Weird Rules: Start by playing God in Bikini Bottom!

Chapter 3 The Crab Owner's Wrath

In contrast, in the Dragon Kingdom's live stream room, Jiang Xiu held the rule slip, his face displaying a complex expression of bewilderment and nostalgia, along with a noticeable daze that lasted for several seconds, which stood out conspicuously.

Viewers from other countries, especially those with delicate relations with China or those who were happy to see China fail, immediately flooded the screen with comments:

"Is this guy from the Dragon Kingdom contemplating before creating an artwork? Too bad this is a survival game."

"Hilarious! Everyone else is analyzing the rules, and he's reminiscing about his childhood? It seems the Dragon Kingdom has truly given up on itself this time."

"An S-rank dungeon, and you're just standing there for a minute at the start? Are you trying to die fast enough, or do you think the Dragon Kingdom hasn't been wiped out completely?"

"It seems that this artist can eliminate himself without waiting for something strange to happen."

"The Dragon Kingdom has indeed run out of luck; even its last chosen one has lost all fighting spirit."

The hearts of the Chinese audience were also gripped with apprehension as they watched Jiang Xiu, who was still seemingly lost in thought, on the screen, and a sense of despair once again permeated the air.

Inside the Institute of Strange Tales, Zheng Peng and the experts watched Jiang Xiu's reaction intently, their palms sweating. They were equally anxious, unable to understand why Jiang Xiu had paused at such a crucial moment.

"He's looking at the rules... but his expression is off. It's not analysis, it's more like... he recognized them?" a psychologist said hesitantly.

"Recognize what? Recognize that it's a copy of some cultural product? But what's the use of that?" another strategic analyst frowned.

"Perhaps... there's some connection we're unaware of? But time waits for no one!"

Zheng Peng's voice was deep, and he was ready to issue the first warning, at least to remind Jiang Xiu to "focus on the rules and get into character as soon as possible."

Just then—

"Hey! Squidward! My God, what are you spacing out for? Did you leave your brain inside that empty big head at home?!"

A sharp sound, like a rusty saw, scraped Jiang Xiu's eardrums and broke the deathly silence in the restaurant.

Jiang Xiu snapped back to reality in shock, only to see a dark red crab face almost right in front of him.

The crab owner had somehow appeared at the cashier, his bulging round eyes filled with dissatisfaction, and his pincers were impatiently tapping the greasy counter.

The first rule flashed through Jiang Xiu's mind instantly: Don't let anyone notice anything unusual about you.

His "daydreaming" just now was clearly not in line with the way "Octopus Brother" should be at work, and the Krabs boss has already noticed it!

The crisis came suddenly, giving him little time to process the rules.

The live stream room in China was instantly filled with gasps of suffocation.

After his initial shock, Jiang Xiu looked at the familiar, yet dreadful, crab-like face before him.

Almost instinctively, he quickly and naturally rolled the rule slip in his hand with his tentacles and, as he turned towards the crab boss, cleverly slipped it into his uniform pocket.

At the same time, the initial bewilderment on his face was quickly replaced by an expression more fitting for Squidward—a mixture of displeasure at being disturbed, boredom with mundane affairs, and the pain of his artistic soul being tainted.

He raised his eyelids and, in that languid and world-weary tone, spoke his first words since entering this bizarre instance to the furious Crab Boss:

"It's so noisy, Mr. Crab."

"Your voice is a hundred times more piercing than SpongeBob SquarePants scratching the blackboard with his fingernails. It's seriously interfering with my inspiration for tonight's clarinet solo."

……

Jiang Xiu's languid and world-weary response not only left the crab boss speechless for a moment, but also instantly reached the world through the live broadcast.

Viewers in other countries, who were closely watching their own chosen ones' performance at the start of the game, naturally witnessed the amazing feat of this "Octopus King" from China through parallel live streams or clips.

After a brief moment of surprise, there was an almost unanimous wave of ridicule and pessimism:

"Ha! What are those Chinese doing? Provoking a key NPC? Do they want to die even faster?"

"Reckless! Utterly reckless! The first rule emphasizes playing your role well. Squidward's character profile shows he is indeed dissatisfied with Krabs, but such a direct confrontation is extremely risky! The Chinese contestant lacks basic risk assessment!"

"Oh my God, this 'artist' is demonstrating with his life what it means to have 'temper overpowering reason.' It seems that art education in China is indeed unique—teaching people how to quickly trigger the death flag."

"Look! This is what happens when you don't respect the rules! Our country's contestants have already bowed respectfully to the crab boss and promised to work hard! That's true wisdom!"

"Although... uh, this is an S-rank dungeon! Is it really okay to play like this? The Dragon Kingdom might really be in trouble this time..."

Almost everyone believed that Jiang Xiu's act of confronting the boss head-on was tantamount to suicide in the perilous world of supernatural tales, especially at the very beginning.

The glimmer of light that had risen in the Dragon Kingdom's live broadcast room because of Jiang Xiu's immersion in the role was once again drowned out by the overwhelming doubts and ridicule from home and abroad, and the dark cloud of despair grew even heavier.

However, just when most global viewers thought Jiang Xiu had made a bad move, the chosen ones from other countries, faced with the same situation of being caught and reprimanded by the Crab Boss after being stunned at the beginning, made completely different choices.

For example, the chosen one from India, after quickly reviewing the rules, and adhering to the principle of respect, immediately clasped his hands together and humbly apologized when the crab boss roared:

"Dear Mr. Crab, please calm down. It was my oversight; I shouldn't have been distracted during my sacred working hours. Please give me your guidance, and I will create value for you immediately."

Their attitude was undeniably sincere, and their response undeniably swift.

The chosen one of the fighters from the Bear Kingdom, though rough in nature, knew how to endure for the time being. Faced with the crab boss's scolding, he chose to keep quiet and speak in a muffled voice.

"Got it, boss. I'll do my job well."

Trying to avoid conflict through obedience.

A former high-earner from Japan, deeply versed in workplace bowing culture, immediately gave a perfect 90-degree bow: "Mr. Krabs! I've been negligent! Please give me another chance!"

Their choice seems to align more with the conventional logic of "employees dealing with irritable bosses," and has won initial approval from their domestic audience and some international observers.

"See, this is the safest approach!"

"Keep the NPCs calm first, then plan your next move!"

However, the logic of the supernatural world is often distorted and cruel.

Just as these chosen ones apologized and tried to quell the Krabs owner's "anger" with humility—

A sudden change has occurred!

The crab owner behind the cashier's counter, whose dark red crab face had initially displayed only anxiety and greed, suddenly froze, then began to twist and deform like a melting wax figure.

His mouth was torn back in an inhuman arc, almost stretching to his cheeks, revealing not teeth, but dense, constantly wriggling and contracting tiny golden tentacles, as if concentrated crab roe had come to life.