For a soon-to-be graduate who was tight on funds, encountering inexplicable phenomena beyond scientific understanding was far from the most pressing issue.
Before pondering the mysteries of the world, Xu Dengming had to first consider her survival.
For instance, how to choose her next job target, or where to have her next meal.
Standing in front of her empty refrigerator, Xu Dengming couldn’t help but adjust her plans for the day.
Since the area around the Sunflower Apartment lacked any commercial zones worth negotiating over, she often visited the nearby Azalea Street for shopping.
Azalea Street was an old district in the outer suburbs.
Although its population density wasn’t as high as before, the basic commercial areas and residential districts were still well-preserved, and often held promotional events.
Before heading to the market, Xu Dengming needed to return the books she had borrowed from the Square Root Five Library last time: History of Urban Development, The Lost Study of Folklore, The Impact of Natural Disasters on Human Social Structures, and Extreme Climates and Biological Changes.
The Square Root Five Library was also near Azalea Street, and due to its abundant book resources and low deposit fees for library cards, it maintained long-term collaborations with many charitable organizations, making it quite popular with the residents of the outer suburbs.
Xu Dengming was also a regular at Square Root Five.
The sky had turned a little gloomy, and the wind began to howl.
After returning the books, Xu Dengming pulled her coat tighter around her and wondered if she had been too trusting of the weather forecast that had predicted “no rain” for the day, quickening her steps.
Just under a kilometer away from the library was the commercial district.
But calling it a “commercial district” would be an overstatement—it wasn’t particularly busy.
Perhaps it was because the developers had chosen a location too far from the bustling central business area.
Xu Dengming glanced around and noticed several storefronts on the opposite side of the road, each with a sign reading “Shop for Rent.”
A minute later, the traffic light turned green, and Xu Dengming, hands in her pockets, made her way across the street with a clear goal in mind.
However, just as she had taken three steps, her vision suddenly shifted in a strange way.
It was as though the screen of an old second-hand television was malfunctioning, the once-clear image now distorted with static, and the intersection before her was suddenly shrouded in a blurry, dark gray mist.
Instinctively, Xu Dengming stopped in her tracks.
Almost at the same moment, the sound of screeching brakes filled the air.
A car, clearly speeding, nearly drifted past her at high speed, only to adjust its direction at the last second before crashing into a concrete barrier, swerving back onto its path with a lopsided motion.
The car’s tires left dark scorch marks on the road.
Xu Dengming: It was close.
That car, which hadn’t transformed the street corner into a flower bed, had almost collided with her in a dramatic and forceful impact.
After narrowly avoiding the accident, Xu Dengming reached up and rubbed her eyes.
Once the car had driven away, the ominous gray mist vanished, and her vision returned to normal.
The experience gave Xu Dengming a deeper understanding of the Eye of Observation she had drawn yesterday.
Under normal circumstances, the Eye of Observation would only activate when Xu Dengming consciously used the skill.
However, in life-threatening situations, the skill could also be triggered automatically to prevent the user from being permanently offline before they could enhance themselves.
The brief interruption at the intersection didn’t delay Xu Dengming’s plans.
Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the entrance D of the Jin Cai Mall in the Azalea Street commercial area.
The Jin Cai Mall had four floors, and it wasn’t very large.
The third floor housed a cheap supermarket area with plenty of discounted near-expiry food—exactly what Xu Dengming was after.
She pressed the elevator button and entered.
The elevator was not crowded; the few people inside were scattered, all of them following the common urban habit—looking down at their phones.
The content online these days wasn’t as rich or interesting as it had been before the great natural disasters, but there weren’t many other forms of entertainment for ordinary people.
Xu Dengming stood by the wall, about to take out her phone when the familiar feeling of vision distortion struck again.
She could clearly see that in an instant, the entire elevator was enveloped in a dark, ominous mist.
With the experience from the intersection earlier, Xu Dengming quickly realized that she was about to face some kind of danger.
