Rules-related weird stories: 4016

Twisted layers intertwined endlessly. Lin Yi was like an adventurer constantly escaping within a collapsing cave. Countless rocks collapsed around him. His steps became more and more clumsy, but he knew he couldn't stop for even a moment.

As long as he stopped, the unknown and twisted darkness would catch up and devour him, dragging him into an abyss of no return.

He desperately fled, finally sensing his "main body" on the other side of the passage. He mustered all his strength and rushed out, and then—

「Boom—」

The light dissipated, and a familiar scent surged into his mind.

He had returned to the bookshelf area at the back of the lecture hall.

… …

May 10, X023, 9:01 AM, Group B, Class 2.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Lin Yi suddenly woke up, then gasped violently, like a drowning man who had finally managed to breathe fresh air.

Li Huiyuan's voice sounded in his ear: "Lin Yi, are you, are you okay?"

“I'm fine…” Lin Yi sighed, and was about to put away the Ouroboros Ring when he suddenly noticed that Li Huiyuan's face was a little pale and unsightly. He quickly turned around and asked with concern, “What's wrong with you?”

Li Huiyuan gave him a deep look, pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and still asked, "Where… where was that just now?"

“Huh?” Lin Yi was stunned, and suddenly shocked, “Wait, you saw it too?”

“What do you mean 'too'?” Li Huiyuan widened her eyes, “Didn't you take me to see it together?”

“Ah?” Lin Yi opened his mouth wide, “I…”

Damn it, I don't know! What's going on? How could you see it?

Could it be…

He glanced at the hand Li Huiyuan was holding, which was clutching the Ouroboros Ring.

「Could it be because of the Ouroboros Ring?」

「The Ouroboros Ring not only amplified my perception but also amplified Li Huiyuan. Then, I took her perception with me and leaped through the layers?」

「Hiss… Can it be like this?」

But, only this explanation made sense.

Seeing the strange look on Lin Yi's face, Li Huiyuan's expression also turned strange: "Then wouldn't that… not be your intention?"

“Uh, this…” Lin Yi didn't know what to say. If he had to explain, it would be a long story.

“If it's very complicated, I won't ask. But why do I seem to hear a lot of children's voices, and they're all calling your name? Is that what you want to do, but… is there any danger in that?”

Li Huiyuan didn't seem to sense any danger.

Of course, Lin Yi didn't feel any danger either—except for when he returned.

“Hiss—ah, this…?” Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat. Because their senses were connected, she even heard the voices of those small sculptures?

His expression was a little unsightly, not because Li Huiyuan had glimpsed any secrets, but because he was worried that such shared perception would allow Li Huiyuan to be polluted by unknown forces.

“What else did you see?” Lin Yi asked worriedly. He wanted to know if Li Huiyuan had only seen the situation in the library with him, or if she had also seen the passage during the perceptual leap and the starry night scene. That terrifying scene of the layer collapsing, if it fell on Li Huiyuan's mind, could very likely have some impact on Li Huiyuan.

For Li Huiyuan, a physical education student in the early stages, it didn't seem like a good thing to come into contact with those levels of things in advance.

「Eh… Why do I feel that Li Huiyuan's level of pollution is very shallow?」 Lin Yi was slightly stunned. He didn't know when it started, but he seemed to only treat Li Huiyuan as someone he needed to protect.

That's strange…

Upon hearing this, Li Huiyuan thought carefully for a while, and then asked doubtfully: "I only saw a place with a lot of strange pillars and bookshelves. I didn't see anything else… Should I have seen something else?"

“No…” Lin Yi breathed a long sigh of relief after hearing this. It's good that she didn't…

Even so, Lin Yi still looked at Li Huiyuan very seriously, staring at her watery eyes, grabbing her shoulders with both hands, and then said very seriously: "Huihui, listen to me carefully. Those things you saw just now, when you get back to the gymnasium, you must tell the boss, and then listen to what the boss says, understand!"

“Okay, I will.” Seeing Lin Yi so solemn for the first time, Li Huiyuan didn't dare to be careless and immediately agreed.

But she suddenly thought of something, and suddenly frowned: "That's not right, why 'when I get back to the gymnasium'? Are you really not planning to go to the gymnasium with me?"

