I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Unique Features of the Four Destinations!

As viewers in Dragon Country watched, they gasped in awe while silently mourning for the passengers on the bus.

“Only Master Zhang could pull this off—unexpected yet utterly predictable!”

“Same old Zhang Tian Shi, same legendary style!”

“At this point, I’m convinced Master Zhang was a black-market tour guide in a past life. These moves are too smooth!”

“Look at that hooded guy shrinking into his seat every time Zhang walks by. Poor dude’s traumatized.”

“The craziest part? He hasn’t broken a single rule. The guidelines never said tour guides can’t beat passengers. Whether other contestants can pull it off? That’s their problem.”

“Hahaha, he could break rules—he just doesn’t need to.”

“Watching that hooded passenger get slapped was weirdly satisfying.”

“Other contestants are sweating bullets. Zhang? He’s having the time of his life.”

What most didn’t realize was that Zhang Yangqing wasn’t trying to defy the rules.

For the majority of contestants, rules were ironclad—the only way to survive.

But to Zhang Yangqing? Unless a rule guaranteed death, the rest were merely… suggestions.

The Rule World’s survival tips? I’ll consider them—if I feel like it.

Inside the bus, the driver remained in a daze. Zhang ordered his assistant to keep watch—if the man dozed off, she’d politely wake him.

Soon, the buses of all surviving contestants rolled out of the gas station.

Outside, the fog clung thick and heavy, obscuring the road ahead. The uncertainty pressed down like a weight.

The unknown always breeds fear.

Not long after departure, the bus’s radio crackled to life on its own.

Several jumpy contestants startled, then immediately strained to listen.

Rule 8 was clear: If the radio activates automatically, pay close attention. It may broadcast helpful news.

It felt like the listening section of a language exam—every word might hold life-or-death clues.

After a burst of static, the broadcast began:

[Breaking News: Our city faces severe famine. Slaughterhouses cannot meet demand. Starving citizens are advised to hunt in the wilderness. Warning: Wild beasts grow dangerously aggressive after dark. Hunt only during daylight hours.]

Then—silence.

Of the 189 surviving contestants, most were left baffled.

That’s it? How does this help us?

What about Granny at Happy Graveyard? Do I get off or not?!

But a handful of sharper minds—Zhang Yangqing and Mitarai Saburō among them—pieced together the puzzle.

The solution to the Happy Graveyard dilemma? It had been there all along.

Here, Zhang and Saburō’s thought processes aligned eerily:

1. The broadcast revealed a citywide famine.

2. Passengers were likely “hunting” for food in the wilderness.

3. Only ticket holders could join these “expeditions.”

But why weren’t they headed to the “Good Again Slaughterhouse”?

Simple: The report stated slaughterhouses were overwhelmed. Going there might turn them into the “supply.”

This was the radio’s hidden warning—obvious to those who listened critically.

Besides, a place with that name? Even blindly guessing, most contestants would avoid it.

Key Insight: These passengers weren’t human.

Once that clicked, the rest fell into place:

• This was a hunting trip. Passengers were hungry—hence Hoodie’s predatory vibe earlier.

• Rule 14: Losing all passengers meant death. Even if they didn’t attack, starvation could doom the guide.

The broadcast also implied:

• Bus stops = “City”

• The four destinations = “Wilderness”

To proceed, contestants had to discard two assumptions:

1. Passengers are people.

2. You are human.

Now—what “food” awaited at each site?

1. Happy Graveyard

   • Obvious “food”: Corpses.

   • Risk: A gamble. Flesh? Passengers eat well. Bones? They eat you.

   • Worse: Leaving the bus might make you the meal. Safety existed only onboard.

2. Smiling Hospital

   • Food source: Contained, plentiful “livestock” (patients?).

   • Challenge: Access method unclear—wait for more clues.

3. Sunny Volcano

   • Surface appeal: Scenic spot.

   • Reality: Likely food-barren. A trap for those who misunderstood their role.

4. Misty Forest

   • Wildcard: Animals = food, but fast and elusive.

   • Hospital’s edge: Prey there couldn’t flee.

With this logic, Zhang and Saburō chose Smiling Hospital—but their reasoning diverged:

• Saburō calculated how to ensure he stayed “after dark” (per Rule 4) while passengers hunted “by day” (per radio advice). This balance was key.

• Zhang? He skipped the math. Whatever lurked there, he could crush it.

Try eating me. See what happens.

Rules? He’d broken them before.