Welcome to the Nightmare Live

Chapter 124: Rules are Trap

Frog Food Processing Factory.

These few characters were suspended above his head, appearing particularly dazzling against the backdrop of a dark red sky.

A small boy with a not-so-tall stature stood alone in front of the gate, surrounded by a vast and eerie square. He looked up, gazing at the rusty red gate before him.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[What the heck?]

[What the heck?!]

[I’m baffled. What does ‘Frog Food Processing Factory’ mean? Isn’t this supposed to be the fantasy amusement park?]

[Oh! It just dawned on me. Do you all remember what was written on that piece of paper? I recall it repeated three times: ‘Fantasy Amusement Park is not an amusement park…’]

[Yes, yes, I remember that!]

In the midst of the lively discussion in the live broadcast room, the sign outside the broadcast hall blinked without warning.

[Fantasy Amusement Park]

Instance Difficulty Level: A

Highest Unlocking Rate in History: 62%

Viewing Value: C

“Ding Dong! Detected a discrepancy between the instance difficulty and system judgment. System recalibrating…”

The next second, the blood-red sign slowly changed—

【Fantasy Amusement Park】

Instance Difficulty Level: S

Highest Unlocking Rate in History: 0%

Viewing Value: S

[???!!!]

[Wait! What the heck?! What does this mean?! What’s going on? Aaahhhhh!]

[Damn it, I’m dumbfounded!]

[Oh my god, I’m utterly clueless! This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this in my life!]

[So, you’re telling me this instance is of a level S difficulty and level S viewing value?! Damn, I’m so shocked I could jump in place!]

[Ah, yes! I’ve been saying it! This instance is a wipeout every time it is opened! I had a feeling from the start that it couldn’t just be a level A; it’s insanely difficult!]

[Seriously, in the past, anchors found bugs in the instances, but this time, it seems like the system has a bug! The dog liar is awesome!]

[The dog liar is amazing!]

Just as the heated discussion was ongoing, the mechanical system voice sounded once again.

However, unlike before, this time it wasn’t limited to the “Fantasy Amusement Park” broadcast hall; it echoed across the entire broadcast square—

“Ding Dong! Congratulations to anchor “Wen Jianyan” for triggering a server-wide achievement reward!”

The next second, the ranking of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room soared, directly jumping to the top of the leaderboard! Except for the S-rank elites, no newcomer has ever climbed so high on the personal rankings in just their fourth live broadcast!

[?!]

[???!!!]

Whether it was the audience within the “Fantasy Amusement Park” broadcast hall or those watching other instances being broadcast, everyone was stunned.

[What’s happening?]

[Wen Jianyan? Who’s that?]

[A server-wide achievement reward?! Holy cow?!]

[Come on, let’s go see!]

The entire broadcast square was in turmoil, with viewers leaving their original live broadcast rooms one after another, flooding towards the “Fantasy Amusement Park” and the “Integrity First” live broadcast room!

In just a few minutes, the online viewers in the “Integrity First” live broadcast room tripled!

The existing audience members in the live broadcast room were left bewildered:

[Wait, am I seeing things? The surge in online viewers for this instance?]

[This is just too exaggerated!]

[So, this is the power of a server-wide announcement…]

[Damn… so, is the anchor about to go viral?]

***

Wen Jianyan himself wasn’t aware of the change in the live broadcast room’s viewership.

He looked up, surveying the square in front of him.

Although the layout here was identical to Fantasy Amusement Park’s North Square, the atmosphere was entirely different. There, the sunlight, balloons, music, and staff dressed in various character costumes created a lively ambiance.

But here, all he could see was desolation and silence.

Through the corroded iron bars between the gates, he could glimpse the barren and bare twisted branches inside the factory, along with numerous eerie pipes hidden within the branches.

Brass-colored pipes rose from the building, and red smoke emerged from their tops, quickly blending into the same-colored sky.

The scent of blood and dampness in the air grew heavier.

Wen Jianyan took a step forward, cautiously approaching the factory entrance.