Considering the black mist had appeared only after she entered the elevator, Xu Dengming’s mind briefly flashed with images of countless social media headlines about elevators malfunctioning due to aging components, causing fatal accidents.
As a university student familiar with basic self-help methods, Xu Dengming confirmed that the elevator hadn’t started moving yet, and immediately attempted to walk toward the control panel to open the doors again.
But her body seemed to be stuck in thick, cold glue, and every movement took immense effort.
The pervasive pressure made it difficult to breathe, and even her hearing and vision were gradually submerged.
The disorienting sensation didn’t last long.
When Xu Dengming felt lightheaded again, she realized she was still in the elevator.
But this elevator was no longer the same one as before.
It felt as if she were a plastic figurine, forcibly moved from one space to another, a force so strong it was both irresistible and unrecognizable.
The lighting around her was dim, and although the ceiling lights were on, it still gave off an old, gloomy feeling.
The control panel had changed, now displaying floors “B2, B1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8” instead of the simple “1, 2, 3, 4” from before.
The illuminated button showed she was currently on “B2.”
After the spatial shift, the only reassuring thing for Xu Dengming was that the people in the elevator were the same as before. Including herself, there were six people in total.
A short-haired student, who had been immersed in her phone earlier, looked up in surprise, frozen for a moment before asking uncertainly, “…Where is this?”
No one could answer her.
At this moment, most of the passengers were staring at a black notice on the wall.
“Elevator Usage Rules”
“To ensure a good user experience, the following requirements have been set for passengers:”
“1. Please refrain from loud noises and avoid disturbing others.”
“2. This elevator is public property, please use it carefully.”
“3. If a passenger does not need to use the elevator, please do not stay in the cabin for more than 15 seconds.”
“4. To save time, each passenger may only press the floor button twice.”
“5. If a passenger accidentally misses their desired floor, they can press the button again. When the elevator reaches the destination a second time, the passenger must leave.”
“6. After the countdown ends, the elevator will be officially in use.”
“Good luck :)”
At the end of the notice, there was a highly sarcastic smiley face.
The countdown was displayed beneath it, with only four minutes and thirty-six seconds remaining.
The preparation time for the passengers was rapidly dwindling.
Although Xu Dengming had experience with abandoned office buildings, she still felt utterly confused by the current situation.
However, this did not prevent her from quickly reading through the notice and making some basic judgments.
Much like the previous Escape Room game, the goal here was to find the key to leave before the countdown ended.
The elevator scenario also provided some context, meaning that the clues to escape were likely hidden in this information.
After Xu Dengming finished reading the black notice, she shifted her gaze to the other passengers in the elevator.
Perhaps because of the strange change in the environment, everyone present seemed distant and cautious.
Standing at the front was a young man who looked to be no older than thirty.
His facial features were sharp, with a hint of arrogance in his eyebrows and eyes.
He wore an eye-catching outfit that was tailored to fit his frame perfectly. On his right hand, he wore an intricately designed ring, while his left wrist displayed a watch—one from a high-end brand that was known for its expensive reputation.
Even though Xu Dengming wasn’t well-versed in the fashion trends of the inner city, she recognized the watch as a luxury item.
Not far from the young man stood a girl who appeared to be barely in her twenties.
She wore a jade pendant around her neck, and her eyes were shaped somewhat like a cat’s.
The “cat-eyed” girl dressed in a dark, punk style, adorned with various avant-garde accessories.
Her face was unnaturally pale, and she wore heavy black eyeliner.
It seemed she noticed someone staring at her, as she slightly tilted her head back.
Before Xu Dengming’s gaze met hers, she instinctively averted her eyes.
The remaining three people in the elevator were the short-haired student who had spoken earlier, and two office workers.
The two office workers were quite similar in appearance, the main difference being that one looked more tired, while the other appeared fresh out of school, still carrying the innocence of youth.
After a brief silence, the tired office worker suddenly spoke up.
“This situation… I think I’ve seen something similar online.”
The short-haired student immediately asked, “What do you mean by ‘similar situation’?”
