At that moment, the system, which had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
[May I ask if the host is not a modern person?] A line of text flashed on the system panel.
Qin Tang stared intently at the system panel before her, feeling a surge of anger.
One after another, they kept saying she wasn't a modern person—what did that even mean?
"(Do you have a death wish, or do you want to live?)"
However, the system didn't seem to care about her threat and continued, [But the host can't find me anyway.]
Qin Tang let out a cold laugh and questioned, "(Do you think there are no conditions for becoming a system administrator?)"
And so, Qin Tang and the system engaged in a fierce war of words.
Time passed minute by minute, and before they knew it, an hour and a half had quietly slipped away.
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, another generic system finally broke the deadlock with an announcement:
"[The instance 'The Family Is Not Normal' has officially begun. Please proceed to the designated locations and play your assigned roles. This is a multiplayer instance, and player assistance mode can be requested. The total number of players is thirteen.]"
Immediately after, a navigation window popped up on each player's system panel, but strangely, everyone's navigation location was different.
Seeing this, Qin Tang couldn't help but feel puzzled and asked, "(Do we have to obtain the rules ourselves?)"
She turned to the other system, hoping to get more information from it.
[Upon reaching the designated location, three rules will be provided to each player, provided you can arrive alive]
"(You're really setting us up like this?)"
[Please remember, host, this is a strange-tale world. Always stay alert]
"(Don't worry, I'm not that stupid.)"
As she spoke, Qin Tang started walking toward the marked location.
She was well aware that she didn't possess any special abilities, so she had to be even more cautious than anyone else.
She figured many people probably thought the same way, but it wasn't until she actually encountered a specter that she understood what it meant to "merge with the instance."
However, this system was just too unreliable!
"Hey, you did that on purpose, didn't you!" Qin Tang couldn't help but shout.
[It was your fault for not asking me beforehand. Besides, I have the right to choose whether or not to tell you.] The system replied righteously.
Qin Tang had no choice but to sigh helplessly. At that moment, she was drenched in sweat, as if she had just been fished out of water.
Just moments ago, as she nervously made her way to the designated location, she suddenly ran into a grotesque specter.
In an instant, Qin Tang was scared out of her wits and immediately took off running.
Witnessing her panicked state, the system couldn't help but feel surprised.
[You seemed so calm and composed earlier, so why are you so scared now?] It asked curiously.
Qin Tang, as if having lost her soul, responded faintly, "Fear…"
An image flashed in her mind: a woman shouting at her to run, only to collapse in a pool of blood herself. Behind the woman, a pair of blood-red eyes stared fixedly at her.
Suddenly, Qin Tang encountered another specter at a corner. Just as she was trapped between the two, she quickly turned her head. At that moment, a ghastly specter silently brushed past her.
Qin Tang was momentarily stunned but soon snapped back to reality, forming a startling thought.
She cautiously moved forward, trying to approach the specter ahead.
To her surprise, however, the specter completely ignored her and walked straight past toward her back.
Seeing this, Qin Tang swiftly turned around again, her gaze fixed on the specter gradually moving away.
But no matter how intently she stared, the specter continued walking straight ahead until it finally disappeared from her sight.
"System, what's going on? Am I invisible? But I definitely don't have that ability!" Qin Tang asked, full of confusion.
[Host, it seems you didn't pay close attention to the earlier mission announcement.] The system's voice echoed in her mind.
Qin Tang carefully recalled the details and suddenly remembered something.
"Merge with the instance?" she murmured to herself.
[Correct.] The system confirmed.
In fact, Qin Tang had been so focused on the identity of the system administrator earlier that she hadn't delved deeper into other information.
"What does that mean exactly?" Qin Tang pressed.
[You are the chosen fated laborer for us.] The system explained.
"Can you explain it more clearly?" Qin Tang was eager to know more.
[Right now, you are like these specters. They will see you as one of their own. You could say you are our undercover agent in the human world, so naturally, these specters won't harm you.]
"But what if I break the rules?"
[No consequences. Your rank is slightly higher than theirs. However, if you encounter a specter with a higher rank than you, breaking the rules will still result in death.]
As Qin Tang walked, she asked curiously, "You even have ranks here?"
