Happy Supermarket

Shi Mo woke up to a series of cold, electronic notification sounds.

Not in the soft, comfortable bed he had just moved into, but leaning against a hard, dusty shelf. The air was thick with a strange smell, a mixture of cheap incense, rotting food, and some kind of disinfectant.

He opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings in the dim light.

This appeared to be a supermarket, not very large, with crowded shelves and goods covered in a layer of dust, looking somewhat dilapidated. The stark white fluorescent lights flickered on the ceiling, emitting a buzzing sound that created an unsettling atmosphere.

[WARNING! Forced recruitment detected in the Rules of the Strange Dungeon!]

[Instance Name: Happy Supermarket]

[Rank: F]

Number of participants: 12

[Task Objective: As a supermarket employee, complete today's work (8 hours)]

[Task Reminder: Please strictly abide by the employee handbook]

[Teleportation complete!]

The system's electronic voice carried a hint of helplessness: "Host, it seems we don't need to wait for information on the Seventh Sequence anymore. The instance has come knocking on our door, and it's even the lowest-level F-rank..."

Shi Mo stood up expressionlessly and patted off non-existent dust from his clothes.

Rank F? No wonder the power of the rules here felt pitifully thin, and the spatial structure so fragile it could crumble at any moment. To him, it was like a giant being forcibly crammed into a house made of children's building blocks.

His awakening drew the attention of others. Including him, there were twelve people scattered around the supermarket, men, women, and children, all with faces filled with fear and confusion.

"Where...where am I? Wasn't I sleeping?" A young woman (Li Li) wearing pajamas and with disheveled hair cried out, tightly grabbing the arm of someone who looked like her boyfriend (Zhang Hao).

"Supermarket? What's going on? Kidnapping?" A burly man (Wang Hu) wearing a vest and revealing his full-arm tattoos looked around irritably and kicked the shelf next to him hard. The shelf shook and made a dull sound.

"The Legend of the Rules... It's the Legend of the Rules! We've been chosen!" A boy (Liu Wei) wearing thick glasses, who looked like a student, spoke in a trembling voice, his face displaying a strange expression that mixed fear and excitement. "I've seen it on the forum! We'll die if we don't complete the mission!"

"Dead?!" a fat middle-aged woman (Sister Zhao) screamed, her entire body trembling. "Let me out! I want to go home!"

"What's all the noise about! Calm down!" A man in a suit, who looked like a company employee (Manager Sun), tried to maintain order, but his pale face and slightly trembling hands betrayed him.

In the corner, a taciturn man in gray overalls (Old Wu) and a trembling young girl (Xiao Min) huddled together. A stylishly dressed young man (A-Jie) was frantically trying to use his cell phone, only to find there was no signal.

Just then, a cold, emotionless broadcast echoed through the supermarket, drowning out all the noise:

Welcome to the Happy Supermarket family!

To ensure smooth operations and personal safety, please strictly adhere to the following employee guidelines:

Rule 1: Blue employee uniforms must be worn during work hours. Uniforms are stored in the employee break room; quantities are limited, please distribute them yourselves.

Rule Two: The customer is always right. No matter what the customer requests, always smile and reply, "Okay, I'll get right to you," and do your best to fulfill their request.

Rule 3: Ensure that "Happiness Brand" products are always in stock on the shelves. Out-of-stock periods must not exceed five minutes.

Rule 4: Only employees wearing blue uniforms are allowed in the supermarket. If you see an employee wearing a red uniform, please ignore them and do not engage in any form of communication with them.

Rule 5: There is only one water dispenser in the lounge. If you see a second one, please do not use the water from it.

Have a pleasant day at work!

The broadcast ended, and the supermarket fell into a deathly silence, save for heavy breathing and suppressed sobs.

"Rules...five rules?" Liu Wei pushed up his glasses, his face turning even paler. "How can an F-rank dungeon have five rules? And...a limited number of uniforms?"

"Forget about that! Go find your uniforms!" Manager Sun was the first to react, and he rushed towards the staff break room mentioned on the loudspeaker.

The others, as if waking from a dream, scrambled to follow, afraid that if they were a step behind, they would lose their uniforms. The consequences of violating rule one were obvious!

Shi Mo walked at the very back, unhurriedly.

The staff break room was small, containing only a simple wardrobe. Manager Sun pulled open the wardrobe door, revealing eleven sets of blue uniforms neatly hanging inside.

"Eleven sets?!" Wang Hu's eyes widened, and he abruptly turned around to count the number of people. "There are twelve of us!"

Instantly, everyone's gaze turned wary and hostile.

"Whoever fails to subdue her will die!" Sister Zhao screamed, her obese body bursting with astonishing power as she shoved aside the people in front of her, grabbed the largest suit, and put it on.

"Get out of my way! This is mine!" Ah Jie and a middle-aged man grabbed a uniform at the same time and shoved each other.

"Give it to me!" Wang Hu punched another man who was trying to take the uniform in the face and snatched the clothes from his hand.

The scene instantly spiraled out of control, with roars, screams, and the sounds of fighting filling the small lounge.

Li Li was shielded behind her boyfriend Zhang Hao, who desperately grabbed a uniform and shoved it into her hands, only to be pushed aside by the crowd himself. Old Wu managed to snatch a uniform using his strength, while Xiao Min cowered in a corner, crying, ignored by everyone. Liu Wei's glasses were knocked off, and he groped his way across the floor in a disheveled state. Manager Sun, having already donned a uniform thanks to his early start, coldly observed the chaos before him.

Shi Mo stood at the door, coldly watching this ugly farce that was being staged for survival.

He didn't step forward, because a uniform had already been casually shoved into his hands by the silent old Wu in the chaos—Old Wu seemed to realize he wasn't an ordinary person and subconsciously wanted to curry favor with him.

The fight ended in less than a minute.

Eleven people, dressed in blue uniforms, were panting heavily, all bearing injuries of varying degrees, their eyes filled with a sense of relief at surviving a disaster and a wariness of one another.

Only one person was missing—the young girl, Xiaomin. She slumped in the corner, a clear handprint on her face, staring despairingly at her empty clothes, tears streaming silently down her face.

"I'm sorry... I..." Zhang Hao looked at Xiao Min with a hint of guilt on his face. He had failed to get the second set.

"Rule number one...you must wear the uniform..." Xiaomin muttered to herself, her eyes gradually losing focus. "I'll die...I'll die..."

Just then, the lights in the lounge flickered a few times, turning a reddish hue. A chilling aura suddenly appeared.

"Ah—!" Xiaomin suddenly let out an extremely shrill scream.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, her clothes began to tear on their own, and it felt as if countless rats were scurrying under her skin. Her whole body swelled and deformed like an inflating balloon!

Her bones cracked with a teeth-grinding sound, her mouth split open to her ears, her eyeballs bulged out... In just a few seconds, she was twisted into an indescribable, foul-smelling mass of flesh in extreme pain, and then with a soft "pop," she burst open, turning into a pool of sticky, dark red filth that splattered all over the walls and floor of the lounge.

"Ugh—" Li Li was the first to vomit. The others were also pale-faced, their stomachs churning.

The first rule, in the most direct and brutal way, proclaimed its authority.