Weird Rules: Start by playing God in Bikini Bottom!

Chapter 7 Zhenzhen: "Why are you risking your life for just a few dollars a month?"

Inside the Institute of Strange Tales, Zheng Peng and the experts were already too excited to contain themselves.

As they watched the octopus on the screen, wiping his clarinet and muttering complaints, they seemed to see an incredible glimmer of wisdom.

"Document! In-depth analysis of Jiang Xiu's every word, every expression, and every small gesture! Analysis of his compatibility with the 'Octopus Brother' prototype, and how this compatibility interacts with the dungeon rules to avoid danger!"

Zheng Peng's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"We may have... discovered a brand new path to survival in S-rank dungeons! The character-centric survival method!"

Jiang Xiu's seemingly casual and even passive response led him to find that strange path to survival twice on the brink of life and death.

This is by no means a coincidence.

At this moment, Jiang Xiu, behind the cashier, was far from as calm as he appeared.

He wiped a non-existent clarinet, pondering to himself.

"Meeting needs doesn't mean unconditionally agreeing... it means handling things in Squidward's way without triggering Mr. Krabs' greed rules or the customer's 'rage' rules... it's a bit like walking a tightrope. And, Mr. Krabs' rules seem to have a higher priority?"

"Or perhaps, a reaction consistent with Squidward's character can reconcile these two aspects to some extent?"

He glanced towards the kitchen, where SpongeBob was still making delicious Krabby Patties.

I glanced again at the silent customers in the restaurant.

He knew that business hours were still ongoing and the crisis was far from over.

After the crisis of needing more drinks, a fragile calm remained in the restaurant.

Jiang Xiu and the other surviving chosen ones continued their mechanical tasks of taking orders and working at the cashier.

Customers continued to come and go in silence, but an invisible pressure lingered, as if waiting for the next trigger point.

Inside the Dragon Kingdom's live broadcast room, the viewers were still recovering from the thrill of the previous incident, anxiously watching Jiang Xiu's every move, trying to decipher more wisdom about survival from his world-weary and lazy appearance.

Just then, the Krusty Krab door was pushed open again, but instead of the soft sliding sound it made before, it made a slamming sound with an impatient tone.

A tall figure walked in.

That was a... stylish and beautifully dressed whale girl.

She wore oversized sunglasses, carried a sparkly seashell bag, and impatiently slapped her tail against the ground.

Unlike the vague and silent customers, her image was clear, vibrant, and even carried a vitality that was out of place with her surroundings—although this vitality manifested at the moment as a spoiled restlessness.

As soon as she entered, she began shouting loudly, oblivious to everyone else, her shrill and piercing voice breaking the eerie silence of the restaurant:

"Dad! Dad! Where are you? Come out quickly! I've got my eye on that new pearl necklace at Coral Shopping Center! I'm almost there! Give me the money!"

As she called out, she walked straight toward the cashier, her eyes sweeping over the customers who were sitting there blankly, a clear look of disdain on her face.

"Tsk, why are all the people in the shop so quiet today?"

This uninvited guest appeared in the live streams of the world's surviving chosen ones.

For the vast majority of the Chosen Ones, this is a completely unfamiliar role.

There was no mention of the whale girl on the rule sheet.

Zhenzhen, the name automatically popped into Jiang Xiu's mind.

Zhenzhen strode to the cashier and, speaking to Squidward behind the counter, said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Hey, Squidward, quick, open the cash register, I need some money. Urgent!"

Demand the revenue directly!

All the Chosen Ones were deeply shaken!

Rule number three clearly states: "Protect the crab boss's gold coins."

The whale girl who suddenly appeared in front of us was clearly not an ordinary customer.

Giving her money would violate the "protecting the coins" rule and might anger the crab boss.

If we don't give it to her, how will this seemingly unapproachable NPC react?

As for the possibility that this whale girl is the daughter of the crab owner?

Don't be ridiculous. Animals have reproductive isolation, let alone the idea that a crab's daughter is a whale.

Even a bizarre dungeon shouldn't be this outrageous, right?

If a crab's daughter is a whale, then it's more like a squirrel that can only live in the sea!

Without Zhenzhen's knowledge, most of the surviving chosen ones were instantly plunged into immense conflict and fear.

The chosen one from India turned pale. Looking at the menacing Zhenzhen before him, and recalling the terrifying pincers of the crab boss and the accusation of theft, he forced a smile and tried to explain in a humble tone.

"Dear Miss, the money in this cash register is Mr. Crab's revenue. Without his permission, I... I can't..."

The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country was equally panicked. He chose to lower his head and remain silent, pretending to be busy organizing the empty order tickets, trying to ignore Zhenzhen and hoping that she would leave on her own or go to find the crab boss.

However, their choice had disastrous consequences.

Regarding the selection of participants from India:

Zhenzhen's impatience instantly turned into anger at being offended, and a cold blue light seemed to flash in her eyes.

"No? You say no?!"

Her voice suddenly rose in pitch, carrying a tremor that seemed to penetrate the soul.

"You're just a wage earner, how dare you stop me from taking my dad's money?! Who do you think you are?!"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly opened her mouth—what was originally a whale's normal mouth expanded and deformed in an instant. The inside was no longer a whale's whiskers, but turned into a bottomless, swirling, dark blue vortex, emitting a strong suction force and chill!

"No--!"

The chosen one from India only had time to let out a short scream before his entire body, along with part of the space behind the cashier, was enveloped by that terrifying suction force, as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, and was sucked into Zhenzhen's abyss-like maw in a flash!

There was no chewing sound, only a soft "pop" sound, like a bubble bursting.

And Zhenzhen casually smacked her lips and muttered, "It tastes awful, like poverty and fear."

The live stream screen went black instantly, and blood-red text appeared.

The Indian competitor has died; the challenge has failed!

For those who choose to ignore the maple leaves or make similar choices:

When Zhenzhen saw that the other party was ignoring her, she laughed in anger.

"Ha, pretending you didn't hear me?"

Instead of devouring her directly like she did with the Indian contestant, she extended a well-maintained fingernail and gently tapped the countertop of the cash register.

The old cash register suddenly jolted!

Suddenly, its originally greasy wooden surface began to writhe like a living thing, opening a mouth full of sharp metal teeth and rusted springs!

A targeted suction force emanated from it, firmly locking onto one of the tentacles of the Maple Leaf Kingdom's chosen one!

"ah!!"

The chosen one from Maple Leaf Country tried to break free in terror, but the suction was exceptionally strong and carried a chilling coldness that seemed to freeze the soul.

His tentacle lost its color at a visible speed, turning grayish-white, before being mercilessly bitten, torn, and swallowed by the cash register's terrifying mouth!

There was still no bleeding at the break, only a sharp pain and emptiness from being stripped away by cold machinery.

Zhenzhen watched this scene with a cold smile.

"Looks like this crappy machine's hungry too. Next time, watch your step, you worker!"