I'm doing engineering in the instance.

Chapter 14 Summoning

When the countdown reached zero, Xie Chengzhou was sitting at the folding table in his personal space.

It wasn't a sudden drop to zero; he had been waiting all along. The heat on the inside of his wrist began to slowly intensify in the last hour, as if something was tightening under his skin. He had experienced this feeling many times at the construction site—not danger, but the tightening of "something is about to begin," the last few minutes before the start order was issued, the footsteps in the corridor before the client's representative walked into the meeting room.

He wasn't deliberately staring at his wrist. He was doing what he was supposed to do in the final stages of the countdown: finishing the "On-site #002: Assessment Preparation" framework.

He started writing this framework after entering his personal space, and it took him about two hours and three revisions. It wasn't because the content was complex, but because he realized something during the writing process: he knew less about #002 than he had ever known before starting any new project.

Before taking on a new project on a construction site, he at least has blueprints, geological reports, client requirements, and handover documents left by the previous project manager—even if these things are incomplete or unreliable, he at least knows they exist and knows where to find more information.

#002 There is nothing there.

There were no blueprints, no scene previews, no rule explanations, and no information about other players. He only knew three things: the entity would issue a summons, and after the summons, he would enter a new realm, a realm with rules, and those rules had a physical logic foundation.

These three things are all the information he has.

He finished writing the first column of this framework in his memo:

"Site #002 Assessment Preparation Framework - Third Draft"

I. Known conditions:

"①Solidoid Summoning Mechanism: 72-hour countdown, forced entry after reaching zero, cannot be delayed."

"② Journey rule structure: Referring to #001, there is a two-layer structure of explicit rules (already publicized) + implicit rules (which need to be actively discovered)."

"③ Rule Physical Basis Assumption (DB-001): All rules have a physical and logical basis and are not random. Confidence level 70%, pending verification by #002."

"④Personal Status: Star Source Remaining Points: 420, Fault Tolerance: 4 times, Items: Iron Detection Hammer (Complete), Memo (Complete)."

He drew a line under "4 tolerances" in the same position and with the same force as the line he drew in Chapter Twelve.

II. Unknown Variables:

He wrote this section slowly because the essence of "unknown variables" is "I don't know what I don't know," which is one of the most difficult types of problems to handle in engineering. Known unknowns can be addressed with contingency plans, but unknown unknowns can only be addressed with a framework for dealing with them.

"①Scene type: Unknown. Possible directions: Industrial/Building/Underground/Water/High-altitude — Refer to #001 for an industrial waste scene, #002 may continue or switch."

"② Threat type: Unknown. Factory monitoring is a unique design for #001. #002 may have completely different threat entities, and the old response strategies cannot be used."

"③Personnel variables: Unknown. #001 is a single-player experience, #002 may introduce other players - variable nature to be determined: cooperative/competitive/neutral."

"④ Number and complexity of rules: Unknown. #001 There are 4 explicit rules and 4 implicit rules. #002 The number may increase or decrease."

He paused on the line “③ Personnel variables”.

Liu Qingyuan, C-0214. The person he met in #001, a construction site manager, who passed the level for the third time. He created an entry for Liu Qingyuan in his memo: "Liu Qingyuan (C-0214): Observational skills exist, information is received and integrated directly, not through questioning. Information reliability: Medium to high (some information is secondary)."

He didn't know if Liu Qingyuan would be in #002, or if anyone else would be there. When he took over a new project on the construction site, the team roster was determined in advance—he knew who his engineers were, who the safety officer was, and who the data clerk was. Even if he wasn't familiar with these people, he at least knew their names and responsibilities.

#002 won't give him that.

He added a line after "Personnel Variables": "Disposal Principle: When encountering other players, assess them first, then make a decision. Do not actively exclude or rely on them."

III. First Priority Action:

"①Establish a spatial framework immediately upon entering the site (refer to step #001): structural assessment, load-bearing points, weak points, exit locations, and whether threats exist."

