Seeing the changes happening to his sister, Andrew's reason screamed:
He couldn't keep hesitating, he had to respond immediately.
But the more urgent the situation, the harder it was to think of a solution.
The more impossible it became to crack the current crisis.
"Activate Simulator!"
{Simulation Start!!!}
{You frown deeply, thinking hard about how to break through this situation.}
{The blood-red patterns on your sister grow thicker. Her face becomes more twisted and horrifying.}
{Your brows knit tighter and tighter. You turn around and run!}
{Your sister goes berserk. You died!}
{Simulation End. Duration: 4 minutes. Current Mental Value: 45!}
"If you won't talk… then go die!"
The blood-red lines on his sister erupted completely.
She charged at Andrew like a monster.
But just as she was one step away from him, Andrew gritted his teeth, stepped forward instead of back and embraced the oncoming sister tightly.
At the same time, he whispered in a hoarse, gentle voice into her ear:
"It must've hurt a lot, didn't it?"
The twisted expression on his sister froze in place.
Moments later, tears sparkled in her bloodshot eyes.
Seeing this, Andrew let out a long breath of relief.
He had gambled right.
"I'm not your brother… But I will protect you like one, and protect this home with everything I have."
Controlling his trembling hands, stiff with fear, Andrew gently patted her distorted, monstrous back.
Back when he cleared the bathroom stage, Andrew had sensed that the sister deeply loved her brother and longed for his affection.
Her real brother, however, didn't seem to like her.
So much so that when Andrew had only gently pinched her cheek, she was stunned and then clung to him, begging to play hide-and-seek.
She had been overjoyed.
Genuinely, overwhelmingly happy.
That might've been why she was the first to notice that Andrew wasn't her real brother.
If it hadn't been for Andrew claiming he saw the Slit-Mouthed Woman in the elevator, then jumping out of the car while claiming someone was calling him and all those suspicious behaviors that made her uneasy, she might never have exposed him, choosing instead to keep playing pretend.
Because all she really wanted was her brother's love.
This was the outcome of Andrew's final Simulator use.
The last-minute "non-solution" that somehow saved his life.
And thankfully, it worked.
His life… was saved!
Everyone watching the livestream was dumbfounded.
None of them understood how Andrew had pulled this miracle off.
When the sister asked "Who are you really", virtually everyone—including the professional Research Team—thought Andrew was done for.
Some researchers had already begun shifting focus to the few remaining challengers.
But Andrew, defying all expectations, pulled off an unthinkable comeback.
Even after having his identity exposed, he managed to stabilize the berserk sister!
Countless viewers watching the stream all typed the same sentence in awe:
"Unbelievable!"
After careful thought, the Research Teams arrived at a stunning hypothesis:
The characters within a Rule Horror, the Ghosts possess their own individual thoughts and emotions?
Until now, they had always treated these tales as mindless killing machines, never once considering that communication and emotional connection might be possible.
This could be an entirely new strategy for survival.
The Research Teams were ecstatic and immediately launched new feasibility studies into the theory.
Back to the sister.
Under Andrew's gentle touch, she gradually returned to normal.
The blood-red lines on her skin slowly faded away.
Then, in his embrace, she fell into a deep sleep.
Perhaps the outburst had drained her physically.
Or maybe suppressing it had taken an even greater toll.
In sleep, she looked nothing like the monster from earlier.
Only now did Andrew finally let his heart settle down.
But the instant he relaxed, his legs gave out and he collapsed like a punctured balloon.
From the knees down, he was completely numb.
He knew that his sister had truly tried to kill him without a doubt.
That wasn't a test.
It was a life-or-death moment.
"Ding! The host has earned your sister's affection through your own actions.
Affection +20.
You've gained her preliminary trust. Under normal circumstances, you may trust her."
"Ding! The host has cleared the current challenge through your own actions.
Mood: Extremely Good.
Mental Value +30.
Current Mental Value: 73!"
The system prompt echoed in his ears.
Andrew instantly felt his mind lighten.
Though his body was still tired, he finally had full control of it again.
"Under normal circumstances… she can be trusted."
Which meant, for now, she was an ally.
Looking down at the sleeping girl, Andrew couldn't help but wonder.
How did she die?
Why did she have those blood-red patterns all over her body?
It almost looked like…
She had been dismembered.
"Could it be… Mom?!"
A terrifying thought popped into Andrew's mind, and quickly spread like a virus, consuming his thoughts and even his Spirit.
[If you find bones, fingernails, or other hard-to-swallow objects in your food, do not panic. Immediately smile and say: "This meal is delicious!!"]
Huff!!
He exhaled deeply, forcing himself not to dwell on the horrifying implications.
Scooping his sister up, Andrew carried her back to her room.
Just as he was about to get up and search for more Rule Notes, his sister—still asleep—suddenly grabbed his hand.
If you forgot that this was a Rule Horror world and erased the image of her terrifying berserk form, she really was… just a little girl who wanted her brother's love and protection.
For a moment, Andrew's heart softened.
He didn't leave.
Instead, he sat quietly by her bedside, keeping her company.
Ever since he arrived in this world, Andrew's nerves had been taut.
In just one day, he had died over a dozen times.
Though it had been in the Simulator, each death was a massive mental strain.
Even the strongest person would be exhausted by now.
Fatigue suddenly swept over him, his eyelids heavy as iron.
Just as he was about to drift off, he caught sight of something.
A note, sticking out from under his sister's pillow.
The sight jolted him awake like a shot of adrenaline.
Carefully, he lifted her head with one hand and pulled the note out with the other.
Sure enough, it was a new Rule Note.
As the new rules appeared, not only did Andrew's heart start racing, so did the hearts of every viewer watching the livestream.
With this latest discovery, Andrew had now found five Rule Notes in total!
He was far ahead of the remaining thirteen challengers who had only found two or three each.
Because of this, over 90% of the world's population was now watching Andrew's livestream.
Especially in countries whose own challengers had already failed.
To them, Andrew was no longer just a contestant.
He was their only hope.
A savior, come to rescue them from the curse of the Rule Horror.
Under countless eager gazes, Andrew slowly unfolded the new Rule Note.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。