Weird Rules Rumor: At The Beginning, He Insisted That He Was Not Dead

It all happened too quickly. The shadow slithered forward like a snake. Even at Bai Shen’s full sprinting speed, he still couldn’t close the distance.

“I’m running full throttle, yet you still slip away. This isn’t normal!” Bai Shen said, glaring at the shadow with blatant distrust.

The moment he finished speaking, the shadow froze.

Only now did Bai Lian finally see its true form.

It had a human head, but below the neck coiled a serpentine body. Its features were distorted, and critically—it possessed only one eye!

The creature writhed in place, its body locked in struggle. Desperation radiated from its attempts to crawl forward, but its limbs refused to obey.

Suddenly, it heard footsteps and stilled. Its blood-blackened eye swiveled toward Bai Lian.

Though motionless, Bai Lian sensed emotion in its gaze. Its tail quivered faintly—a detail only someone observant would catch.

“Are you scared?”

“Tell me. Why were you running?”

Should I have just waited to die?

The creature trembled harder, its tail shaking violently as fear pooled in its eye.

When impatience flickered across Bai Lian’s face, it finally stammered:

“You… hisss~ …I… can’t win hisss~”

Bai Lian crossed his arms. Watching the fork-tongued creature struggle to articulate, he pieced together its meaning.

Can’t win—a reasonable explanation.

“Now answer my questions.”

“Hisss~ Okay!”

Thwack!

A sharp slap struck its face. The creature stared in bewilderment, unsure what it had done wrong.

“I said: I ask, you answer,” Bai Lian dusted off his hand, his gaze cold and detached—a killer’s stare.

The creature shuddered.

It considered nodding but froze, terrified of provoking another blow.

Fzzzt!

A violet annihilation beam vaporized part of its tail.

Creature: …

Didn’t you promise not to hit me?

“Just kill me,” the creature suddenly hissed, wrinkles forming around its eye. This time, its tongue stayed tucked, words clipped and clear.

Bai Lian tilted his head:

“Give me a reason.”

“My instincts say you lack honor. Even if I answer, you’ll kill me anyway. Better a quick death than being your plaything.”

Bai Lian raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected this anomaly to be so lucid—or to see through his intent.

“No, I won’t kill you,” he said, lips quirking faintly as he studied the creature.

“Don’t believe you,” it retorted.

Fzzzt!

Another annihilation beam sheared off more of its tail.

Post-impact, it nodded fervently:

“I believe! You’re clearly different—a man of your word! People like you keep promises!”

There. Should’ve said that earlier and spared the pain.

Some creatures just need… encouragement.

Bai Lian ignored its groveling and cut to the chase:

“How do we escape this train car?”

“Walk forward. Half an hour, and you’re out,” it replied swiftly.

Walk forward? But the note mentioned someone trapped for days. If the creature spoke truth, why hadn’t they escaped?

Bai Lian narrowed his eyes, voice icing over:

“Lying to me?”

The creature shook its head frantically:

“Not lying! Forward will get you out!”

“Then you walk. I’ll follow,” Bai Lian ordered.

“Can’t. Rules bind me here. Follow me, and you’ll loop forever,” it blurted.

Thwack!

Another slap. Bai Lian glared:

“You claim honesty? If you’re trapped, how do you know the exit?”

The creature’s eye darted wildly before it whispered, trembling:

“Hiss… I am trapped! But walking forward does work! Truth!”

【After repeated beatings, the creature’s sanity unravels.】

【It’s near tears. Who’s the real monster here?!】

【Since when do anomalies get bullied like this?】

【Bai Shen: You decide if I’m the anomaly.】

【Wrong glance? Instant slap. Even anomalies have limits!】

【Maybe it’s telling the truth. Facing death, lies fade.】

【This car’s endless. Half an hour to exit? Unlikely…】

...

“Do you know the clearance conditions?” Bai Lian finally asked, deciding to test its claim.

The creature seemed clever yet cowardly—low odds of lying. But deception wasn’t impossible.

“No clue. Knew them, I’d be gone,” it answered honestly.

“Fine.”

Bai Lian turned to leave. More clues lay in other cars.

The creature watched him go, relieved.

“Never thought I’d meet someone… honorable,” it muttered, touched.

Though the slaps stung and its tail was gone—regeneration would take ages—survival mattered. It vowed to strategize better next time, avoiding psychos like him.

As it slithered away, relief turned to horror.

Fzzzt!

A violet beam exploded its skull from behind. The body disintegrated mid-crawl toward freedom.

Bai Lian walked on, his shadow—the Dungeon Shadow Sovereign—merging seamlessly with his form.

【Bai Shen honors his word! He said he wouldn’t kill it!】

【Bai Shen: My shadow did that. Not me.】

【Perfect logic. Shadow’s dishonor ≠ Bai Shen’s.】

【Creature: Should’ve slept with one eye open. Or none.】