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

Xu Ning watched Qi Tong enter the house before she felt relieved and turned to go back to her own home.

Turning around, I saw Chen Jie following behind me.

A flicker of panic crossed Chen Jie's eyes.

His mind was completely blank; he didn't even know why he had followed along.

But the image of fighting side by side kept replaying in my mind.

He had never felt the unity he had experienced when he joined the organization, but he found it in Qi Tong.

"Go home and rest first. We can talk about it after you've had a good night's sleep."

Xu Ning broke the silence first.

Chen Jie swallowed hard, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say, "...Okay."

Xu Ning could tell from his hesitant expression that something was bothering him.

She sighed softly to herself, didn't ask any more questions, and turned to walk towards her home.

She took a few steps, then stopped without looking back.

"Chen Jie".

A soft "hmm" came from behind me.

"Qin Yu's combat training class starts next Wednesday. Bring your own protective gear. No lateness allowed."

She continued walking forward.

There was silence behind her for a few seconds, then came a series of hurried footsteps, as if afraid she would change her mind.

I listened as the footsteps faded into the distance.

Xu Ning didn't turn around, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

------

Once inside the room, Qi Tong slumped onto the sofa. Her neck and stomach were still aching slightly, not as intensely as in the dungeon, but it didn't subside quickly either.

She covered her eyes with her arm, recalling the moment she was choked, the system's "666" exclamation, and the male voice's "Get out."

It was obvious that it wasn't the sound of "666".

It sounded like something hidden inside 666's body erupting when he was overly emotional.

Remembering the system's emotional analysis function, Qi Tong pondered.

"Liu Zi, did you know you had this ability before?"

666 made a head-shaking gesture in Qi Tong's mind.

It stretched out its little blue hands and slid them across its head, as if it were scratching its head.

"I don't know, host. All I know is that I'm a romance system, and I've always assisted the female lead in conquering the male lead in CEO romance worlds."

"Is there anything that seems off to you?"

"Oh! Now that you mention it, it's true. Ever since I bound myself to you, I keep dreaming about a woman in the Time and Space Administration's prison who grabs me."

"You've made them feel so bad, they were just passing by."

"But that should just be a dream, though I have this dream repeatedly."

Qi Tong closed her eyes, but her brain was racing.

Recurring dreams?

What if it wasn't a dream?

Who is that woman? And why is she imprisoned in the Time and Space Administration's jail?

Why did she grab 666?

Whose voice was that?

Could he be connected to the woman being held in jail?

Qi Tong felt like her head had turned to mush, and she fell asleep on the sofa with her eyes covered.

------

Chen Jie returned to his apartment, closed the door, and stood with his back against the door panel for a long time.

The house is very quiet, so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat.

He looked down at his hands, the hands that had been burned by corrosive liquid to the point that only two fingers remained a few hours earlier, but now they were completely healed.

The teleportation repaired all the physical damage, but the burning pain from the corrosive liquid lingered in my nerve endings like an echo that wouldn't dissipate.

He walked to the table, opened the forum, and clicked on the new post.

He thought about the title for a long time. Finally, he typed in a line.

"I am Chen Jie. I have something to say about the Dark Temple."

He started typing.

It describes how the higher-ups in the Dark Temple manipulate the newcomer rankings using items and points, and how new players are used as cannon fodder and forced into high-risk dungeons.

He did not write about how his fingers were burned by corrosive liquid, nor did he write about the details of how he was tortured by the butcher in the mental hospital.

This is not a confession; it is a debt he has owed for a long time.

He owes those players he targeted, he owes his brother, and he owes Qi Tong.

His hand trembled slightly when he posted the message.

Then he placed his phone face down on the table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the ceiling.

The ceiling was white, without any patterns.

He recalled how he and Chen Guodong squeezed into a tiny rented room when they were children. The roof leaked and the corners of the walls were moldy, but whenever he said he was cold, his brother would cover him with his own blanket.

Later, when he entered the strange world, his brother changed.

It's not that I've become a bad person, it's that I've become an empty shell filled with props and points.

He had a lot of money and many props, but he would never share his blankets with anyone again.

Then he died. He died in a copy of the game where everyone felt he deserved his fate, reaching out for help before he died, but no one paid him any attention.

Chen Jie closed his eyes. He didn't know if what he was doing now counted as atonement.

All he knew was that he didn't want to see anyone else die like his brother.

All he knew was that he had to work hard so that he could see his brother again.

the next day.

When Qi Tong woke up, she found herself lying on the sofa with a blanket covering her.

She paused for a moment, not remembering that she had taken the blanket.

Then she heard the sound of "666" in her mind, tinged with a bit of embarrassment.

[It got a little cold after you fell asleep... I searched the shop for ages and only found this. Points will be deducted from your account.]

Qi Tong remained silent for a few seconds.

"...How come your dating system also has a shopping agent function?"

[They're not resellers! They're helping the host manage their life! This is also part of the romance system's job!]

"Why didn't you help me manage things in the dungeon before?"

In the dungeon, everyone's focused on staying alive... no one cares if you're cold... Besides, their abilities weren't activated yet.

Qi Tong didn't criticize it anymore.

She pulled the blanket up to cover her chin.

"Tell me before you deduct points next time."

[Okay, host! How about I order some takeout for you now? You still have points in your account. A new porridge shop has opened in Wanwu City, and it has pretty high ratings!]

"Shut up."

【Oh. 】

About three seconds passed.

[The congee shop really has a high rating...]

Qi Tong resignedly sat up, picked up her phone, and began to figure out how to order takeout.

However, there is no food delivery app on my phone.

"Host, you need to search for food delivery apps in the store and make a purchase before the app appears on your phone."

Qi Tong did as instructed and saw that the food delivery app marked 100 points.

Qi Tong's lips twitched slightly; 100 points would be enough for her to eat her fill at the snack street.

However, she was really too tired and didn't want to go out at all today, so she had no choice but to resign herself to buying it.

The food delivery interface in Wanwu City is similar to that in the real world. She ordered a bowl of porridge and a side dish, and then received a system notification.

"Your personal shopping consultant has applied for a new customer coupon for you, which has been automatically deducted."

She looked down at the notification.

Personalized shopping guide. A dating system that helps her apply for new user coupons.

Liu Zi is still somewhat useful.

She put her phone aside, leaned back on the sofa, and stared at the ceiling.

Shen Zhiyi, Xiaoqin, Xiaoyi.

The three names swirled in her mind before finally settling on one point.