A metal plate was nailed to the gray-red steel column of the gate, with several lines of worn-out small characters:

[Welcome to the Frog Food Processing Factory. This factory will provide you with a variety of delicious frog products, including but not limited to frog sauce, frog eggs, frog sashimi, frog canned goods, etc. Fulfilling your desires is our lifelong pursuit. The Frog Food Processing Factory welcomes you at any time!]

[Business Hours: 00:00-08:00]

These business hours…

Coincided perfectly with the rest period of daytime employees such as cleaners, while the park director and nighttime staff were on duty.

Wen Jianyan read the entire content on the metal plate once again, feeling a chill running down his spine. The words from the note flashed through his mind:

[Frogs are food, frogs are tools, frogs are sacrifices. Frogs won’t harm you; what will harm you is not the frogs.]

Indeed.

Connecting this metal plate’s message with the clues he had collected before, Wen Jianyan could now piece together the general nature of the entire instance.

The so-called “Fantasy Amusement Park” was, in fact, the “Frog Food Processing Factory,” and the visitors who entered were not customers but raw materials.

The purpose of this factory was to process all the visitors who entered it through mental pollution, transforming them into “frogs” that could be consumed and purchased by the “customers.”

Whether it was frog eggs, tadpoles, or adult frogs, they were all “food” and tools for spreading pollution.

Their purpose was never to “harm” but to “pollute” and “assimilate.”

So, indeed, frogs were tools, food, and sacrifices, rather than the mastermind behind the instance. The factory itself was the one holding absolute ill intentions toward all the visitors who entered.

However… Since the purpose was to turn humans into frog products, why did they have a relief mechanism like the syrup in the food section? Based on the entire factory’s production line, this part seemed redundant and unnecessary.

Was it just to prolong the struggling time for the frogs?

Wen Jianyan didn’t have the answer to this question for now.

He wiped his face with his hand and felt his stomach starting to cramp.

This instance was truly too disgusting.

Its main boss wasn’t a demon, nor was it a monster… if that were the case, things would have been much easier to solve.

The biggest boss of this copy was, in fact, the Fantasy Amusement Park itself.

“…”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and then took out his phone. He glanced at the Nightmare app’s store and backpack; all the options were grayed out—indeed, with Mr. Mirror activated, he couldn’t use any system items.

And what was worse…

The last time he entered Mr. Mirror, there was a countdown timer, but this time there wasn’t, which meant there was no mechanism to return to the original location when the countdown ended.

So, if he wanted to leave this place, he had to find his own way.

Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze and fell into deep thought.

Fantasy Amusement Park Director’s Rule No. 6:

[Your office is the core location within the entire park, a ■■■■■■■ passage. It is the power source that maintains the park’s order and daily operation.]

Within Fantasy Amusement Park, Wen Jianyan searched the entire Director’s office but didn’t find the soul fragments of Wu Zhu, nor did he find any items to suppress the other party.

The Frog Food Processing Factory and Fantasy Amusement Park were interconnected worlds…

Since there was nothing in the Park Director’s office, it should be in the Factory Director’s office.

After confirming his next destination, Wen Jianyan slipped into the factory.

The pathways within the Frog Food Processing Factory were completely different from those in Fantasy Amusement Park. The park’s routes twisted and turned, intertwining complexly, whereas the factory’s pathways were straightforward, connecting one standardized building plate to another. If not for knowing the relationship between these two areas in advance, even with a side-by-side comparison, it would be hard to discern the connection between them.

As someone who had memorized the amusement park map entirely, Wen Jianyan quickly discerned the pattern.

— The corresponding element to the park’s twisting paths wasn’t the factory’s roads, but the pipelines.

He looked up toward the winding brass-colored pipes not far above.

Pipes extended from all directions, intersecting overhead, forming a complex diagram of routes that, when projected onto a flat surface, aligned perfectly with the amusement park’s pathways.

This is manageable.

Wen Jianyan shifted his gaze away and started moving.

Though he was unfamiliar with the factory’s layout and didn’t have a blueprint, he was exceptionally familiar with the amusement park’s map!

As long as he followed his memory and moved along the pipelines, he should soon find what he was looking for.

