Transformed into a heartthrob's simp, every day is a battleground.

Chapter 143 Game Rewind

"Who's in a relationship?" Yan Xun asked the system, trying to keep himself calm.

【Host, you are here.】

"...Who am I with?" Yan Xun doubted that he could understand Chinese. When did he start dating?

But then he remembered his earlier speculation: Ning Xinian was the one who had come back from the dead, while he was the one who was secretly in love.

The plush dinosaur shook its head. [You didn't say.]

The system initially thought they were doomed to lose this round, even though all the guides on the forum said that the "Who Has a Sister-in-Law" dungeon was particularly easy.

However, after he and Yan Xun entered this instance, they encountered many difficulties. After Yan Xun contacted everyone, he found that none of his teammates had a sister-in-law. At this time, the online revelations had not yet appeared—both the system and Yan Xun thought this was a normal delay.

But after Yan Xun investigated, he found that none of his teammates had a sister-in-law.

He decided he couldn't just sit idly by. He guessed that his teammates hadn't found someone yet, so he kept trying to match them up and create opportunities for them to start dating as soon as possible.

Unexpectedly, Yan Xun's action directly triggered another branch of the story—

A teammate came out as gay, causing a social media uproar.

Naturally, they failed to pass the level.

After trying to bring four teammates together, and each outcome either resulted in the teammate becoming a monk out of heartbreak or coming out of the closet in anger, Yan Xun became furious.

Isn't it said that you have to find someone in the group who has a sister-in-law?

You won't talk, huh? I will!

"...I said that?" Yan Xun asked the system in disbelief.

The system nodded.

"Then who did I talk to?"

The system shook its head.

You didn't tell me to mind my own business.

"..." Yan Xun thought to himself, "You're so obedient? I told you not to worry about it, and you really just stopped worrying?!"

"No, aren't we together every day?" Yan Xun asked, puzzled. "Don't you know who I've met and who I've been dating?"

The system shook its head in sorrow.

It was still worried about how Yan Xun would clear the game, but it got stuck on this easy level after clearing the high-difficulty level... Then one day, Yan Xun suddenly said to it happily, "I've already found a sister-in-law."

The system was both amazed by Yan Xun's efficiency and wondering who he was, but the joy of about to clear the dungeon made it lose its head.

Just as Yan Xun was waiting for the Weibo post to reveal the news and then directly announce that he had a sister-in-law, he was waiting to get through the ordeal.

The system discovered something: it had lost contact with the main system again and could not report the bug. What's even more terrifying is that the different storylines chosen by Yan Xun have become intertwined.

—The NPC teammates suddenly developed their own consciousness.

They discovered the existence of different branches.

The fact that instance NPCs have their own consciousness is a huge deal for the system, especially in instances that are constantly being refreshed by new players.

Once they realize they are just NPCs in a game, can they still treat players and the so-called world like ordinary people?

Fortunately, the main system has another operating mode that directly increases the difficulty of the dungeon to nightmare level, rolls back the content after the player enters the dungeon, including the NPCs in the dungeon.

The goal is to create the illusion that the player is entering the instance for the first time, and to prevent the personal system from being exposed, the personal system is hidden.

Only when players realize that this is not their first time entering the game can the temporarily hidden portable system be released.

After hearing the system's explanation, Yan Xun finally understood why someone wanted to kill him as soon as he entered the instance.

Most of the time it's the storyline that wasn't completed in the previous playthrough.

But now, both he and the NPCs have had that part of their memory erased, and their progress has been reversed...

"Although I don't know who the person in the gray clothes is," Yan Xun said to the system in his mind, "I have a pretty good idea who poisoned my water."

"Who?" the system asked curiously.

“Mu Yuanming,” Yan Xun said.

The system's memories hadn't been erased, and upon hearing this, it still found it hard to believe. "Impossible."

Why would he poison you?

“Since you’ve been following me all this time, you should still remember my conversation with Mu Yuanming,” Yan Xun said.

When he and Mu Yuanming were discussing the game's ending, he said that no one wants the person they like to be admired forever; the living might run away, but the dead are safer.

He didn't really think that Mu Yuanming liked him that much.

