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

[Player Qi Tong has cleared the Happy Home dungeon and is preparing to teleport.]

Qi Tong heard the sound and saw the word "teleport" appear in front of her. Just as she was about to click on it, she turned her head away first.

"Live well, Xiaoyi, I'll be waiting for you in the future."

When Qi Tong was filming GG, she paid special attention to the name of the short video app. It wasn't because she entered the instance and it changed to her name, but rather it was the original owner's name.

On short video platforms, her name is Xiaoyi Baobao, just like the real Xiaoyi, who simply hopes to be a baby in an ordinary family.

Qi Tong pressed the teleport button and said something with a smile. Xiao Yi couldn't hear it, but she carefully watched Qi Tong's lip movements.

Qi Tong said, "Little Yi, keep going!"

Xiao Yi knelt on the ground and burst into tears, nodding repeatedly and saying, "I will." The teddy bear was anxious and kept circling around her, taking out its own cotton to wipe Xiao Yi's tears. Xiao Yi stopped crying and started to smile.

Holding the teddy bear, she stuffed the cotton back in, went to the living room, found a needle and thread, and stitched up the teddy bear's tear stitch by stitch. The brokenness of her childhood, like pieces of rags, was pieced together little by little by the teddy bear and Qi Tong, stitched up by herself.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Player Qi Tong successfully uncovered the secrets of the "Happy Home" and completed the hidden quest: Rescue Xiao Yi and gain the favor of the mysterious NPC Xiao Yi.

[Player performance rating: SSS]

[Player reward: 500 points; base player points: 200]

[Reward item for dungeon: Teddy Bear, which will protect each of its owners and can withstand one fatal attack per dungeon run]

[Reward: Obtain the item "Xiao Yi's Companionship" to gain favor with the mysterious NPC. Xiao Yi can be released once per dungeon run. Her main function is companionship; players can discover her abilities on their own.]

[Reward: Agility +5, Perception +5]

[System item successfully activated: Love Bubble, a protective item, upgradable, currently level 1, capacity for one person, allows random teleportation within the bubble.]

"Wait, what is Love Bubble?" Qi Tong asked, puzzled. She knew that the previous reward items were almost all related to the dungeon.

What exactly is this "love bubble" thing?

【Host! This is of course a system item from the great Love System!】System 666 said proudly.

[The Love Bubble will randomly teleport you to a location and then burst. After leveling up to a certain point, you can choose your own teleportation location—wherever you want to go! It can even accommodate multiple people! Keep leveling up, Host!]

"Wait, hold on, don't worry about leveling up yet. What does 'romance system' mean?"

System 666 shyly twisted its fingers: 【It means exactly what you're thinking, host (ꈍᴗꈍ)】

"Are you sure you didn't come to the wrong place? Why would I need a romance system like you to navigate this strange and unpredictable world with me?!" Qi Tong's expression was almost breaking down.

Otherwise, why does it keep talking about "affection level"? After all that, it turns out it's just a dating game!

【No, host, this is my first time too. Let's work hard together ୧(＾〰＾)୨】

"No, God, I told you to turn a blind eye to me, but I didn't tell you to aim correctly!"

……

Soon, they were teleported to the City of All Things.

Before them lay an unfamiliar environment: bustling streets selling all sorts of goods, from snacks to even weapons.

The shop assistants in front of the store were shouting at the top of their lungs, and people were coming and going, buying whatever they wanted. It was so lively!

In the real world, with the development of technology, people are becoming less and less humane, and neighbors are living like strangers who don't even greet each other when they meet.

If you see cute little animals outside and want to go up and pet them, you shouldn't even think about it; their owners will look at you with wary eyes.

People's lives are fast-paced, and they are just constantly busy.

Fewer and fewer relatives visit each other during holidays; greeting each other online is considered a New Year's greeting, even though they live only a few streets apart.

Looking at the scene before her, Qi Tong felt a sense of joy. She loved lively places and a world full of human warmth. This City of Everything was quite to her liking.

