecting the offer, but Li Hebing followed him and continued asking to talk.

• Li Hebing approached Chen Han with a test paper and asked him to explain a problem in private.
• Li Hebing told Chen Han he had noticed how he stayed in character during the beatings of Li Shixin and Liu Mingjie and ignored Wang Xihu.
• Li Hebing explained that his ordinary-student persona suited Chen Han's top-student persona and suggested they form an alliance.
• Chen Han stopped Li Hebing, folded his test paper, and walked into the restroom without answering.
• Li Hebing followed Chen Han into the restroom, insisting that he still did not understand the problem.