Whether in dreams or from snippets of conversation, one fact remains: Mu Yuanming's views are extremely different from those of ordinary people.

"You mean you hate because you love someone so much that you want to destroy them if you can't have them?" The system was shocked.

Yan Xun: "..."

"You watch too many TV dramas?"

Yan Xun could probably glean some of Mu Yuanming's thoughts, mostly because he had a solid alibi at the time—when Yan Xun was poisoned, he was most likely still on the plane, and entry and boarding information couldn't lie.

What pleased Mu Yuanming even more was that He Jinqiu was with Yan Xun at the time.

Although it's unclear why they both wanted to kill each other, Mu Yuanming's timing in making his move was quite understandable.

And since Mu Yuanming inadvertently revealed after losing his memory that he still remembered the content of other branching storylines, is it possible that—

"He actually remembers the plot of the other branches."

Yan Xun said to the system.

The system crashed upon hearing this: "Impossible!!!"

[After the main system activates Nightmare Mode, its characteristic is that it removes system assistance from the player, completely reverts to a previous state, increases the game's difficulty, and unlocks hidden side endings. As an NPC, Mu Yuanming absolutely cannot have any other branching memories.]

"Then how do you explain that he has two sets of memories?" Yan Xun asked.

He pointed to his finger, which was not adorned with any rings, and said, "He remembers the details from both side quests."

"This is all the story before he lost his memory in the car accident."

In the side quest that leads to He Jinqiu's hidden ending, He Jinqiu sees He Jingtang, but He Jingtang has not appeared in the side quests in the current timeline.

However, in Mu Yuanming's description, both memories appeared in his mind.

Mu Yuanming was definitely not lying about this—he had amnesia, his memories of that part were in a state of confusion, and he didn't know how to hide it.

"Mu Yuanming, who hasn't lost his memory, probably still remembers the plot of the previous side story."

This led to the other party taking advantage of the fact that I was abroad and had a solid alibi to stab me.

As for why he got through the second night after choosing a different branch, that was the reason.

I'm afraid you'd have to ask Mu Yuanming himself for that.

After listening to Yan Xun's analysis, the system still hesitated. [How could Mu Yuanming accurately kill you from thousands of miles away?]

"He managed to dodge the attack by He Jinchun, and the other party even said he had something strange on him." Yan Xun pointed to himself, "Do you think I'm more resistant to blades than He Jinchun?"

—He's just an ordinary person, how can he compare to He Jinchun, this evil spirit?

The system remained silent after hearing Yan Xun's words, and after a while, it said, "Why don't you go and test the waters?"

"Test whether he intends to murder his teammate?" Yan Xun asked. "Can I find out from that test?"

"Give it a try!" the system suggested. "Maybe you'll figure it out."

Yan Xun ignored it, then thought of Ning Xinian on the dormitory balcony, "That guy has some problems."

The system was always by Yan Xun's side. [What's the problem?]

It felt that Ning Xinian was probably the one in the best mental state among Yan Xun's teammates.

“He said he came back from the dead.” Yan Xun hesitated before speaking. “I think… he might be parasitized now.”

In the context of the entire story, Jia Ye doesn't seem like an evil spirit at all, and Ning Xinian's ability to be resurrected is most likely due to him.

Although all players and NPCs in the instance had been rolled back, the system still retained its previous consciousness. Yan Xun tentatively asked the system, "Did anything strange happen a few days before we were recording the show?"

The system stayed by Yan Xun's side the whole time, but it also kept track of the schedules and conditions of the other teammates.

Before recording the show "With You," Ning Xinian participated in a variety show that included a bungee jumping activity.

"However, there was no danger." The system continued, "Ning Xinian returned safely."

It felt that Yan Xun was overthinking things. Although hidden storylines began to appear after entering Nightmare difficulty, the system still felt that Ning Xinian should not have been parasitized... right?

Yan Xun checked his task list again.

[Main Quest: Who Has a Sister-in-Law?]

[Hidden Quest: Jia Ye's Gaze (1/5)]

Sure enough, what was previously a question mark has now become a hidden quest.

