Special rule: Under the bed at midnight

Inside the room, the four of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one knew the answer.

It was as if that male voice from when they entered the door held no significance.

Lin Yue stood timidly in the center of the living room. "So... so what do we do now? Just wait?"

Chen Yu shook his head. "What was the mission this time?"

Lin Yue paused for a moment, trying hard to recall. "Um... it seemed to be... survive until the dawn of the fourth day?"

"Correct."

Chen Yu smiled slightly and sat on the mattress. "So we don't need to do anything. Just staying alive is enough."

Shen Qingci leaned over and sat down beside him as well. "In a strange place like this, the less we do, the better. Keeping everything simple is the right way. Otherwise, if we accidentally trigger some mechanism or rule..."

Lin Yue shuddered, not daring to think about it.

Li Mengyao couldn't help but speak up. "But we have to know what's going to happen at night, right? Like this, even if we could sleep, no one would dare to."

Thinking of the words 'under the bed,' 'wardrobe,' and 'bathroom' made her skin crawl.

Shen Qingci sighed softly. "Blindly guessing will only increase our fear. Junior Sister Mengyao, what we can do now is familiarize ourselves with this room to ensure there are no hidden dangers."

Li Mengyao pursed her lips. "Alright..."

Chen Yu turned his head, his gaze falling on Shen Qingci's face.

Under the dim, flickering light, she had taken off her mask, revealing her cool and exquisite face.

"Senior Sister,"

Chen Yu suddenly asked, "Your talent is manipulating shadows, but if it's a completely dark environment with no light source, how will you manipulate them?"

The corners of Shen Qingci's mouth curled up slightly with confidence. "Junior Brother Chen Yu, you're wrong there. Shadows exist at the boundary of light and dark, within the silhouettes of all things. No matter when or where, they are always there."

That kind of inner confidence and composure was extremely rare in the apocalypse.

Li Mengyao looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression.

Lin Yue, on the other hand, stared blankly at Shen Qingci's profile, seemingly captivated.

Chen Yu nodded and didn't ask further.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Suddenly, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

Chen Yu narrowed his eyes and glanced at the time.

There were only two minutes left before the countdown ended. At a time like this, who would be knocking?

Li Mengyao walked over but didn't open the door, asking through it, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Liu Zixuan!"

A lowered voice immediately came from outside. "Mengyao, I want to ask Chen Yu for some advice. Open the door~"

Li Mengyao looked back.

Chen Yu had already walked over and twisted the doorknob.

Liu Zixuan stood outside with a beaming smile, with Zhang Longqi standing half a step behind him with shifty eyes.

"Brother Yu!"

Liu Zixuan hurried forward half a step. "Sorry for the intrusion... it's just... the two of us are in one room and we don't know anything. We're feeling a bit panicked, seeing as it's about to get pitch black..."

He gestured with his pinky finger. "Could you reveal just a little bit of the future? Like, will something happen tonight? How should we prepare? Just a little bit so we can have some peace of mind..."

Li Mengyao couldn't help but speak up from behind Chen Yu. "Is Chen Yu's ability something that can be used whenever you want?"

Liu Zixuan's expression stiffened. "Uh..."

Chen Yu spoke indifferently, "Is there anything else?"

"...No, that's all!"

Liu Zixuan gave an awkward smile. "Rest well, Brother Yu! Rest well!"

Chen Yu closed the door and turned around.

Li Mengyao curled her lip and murmured, "Even I don't know the future, and they want to know?"

Time passed minute by minute.

The surroundings remained quiet.

The soundproofing of the entire villa was excellent.

There were forty-eight people in their rooms, but no noise could be heard.

Or rather, everyone was quietly waiting for something.

The sky turned completely dark.

Outside the window, the wind and snow grew more intense, hitting the glass with a dull thud.

Finally—

The hands of the clock in the room approached the top.

[First Night Special Rule: Under the Bed at Midnight]

[Effective Time: 00:00 - 00:30]

[Content:]

1. You must hide under the bed.

2. While hiding, your face must face outward, ensuring you can see beyond the edge of the bed.

3. Maintain absolute silence.

4. No matter what you see or hear, it is forbidden to make any sound or look away.

Scarlet text burned into everyone's retinas.

A second ago, although the atmosphere in the room was tense, everyone was still relatively calm.

But once the rules appeared, no one could help but feel numb.

Li Mengyao trembled all over. "What does this mean? We can't stay on the bed, we have to go lie under it?"

Chen Yu nodded. "That's right. It's 11:55 now, we have five minutes to prepare. Next, we have to stay under the bed until 12:30 and keep quiet."

Lin Yue repeated in a small voice, "Face outward... keep looking at the edge of the bed. My god, can't I just close my eyes?"

Shen Qingci shook her head. "No, definitely not. When rules are suddenly presented in a hellish place like this, never harbor any lucky thoughts. Just like the fourth rule says..."

"No matter what you see or hear, do not make a sound, and do not look away!"

Lin Yue was shivering. "What if... I really see a ghost..."

Li Mengyao comforted herself, "It's... it'll be fine, right? We're hiding under the bed, maybe it's a safe zone? Maybe no monster can touch us there?"

Time ticked away second by second.

The sound of the wind and snow outside became even more shrill.

"There's no more time. Get under the bed."

Seeing the three girls still hesitating, Chen Yu spoke decisively.

The temperature inside the villa was completely different from the icy world outside.

Although it was old and gloomy, it wasn't cold. There was even a somewhat stifling warmth, probably around a dozen degrees Celsius.

The space under the bed was not very ample.

Especially in this room, which had four people.

"Take off your down jackets, otherwise, it'll be too crowded under the bed."

Shen Qingci reminded them, taking off her own coat to reveal a light coffee-colored knit sweater underneath.

This color of inner-wear really highlighted her figure.

Li Mengyao also quickly took hers off, revealing a short skirt and a knit vest.

Lin Yue's movements were a bit slower. She timidly unzipped her down jacket... underneath, she was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a loose collar, faintly revealing her clear collarbones.

Below, she wore a light blue denim miniskirt that ended right at the top of her thighs.

On her feet were a pair of white canvas shoes, making her thighs look fair and firm.

The most interesting part was that without the down jacket's cover... that small face that was always hidden behind the collar was revealed.

Her baby face had a delicate nose with a few small freckles. Her lips were pursed, her eyes were large, her eyelashes were moist, and the corners of her eyes were tinged with red. She always looked at people with a timid, evasive gaze.

Yet because of this, she had a strange sense of fragility.

Chen Yu realized he had never noticed this girl before; after all, she was always hiding behind the crowd.

Looking closely now, she was actually quite eye-catching.

Then again, she was a girl from Haicheng Film Academy; her looks and figure were bound to be top-tier.

It was just that she was usually too cowardly, completely masking her outward advantages.

"Is something wrong?"

Lin Yue noticed Chen Yu's gaze and asked in a small voice.

Chen Yu waved his hand. "It's nothing."

Now was not the time to think about such things.

Three minutes left... the countdown flickered like a death warrant.