Her tone was extremely serious, as if she was questioning him.

You said you'd see how it goes, but now you're not even looking at the situation?!

That's too much!

Lin Yi pursed his lips. Time was tight and the task was heavy, so he really might not have time to go to the gymnasium.

Moreover, he didn't want to lie to Li Huiyuan, so he said: "My situation hasn't been determined yet… I still have to meet up with Young Master Tian and the others."

“Why are you always Young Master Tian, Liangzi, and the like? I feel like your friendship ratio is a bit too high. Don’t I and the boss appeal to your XP?”

“Pfft…” Lin Yi almost spat out a mouthful of old blood, “No, you this…”

Good heavens… Lin Yi wiped away some sweat. Do you have to be so fierce? Why are you bringing up XP…

And about the XP thing… Does the boss know?

“That’s just a preference… Don’t apply it to reality…” Lin Yi was embarrassed and quickly ended the topic. Don’t be like this, the boss will kick me to death, “Let’s go give the books to Liangzi first…”

He secretly put the Ouroboros Ring back into the stone box in his backpack, and then walked forward.

“Hehe.” Li Huiyuan sneered and glanced at him, but didn't say anything else, “What does the great Liangzi need to read? Let me help you choose.”

“I’ll do it, just help me hold them.” As Lin Yi said that, he handed 《Super Fierce Battle! The Secret Awakening of Magical Girls!》 to Li Huiyuan.

Looking at the book in her hand, Li Huiyuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, secretly noting down the magical girl's attire on the cover, but she couldn't help but mutter in her heart, is this Lin Yi's hobby…?

Pink, white… Isn't it similar to what I wore that day? Could it be that I actually hit his XP, but he just didn't admit it?

Heh, men.

The corners of Li Huiyuan's mouth unconsciously turned up.

“Take this one too… Eh, what are you smiling about?” Lin Yi handed another book to Li Huiyuan, and couldn't help but ask when he saw Li Huiyuan's mouth, which was harder to suppress than an AK.

Li Huiyuan quickly suppressed her smile and coughed dryly: "It's nothing, I just thought of something happy."

“Oh…” Lin Yi responded, and didn't say anything else, but continued to pick out some H manga that he felt a connection with.

In the end, Lin Yi and Li Huiyuan left the bookshelf area with 8 H manga.

… …

May 10, X023, 8:59 AM, 「?」 Layer of the Library.

In the layer with the black and white Doric columns, a not-so-large group of art students had gathered around a bookshelf, almost filling the limited space around it.

The art teacher, holding a lamp-like transcendent artifact, was examining the surrounding environment with an incomparably solemn expression.

A somewhat thin art student was slumped on the ground, breathing heavily in lingering shock.

The surrounding art students were telling him what they had seen.

"Li-ge, you were writing information into the book, but suddenly you fell silent, and your aura became somewhat stiff and wooden..."

"Then you seemed like a different person, observing the surrounding environment..."

"I remember the look in your eyes... It was terrifying, not like a human's eyes at all..."

"That's right... The intensity of that gold color was like the eyes of the most terrifying demon from the depths of nightmares..."

"I immediately knew your mind was being invaded, but as soon as I called out to the teacher, your eyes became clear and foolish again..."

"Speaking of which, don't take the opportunity to grope me, or I'll beat you up..." Li Zidan, while still catching his breath, glared at him fiercely.

The art teacher, after inspecting the area, found nothing unusual and couldn't help but frown, asking, "Li Zidan, did you feel anything just now?"

Li Zidan shook his head with a clear and foolish expression: "No..."

"Think carefully, don't refuse right away." The art teacher stared at him, his tone becoming stricter. "You know that the mental state of the 'Messenger' must be strictly monitored. If cracks appear in your will..."

Li Zidan's body trembled subconsciously: "Teacher, wait for me to think!"

He thought seriously, then suddenly raised a finger, like the signature move of a beef noodle master: "Got it!"

"I thought of something!"

"Just now, I actually felt some faint fluctuations coming from the book... Teacher, do you think it's possible that someone at the campus was reading this book, and their perception seeped through?"

