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Chapter 53

After being knocked out, Jiang Xiuxiu didn't wake up for a while.

 

In a haze, she only felt warmth surrounding her, as if she were floating in a void of emptiness.

 

She knew she was dreaming.

 

This was the fifth time she had dreamed since entering the game.

 

Like the previous times, she retained full awareness in her dream.

 

She even had the presence of mind to reflect on what had just happened.

 

What she thought about most was that Xu Bai had discovered the existence of the game.

 

Not only that, but he could accurately identify that he belonged to the "game," while Jiang Xiuxiu and the others were from the outside world.

 

With so little evidence, for him to make such a precise guess and speak with such certainty, Jiang Xiuxiu couldn't believe that no player had secretly leaked information to him.

 

But the "Non-Interference Principle" was something the game had repeatedly emphasized for players to follow.

 

Many players had been fined by the game company after slipping up and accidentally mentioning something to an NPC. The fines were justified as "causing interference with the program's operation."

 

Moreover, once a player entered the game, they were under 24-hour surveillance by the system.

 

To prevent players from exploiting loopholes, the game's terms clearly stated that any player who attempted to bribe or manipulate an NPC with information about the "game" or "reality" would be disqualified from receiving any prize money, even if they successfully completed the game.

 

So, no one had a reason to reveal this kind of information to Xu Bai.

 

Players entered the game either to win or to have fun. No one in their right mind would voluntarily incur penalties and give money to the game company.

 

So, who had Xu Bai gotten his information from?

 

And what was that mysterious person thinking?

 

As Jiang Xiuxiu thought about this, she felt at a loss for words.

 

At the same time, a fleeting suspicion crossed her mind.

 

Whoever leaked the information was one thing, but how did Xu Bai come into contact with this person?

 

What was his source of information?

 

Xu Bai didn't seem like the type to randomly pick a player and confront them directly.

 

Based on her understanding of Xu Bai, if she were in his shoes, she'd likely observe the players for a while, perhaps even try to get closer to them to gather more intel before making any accusations.

 

But before Jiang Xiuxiu could continue pondering, she noticed a shift in her dream.

 

Even though she was surrounded by a blinding white light, it suddenly seemed like a ripple had formed out of nowhere.

 

“Jiang Xiuxiu.”

 

A voice called out from beyond the ripple.

 

Soon after, a figure appeared before her.

 

It was Wang Xiaoyun.

 

“You’re here.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was a bit surprised to see her.

 

But she quickly realized that Xu Bai had given up on the villagers, his followers, at the cost of sacrificing his own power.

 

He had gained a relative sense of "freedom," but in exchange, he was now at his weakest.

 

In this scenario, it wasn't so surprising that Wang Xiaoyun had managed to escape from Xu Bai.

 

Sure enough, upon seeing Jiang Xiuxiu, Wang Xiaoyun quickly explained, “For some reason, the River God’s power has weakened considerably. My sister, the other sacrificial victims, and I have all managed to escape from the temple.”

 

She glanced at Jiang Xiuxiu and added, “I just thought I should come check on you.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu listened, unsure of how to respond, so she just smiled.

 

Unlike some simple mini-games, in this large-scale, fully immersive escape game, every NPC or ghost had their own program code that guided them to respond naturally to various situations.

 

This was what made the game so captivating.

 

The randomness, unpredictability, the highly realistic and ever-changing environments, and the freedom to innovate made it far more intriguing than a game with rigid, one-dimensional settings.

 

So, even though Xu Bai had turned everything upside down, the NPCs could still function normally instead of crashing.

 

Now, after successfully escaping, Wang Xiaoyun had come to check on Jiang Xiuxiu out of concern.

 

“You were taken to the temple by the River God,” Wang Xiaoyun said. “What’s your plan now?”

 

Plan? What plan could she possibly have?

 

Jiang Xiuxiu sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

 

She was just as lost as anyone else in this situation.

 

In the past, she had managed to clear games by fully understanding the rules and exploiting them to the fullest.

 

But now, Xu Bai had shattered the rules, becoming a completely uncontrollable force.

 

He no longer had any fatal weaknesses. How was Jiang Xiuxiu supposed to deal with him?

 

“I’m not sure what’s going on between you two,” Wang Xiaoyun said, glancing at her, “but I think I can offer you some information that might help.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was momentarily stunned. “What information?”

 

At the same time, a glimmer of hope ignited within her.

 

Could it be that Wang Xiaoyun’s appearance was a sign that the system had noticed something wrong and was giving her a backdoor to help deal with Xu Bai?

 

“It’s about the River God’s current strength,” Wang Xiaoyun said. “From what I’ve observed, he’s much weaker now. In the past, he could have easily leveled this entire mountain, but now, he can probably only wipe out the village at the foot of it.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: “Thank you.”

 

If it weren’t for Wang Xiaoyun’s serious expression, Jiang Xiuxiu might have thought she was being played with.

 

Whether Xu Bai could level a mountain or a village, neither was something she, an ordinary person, could possibly contend with.

 

“No need to thank me, it’s not much.”

 

Oblivious to Jiang Xiuxiu’s reluctance to speak, Wang Xiaoyun continued, “My sister is waiting for me. I can’t stay long; I need to go.”

 

As she spoke, she smiled at Jiang Xiuxiu. “Before we escaped successfully, we tried many different ways. If one path doesn’t work, try another.”

 

If one path doesn’t work, try another.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu was taken aback by this, feeling as though Wang Xiaoyun’s words held a deeper meaning.

