Chapter 376: Observe the Rules

Only inside the Instance would it seem clever, right?

Cheng Shuili nodded, hesitated for a moment, then lifted her foot and walked toward the source of the sound.

"Boss… boss! Wuya Dalao! Shall we just go over like this?"

Haohau was obviously bewildered; after all, the situation was unclear, even the faction they belonged to was unknown, and going to the banquet like this was basically a death sentence.

Cheng Shuili kindly explained, "Take a close look around; besides these sounds, where else is there a clue?"

Haohau paused for a moment, then also caught on.

Wu Ya, this isn't reckless! It means the problem has already been identified.

In previous Instances, any time you entered, a prompt page would pop up, but this Instance shows nothing at all.

"Boss thinks the conditions aren't met yet?" Haohau, staying close behind Cheng Shuili, asked.

Cheng Shuili nodded, lifted her hand to brush aside a few tangled branches, and crouched forward to walk out.

Haohau followed closely behind.

Their view instantly opened up, revealing a vast open clearing before them.

As described in the Instance, this was indeed a grand banquet!

Dozens of ornate dining tables were arranged here, with a round table at the very center holding a record player, the source of the music.

The tables displayed a variety of dishes: succulent roast meat sizzled, golden pastries emitted tempting sweet aromas, crystal-clear fruits were stacked into towers, and silverware glimmered with a cold, luxurious sheen under an unknown light.

The whole setup could be summed up in two words—opulent!

Compared to this, Black Feather's banquet was downright subpar.

Cheng Shuili's gaze quickly shifted; although the food looked tempting, Wan Yi's dishes were certainly not inferior.

She had tasted fine fare before, so these now seemed indifferent to her.

But Haohau was different; her luck wasn't as good as Cheng Shuili's, never having met such a perfect chef.

Looking at the food now, she truly felt her mouth watering.

Fortunately, she knew they were inside an Instance; the food looked fresh, but what it was made of was uncertain, so she merely wiped her mouth and averted her gaze.

The tables were almost fully occupied, except one where only four people sat, looking like a small squad, all sharing the same complexion.

At that moment, those people, upon seeing Cheng Shuili and her companions emerge from the bushes, all cast glances their way.

Curious, probing, and puzzled.

They must be players, but clearly not Long Guo players; after exchanging a glance, they looked away.

Yet from their expressions, they were evidently unfriendly.

Cheng Shuili remained composed, noticed the foliage on the other side swaying, and simply halted her steps.

After a short while, a line of six emerged there—yellow‑skinned, the leader bearing a square‑shaped face that radiated vigor.

He surveyed the scene, then fixed his gaze on Cheng Shuili and tentatively asked, "Player?"

Now we need to output lines: English! is indeed a Long Guo person.

Cheng Shuili nodded; before she could speak, the square‑faced man instantly broke into a smile, stepped forward two paces, and tightly grasped Cheng Shuili's hand: "Comrade! Wonderful! We've all prepared to fight alone. Never expected to meet you!"

Given his enthusiasm, Cheng Shuili naturally didn't slight him; she extended her hand and introduced, "Wu Ya, this is my teammate."

The square‑faced man shook that hand, "Pleasure! I'm Pan Shi, and these are my teammates." Then his gaze fell on Haohau, and he asked Cheng Shuili tentatively, "Did you two enter the Instance together?"

As soon as he said that, the few people behind Pan Shi immediately turned to look, apparently finding it unbelievable.

Cheng Shuili was unbothered, nodded and said, "We're a two‑person squad."

Pan Shi and his group had already been speculating, and hearing this made them trust Cheng Shuili and her companion even less.

What kind of joke is this?

This is the first server‑wide Instance!

Even if you're confident, facing such an entirely unknown setting, you'd instinctively bring a few more people, right?

Two people entering as a team? That's a scam!

Pan Shi's expression remained calm; being older and well‑versed in worldly ways, he didn't wish to fall out with Cheng Shuili, so he naturally didn't question her statement.

Among the teammates, although some displayed obvious anger at being deceived, none spoke up.

In terms of discipline, this squad was undeniably elite!