The reason why Jia Ye's gaze is still only one-fifth complete is because some key evidence is missing.

Yan Xun thought.

He had a very reckless idea, but even someone as reckless as him hesitated a bit...

The system heard Yan Xun's inner thoughts: "What method?"

It was also a little doubtful. Even someone as reckless as Yan Xun thought that such a rash method must be terrifying.

“I called out Jia Ye’s name directly and said that I wanted to believe in him,” Yan Xun said to the system. “That way, I can also learn about the other truths.”

system:……

It didn't know whether it should tell Yan Xun that although NPCs were products of the main system's rules, the higher-dimensional beings in the dungeons... were not created by the system.

Although these creatures are bound by an agreement with the main system and will not have much impact on players within the instance, players should avoid attracting their attention excessively.

The system didn't want to reveal too many secrets about the game, fearing that Yan Xun might guess the truth, so it could only remain vague.

[Host, these NPCs are contract workers for the instance, but these gods and evil spirits are all outsourced.] It subtly hinted to Yan Xun, [Outsourced workers are unruly; they can quit whenever they want.]

What if you offend someone and they hunt you down for miles?

As Yan Xun listened to the system's rambling, he could sense that the system did not want him to do this, as if it was because the main system could not control Jia Ye.

This is interesting.

Yan Xun thought that everything in the dungeon was a product of the main system's design. The NPCs and the final boss were all designed by the system, and they would be constantly defeated by players and refreshed when the dungeon opened next time.

Judging from the system's words, it seems that beings like Jia Ye were not designed and created by the main system.

In fact, since entering the game, Yan Xun has been skeptical of everything the system says.

Even the initial claim of transmigrating into a book made him doubt whether it was true.

If, as the other party claims, he is merely a minor character who accidentally transmigrated into a popular infinite flow novel, then why erase his past memories?

Besides, is it really worth making such a big fuss about bringing a minor character into the game?

Since the system can design and produce NPCs, why not just replace this minor character with an NPC?

The so-called story outline given to him was less about hoping he would act it out, and more about confining him within that framework and making him develop in the direction the system wanted.

Yan Xun still remembered the excuse the system gave him to find Gui Yuchong's soul.

—It is said that once the world's will discovers that Gui Yuchong's soul has dissipated, they will all be doomed.

But the system is subordinate to the main system, which designed the entire game's dungeon world... creatures?

Yan Xun wasn't sure what these systems were, so he could only call them that.

The instances where players are located are all designed and controlled by the main system. They are not in individual small worlds, so where does the world's will come from?

"By the way, the World Will hasn't discovered the matter of Gui Yuchong's soul fragments yet, has it?" Yan Xun suddenly asked.

The system didn't understand why Yan Xun suddenly asked this question.

It was a little nervous, but still answered honestly, "No, the main system is keeping it from us."

[Host, you must complete the task quickly so we can collect Gui Yuchong's soul fragments as soon as possible.]

"Once Gui Yuchong's soul fragments are collected, can I retire?" Yan Xun asked.

According to the system's initial statement, he was originally just a background character, a cannon fodder character who would die in one round. The fact that a background character with a system was already unbelievable enough. Then, his task in this popular novel was to be Gui Yuchong's lapdog in the beginner's dungeon and eventually die to save him.

The reality is that he is still alive, but Gui Yuchong's soul has been scattered into pieces.

Once Gui Yuchong has collected all the soul fragments, it will be his turn to die.

"Are we going to have to go back to the Meimei Building and reenact the whole thing once Gui Yuchong's soul is collected?"

Yan Xun asked.

"Should we call over Li Wu and the others, and reenact the scene where everyone is completely captivated?"

The system was sweating profusely.

Yan Xun made a suddenly enlightened expression, "I understand."

“Once Gui Yuchong’s soul fragments are collected, the main system can use the rollback method again, and we can return to the initial instance.” Yan Xun pretended to be puzzled and put on a puzzled expression. “But we’re not in the same instance.”

How do I use the rollback technique on the main system?

The long-dormant livestream room suddenly became active again—

[The witch who brews poison: Donates a luxury cruise ship x5]

[The witch brewing poison: Hahahaha.]