Weird Rules: Start by playing God in Bikini Bottom!

Chapter 10 This damn stingy boss makes me hit the time limit?

……

The global live stream was plunged into utter shock and silence!

Within seconds, the screens in several countries went black.

After a brief silence, the comments section exploded:

"What...what happened?! The alarm clock! It's because of that alarm clock?!"

"SpongeBob! SpongeBob identified them! He said they were fake!"

"Why?! Aren't they working diligently? What's wrong with meeting customer needs?!"

"What exactly does 'alarm clock' mean?! Is it the time to leave work? Or something else?"

"The rules! It's not in the rules! How could anyone have guessed that?!"

"It's over...it's all over...the final blow of the S-rank dungeon? After what seemed like a period of calm, they wiped us all out in the most unexpected way?!"

"Dragon Kingdom! The Dragon Kingdom's live stream is still lit up! Look!"

Countless gazes, carrying the last, almost desperate hope, were cast toward the Dragon Kingdom's live broadcast room.

The same scene is playing out in the video:

The last old turtle customer stepped shakily across the threshold, and at the same time, the simple Krusty Krab alarm clock on Jiang Xiu's wrist began to ring sharply.

However, Jiang Xiu's reaction was completely different from all the other chosen ones!

The moment he heard the alarm clock, the expression on his face, a mixture of annoyance and numbness typical of working hours, vanished as quickly as ice and snow melting away, replaced by a relieved, almost sacred, ease and joy!

He even closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if savoring the beautiful sound of the bell.

He didn't even look at the old sea turtle at the door, nor did he care whether the alarm clock was ringing.

He slowly and deliberately used his tentacles to symbolically untie the ribbon.

Then he took off the Krusty Krab employee hat that he had been wearing on his head.

The crab claw clock on the wall finally aligned, pointing to the end of the workday.

In that instant, Jiang Xiu did something that left all the viewers speechless—

With a graceful swing of his arm, he precisely and with a sense of relief, tossed the employee hat onto the empty cash register counter with a "thud"!

Immediately afterwards, he turned to face the direction of the crab boss's office, and with all the strength in his chest, he drew out his voice, clearly and even with a hint of triumph, he shouted:

"I'm off work!! Mr. Crab!!"

The voice was loud and clear, echoing through the suddenly quiet restaurant.

After shouting, he didn't turn around and walked straight towards the restaurant door with an almost light step, completely ignoring the old turtle customer who had just entered, and also ignoring SpongeBob's equally strange and scrutinizing gaze coming from the kitchen doorway.

The moment he shouted "Time to go home" and threw down his hat, the alarm clock on his wrist automatically stopped ringing.

At the kitchen doorway, SpongeBob's face, which had been contorting with a strange, cold expression, instantly transformed into an extremely bright, even slightly silly, standard smile, as if melting snow in the sunlight. The cold, scrutinizing light in his eyes vanished without a trace, returning to its clear blue.

He jumped up happily and waved at Jiang Xiu's retreating figure:

"See you tomorrow, Squidward! Remember to practice your clarinet! I thought your 'Sad Tentacles' piece you played last time was really good!"

The old turtle customer who had just entered and triggered the apocalypse in other instances, was dismissed after Jiang Xiu called out "Time to go home".

It paused slightly, and then... it slowly and silently turned around, and with a pace even slower but unusually steady than when it came in, it left the Krusty Krab and disappeared into the gray fog outside the door.

The door to Boss Crab's office opened a crack, and Boss Crab poked his head out, watching Jiang Xiu's departing figure, then looked at the hat thrown on the cash register, pursed his lips, and muttered under his breath.

"You run faster than anyone else on time... Hmph, fine, I'll let it go since you didn't cause me any trouble today and even blocked Zhenzhen's way..." After saying that, she shrank back.

Jiang Xiu thus, under the incredulous gazes of all the spectators.

They walked out of the Krusty Krab restaurant unharmed, even strutting around with an air of superiority, their figures disappearing into the hazy gray mist of Bikini Bottom.

His live stream didn't go black; instead, as he moved, it switched to a scene of Bikini Bottom streets, showing him on his way home from get off work.

A new system notification slowly appeared in the corner of the screen:

The Dragon Kingdom's live stream room was deathly silent.

Then came a massive barrage of comments, a mix of ecstasy, shock, tears, and countless question marks!

"They're...off work?! They just...left like that?!"

"The alarm clock is for leaving get off work! My God! All the other contestants are dead at their posts!"

SpongeBob says, "My Squidward never thinks about work after the alarm goes off!" So the real Squidward absolutely leaves work on time! Not a second longer!

"This is the ultimate embodiment of 'character behavior logic'! Squidward's character is one who hates work, leaves on time, and is obsessed with art!"

"Jiang Xiu... he didn't even hesitate! He immediately went into 'clock-out mode' when he heard the bell! He even threw his hat away! So cool!"

"While other contestants were still grappling with customers and responsibilities, all he cared about was getting off work! Only getting off work!"

"So all his previous 'laziness,' 'complaining,' and 'passing the buck' were just foreshadowing? All so that he could rightfully and naturally 'leave work on time' at this moment, in line with his established persona?!"

"This isn't just about knowing what an alarm clock means... it's like having Squidward's soul etched into your DNA!"

The international online community was completely in an uproar, with various languages ​​expressing extreme shock and incomprehension:

"WTF?! Off work?! It's that easy?!"

"The concept of 'leaving get off work' exists in these weird rule-making stories?! Who the hell would have thought of that?!"

"How did the Chinese player know that?! Why is he so sure?!"

"SpongeBob only approves of Squidward who leaves work on time! That's the real Squidward!"

"So all the previous crises were a selection process? Selecting the person most capable of becoming Squidward?"

Inside the Strange Tales Research Institute, Zheng Peng and all the experts stared at the screen as Jiang Xiu walked away from the Krusty Krab and strolled through the eerie streets of Bikini Bottom, speechless for a long time.

Finally, Zheng Peng slowly sat back in his chair, exhaled a long, trembling breath, and revealed a complex smile on his face that was a mixture of ecstasy, relief, and extreme confusion.

"Off work...heh...what a nice 'off work'."

He murmured, "Jiang Xiu...who exactly are you? What kind of miracles and...revelation have you brought us?"

After the first day of work, Jiang Xiu survived and is likely the only chosen one in the world to end the business in the "correct way".

However, leaving the Krusty Krab does not mean you are safe.