"② Look for explicit rules—usually available upon entry; do not ignore any 'hints' or other information."

"③ Actively search for hidden rules - refer to DB-001, hidden rules must have a physical basis, and can be deduced from the physical characteristics of the scene."

"④ Time control: #001 Time taken: 18 minutes and 47 seconds (SS rating speedrun), #002 Objective: Complete the mission without failure. Speedrun is not the priority; completing the mission alive is the priority."

He added a parenthetical note below "Surviving and clearing the game is the priority": "(Star Source Management Principle: 4 chances to fail, each failure consumes 25% of the fault tolerance limit, irreversible.)"

IV. Risk Contingency Plan:

This section is the part he spends the most time on at the construction site, because the quality of the contingency plan determines the speed of response when unexpected events occur. On the construction site, he has seen too many project managers standing still when unexpected events happen—not because they don't know what to do, but because they only start thinking about what to do at that moment, when they should have thought about it beforehand.

"Risk 1: The threat entity's perception method is unknown. Contingency plan: Upon entry, prioritize testing the perception method, using the #001 proactive verification strategy—small-scale stimulation, observe the response, establish a perception model, and then take action."

Risk 2: The triggering conditions for the rules are unknown. Contingency plan: Take a conservative approach and avoid touching any uncertain objects or areas until a sufficient rule framework is established.

"Risk 3: Interference from personnel variables. Contingency plan: If encountering other players, prioritize assessing their behavior patterns before deciding whether to cooperate. Cooperation is contingent on the other party's presence not increasing my probability of failure."

"Risk 4: The physical conditions of the scenario are beyond the scope of experience. Contingency plan: This contingency plan cannot be established in advance, only the principle can be established - when encountering unfamiliar physical conditions, stop, observe, and do not apply old experience blindly."

He added a line after "Risk Four," thought for a moment, crossed it out, and then rewrote it:

"Note: #001's experience is an asset, but it could also be a liability. Include it, but don't lock it in."

The sensation of heat on the inside of my wrist suddenly changed.

It's not about strengthening, but about a change in texture—from "tightening" to a more uniform and stable heat, like the moment concrete changes from liquid to solid after initial setting. It's not a drastic change, but a feeling of "state switching completed."

He glanced down at his wrist.

The words "72 hours to go" have disappeared.

Instead, a new line of text appeared:

"Experience #002 - Pipeline - Entry Confirmation - Please Take Your Positions".

Xie Chengzhou lowered his sleeves.

He turned to the last page of the memo, "Site #002: Assessment and Preparation Framework," and wrote the last line below the note for "Risk Four":

"start."

Then he closed the memo, put it in his pocket, and pressed down the number on the inside of his wrist.

He took on many new projects on construction sites. With each new project, his state was the same: not excitement, not fear, but a calm sense of "I'm ready, we can begin." It wasn't because he knew what would happen next, but because he knew that whatever happened, he had a way to handle it.

Method is not the answer. Method is knowing where to go next when there is no answer.

He felt his consciousness begin to leave his personal space, leave Yuan City, and leave the place where he had stood for seventy-two hours.

The feeling of entering is different from #001. In #001, the outline of the factory begins to dissolve from the edges, giving a feeling of "the old scene exiting." #002 is different—not exiting, but sinking. It's as if the ground is slowly opening up beneath his feet, not falling, but being caught, being carried in, being taken into a place he doesn't yet understand.

He did not struggle.

During the descent, he mentally reviewed the "Site #002 Assessment and Preparation Framework" one last time.

Spatial framework. Explicit rules. Implicit rules. Time control. Contingency plans.

Then there's DB-001: non-random, designed by someone, with rules derived from physical scenarios.

Then there's the last line he recorded in #001:

"The client isn't trying to survive on-site; the client is setting the challenges on-site."

He opened his eyes.

He is no longer in Yuan City.