"I see… so this rule sheet was written after Sanchez's operation, then…"
Kaguya, after all, couldn't possibly read the mind of a thug who had survived the bottom rungs of society for years. At this moment, she was still focused on the newly obtained rule sheet, beginning to relay the information she had gathered to Takumi and Shijō Maki waiting down in the kitchen.
[Shirakawa Apartments 1st Floor Temporary Survival Rules]
[All 1st-floor residents who receive this sheet, please don't panic. Things haven't yet reached the worst stage.]
[I am Kyosei. Although I'm still trapped in Room 309 and unable to leave, the 3rd and 2nd floors have now stabilized again. Those of you on the 1st floor who have received this sheet must follow its instructions—avoid danger as much as possible and search for a way out. The exits on the 1st floor should not be completely sealed yet. You still have hope—don't give up.]
[Below is the situation on the 1st floor as I have confirmed it. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to verify many things repeatedly, but at least most of the rules listed here are valid. After reading, act immediately. The rules within Shirakawa Apartments are now undergoing drastic changes. None of us can be sure how long the content of this rule sheet will remain effective.]
[1. Do not use any light sources; move only in complete darkness.]
[Based on the current changes occurring on the first floor, it can be judged that it seems to have fallen into a temporal disorder—the entire first floor of Shirakawa Apartments has returned to the state of a major flood that happened several decades ago. We still don't know why such a change has occurred, but along with the flowing water, something else has come in as well—things hidden within the water. They are highly sensitive to light. So when you decide to leave your room to explore outside, do not use any lighting equipment—move in the dark. I know it's difficult, but you must never use any illumination devices. Never!]
[2. Ignore all unusual things you see—do not touch, do not speak, and do not show any intent to interact.]
[The change happening on the first floor is not merely being submerged in water. Some... I'm not sure whether they're illusions or something else... have appeared there. I think you've probably seen those things, haven't you? The second person who appeared in your room, the thing that floated up from the water, the voice speaking beside you. Most of these things are harmless—merely images and sounds. But such phenomena are abnormal. I cannot predict what will happen next, yet I feel that their very appearance is dangerous. Do not interact with them—do not listen, do not look, do not respond.]
[3. Do not trust any other survivors besides yourself. Remain alone. If you encounter someone who is overly eager to accompany you, retreat to your room.]
[Strange changes are spreading among the survivors. Some people are becoming more enthusiastic, more hospitable—as if playing the role of a good neighbor. They begin to believe they truly belong to Shirakawa Apartments, unwilling to leave and unwilling for anyone else to leave. Whether this change is consistent with those corpses in Room 304 is still unknown. For now, it seems that as long as you return to your room, those changed survivors will not follow you in.]
[4. When the hallway fills with loud roars, women's screams, the sound of shattering glass, and the chaotic noise of many people pushing each other, find any room you can enter and hide inside. Never stay in the hallway at such a time.]
[The flooded hallway is replaying an event that once occurred there. Do not touch it—that was the moment when the greatest secret was revealed. No living person can survive contact with those things. You must avoid it at all costs. Fortunately, during that scene, only the hallway itself becomes dangerous—as long as you're not in it, you're safe. But don't listen, don't look, don't respond, and never attempt to approach or collect that information.]
[5. When you hear a child's crying that grows louder and louder, pierce your eardrums as fast as you can to stop the sound from reaching your ears. If you cannot do it, kill yourself. It's better to die now.]
[Better to die—you don't want to know. Better to die. Better to die.]
[6. Anyone asking you about a man with the surname Li—always tell them he lives in Room 304.]
[If they can't find the place, take them there. At most, they'll just knock on the door—they won't dare to do anything extreme. Remember to keep your distance, though. Perhaps the door of 304 will open—and at that moment, inside, there will be... danger?]
[7. Do not respond to any children knocking on your door. Do not open it for her.]
[No one will open the door for her. Everyone who lives here knows. Everyone knows—don't cause trouble. Kindness brings no reward. Don't cause trouble.]
[8. Don't blame Sanchez. Don't go to Room 109. In truth, we all knew this day would come sooner or later.]
[Maybe I'm about to die. There are parts of what I've written that I no longer recognize, but I still remember the process of how all of us united and survived. We found a way to live here. We adapted to this place. Once, we were full of enthusiasm, believing that one day we would prevail. But gradually, more and more people began to turn extreme. We all understood deep down that, in an environment where you could die at any moment—or where even death might not come—no one could endure forever, no one could stay rational forever. Even if Sanchez and those who supported him hadn't acted this time, something similar would happen again next time. Even if it wasn't him, someone else would surely stand up.]
[Don't blame him anymore—it's meaningless now. Don't go to Room 109. There's too much information there, too many words. The writing has already become abnormal. The words, along with sounds and images, will become a medium of transmission. Run—escape as fast as possible. The apartment should have already lost that force that once kept us trapped. As long as you can get beyond the apartment's boundary, you'll never be transported back again. Run—run no matter what. Otherwise, just die. Die in your room—at least that way, you can protect the victims who come after you. Who are they?]