The system replied, [Of course! We classify specters into three levels based on their abilities: low-level, mid-level, and high-level specters. Each rank is further divided into twenty nodes, categorized as either ordinary or malevolent specters.]
Qin Tang continued, "So, are the specters in this instance low-level?"
The other party nodded and said, [Yes, this is a low-level two-star instance. The strength of specters inside the instance is limited to below low-level ten nodes, and aside from the instance rules, they are all ordinary specters. However, we can't guarantee there won't be any unexpected occurrences.]
Hearing this, Qin Tang couldn't help but complain, "You guys are really something else!"
The other party responded calmly, [The world is treacherous; there is no permanent safe haven.]
Then, Qin Tang asked, "So what rank am I?"
The other party replied, [According to the system settings, you are currently a mid-level specter with twelve nodes.]
Qin Tang was immediately stunned and exclaimed, "Hey, what's going on? I'm a human! How did I become a mid-level specter?"
However, the mysterious system spoke in an icy tone, with a hint of arrogance, [Apologies, but these are the system settings. Once set, they cannot be changed.]
Qin Tang gritted her teeth and nodded. "Just you wait until I find you."
[Host, you should hurry to the designated location.]
Qin Tang really didn't want to continue chatting with it, because every time they talked, the other party ended up happily laughing while she was left feeling annoyed.
After learning about this setting, Qin Tang fearlessly and boldly made her way to the destination.
What she saw was a rather warm and peaceful residential area. Seeing that the system hadn't sent any new messages, Qin Tang decided to take a leisurely stroll around.
Aside from the fact that everyone here wasn't human, everything else seemed fairly normal.
Qin Tang watched with interest as a drama unfolded: a middle-aged female specter was trying to take her young child to school when the child was suddenly hit by a speeding car. Despite all efforts to save the child, it was too late, and the child ultimately died.
When the child's father arrived at the scene, he actually assaulted the woman on the street in a fit of rage before forcibly dragging her back home.
After watching this spectacle, Qin Tang was considering whether to wander around a bit more.
At that moment, the system suddenly announced: [All players have arrived at their designated locations. A total of five players died during the journey, leaving eight players remaining. Players will now be randomly assigned to corresponding families.]
Shortly after, the system notification sounded again: [Assignment complete. Please proceed to your assigned family within three minutes. Players who fail to arrive on time will bear the consequences themselves.]
Qin Tang stared wide-eyed at the screen, utterly astonished, and thought to herself, "No way! What a coincidence! Isn't this the family of specters I just watched in that drama?"
She glanced at the death toll section and couldn't help but click her tongue. "Seriously? Even a low-level instance like this has such a high mortality rate? Does that mean no one can survive mid-level and high-level instances?"
[Currently, the highest-level instances we've released are mid-level three-star ones.] the system replied.
"Has anyone managed to clear them?" Qin Tang asked curiously.
[No.] the system responded coldly.
"Just as I thought. The mechanics you've designed are way too difficult. I doubt anyone can clear them smoothly," Qin Tang remarked with a scoff.
[Host, this is an internal matter of ours. There's no need for you to worry about it.] the system reminded her.
"Heh, don't worry. I'm not the meddling type. As long as it doesn't affect me, everything's fine," Qin Tang said with a grin.
"Alright, let's go in and see what this so-called 'rules-based strange tale' is all about."
Soon enough, she arrived at the doorstep of the family.
To be honest, if she hadn't witnessed the scene earlier, she might not have been able to find this place within three minutes on her own.
[Congratulations on reaching the family. Your current role is their daughter. Due to the father's severe preference for sons over daughters, you have never been favored since childhood and have often been subjected to beatings and scoldings.] The system continued to introduce the background of the mission.
[Three rules are now issued to you]
[Rule 1: The father likes your younger brother very much. Do not attempt to anger your younger brother, or the father will get angry.
Rule 2: The father loves the mother very much. If you want to ask the father for something, tell the mother and let her approach the father.
Rule 3: If the father is not home, do not speak to your younger brother.]
[Rules have been issued. Please play your role well and avoid giving yourself away, or you will bear the consequences.]
Looking at the three rules, Qin Tang felt that the second rule was off. She had just witnessed the man hitting the woman, so how could he love her very much?
"Can the rules be wrong?"
She asked the system again.
[The world is treacherous. Do not trust anyone or any specter.]
End of Chapter Two.