After school, Qin Tang walked alone through the quiet alley leading home. The surroundings were dark, with only faint light barely illuminating the path ahead.
Suddenly, a glimmer of light flickered not far in front. Approaching, she found a phone with a cracked screen emitting a weak glow.
On the phone screen, a line of text appeared: [Host, scanning in progress…]
Curious, Qin Tang picked up the phone. Instantly, the text on the screen changed.
[Host selected. Activating binding, please wait…]
Seeing these strange words, Qin Tang felt puzzled but didn't pay much attention.
She casually slipped the phone into her pocket, thinking to herself, "Heh, pretty lucky. I can sell this for a good price!"
Once home, Qin Tang placed the phone in a drawer and then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Humming a tune, she enthusiastically studied a new recipe she had just learned.
However, shortly after she left the room, the forgotten phone suddenly rang with an urgent alarm.
At that moment, Qin Tang was completely focused on using her own phone to look up cooking tips, completely unaware of the commotion in the drawer.
On the phone screen, a message was clearly displayed: [Strange Tales World activated. Would you like to start the instance?] Below were two prominent options: [Yes] and [No].
Unfortunately, Qin Tang, absorbed in the culinary world, remained completely oblivious.
A minute later, the phone suddenly emitted a sharp, piercing alarm.
[Warning! Warning! If no selection is made within two minutes, you will be trapped forever in the Strange Tales World!]
The warning repeated three times in a row, like a death knell from the depths of hell, each chime sending chills down the spine.
Time ticked by, the tension growing thicker. Finally, just as the two minutes were about to end, the phone in the drawer exploded violently without warning.
Boom! A deafening roar echoed as the shockwave from the explosion sent nearby items flying.
Simultaneously, Qin Tang, who had been busy in the kitchen, instantly vanished without a trace.
Qin Tang, still wearing her apron and holding cooking utensils, could only stare wide-eyed at everything before her, frozen in shock.
Her mind went completely blank, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Just then, a sharp, mocking laugh came from behind Qin Tang.
"Haha, sis, look at that person. She actually chose to cook when entering the Strange Tales, hahaha…"
Qin Tang whirled around, her gaze landing on the person mocking her.
She quickly scanned the surrounding crowd, thinking to herself, "(Strange Tales? Wasn't that on the phone?)"
Despite her inner confusion, Qin Tang tried her best to stay calm.
She carefully observed her surroundings, noticing a pervasive eerie atmosphere. The entire space felt gloomy and sinister, sending shivers down her spine.
At that moment, a nearly transparent system panel quietly materialized.
It emitted a faint glow, seemingly hiding endless secrets and challenges.
[Welcome to the Strange Tales World. Instance 'My Family Is Not Normal' will begin in two hours.]
"Instance?" Qin Tang asked, puzzled.
Hearing Qin Tang's question, the girl couldn't help but laugh again: "Pfft, sis, that person is so dumb. She doesn't even know what an instance is. Is she not from modern times? Or are you just a complete newbie?"
The girl standing beside her quickly tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to watch her words.
"Don't talk nonsense. Only experienced players get matched into this instance. Newbies aren't qualified to enter."
That girl looked at Qin Tang, seeming to realize her earlier words were inappropriate, and hurriedly apologized, "Sorry about that. She sometimes speaks without thinking and easily offends people."
Qin Tang then realized the other party was subtly mocking her.
She rolled her eyes and snorted lightly, "Since you know it easily offends people, then keep your mouth shut! Don't go around biting people like a rabid dog. Be careful of getting rabies~"
The younger girl immediately became unhappy, glaring at Qin Tang indignantly, "What do you mean by that? Who's a dog?"
Qin Tang gave her a disdainful glance, crossed her arms, and coldly retorted, "Can't you tell? I'm talking about you, idiot!"
Although on the surface, Qin Tang seemed like an ordinary high school student, in reality, she was far more mature than her peers.
Faced with such provocation, she wouldn't back down easily.
"Miss, speaking like that means you're offending people too."
Qin Tang said dismissively, "You? So what if I offend you?"
Qin Tang gradually pieced together the current situation. She realized it was quite similar to horror games in reality, but one thing still puzzled her.
A system panel-like object appeared before her, yet it was completely black.
She looked around and noticed that others also had the same initial system panel in front of them.
An idea struck her. Qin Tang decided to step forward and find someone who seemed friendly to ask.
"Friend, could I ask how many system panels there are in total?"
Hearing the question, the other person's eyes showed a hint of wariness.