[9. Do not go out when the main gate opens. You won't be able to leave. I can't see clearly.]
[I can't leave Room 309. The knocking on my door hasn't stopped—it keeps knocking, keeps knocking. But maybe that's not what matters? My mind, my body—they're reaching their limits. But I must fulfill my final duty. Did you receive it? I hope these rules can help you. Did you receive it? Please—you must survive. You must escape. Did you receive it? Did you receive it?]
[Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive it? You received—you received it—it—you—you received—you received it—it—you received it—received it—it—mama—did you receive it? Did you receive it? Did you receive—you received it—it—received it—did you?]
Beyond this point, the remaining part of the guideline had turned into meaningless gibberish.
This rule sheet, bearing the same signature "Kyosei" as the Shirakawa Apartments Survival Code, contained exactly such contents.
Whether it ever reached the survivors who had once been trapped on the first floor could no longer be known.
But now, it had resurfaced—falling into the hands of Takumi and the group struggling to survive and escape within the apartment.
...
[Creak… creak…]
[Click!]
After a crisp sound, the lock cylinder of Room 204's door popped out, restoring it from its jammed state to one that could finally be used again.
"Fixed it. Though it's just a makeshift job, it should hold for a few days at least."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Yamamoto Hiroshi looked up and smiled at Takumi.
"Thank you very much. With this, we should be able to feel a bit more at ease tonight."
Takumi tried pulling the doorknob. It was indeed only a temporary fix—the handle still had a noticeable stiffness when turned. Compared with before, when it couldn't be moved at all, at least now it could be tugged a few times—it wouldn't be completely stuck anymore.
"Are you really sure that man called Tanaka might strike the clock at any time?"
Not far away, Maki, slightly tense, glanced around and after thinking for a moment, asked again.
"I'm very sure. The last time we ended up completely wiped out had a lot to do with that bastard striking the clock."
Takumi shook his head, looked toward the others in the hallway, then glanced again at the wall clock in Kaguya's hands, with a lingering sense of tension in his heart.
The exploration of the rift in Room 206's kitchen had not lasted long.
After Kaguya confirmed the contents of the second rulebook, Takumi merely attempted one more exploration. This time, he didn't even step out of the living room—instead, he closed the living room door. Then he decided to retreat: first, he shut the first-floor kitchen door, and upon returning to the second floor, carefully covered the crack, closed the kitchen door properly, and only then told everyone to get ready to return to their own rooms.
Tanaka might at any time make use of that Black guy to strike the clock. Once he did, it would cause the entire apartment's time to rapidly enter a darkened state.
Therefore, before that happened, everyone had to return to their rooms.
Yamamoto Hiroshi left Room 206 and used tools he had found in his own room to repair the door of Room 204, helping Takumi and Kaguya resolve the problem of the broken lock. Notably, not long after Yamamoto left the room, Green, who had been ordered by Maki to stand guard at the open doorway of Room 206, discovered that the charred corpse had somehow appeared in the hallway of 206—nearly scaring him to the point of collapse.
Soon after, when Yamamoto returned to Room 206—or more precisely, at the very moment he stepped through the doorway of 206—that charred corpse vanished from the hallway. Then everyone found it again inside the burned wardrobe where it had originally lain.
During the daytime, when residents left their rooms, the corpses inside might react—or might not. But as soon as the residents returned to their rooms, the corpses would fall silent again, returning to their initial state.
Afterward, Takumi even went to take a look inside Green's Room 209, and soon found a mummified corpse hidden in the damaged ceiling. This corpse, like the one in Room 208's refrigerator, showed no response to Green's leaving the room. However, when Green stood outside the door of 209 and Takumi stepped inside, he had barely entered when he heard footsteps coming from within the room. He quickly pulled Green inside, and the two then saw the dried corpse already standing in the living room.
At that moment, Green's face turned ashen—especially after learning that he had to share the same room with that corpse for the night, or else risk being killed by the Horror Story. His face went as green as a frog's, and his entire body trembled with every step as he entered the room.
He was terrified of death.
This man called Green—was very, very afraid of death.
Perhaps because he had already experienced a Horror Story once, Green's fear of supernatural anomalies far exceeded that of others. He clearly understood that in this death game full of crises at every turn, a single wrong step could mean instant death. That was why he was so desperate to cling to others for safety.
He was, in truth, a troublesome guy.
Such was the thought that Takumi couldn't help but have in his heart.
For now, he was obedient because he believed this group could bring him safety—because he believed he could rely on them to survive.
But if the situation became critical—if it reached a point where no one could offer him any sense of security, and instead he had to take risks himself—would he still remain this obedient?
They had to take precautions.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---