But she was also wary, after all, as the saying goes, the more beautiful something is, the more dangerous it is.

666 looked up and couldn't hide the little stars in her eyes (╹▽╹)

This is the world outside the game instance. Everyone calls it the City of Everything. Just like the name, it has everything! It's no different from the real world, and even has more things than the real world.

We're going home now!

"Where did we get a home?"

[Once each player completes the first level, the developers will acknowledge your existence and automatically generate a house for you. Of course, if a player dies or remains in the instance, their house will also disappear.]

[However, host, please be aware that while this place is similar to reality, you must also be mindful of human nature. You can buy weapons and anything else here. Although official rules prohibit players from killing each other outside the game, you can't completely prevent being killed in dungeons. Also, there are organized groups here; just think of a guild and the current guild ranking interface will pop up.]

Qi Tong did as 666 said, and sure enough, all the information about the guild appeared in her mind.

"How do I get home?" Qi Tong asked.

She felt it might be because it was the first dungeon. The game had been very considerate, and the dungeon wasn't too difficult, but it still made her very tired, both mentally and physically exhausted. She felt that the mental fatigue was greater than the physical fatigue.

I also feel very sleepy, probably because my energy level is low.

[Host, just think of the key in your head!]

Qi Tong immediately did as instructed, and sure enough, a golden key appeared in her hand. There was a faint yellow line on the key. Following the yellow line, she quickly found her home.

It's a loft apartment duplex, with two small floors, perfect for one person to live in.

Qi Tong's eyes lit up; wasn't this the little home she had been longing for?

The interior was very nice, with complete furniture and even many small decorations. What captivated Qi Tong the most were the sofa on the first floor and the bed on the second floor, which looked incredibly soft!

Qi Tong couldn't wait to lie down and sleep soundly.

I paid back the 180 points I owed 666, and now I only have 520 points left.

With 520 points, you still have to cover your daily needs, and if you buy items, there won't be much left.

Qi Tong didn't want to think about anything anymore; she just wanted to take a bath and have a good night's sleep!

After taking a shower and drying her hair, Qi Tong finally lay down on the big bed she had been longing for.

Qi Tong lay on the bed and closed her eyes.

Looking at the blank ceiling without a single pattern.

Her mind was a jumbled mess. Why had she come into this world?

What connection does her father have with the supernatural world? Why was she sent here after entering the password?

All the wild thoughts swirled together, and in the end, only one image remained—Xiaoyi kneeling on the ground, hugging her teddy bear and crying.

"Little Yi, keep going." She closed her eyes, her lips moving silently.

Then she turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

Sleep in seconds.

[Host has completed the "family" bond; system upgrade in progress...]

System 666 emitted a strange sound, but Qi Tong, fast asleep, heard nothing...

----

When Qi Tong woke up, it was already noon the next day; she had slept the entire day!

With her hair a mess from sleeping, barely better than a bird's nest, Qi Tong, who was standing in front of the mirror squeezing toothpaste and preparing to brush her teeth, suddenly thought of a question: "Liu Zi, does the game have a mandatory number of days before you have to enter a dungeon?"

【Yes, yes! It's been a month, it's very relaxed.】666 jumped in her mind, (＞ω＜) 【Many players who are afraid of dying have gone to work, only entering the dungeon once a month, but the points earned from working are super-low, not even enough for someone to buy a bag!】

"Why are you talking like a salesperson?"

[Ahem. Anyway, going into a dungeon might be a death sentence, but there's livestream donations! Maybe some big shot will be in a good mood and shower you with points~ How about it, want to consider the next dungeon?]

"roll."

It's quite humane; it didn't say anything about being forced to enter the dungeon after three or five days, but it's been a whole month.

That explains why she saw such a prosperous scene when she first arrived. Many people may have willingly stayed here, and many cherish this hard-won peaceful life, which is why they are so simple and honest. But that doesn't mean that everything has two sides, good and bad.

Noticing Qi Tong's thoughts, System 666, abandoning its usual playfulness, spoke seriously.