"Absolutely impossible." The art teacher shook his head slightly, utterly certain, immediately ruling out the correct option.

"'Perception Seepage' belongs to the realm of 'Mental Leap,' the most profound art within the 'Perception System.' Even the most outstanding 'Executive Officer' among us cannot achieve a leap through just one book."

An art student secretly counted on his fingers, measuring the gap between the realms of perception: "Perception... Advanced Perception... Transcendent Vision... Layer Insight... Will Leap... Will Interference..."

"It's a difference of three levels..."

"If I remember correctly, even Xian-ge has only reached the level of 'Transcendent Vision'..."

The art teacher nodded: "That's right, Mu Daxian is exceptionally talented and has only achieved 'Transcendent Vision.' Many of us have barely touched the threshold of 'Layer Insight,' as for 'Will Leap'..."

"Among the hundred Dream Weavers recorded in the Alliance, no more than five can achieve it..."

"If those people came in, we couldn't possibly be unaware."

"Then teacher, what exactly happened just now?" Li Zidan asked, puzzled. He didn't want his mind to have problems.

The art teacher shook his head: "I didn't find anything unusual after inspecting. The intrusion definitely came from outside... I've already informed the campus to see if they can help investigate."

"Have the other groups finished writing the information?"

"We're done."

"We are too."

"Finished..."

Everyone responded one after another.

"Good, Li Zidan, what about you?"

"I actually... finished writing too."

"Alright, then pack up and prepare to return to the art building. Rest well, tonight will be another fierce battle." The art teacher said.

Hearing this, the other art students became nervous, each of them looking apprehensive.

"Teacher... This time, it's taking too long..."

The art teacher also frowned, his eyes full of worry: "Yes... In the past, it would have been over by yesterday, but this time, the peak doesn't seem to have arrived yet..."

"The 'Night Watchers' have added three warnings. Tonight... everyone must be prepared to defend the art building to the death."

"Let's go..."

"Okay!" The art students looked at each other, and although they could see the worry in each other's eyes, there was even more determination and fearlessness.

The sculptures on the Doric columns were stiff and motionless, but their eyeballs were rolling, watching the backs of the art teacher and the art students.

This scene was very similar to the scene in the Lesser Thunderclap Monastery where the fake Arhats were watching Tang Sanzang and his disciples...

Until the art teacher and the art students left, they didn't make any noise, and the art teacher and the others didn't seem to notice their existence at all.

It's unknown whether the rules mentioned "ignoring" them, or whether they... simply couldn't see these sculptures.

...

May 10, X023, 9:05 AM, Class 2, Group B.

Lin Yi walked out of the bookshelf area with a book in his arms. As soon as he left the bookshelf area, before he could walk towards Wei Liang, he noticed that the homeroom teacher - 040 had seen him.

Homeroom teacher - 040's eyes clearly flickered for a moment, and then she seemed to realize something, and immediately returned to Lin Yi's side, as if very deliberately saying, I wasn't waiting for you to appear, I just happened to see you.

Lin Yi was slightly stunned, and then he saw homeroom teacher - 040 organize the folder, and then slowly walked down the podium with her high heels.

"Da, da, da..."

Under the morning light, the black stockings seemed to steal some kind of magic, outlining the homeroom teacher - 040's leg shape. Every step seemed to step on Lin Yi's heart, puffing and puffing, making his eyes straight...

Homeroom teacher - 040 opened the door and left the classroom, and Lin Yi's sight finally stayed on the door.

"Hey, she's already walked far away." Li Huiyuan's obviously unkind voice sounded in Lin Yi's ear, as if squeezing lemon juice into Lin Yi's gums.

"Cough cough!" Lin Yi coughed dryly, withdrew his gaze, and silently walked towards Wei Liang's seat with the book in his arms.

Li Huiyuan obviously wouldn't let Lin Yi go. She narrowed her eyes and quickly stepped forward, then tentatively said, "I can also wear black stockings, you know~"

"Pfft..." Lin Yi staggered and almost slipped, subconsciously saying, "You're not old enough, you don't have that flavor... Ah, no, I mean, that, that... Damn..."