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

Exhausted, Fu Xinyue returned to the Dark Palace base. Before she could even sit down, Xiao Yunke rushed down from upstairs in a hurry.

"Fu Xinyue! Didn't I tell you that you have to be respectful to them whenever you run into them?"

Fu Xinyue was so angry that she exploded.

"Haven't I been being respectful the whole time? What more do you want?!"

Xiao Yunke, who had been scolded, was stunned and stood there with his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

"I... I mean, why did you actually go to their house to serve them?"

"Even though we've all left the instance, haven't they been right in front of me the whole time? Right beside me? Doesn't that mean I have to serve them? Isn't that your order?!"

Xiao Yunke was very confused. "No, what I meant was, why don't you just leave..."

"Did you let me leave? Did you say so? Did you say I could leave once the dungeon was over? Didn't you say I had to serve you as long as you were in my sight? But they've been in front of me the whole time!"

Seeing Fu Xinyue's furious expression, Xiao Yunke simply remained silent.

It's one thing to be unable to reason with someone, but to be constantly yelled at like that...

----

The newcomer rankings will be updated again next Monday.

[Congratulations, host, on successfully reaching number one on the newcomer rankings. Rewards have been issued.]

Player Qi Tong has received 100000 reward points.

Player Qi Tong has obtained the SSS-level top-tier item: the Life and Death Dice.

[The Life and Death Dice: Heaven always favors the lucky. When injured or facing death, simply roll the "Life and Death Dice" for a chance at rebirth. The higher the number rolled, the stronger the healing power.]

[Note: Even if you roll a 1, there will be some recovery. This can only be used once per dungeon run.]

Qi Tong, still half asleep, ripped off her sleep mask and opened her eyes to adjust to the light in the room.

"What leader? Who's here?"

[Host, it's a "dice," the kind you shake by hand.]

Qi Tong opened her backpack and found a white-glowing die quietly sitting in the corner.

She checked her points wallet again, counting the extra 100,000 points.

Good heavens, that's enough to make her stuffed to death in the food street!

The life-or-death dice, that's a pretty good prop.

Healing items are extremely rare, and this was the first time she had obtained one after completing four dungeons.

It's still a reward from the newcomer rankings.

Qi Tong opened the forum, ignored the posts about her, and went straight to the private message group chat.

Get rich quick 666: Tonight's expenses are all on me!

Soon, the remaining three people in the group started replying.

It seems everyone was already awake, except for her, who was still sleeping in when she was woken up by the sound of the system reward.

Everyone in the group is shrewd; they immediately guessed that Qi Tong had received the newcomer ranking reward points.

Half a lemon tree: What item did you get?

Qi Tong didn't hide anything and explained the function of the "Life and Death Dice".

Night Walker: Awesome!! You've even gotten your hands on some healing items.

.:sharp.

Get rich quick 666: Xu Ning, what are your props?

Xu Ning chuckled mischievously as she looked at the group messages, then typed furiously on the screen.

Half a lemon tree: I won't tell you~

Night Walker: If you won't tell, then I won't tell.

: Hmm, I won't say.

Qi Tong frowned upon seeing these messages.

"Get rich quick 666": What does that mean? You all know, but I don't?

Nightwalker: She was featured in the previous instance.

Half a lemon tree: Hehe~ I'm not telling you~

Xu Ning could already imagine Qi Tong's outburst after seeing this message.

Sure enough, Qi Tong on the other end quickly sent a message.

"Get Rich Quick 666": Let's go into the next dungeon together! I need to know what kind of item you are!

Qi Tong had only asked casually; whether Xu Ning answered or not was her choice.

Everyone else knows, but she doesn't. Sorry! I can't accept it; I'm a very trusting person.

Xu Ning laughed heartily in front of her phone.

Half a Lemon Tree: Great! I happen to have a team-up card that I haven't used yet.

Qi Tong is very angry! And the consequences of anger are serious!

Even when we ate dinner together in the evening, I ate a little more.

Chen Jie raised his beer mug, a blush creeping onto his face.

"Look how angry Sister Tong is, have a drink!"

Qi Tong called over a waiter and ordered a beer.

The draft beer mug arrived quickly, its surface covered with rich, fine white foam, and tiny water droplets were already beginning to form on the glass.

Upon smelling the familiar aroma of wheat, Qi Tong realized with a start that it had been a long time since she had drunk any alcohol.

In the real world, she often works a long day, sometimes until midnight, and is physically exhausted, but mentally exhausted as well.

Occasionally, she would have a small drink with dinner in the evening, which was her only way to relieve stress.

It's not about drinking too much or drinking good wine; it's just about releasing the pressure that adults can't talk about.

Staring at the white foam floating on the beer, Qi Tong took a sip.

Her eyes lit up immediately.

It tastes better than real-world beer, with a smooth texture and rich malt flavor that makes you want to drink it again and again after just one sip.

Qi Tong took a big gulp and put the cup on the table.

"Cool!"

This made Xu Ning, who had never touched alcohol before, extremely craving it.

She looked at Qi Tong expectantly and asked, "Is it good?"

"You've never drunk alcohol before?" Qi Tong looked at Xu Ning beside her.

Xu Ning nodded.

Qi Tong took Xu Ning's cup, poured a small amount out for Xu Ning, and placed it in front of her.

"You can try it, but if you don't like it or can't drink it, then don't continue drinking it."

Xu Ning nodded obediently, picked up the glass, and drank the small glass of wine that Qi Tong had just poured in one gulp.

"What does it taste like?"

Xu Ning smacked her lips. "It seems I drank it too fast. It didn't have much flavor. The aftertaste was a little sweet and a little bitter."

Chen Jie, who was a little tipsy, suddenly covered his face and put his arm on the table.

If you listen carefully, you can hear his faint sobs.

His body was trembling uncontrollably.

This scene startled everyone.

"What's wrong, Chen Jie? Did someone bully you?" Qi Tong was the first to frown. Could it be that the Dark Palace had come looking for Chen Jie again?

Xu Ning also chimed in, "Yeah, just say what's on your mind, don't keep it bottled up."

Qin Yu also put his arm around Chen Jie's shoulder and patted him, signaling him to speak.

Chen Jie was still crying, and no one urged him to stop.

They just wait for him to speak, knowing that when he does, they will be there to listen.

After a moment, he finally lifted his face, which had been hidden in his palm.

He took two tissues, wiped away his tears, and then used one of the tissues to blow his nose.

"I'm fine, thank you all, I'm just..."

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face like a broken string.

"I am... The way you all looked just now reminded me of my brother."

He sobbed, "The first time I drank alcohol, my brother poured me a drink in the same way and let me taste it... even the words he said were exactly the same."