Pan Shi said warmly, "Since we're all from the same region and have come here, we must share the same goal."

His gaze swept toward the people seated at the dining tables, clearly indicating something.

Cheng Shuili, being perceptive, immediately nodded.

The other party, seeing her go along, instantly smiled and said, "Then, before the mission is clear, shall we cooperate temporarily?"

Pan Shi's smile was sincere, but his eyes held an uncompromising scrutiny, "Information sharing, joint response—how about it?"

Cheng Shuili met his gaze and calmly replied, "Fine. But let me be clear: if interests clash, the cooperation ends automatically."

"Straightforward!" Pan Shi seemed to have been waiting for that, nodded immediately, "It should be so."

The teammates behind him wore varied expressions, yet none voiced opposition.

With the agreement reached, Pan Shi raised his hand and pointed, "Shall we also take a seat at the banquet?"

Cheng Shuili nodded, and with Haohau sat at the far end of the long table. The two sat together, followed by Pan Shi's group.

Cheng Shuili leaned back slightly, resting her body against the chair.

This long table was far larger than imagined, capable of seating over thirty people. Cheng Shuili had only seen such tables in conference rooms, and this was her first time seeing one laden with so much food and candlesticks.

The seated players were quiet, with only faint music drifting from the record player on the nearby round table.

Cheng Shuili lost track of time, watching players arrive one after another until the entire long table was filled.

Every seat was occupied by exactly one person, with no deviation.

At the moment the last person sat down, a dense shadow behind the head seat of the long table rippled like water.

A figure wearing elaborate black formal attire and a top hat appeared silently.

It had no face; on its smooth leather mask only an upward-curving red smile was outlined.

It looked like a character from a horror movie.

The "master" wearing the smiling mask slightly raised both hands, moving gracefully yet with an inhuman stiffness.

"Welcome……my esteemed guests."

A slick, oily voice slipped directly into everyone's mind: "May smiles always be with us."

【Ding!】

【Instance officially opened!】

【Mission objective: Find your faction and secure victory!】

【Current banquet rules notice:】

【1. Please keep smiling.】

【2. Do not refuse the Faceless Master's kindness.】

【3. The food is delicious; please be sure to enjoy it.】

As the system prompt sounded, everyone seated at the other long tables instantly broke into smiles, their movements uniformly cutting the food before them.

The clink of cutlery against porcelain produced a fine, clear sound that seemed especially shrill in the silence.

These people mechanically raised their hands, bringing food to their mouths, and happy smiles appeared on their faces.

This horrifying scene made everyone's hairs stand on end; they struggled to force smiles, gripping their cutlery to start cutting the food before them.

These players were indeed elites from each major region.

But staying calm in the face of danger is inherently difficult, and the postures, movements, and even expressions of the other guests seated at the surrounding tables were especially terrifying.

The hands of the foreign man seated at the head table trembled; his cheeks were stiff, clearly unable to make that dangerous expression.

The Faceless Master tilted its head slightly, the exaggerated red smile seeming to gaze at him; its grin widened, and after a long while it spoke soothingly: "Please don't hold back, enjoy the delicacies I've prepared for you all. This will be……an unforgettable feast."

Its voice carried a cold urging.

Cheng Shuili also did not flash that foolish, deadly smile, instead staring at the Faceless Master.

Really strange.

So many people at the table failed to react as it demanded—why did it fixate specifically on the person seated at the head?

Must punishment of players follow an order?

Hao Hao was initially at a loss, but seeing Cheng Shuili do nothing, he too waited patiently.

The few people called Pan Shi, along with several agile foreign players, had already fully complied with the Faceless Master's demand: wearing smiles, gripping cutlery to cut the food.

The atmosphere was genuinely eerie, causing mental pressure to build rapidly—especially for the foreign man at the head table, whom the Faceless Master stared at, his complexion deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Not long after, he seemed unable to bear this eerie pressure, slamming his fork onto the plate with a sharp "clang"; his smile vanished instantly, replaced by terror and rage as he shouted in English: "What the hell is this place! Let me out! I'm not playing this damned game anymore!"