The slender figure of the young boy traversed through the steampunk and steel-cast monster castle. Hidden in the darkness cast by the pipes, he resembled a fleeting shadow or a brief gust of wind, passing silently and disappearing.

He was getting closer and closer to the location of the Director’s office, according to his memory.

Soon, a tall gray building appeared before Wen Jianyan.

It appeared lifeless and desolate, with the walls being hard and decayed and bearing faint rust-red spots. Brass-colored pipes extended from all directions, disappearing into the depths of the building. It gave the impression of a massive concrete heart, with countless pipes extending outward, endlessly pumping fresh blood into the entire steel monster’s body.

Wen Jianyan steadied himself and started walking toward the building. However, before he could take two steps, a creaking sound came from ahead, and the iron door beneath the building was pushed open from within.

“!!”

His heart tightened, and he quickly stepped back, hiding in the shadow beneath a nearby pillar.

Subconsciously, Wen Jianyan lightened his breath, his back pressing tightly against the cold, hard wall. His heart pounded intensely in his chest.

The sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind, growing louder and louder—

Finally, it passed by from behind the pillar where Wen Jianyan hid, gradually fading away.

Without leaving a trace, Wen Jianyan cautiously stepped outward, looking in the direction where the footsteps had disappeared.

He blinked in surprise.

There were two employees wearing Mr. Ribbit costumes. They hurriedly walked into the distance, under the backdrop of the dark red sky, their eerie green costumes standing out even more conspicuously.

No, not uniforms.

Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and focused on looking closer.

There were no seams between the headgear and their bodies. It seemed tightly fused, and the “uniforms” on their bodies were like they were grown onto their skin. In the dim red light, they had a sticky and slippery texture that was nauseating even just to look at.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[??? What the hell is this?]

[Could it be… these are the real appearances of the employees in Mr. Ribbit costume?]

[It’s quite possible! When they were in Fantasy Amusement Park, they looked like they were wearing suits. In reality, this is what they originally look like… just like how Fantasy Amusement Park is essentially the Frog Processing Factory!]

[The newcomers are baffled! Isn’t this Fantasy Amusement Park? Why does it look different from what I remember? Is this scene in the instance? And what’s the deal with those disgusting NPCs from earlier?]

[Me too! The appearance of this game is completely different from what I recall! This anchor has truly taken things to a shocking level!]

[“Hahaha, I sincerely advise all newcomers to watch the replay, otherwise, you’ll probably get even more confused later!]

[There are so many new viewers flooding in that I can’t even find proper discussions about the instance anymore. Sigh…]

[Hope everyone won’t just be dragging others; watching the replay is more useful than anything!]

Wen Jianyan remained hidden in the shadows, steadfastly observing the gradually receding figures of those two.

Knowing that the factory’s opening hours marked on the metal plate by the entrance were after midnight. And the fact that these “Mr. Ribbits” were active in this area meant…

They should be the nighttime employees mentioned in the Park Chief’s rules.

Now, the classification of roles within this instance has become clear. Daytime employees managed the surface operations, and once polluted, they turned into cleaners, handling deeper tasks. But ultimately, they were still “living” humans.

And the two deepest roles were “Mr. Ribbits,” night employees, and the Park Chief.

They were responsible not only for operating the deep layers of the world and ensuring the frog production line ran smoothly but also for welcoming “customers” after midnight. Just as hearing sounds of “chewing” and “laughter” indicated customer satisfaction, hearing sounds of “crying” and “anger” meant there weren’t enough frogs, failing to meet the customers’ demands.

Wen Jianyan leaned back against the wall, gazing into the void, as if conversing with the audience in the live broadcast room:

“Do you know what this is?”

The barrage in the “Integrity First” live broadcast room was filled with question marks.

[Has the anchor opened the barrage already?]

[No, not really!]

[Is he talking to us then?]

[Seems like it!]

The young boy squinted his amber eyes and grinned, revealing his teeth: “You damned blood-sucking capitalists.”

The barrage of the “Integrity First” live broadcast room: “…”

[What the hell.]

[What the hell.]

[In a way, it’s like… he’s not wrong?]

