E Country.
Thomas was the CEO of a publicly listed company, and one of his proudest achievements was this:
He had bought the entire top floor—the 88th floor—of the most expensive office building in the Neo-Times Square as his company's headquarters.
This, without a doubt, was the best symbol of his identity, wealth, and status.
At this moment, like every other day, Thomas strode proudly toward his private luxury elevator that led directly to the 88th floor, flanked by bodyguards and under the envious stares of countless onlookers.
Just as he entered the elevator and the doors were about to close, a stunningly attractive secretary suddenly rushed up in a panic and urgently reported a breaking piece of news to Thomas.
Without waiting for his response, she immediately fled the elevator.
Sure, staying close to Thomas meant unimaginable wealth, but only if you were still alive to enjoy it!
Thomas was stunned for a moment, then bolted out of the elevator like a startled rabbit, completely abandoning any semblance of dignity.
In his panic, he even tripped and fell to the ground.
His bodyguards immediately rushed to help him up.
It took quite a while before Thomas came back to his senses.
Then, in a fit of rage, he fired the secretary who had dared to run before him.
But right afterward, he faced a new dilemma.
There was an extremely important investment meeting worth tens of billions, and it was being held at his company.
He had to be there.
Under normal circumstances, taking his private elevator would get him there in less than 30 seconds.
But now, the Challenger in his country had died in an elevator, which meant the Three-Member Family Rule Horror had already descended upon his nation.
And nearly 130 challengers around the world had also died from simply riding an elevator.
No matter what, he didn't dare ride one now.
Even if his private elevator had once been certified by the world's most elite security teams.
But the meeting was about to begin!
A contract worth billions was on the line!
What now?
The 88th floor!
"Oh, Jesus Christ!"
"Screw it. Tom, carry me up!"
Thomas ordered his bodyguards to carry him up the stairs.
There was no way he was going to climb the stairs himself.
Not now, not ever in his life.
And given his massive belly, it wasn't even physically possible.
The bodyguards nearly dropped dead on the spot.
The 88th floor?!
Even climbing that on their own would be brutal, let alone carrying a nearly 200-pound Thomas on their backs!
What kind of lunatic puts his office on the 88th floor?
Still, as reluctant as they were, Thomas simply paid too well.
The four bodyguards decided to take turns carrying him.
But they had clearly overestimated their stamina.
By the time they reached the 63rd floor, all four bodyguards were utterly exhausted.
No matter how much money Thomas offered, they couldn't take another step.
Thomas's face turned so dark it looked like it could drip water.
Looking up, there were 25 more floors.
Spiraling staircases twisted into the sky, making him dizzy just from the sight.
Looking down, there were 63 floors deep.
The height made his knees go weak, and even his calves started trembling.
"Fuck! Holy Virgin Mary, why the hell did I put the company so high up?!"
Thomas cursed viciously, wishing he could slap himself.
He couldn't bear to hit his own face, so he kicked the collapsed bodyguards a few times instead.
With a long sigh of resignation, he braced himself and started climbing.
Fueled by pure willpower, he finally reached the 88th floor.
Thomas collapsed to the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Truly, show off too hard, and life will humble you.
The righteous path is one of hardship.
…
Back to Andrew.
He had no idea what was happening in the outside world.
When the car came to a stop at the second intersection for a red light, Andrew suddenly opened the door and ran out!
His parents were startled.
Dad immediately got out and chased after him.
His little sister wanted to get out too but was held back by Mom.
Mom, in the car, anxiously shouted Andrew's name and honked the horn.
When the light turned green, she slammed the gas and drove in the direction Andrew had fled.
Andrew ran for his life.
But after eight minutes, Dad finally caught up to him.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Why are you running?"
Dad grabbed Andrew who was still struggling and trying to keep running, and asked, panting heavily.
After a long moment, Andrew finally stopped struggling and said in a dazed, confused tone:
"I just heard someone outside the car calling my name… So I ran after him…"
Dad's face immediately changed.
"Someone called your name?!"
He immediately shielded Andrew behind him, scanning the surroundings with sharp, alert eyes.
At that moment, Mom finally caught up in the car.
She told the sister to stay inside, got out herself, and hurried over to ask what had happened.
Andrew remained dazed, as if still not fully recovered.
Dad quickly recounted what had just happened.
Mom's face turned pale.
After a brief hesitation, she came over to Andrew and asked very seriously:
"Have you seen anyone getting married in the neighborhood recently?"
Andrew nodded.
Both parents' faces turned even darker.
"Is this about the person who got married?"
Andrew seized the opportunity to ask.
He could feel that this was key information.
"No!"
"There hasn't been anyone getting married in our neighborhood lately!"
"Forget it, I'll call your teacher and ask for a leave. You're not going to school today!"
Mom looked very worried.
She took out her phone and called Andrew's teacher.
Then she got leave for herself and for his sister as well.
After dropping Dad off at work, Mom took Andrew and his sister back home.
Considering everything that had happened that day, Mom decided to take the stairs with them back to their apartment.
Eighteen floors.
By the time they reached their unit, all three of them were completely exhausted.
Mom swore that she would never buy a high-rise again.
But seeing that Andrew didn't have another episode, she was slightly relieved.
She told Andrew to rest in his room, and his sister to go to hers and not disturb him.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, Mom made a call and quickly left the house.
Inside the room, Andrew didn't rest.
He first checked the old Pocket Watch left behind by his grandmother.
At that moment, the time on the Pocket Watch matched the wall clock exactly.
The 13-minute deviation had somehow corrected itself.
"So, this is the normal time now?
I'm not in the Illusory World anymore?"
Andrew pondered.
He also noticed that the current time was 9:15 a.m.
The blackout would happen at 4 p.m.
And if he stayed home during the blackout, he would die.
That meant… he had less than seven hours left!
His current Mental Value had recovered to 42.
"Use this time to find as many clues as possible!"
Andrew began searching the house again.
From his previous simulations, he had discovered that the Simulator could only predict what was about to happen.
It couldn't directly reveal the nature of the Rule Horror.
Finally, Andrew found a locked drawer in a desk.
Inside, he discovered a diary.
And within it, new rules were written.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]