 

Try another path?

 

Was Wang Xiaoyun suggesting that she stop thinking in terms of the game’s rules and start looking for other approaches?

 

But what other options did she have?

 

Besides the rules, what else could she do?

 

In a flash, countless thoughts raced through Jiang Xiuxiu’s mind.

 

A few seconds later, she made her final decision.

 

As the dreamscape rippled again, Jiang Xiuxiu took a deep breath and called out to Wang Xiaoyun, who was about to leave. "Wang Xiaoyun, wait a moment."

 

Under Wang Xiaoyun's confused gaze, Jiang Xiuxiu flashed a determined yet slightly peculiar smile. "Before you leave, could you help me with one more thing in the village?"

 

When Jiang Xiuxiu opened her eyes again, she found herself in a different place.

 

She wasn’t lying on the floor or on some altar. Instead, she was on something soft, like a bed.

 

No, she *was* on a bed.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu turned her head slightly and saw the pillow she was resting on and the neatly made bed beside her.

 

In the dream, Wang Xiaoyun had told her that Xu Bai had taken her to the temple.

 

But upon waking up, Jiang Xiuxiu realized she wasn’t in any part of the temple she had seen before.

 

Her eyes were greeted by a room adorned with red decorations. A quick glance around revealed bright red curtains and furniture with the double happiness character pasted on them.

 

This place was less like a temple and more like the bridal chamber of a newlywed couple.

 

Numerous candles were lit, arranged neatly throughout the room, casting a soft, warm yellow glow.

 

“You’re awake?”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t have long to observe her surroundings before Xu Bai’s voice broke the silence.

 

She followed the sound and saw Xu Bai sitting on a chair by the bed, tilting his head as he curiously watched her.

 

Of course, curiosity was only a surface expression. Jiang Xiuxiu could clearly sense the cold, probing gaze hidden beneath.

 

She knew him well, and he knew her too. As opponents who had clashed through three entire games, they might not be intimately familiar, but they had a good understanding of each other’s personalities.

 

Because of this, Xu Bai surely wouldn’t believe that Jiang Xiuxiu would just give up so easily.

 

Jiang Xiuxiu looked at him, then at the room. “Where is this?”

 

“A room beneath the temple,” Xu Bai replied. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the villagers’ method of sacrifice.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu nodded.

 

Of course, she knew the method of sacrifice.

 

She had been chosen as the bride for three consecutive nights before, although she had managed to escape each time.

 

It wasn’t surprising for the villagers to have prepared such a room for Xu Bai.

 

“What do you plan to do next?” Jiang Xiuxiu asked.

 

“Complete the wedding,” Xu Bai said. “It’s a very special ritual. You’ll enjoy it.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu realized that once the wedding was completed, she would likely be trapped here for good.

 

Knowing this, Jiang Xiuxiu looked at Xu Bai without any extreme reaction.

 

After two minutes of silence, she slowly asked her third question, “Why me?”

 

She had asked this question before. Back then, Xu Bai had smiled and told her that he had “chosen” her because he found her interesting.

 

She expected a similar answer this time, but to her surprise, Xu Bai actually took a moment to seriously consider her question.

 

Two seconds later, he responded, “Maybe because I was bored.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu: “...”

 

He was really just doing as he pleased.

 

But why did this answer feel strangely familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before?

 

On the other hand, perhaps because of Jiang Xiuxiu’s unexpectedly calm demeanor, Xu Bai narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her. “You’re quite different from before.”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu remained composed. “I’ve accepted reality.”

 

Xu Bai: “Accepted reality?”

 

“Yes,” Jiang Xiuxiu said. “After all, there’s no escape. I might as well enjoy it. Not having to work, not having to be busy, just eating and sleeping every day—it’s not so bad, actually.”

 

Xu Bai: “...”

 

Maybe he was shocked by how laid-back Jiang Xiuxiu had become, but Xu Bai didn’t respond for a moment.

 

After a while, he finally asked, with a peculiar expression, “Aren’t you afraid I might do something to you?”

 

Jiang Xiuxiu gave him a confident smile. “Not at all. There are strict limits in place for that sort of thing.”

 

To prevent any indecent behavior, the developers of the full-dive game had implemented a harsh rule: any inappropriate conduct would result in the immediate “confiscation” of the offender’s… equipment. In other words, the male player’s or NPC’s parts would be erased from the game.

 

Thinking of this, Xu Bai was rendered speechless.

 

While this wasn’t technically castration, it was still quite effective at deterring any misconduct in the virtual world.

 

However, this was not the only reason Jiang Xiuxiu felt so confident.

 

Her eyes flickered slightly as she recalled something.

 

Wang Xiaoyun’s words in the dream, though seemingly useless at first, contained a wealth of information when Jiang Xiuxiu thought them over carefully.

 

If one path doesn’t work, then try another? That might not be a bad idea.

 

After that, the two didn’t exchange many words.

 

Xu Bai still held a degree of suspicion towards her and continued to observe Jiang Xiuxiu for a long time.

 

But Jiang Xiuxiu’s reaction was unexpectedly calm.

 

She seemed to have completely given up on resisting, spending her time in bed, either reading or cracking sunflower seeds.

 

According to the previous three nights, the River God’s wedding ceremony always took place at midnight.

 

So, this time, they would again wait until midnight.

 

During this period, Jiang Xiuxiu showed no signs of impatience or unease.

 

And so, time passed little by little.

 

But when the clock struck eleven at night, something unexpected happened in the village.