This steel monster in front of him feasts on humans. It’s built on the oppression and plunder of all life.

Humans were either frogs or employees; either food or slaves.

And the humans assimilated into food instinctively spread this pollution, turning more humans into “frogs” and sending themselves into the assembly line.

Wen Jianyan nonchalantly squinted his eyes.

…Well, in some sense, the business model of this live stream is pretty much the same, if not identical.

“!!”

Suddenly, Wen Jianyan seemed to realize something abruptly. He turned around, swiftly opened his backpack, and then looked down inside it.

The “Mr. Ribbit” dool…

Was gone.

In its place was a green “Mr. Ribbit” costume.

Though called a costume, its material was unlike any fabric; instead, it was moist, slimy, and sticky, just like real frog skin.

On the suit lay an envelope.

The white envelope had no writing on it, no recipient, no sender. It lay silently within the depths of the backpack, waiting to be read.

Wen Jianyan pulled out the envelope and opened it. A piece of white paper floated out:

[Nighttime Employee Recruitment]

To meet the increasing customer demand and expanding market share, our factory urgently needs more talent to join. Therefore, during the next restocking period, we have specially opened a temporary employment channel to select qualified employees!

Seeing this message means you have passed our written test and interview, becoming a qualified member of our nighttime workforce.

After 12 o’clock tonight, you will automatically put on the “Mr. Ribbit” uniform and officially start work, becoming a proud nighttime employee of the Frog Food Processing Factory and forever dedicating your life and enthusiasm to our customers.

Our factory warmly welcomes your participation.

Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes and pulled out the receipt from his backpack.

Sometime along the way, the text on it stopped being blurry. Black words on white paper, clearly visible:

[Thank you for purchasing our product “Mr. Ribbit” doll.]

[The “Mr. Ribbit” dool serves as the final stage of this interview. It will create a necessary life-or-death challenge for you. If you survive successfully, you can become a nighttime employee of the Frog Food Processing Factory and receive a set of “Mr. Ribbit” uniforms]

“…”

As expected.

Just like the syrup pipeline that connected from the pirate ship to the food area, many fragmented clues were now connecting in his mind, outlining an incredibly intricate set of rules for this game.

The key to this instance wasn’t “processing,” it was “recruitment.”

To process frogs, there didn’t need to be so many rules; just letting the raw materials enter the amusement park and playing through each activity one by one would be sufficient.

In fact, these rules acted as a “written test,” a way to sift out excellent, potential employees from the food.

This was also why the syrup mechanism existed—

Based on the contamination mechanism within the pirate ship, Frog Syrup deepened an employee’s pollution. The more deeply polluted an employee was, the less likely they were to leave the amusement park.

From ordinary staff to cleaners, and finally to nighttime employees, the “Mr. Ribbit” — their working hours became more eerie, growing closer to complete pollution.

This precisely explained how the amusement park cultivated and transformed potential visitors into employees through the syrup.

After going through multiple rounds of activities and becoming a child through drinking the syrup, one could purchase “Mr. Ribbit.”

In other words, it was the final interview question.

[Rules are Traps.]

On this point, Wen Jianyan had hit the mark.

The note’s intention wasn’t to tell them “the rules are fake,” but to convey, “while the rules might be true, their purpose is malicious.”

—If you follow these rules completely, you’ll never be able to leave this factory.

Wen Jianyan lowered his gaze, calmly placed the receipt and envelope back into his backpack, and zipped it shut.

Of course, this system wasn’t without its flaws; it just demanded relatively high requirements. Even if the anchors hadn’t discovered the true meaning of the rules and had passed the written test and interview but also completed five activities before midnight.

The system would extract him before he joined, and that could also be considered a successful clearance.

For Wen Jianyan, this task wasn’t particularly difficult.

He had already completed four out of five activities, and only the final one remained to finish the main task.

However, at this moment, he wasn’t planning to do so.

Wen Jianyan counted the coupons he had on him—

After drinking the syrup in the food area, he had enough coupons on him. This way, if anything unexpected happened, he could drink the syrup to instantly revert to his adult form.