Cheng Shuili should not have been able to understand that.

Although she had passed CET-4 and CET-6, after working for so long and experiencing this world, she could be said to have forgotten almost everything she ought to have remembered.

But at the moment she heard the voice, the meaning of those words simply appeared in her mind.

Hao Hao's gaze was also strange; evidently the same was true for him.

Almost as soon as his shout ended, the diners at the other tables froze in unison, their cutlery hanging midair; their dark eyes seemed drawn to something, and everyone's gaze simultaneously fell on that man.

Several guests who happened to have their backs to him even twisted their heads a full 180°, their faces cold and terrifying.

The Faceless Master stiffly turned its head, slowly facing that player.

"It seems……some guests are not satisfied with my hospitality."

The slick voice carried a hint of regret, yet it was icy and bone-chilling.

The air around that player suddenly warped, as if an invisible giant hand had seized his throat; he was lifted from his seat, his legs kicking helplessly in midair.

His face was filled with pain and disbelief, his mouth gaping, yet he could make no sound.

The next moment, under everyone's gaze, his body began to twist and contract unnaturally, like dough being kneaded by an invisible giant hand.

Beneath the skin, bones emitted a grating "click-click" sound as flesh was instantly compressed and reshaped.

In less than two seconds, a living person, before everyone's eyes, was forcibly compressed and twisted……into a "main course" on the table.

A vessel covered with a silver dish cover appeared out of thin air before his former seat.

The Faceless Master gracefully waved a hand; the dish cover lifted automatically at one edge, revealing what lay inside——

It was a perfectly cooked, exquisitely plated humanoid body, garnished with vivid fruit and vegetable carvings.

"I hope this specially prepared dish suits your taste," the Faceless Master's slick voice sounded again, tinged with pleasure, "Please continue enjoying, my guests. Remember…keep smiling."

The entire banquet hall fell dead silent.

Only the phonograph continued playing that eerie, upbeat tune.

All players, no matter which major region they came from, now felt a chill surge from their spines to the tops of their heads.

If this new dish is prepared this way, then those old dishes……

Everyone at the long tables sucked in a breath of cold air.

One player's face was stiff, yet in the next second he forced a smile, picked up the knife and fork he had just set down, and began cutting the food before him.

Seeing this, other players likewise forced smiles, gripping their cutlery to cut the food, but as for actually putting food into their mouths……

Now no one had that courage.

Cheng Shuili did the same, but before picking up her cutlery she glanced at the Faceless Master out of the corner of her eye.

【Insight successful!】

【The spirit of the Abyssal Ring has already fallen asleep, but Insight remains usable.】

【Faceless Jester】

Description: Born from countless forgotten feasts, the extreme fear and false joy of the guests intertwine to create this ritual monster! It was not born to devour flesh and blood, but to uphold the twisted rules that sustain a perfect banquet. It relishes the guests' trembling beneath their forced smiles, and with absolute elegance transforms any unwelcome intruder who disrupts the harmonious atmosphere into part of the feast, becoming a signature dish that warns those who come after. Remember, at its banquet, rules reign supreme; a smile is both your armor and your shackles.

Weak point: The Rule Monster cannot be killed by players, but when it violates the rules, it too will be erased by the rules!

Rule Monster… cannot be killed, but will be erased by its own rules.

This means that head‑on confrontation is a dead end; the only way to survive is to use the rules, letting them backfire on their master.

"Keep smiling" and "consume the food" are the two clear rules at present, while "do not refuse the Faceless Master's goodwill" is broader and more dangerous.

But the description clearly said there are three chances to make a mistake, so why was this player simply erased outright?

Cheng Shuili couldn't figure it out, and naturally the other players couldn't either.

Everyone maintained a stiff smile, mechanically cutting the food on their plates, but no one dared to put the food into their mouths.

Cheng Shuili's hands kept moving, but she couldn't help thinking about how this Instance differed from the previous ones.

In previous Instances, one needed to explore, needed to defeat monsters, but in this Instance, so far she only knows one thing, namely……

Obey the rules.