Rules of the Strange: I Can See Through All the Weird

[Note: Once the Emotional Analysis feature is fully unlocked, you will gain the "Emotional Intervention" ability. This allows you to directly affect the emotional obsessions of NPCs.]

Please continue to assist the system in completing the activation.

Qi Tong looked down at the notification, then looked up and said to System 666 in her mind, "So you want me to activate it for you?"

The "666" in my mind didn't answer. After a long time, a very soft response, without any emoticons, finally came:

[Host. I'm a little scared. If it's activated, will I still be myself?]

Qi Tong did not answer the question. Because she didn't know either.

All she knew was that from today onward, her system would no longer be that useless little thing that only knew how to whine.

----

When her vision cleared again, she was already standing in front of the teleportation point of the City of All Things.

Xu Ning was right next to her, one hand still supporting her.

Chen Jie knelt a few steps away, head down, panting heavily.

He Lu and Zhao Rui slumped down next to the teleportation point, neither of them speaking, just staring blankly at their hands.

Those hands that had not been injected with any drugs.

Qi Tong didn't care about anything else and immediately asked 666 in her mind.

"Is Xiaoyi alright? Is she back?"

The answer she received wasn't "666," but rather Xiaoyi's voice.

Xiaoyi only said three words: "Don't worry."

Qi Tong's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

The pain was still there, and the group sat on the ground for a long time to recover.

She looked down, opened the space, and took something out.

It's that USB drive.

It has a very ordinary black plastic shell with no markings. The cap at the back is a bit loose and turns with the slightest touch.

Shen Zhiyi said she had stored all the evidence here.

This hospital keeps records of every organ transaction, the patient number of each person who becomes a donor, and the hospital director's signature.

The USB drive is currently in Qi Tong's possession.

It was very light, almost like empty air. But it was also very heavy, because it contained all the evidence a journalist had obtained at the cost of his life.

"Xu Ning".

"Um?"

"Can I post files on the forum of this bizarre world?"

Xu Ning remained silent for a moment, as if searching through all the information she knew.

Then she nodded. "You can post it on the forum. But the file needs to be reviewed by the system. Once approved, all players can see it."

That's enough.

Qi Tong opened the forum and created a new post.

She thought about the title for a long time.

I initially intended to write about "the truth about mental hospitals," but I deleted it.

He wrote "The Secrets of Organ Trading" again, then deleted it.

In the end, she typed two lines. One line in large font, and one line in small font.

The large one is for everyone to see, the small one is for one person to see.

Exposed: The Truth About Human Organ Trading at Zhongshan Mental Hospital

Reporter: Shen Zhiyi

She uploaded all the files from the USB drive, dragging them one by one into the attachment bar.

She kept the original naming conventions of Shen Zhiyi for each document.

The filenames were long, formal, and used precise wording like press release titles.

This is the last manuscript Shen Zhiyi left in this world.

She is not a patient; she never was a patient.

She is a journalist.

The post has been sent.

The progress bar for uploading attachments is jumping step by step.

A notification pops up indicating that the application is pending review. Once the review is successful, every player in the eerie world will be able to see the evidence.

"Once the approval is granted," Xu Ning said, "this hospital will cease to exist."

"It no longer exists." Qi Tong closed the forum interface.

"Shen Zhiyi burned it. I just scattered the ashes out of the chimney."

The sound of "666" echoed in my mind.

There were no emoticons as usual, and no coquettish behavior.

It was a very soft, almost so soft voice, like someone talking to themselves.

[Host. That soul just now... I sensed it when she left. It was a different kind of feeling.]

"What did you feel?"

It was a sense of relief. When she returned the pocket watch to her father, the knot in her heart was untied. It wasn't forgiveness, it was letting go.

Qi Tong lowered her head and looked at the light pink needle mark on her arm.

The edges have stopped spreading, and the color is slowly fading.

The teleportation after clearing the level repaired the physical damage, but some things will not disappear.

For example, the seed that once grew under her skin, or the number that she was once marked on the medical record as a "carrier".

1067.

She will never forget this number, just as she will never forget 1065's still-moving fingers when the baton pierced his temple, 1066's lullaby while holding his doll, and the bewildered expression on the face of the male player number 1089 when he smiled and said "1089."

They were all patients, but none of them were actually sick.

"Let's go back." Qi Tong straightened up, pulled down the sleeve of her hospital gown to cover the fading needle mark, and said, "I'll go back and take a shower first, then get some sleep."

Xu Ning glanced at her, said nothing more, and simply nodded.

Chen Jie stood up from the ground and put the demonic sword back into his spatial storage.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something. It could be "thank you," it could be "sorry," or it could be something else.

But in the end, he just clenched his fist and then relaxed it, saying it in a very awkward tone.

"I'll also post. I'll share everything I know about the Dark Temple, including the source of my brother Chen Guodong's items and how they manipulate the newcomer rankings."

Qi Tong looked at him.

His eyes were still a little red, but his gaze was no longer the gloomy, paranoid, and empty look that had been devoured by hatred.

He found a new goal.

He Lu and Zhao Rui expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

After thanking her, Zhao Rui went home by herself, her back view looking quite lonely.

Previously, someone would accompany her home after finishing a dungeon run, but now she's all alone.

He Lu could only look at Qi Tong with a guilty conscience.

Qi Tong felt uncomfortable being stared at, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, the young lady, who had always been as aloof as moonlight, burst into tears.

She looked at the bruises on Qi Tong's neck, and it took her a long time to find her voice before she sobbed and spoke.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, I was too weak, I couldn't help you..."

"I will definitely work hard so that I won't hold you back next time we meet!"

Qi Tong smiled helplessly, her voice still a little hoarse and weak: "When did I blame you?"

The notification sound indicating that the forum application had been approved rang simultaneously on all four people's phones.

Dozens of replies have already appeared below the post, with the top one containing only six words: "Is it true? Oh my god."

Then the number of replies continued to rise.

Some people are criticizing the hospital, some are asking who Shen Zhiyi is, and some who watched half of the live broadcast are guessing that the forum poster is Qi Tong.

But Qi Tong did not continue reading.

She turned off her phone and walked towards her home.

Xu Ning walked to her left, half a step behind.

Chen Jie followed behind them, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

It's not about following; it's about not knowing how to join.

They may not necessarily become partners, but at least they will no longer be enemies who draw their swords against each other.