The tired office worker furrowed his brows, clearly trying to recall.
“I remember someone saying that if you suddenly encounter a very strange and inexplicable situation, it means you’ve entered great danger. But if you’re lucky, as long as you meet certain conditions, you can leave.”
He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.
“But the post was quickly deleted, and I didn’t think much of it.”
Before anyone else could respond, a slightly sarcastic laugh echoed through the elevator.
It was the young man wearing the watch.
His laughter wasn’t loud, but in the quiet space of the elevator, it was especially clear.
He glanced around at everyone before speaking casually, “Don’t overthink it. You can think of this situation as entering a ‘game scenario,’ and the black notice above tells us the rules for the ‘dungeon’ we’re participating in. It’s not too bad. The only thing we need to do is find the correct floor and we can leave the dungeon.”
The tired office worker asked, “Are you sure?”
The young man lifted his chin slightly. “My name is Dou Wenju.”
After the young man introduced himself, the elevator fell into silence once again.
But rather than being shocked by his background, most people were left wondering, “Who is Dou Wenju?”
He had emphasized his surname, likely from a prominent family, but for ordinary people who didn’t follow others’ lives too closely, a name like “Li Hua” or “Han Meimei” would have been far more recognizable, especially since many students had written homework for the latter two…
As someone who didn’t know “Dou Wenju” either, the short-haired student changed his approach and cautiously asked, “Mr. Dou, have you encountered a situation like this before?”
Dou Wenju paused before answering, “Many people in my family have.”
Although he hadn’t experienced it himself, it was good news that he had some experience to draw from.
The “cat-eyed” girl stared at the black notice on the wall and said, “This ‘Shopping Mall Elevator Riding Rules’ is interesting…”
Her expression was very calm, and her way of speaking was quite different from her appearance. She didn’t show any unease at suddenly being thrust into a dangerous situation.
Dou Wenju noticed this too. He looked at her for a moment and asked, “What’s your name?”
The “cat-eyed” girl gave a small smile and answered, “Ji Zizai.”
Dou Wenju furrowed his brows, looking a bit puzzled.
The tired office worker cautiously asked, “Do you two know each other?”
Dou Wenju shook his head and dryly replied, “No, we don’t.”
His expression showed obvious confusion.
“I just think the name is a bit strange.”
He then gave a half-hearted nod towards Ji Zizai.
“No offense, Miss Ji, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The others seemed to understand—Dou Wenju likely had an enemy with the same name.
With Dou Wenju and Ji Zizai starting the conversation, the others, taking advantage of the remaining countdown, quickly introduced themselves.
The short-haired student was named Lin Yunhui, just like Xu Dengming, he was on his way to the library.
After finishing his book, he had come to the mall to take a stroll.
The two office workers were named Zhang Zhiqun and Zhao Yilang.
For them, this was the most unfortunate time to avoid working overtime.
When it was Xu Dengming’s turn, she casually made up a name: “I’m Xu Ming.”
The passengers were just coincidentally stuck together by this strange phenomenon, and none of them had any intention of deep conversation.
Once the introductions were over, they calmed down and began to seriously analyze the black notice.
Zhang Zhiqun whispered, “This place gives me an uncomfortable feeling. Is the elevator we’re in dangerous? Once the door opens, let’s hurry and get out.”
Xu Dengming shook her head.
“The elevator may be strange, but compared to other areas, it might actually be the safest place.”
Zhang Zhiqun asked, “Why?”
Xu Dengming said this partly because she didn’t want the temporary companions around her to panic, which could hinder their progress.
But also, she had indeed deciphered some clues.
Since someone asked, she decided to share her thoughts:
“The first two rules: the first one says that passengers shouldn’t have a negative impact on others, meaning no fighting in the elevator. The second rule says passengers cannot damage the elevator. From these two rules, we can infer that the elevator is a place where violent behavior is not allowed.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiqun looked at the others in the elevator, and his tense facial muscles relaxed slowly, like a spring that had been stretched for too long finally letting go.
Tftc!