After confirming the quantity, he took out a small glass bottle from his pocket.

He had purchased it from the system store. Through the translucent glass, he could see the deep red liquid inside, slightly swaying. It made the boy’s fingers appear even more delicate and small.

Wen Jianyan unscrewed the bottle.

A sickly sweet smell rushed forth, mingling with the scent of blood in the air, almost inducing nausea.

He squinted his amber eyes, smiled faintly, and gestured towards the crimson scars in the sky:

“Cheers.”

The next moment, he tilted his neck back and swallowed all the syrup from the bottle.

The boy’s figure began to change.

His originally frail and feeble arms and legs became slender and sturdy, and his young and tender body gradually grew taller.

His clothes quickly became taut.

To prevent the wounds from tearing open again, Wen Jianyan swiftly removed the bandages and started changing into his original set of clothes from his backpack.

Beneath the blood-colored sky, the young man’s body was unburdened, revealing his delicate and fair form.

In just a few short seconds, muscular lines appeared on the once soft abdomen and slender shoulders, a thin layer stretching beneath the skin, resembling the intricate muscles of a beautifully coated cat.

His body was covered in scars.

There were bruises from falling off roller coasters, abrasions from sliding down slides, and shallow and deep wounds crisscrossing his pristine skin, creating a brutally beautiful aesthetic.

On the young man’s taut and smooth abdomen, intricate crimson patterns grew around his hip bones, following the rise and fall of his breath and the expansion and contraction of his movements. The contrast between the scarlet and the purity of his skin was so intense that it felt suffocating.

He felt no shame in his nudity. On the contrary, his posture and movements were natural and graceful. His slender fingertips were particularly agile. Even while tending to his wounds and dressing, his actions were pleasing to the eye.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[!!!”]

[!!! I’m a newcomer, asking if this live broadcast has always been so exciting?]

[Oh my god… Is this something we get to watch without paying?!]

[Aaaaaah, pull the camera down! Show us the important parts, got it? Don’t think I don’t know you’re intentionally avoiding direct nudity shots in your live broadcast!!!]

[Huh? Newbie’s confused, what’s happening? Why is he starting to undress?]

[Oh, I came in after seeing the server-wide announcement. I thought it would be some kind of big shot, but it turns out this kind of thing is what’s making him popular? Truly unexpected.]

[Who cares about what genre of anchor he is! He looks good, and that’s all that matters. Strip!!! (50 reward points)]

Unfortunately, Wen Jianyan was completely unaware of the rising cheers in his livestream.

On the contrary, he quickly dressed and tidied up his disheveled cuffs.

The young man’s figure had fully recovered. His broad shoulders seemed like natural hangers, making the fairly ordinary clothes appear particularly attractive.

In less than a minute, Wen Jianyan had once again grown to a size that fit comfortably into the clothes.

His line of sight was no longer limited by his height.

With a soft sigh, Wen Jianyan raised his hand to adjust his collar, then left the shadow behind the pillar. He didn’t hide, evade, or dodge; he walked straight toward the nearby gray building.

He pushed open the door and entered the belly of the steel monster.

The light instantly dimmed, and amid numerous brass-colored pipes, steam billowed. Several frog-like creatures stood below. Their faces, which were initially concealed by headgear, now looked real and horrifying. They turned their heads, looking toward the young man standing at the entrance.

In an instant, the air was filled with silence.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[?]

[???]

[Ahhhhh, I’m getting so nervous that I can’t breathe. What’s going on? Ahhhh!]

[What does the anchor want to do? What does he want to do?!]

[F*ck aaah!]

The young man with amber eyes raised his hand, gently knocking on the door he had pushed open as a courtesy. His slender fingers reached into the pocket of his clothes and pulled out the folded piece of paper, waving it lightly. The recruitment information printed in black letters on white paper was revealed. He spoke deliberately and unhurriedly:

“Hello, I’m here for an interview.”

Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes, the smile on his lips deepening slightly carrying a hint of casual playfulness.

He raised his finger and pointed at himself:

“I believe I’m very suitable for the position of the Fantasy Amusement Park’s Director.”