Gatekeeper Duties and Regulations:
1. Remember, Director Liu is a good person.
2. All punishments by Director Liu are justified, including but not limited to imprisonment, beatings, cutting off hands or feet.
3. There are 16 gates in the slaughterhouse, and you need to keep 16 keys. There is no 17th gate, and no red key.
4. Do not enter Slaughter Room No. 8 without Director Liu's permission.
5. The slaughterhouse only receives pigs at 12 PM daily. If you see pigs being delivered at any other time, return to your room immediately and lock the door.
6. Working hours are from 12 AM to 6 AM. If you need to enter the slaughter rooms during this period, keep your mouth shut.
7. Director Liu's office is at the far end of the slaughterhouse. Do not approach it after sunset.
8. The slaughter rooms are disinfected daily at 7:30 AM. Ensure everyone has left the slaughter rooms before this time.
After reading the rules, Zhou Bai's system voice chimed in.
[New rules detected. Marking one erroneous rule for the host.]
[Gatekeeper Duty No. 3 is incorrect.]
Zhou Bai focused on this rule. The existence of a 17th gate? It seemed there was indeed a 17th gate in the slaughterhouse, but whether it was dangerous remained unknown. The first method for an SSS-level clearance involved identifying and eliminating the source of contamination in the slaughterhouse. The 17th gate was a prime suspect, but SSS-level clearance required not only finding the source but also eliminating it, a much harder task than the previous scenario.
The other two clearance methods involved Director Liu. However, from the rules alone, it was clear that Director Liu harbored many secrets and was not an easy person to deal with. Finding a way to clear the scenario through him would not be simple.
After pondering, Zhou Bai placed the rules on the table and followed Aunt Wang's directions to the office at the far end of the slaughterhouse. As he walked, he checked his phone—it was 6:30 AM. The slaughterhouse employees had just finished their shift. Zhou Bai saw many employees leaving, and he noticed an unusually high disability rate among them—missing arms, limping legs, missing ears, and eyes. Remembering the rules, Zhou Bai shivered.
As he neared the director's office, he heard someone inside pleading.
"Director Liu, please, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have talked during work. I won't do it again. Please don't... Ah!"
A scream echoed from the office. The door was ajar. Zhou Bai stepped closer and saw a man in leather work clothes clutching his severed left hand, writhing in pain on the floor. Blood stained the desk, and a hand-shaped object was visible in the trash can beside it. Zhou Bai felt his scalp tingle.
The rules had mentioned "cutting off hands," but seeing it happen was entirely different. The viewers in the live stream gasped.
—"My god! This place is hell! Talking during work gets you punished like this?"
—"If I worked here, I'd be dead already."
—"I'd never survive in this place."
Zhou Bai hesitated, considering whether to come back later. Entering now might expose him to danger. However, seeing the calm expressions of the passing employees, who showed no surprise or intent to help, Zhou Bai decided to proceed.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Zhou Bai knocked politely on the office door. Director Liu, holding a knife, kicked the trash can under the desk, hiding its contents.
"Who is it?" Director Liu barked, causing the viewers to shudder.
—"Why is Zhou Bai going in?"
—"George from Sunset Country turned back and saved his life."
—"Director Liu still has the knife!"
Director Liu, appearing around forty, wore a white tank top. His arms bore numerous scars, some fresh and scabbed. Zhou Bai forced himself to stay calm, avoiding looking at the man on the floor. "I'm the new gatekeeper, here to report."
Director Liu eyed Zhou Bai. "Fine, here are the keys to the slaughterhouse. Take them."
Zhou Bai took the keys. Director Liu pointed to the unconscious man on the floor. "Take him to the infirmary."
The slaughterhouse had an infirmary? It seemed injuries were common here. "Yes, sir."
Zhou Bai lifted the unconscious man, a butcher weighing about 200 pounds. Fortunately, Zhou Bai's strength had been enhanced by 200% in the previous scenario, making the task easier.
—"Wow, Zhou Bai is strong!"
—"He's got hidden muscles?"
—"Sisters, don't keep our Chosen One to yourself. Share with us!"
Zhou Bai, supporting the butcher, asked for directions to the infirmary and headed there. Meanwhile, Nguyen Van Luong from Monkey Country also carried a butcher to the infirmary but stumbled several times due to his skinny frame, drawing laughter from his country's viewers.
—"So embarrassing. Nguyen Van Luong, you need to work out."
—"Compared to Zhou Bai, I don't want to acknowledge our Chosen One."
—"Nguyen Van Luong is so skinny, other countries might think we're starving."
Despite Nguyen Van Luong's slow progress, he had started earlier, so he and Zhou Bai arrived at the infirmary simultaneously.