In a corner of the café sat a woman in a flowing white dress, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. She waved at Chi Mu.
Chi Mu smiled and walked over to her.
"Chi Mu?"The woman tilted her head slightly, a warm smile on her face.
Chi Mu let out a sigh of relief. So this was his online lover. Thankfully, she spoke first—and even called him by his full name.
That meant it was safe for him to reply. No violation of Rule 4 or Rule 10.
"Yes, that's me. You're Yang Qu?" Chi Mu returned the smile.
"You're not even calling me 'baby'..."Yang Qu pouted playfully, but to Chi Mu, her flirtatious tone felt unsettling.
Rule 1 kept him on high alert. Was Yang Qu still human? Or had she already been corrupted? He couldn't be sure.
After they sat down, Chi Mu remained extremely cautious. He didn't say a word unless prompted—just as Rule 4 instructed.
As they sipped coffee, Yang Qu gazed at him with adoring eyes but said nothing. Chi Mu, too, stayed silent.
— "Not bad. Chi Mu's staying sharp. No talking unless she initiates—smart move."— "He's probably analyzing the rules right now. We need to speed up our review too—figure out which rule is false."
Back at the Dragon Nation's Rule Horror Command Center, a senior advisor issued a grave order to his team.
Suddenly, Yang Qu spoke."Chi Mu, do you think this coffee is good?"
Chi Mu froze for a split second, then quickly nodded."It's great."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Before speaking, he'd made sure—she had used his real name.
Thanks to the system, he already knew Rule 5 was false. That meant if someone claimed to be his ex-girlfriend, he must not leave with Yang Qu.
Leaving would be a direct violation.
Just then, the café door opened. A gaudily dressed woman walked in and immediately locked eyes with Chi Mu and Yang Qu.
She strolled over, removed her sunglasses, and looked surprised."Oh my god, Chi Mu? It really is you!"She turned to Yang Qu. "Is this your girlfriend?"
Chi Mu frowned slightly. "Yes, this is my girlfriend. Her name's Yang Qu."
The woman blinked, then turned back to Yang Qu."Hi, I'm Chi Mu's ex-girlfriend. My name is Lin Miaomiao."
— "Holy crap! There it is! The ex just showed up! Chi Mu, take Yang Qu and leave now! Rule 5 says you've never had a girlfriend before!"— "He's not moving! Oh no... this is it. We're done for…"
The Dragon Nation livestream chat exploded, comments flying across the screen, nearly blocking the footage.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Chi Mu's next move.
But to their horror—Chi Mu didn't leave.
"Oh, hello."Yang Qu responded coldly, glancing briefly at Lin Miaomiao.
Lin Miaomiao, clearly brushed off, left awkwardly. Chi Mu sat calmly, saying nothing. He didn't leave with Yang Qu either.
Meanwhile, in the Kimchi Nation's livestream, their Chosen One—Park Sibba—immediately grabbed Yang Qu's hand and left the café when Lin Miaomiao claimed to be the ex.
The moment they stepped outside, the screen went black.Park Sibba—dead.
— "Park Sibba died?! But he followed Rule 5!"— "Chi Mu ignored Rule 5, and he's still alive?!"— "Wait... I get it now. Rule 5 was the false one! Chi Mu figured it out all along—that's why he didn't leave!"
— "There was no obvious way to spot that! How did he see through it so fast? Chi Mu's a genius!"
Spies from other nations watching the Dragon Nation livestream immediately reported back to their respective think tanks.
Their analysts wasted no time—they used one of their two precious hint chances to confirm that Rule 5 was indeed false.
Thanks to that tip, several Chosen Ones who were about to leave with Yang Qu narrowly escaped death.
Back in the Dragon Nation stream—
Yang Qu watched Lin Miaomiao walk away, a strange expression flickering across her face.
"Chi Mu," she said sweetly, "let's go back to the hotel. I'm feeling a little tired."
The eerie look on her face startled Chi Mu. He nearly jumped out of his seat.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he replied:"Of course, baby. Let's go back."
They walked together in silence.
Chi Mu's anxiety grew. Yang Qu wasn't talking much—and that worried him. If their relationship cooled too much, he might risk violating Rule 8.
But he couldn't start a conversation either. Rule 4 made that clear. Initiating dialogue could lead to contamination.
"Damn it... what now? If I speak, I might die. If I don't, she might become hostile."
Chi Mu cursed inwardly as his mind raced to find a loophole in the known rules.
At that moment, they entered the elevator. Another woman was already inside—she wore a hotel staff uniform.
"Sir, Miss, which floor are you heading to?" she asked with a professional smile.
Chi Mu answered without thinking, "The ninth floor."
At the same time, the Chosen One from Monkey Nation gave the same answer: "Ninth floor."
The elevator girl nodded—but only pressed the buttons for floors thirteen and fifteen. She skipped the ninth.
Monkey Nation's Chosen One frowned."Miss, we're going to the ninth floor. Did you hear me wrong?"
The stream went dark.He was dead.
— "???"— "Why? He didn't break any rules!"— "Could it be... you're not allowed to repeat your floor number?"
Panic overtook the Monkey Nation stream. A curse was now on its way.
Back in the Dragon Nation, embedded analysts in Monkey Nation immediately relayed the incident to their think tank.
Even they couldn't identify the problem.
Then, more countries reported elevator-related deaths—each time, a Chosen One corrected the staff member after the wrong floor was pressed.
The Dragon Nation's elderly strategist stared hard at the rule sheet. His eyes narrowed as realization struck.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he barked a command:"Use the hint! Chi Mu may not realize what's happening—we cannot let him talk to that elevator girl again!"
"Professor, bad news—the elevator blocks hint transmissions!"
Inside the hotel elevator—
Chi Mu noticed the staff member press only thirteen and fifteen. His expression froze.
Why didn't she press the ninth floor? She had clearly asked!
Chi Mu was about to remind her when something made him look up—She was staring back at him… with an eerie, twisted smile.
"I..."
Chi Mu nearly blurted something out, but a bone-chilling thought exploded in his mind. He slapped a hand over his mouth just in time.
Instead of speaking, he reached forward and pressed the ninth-floor button himself.
Instantly, the woman's strange expression vanished.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir. I must've pressed the wrong button," she said with a smile.
Chi Mu replied calmly, "It's alright."
Back in the Dragon Nation stream, viewers squeezed their eyes shut in despair.
Everyone who spoke to the elevator girl had died. Now Chi Mu had done the same.
They braced for impact.
But ten seconds passed… and Chi Mu and Yang Qu stepped off safely on the ninth floor.
Alive.
The stream exploded in celebration.
— "WHAT?! He's alive?!"— "He spoke to her! How is he still alive?!"— "Wait… I think I get it…"