"How many do you have?" that person then asked Qin Tang.
Because he had heard that some people possessed special abilities allowing them to strip others of their powers to gain more information from the system; those stripped would lose the right to receive message notifications.
Without the guidance of rules, it was tantamount to a death sentence.
Faced with such risks, people naturally became cautious.
"One. Could I possibly have a second one?"
"What did you get?" he pressed, his gaze fixed tightly on Qin Tang as if trying to see through her thoughts.
Qin Tang smiled slightly, trying to mask her nervousness. She fiddled with her belongings lightly, not answering directly.
"Cooking?" the man asked, frowning in confusion, clearly somewhat disappointed with the answer.
"Doesn't seem very useful…" he muttered to himself, his previously tense body gradually relaxing.
Qin Tang keenly noticed the change in his attitude and inwardly sighed in relief.
It seemed this person wasn't that difficult to deal with, but it also made her realize this place was full of danger and uncertainty.
She couldn't help but think: if even an ordinary skill like cooking could raise others' alertness, what kind of struggle would truly important abilities provoke? Thinking this, she decided she must be even more careful in the future.
But her immediate priority was to figure out the purpose of this mysterious system and how to survive in this unfamiliar environment.
Qin Tang quietly left that spot and walked over to sit under a tree not far from the crowd.
She glanced at the sky, estimating the time. There was still an hour and a half.
"Could it be that I have one more system than the others?" Qin Tang pondered inwardly.
With a hint of anticipation, she tried lightly tapping the system panel.
Instantly, bright red text flashed on the previously black panel, as if foretelling the awakening of some unknown power.
[Hello, Host. I am System Administrator 0713. Congratulations, Host, on becoming the first and only person to merge with an instance. Your original system has been destroyed.]
"(System Administrator?)" Qin Tang asked, puzzled.
[Yes, Host.] a cold voice replied.
"(Since you're a System Administrator, can you alter other people's rules?)" Qin Tang asked directly.
[Theoretically, yes. But this is improper behavior. Please stop imagining such things, Host.] The system's reply remained emotionless.
However, Qin Tang didn't take its words to heart.
"(So, I'm here because of that phone?)" she continued asking.
Yes, Host. The phone is our only tool for connecting to the outside world.
[Upon completing an instance, you can return to your original world. Conversely, failing an instance means death.]
The system's explanation made Qin Tang's heart tighten.
"(What do you mean by 'we'?)" Qin Tang tried to understand what kind of power lay behind this mysterious system.
[Sorry, Host. You currently do not have permission to access related information.]
"(Then, what if I don't have a phone?)" Qin Tang asked nervously.
[You will be trapped here forever, unable to leave.] The system's answer was concise and cruel, leaving Qin Tang lost in thought.
"(What if I steal someone else's phone?)" Qin Tang, unwilling to give up, put forward another idea.
Host, each phone is an independent entity, bound to its user.
[Even if you steal someone else's phone, you cannot use it.] The system seemed to see through Qin Tang's thoughts, giving a negative answer in advance.
"(So it's a no-go.)"
[Please complete the instance tasks as soon as possible to obtain corresponding rewards, Host.] The system urged.
Qin Tang didn't take it seriously and continued with her questions: "(So, does everyone have some kind of ability?)"
The system answered: Correct, Host.
[People's abilities are automatically matched based on their past behavior.]
Qin Tang pressed on with her question: "(What about me? What ability do I have?)"
The system informed her: [Since your original system was destroyed, your inherent ability was also lost.]
Qin Tang couldn't help but feel annoyed: "(How am I supposed to play like this?)"
However, the system offered a solution: [Host, you can understand it this way. However, you can obtain abilities by stripping others of their powers.]
Qin Tang was confused by this statement: "(What does that mean?)"
It answered: [The world is treacherous. It's either you or them.]
Qin Tang sneered after hearing this: "You mean I should go kill people?"
She suddenly found the system highly suspicious and confronted it: "(I seriously suspect you aren't just a simple program, but an actual person!)"
After a moment of silence from the system, Qin Tang's mind jolted: "(Or rather, you possess self-awareness?)"
Faced with Qin Tang's interrogation, the system no longer responded to her, as if tacitly admitting it.
"(Then let me ask a different question, that should be fine.)"
[Host, go ahead.]
"(What is a Rules Strange Tale?)"
[A Rules Strange Tale involves completing tasks based on the obtained rules. Conversely, Violating the rules triggers the death condition.]
"(So that's what it means.)"
End of Chapter One.