After Joining the Game, She Came Out as Gay [Infinite] - Chapter 13

Before Qi Cheng  could speak, the Panda said in a teasing tone, “Is sharing a bed with Xiao Lin really that painful for you?”

Those words were like a blade, deeply gouging into Qi Cheng ’s heart and nerves.

And the God’s malice continued: “You were the one who chose your ‘lover,’ yet you can’t even handle a small thing like sharing a bed?”

The God’s face moved closer and closer.

The “panda eyes” that symbolized the Panda’s cuteness disappeared. Without those black circles, the God’s face looked like a ferocious brown bear. It wasn’t cute at all; instead, it was terrifying.

The chilling aura brought by the God’s sharp presence enveloped Qi Cheng  like a black mist. Qi Cheng  felt as if an invisible hand was strangling her throat, making it painful and nearly impossible to breathe.

“Since you don’t even see Xiao Lin as a lover, why did you choose her?” The God’s face continued to press in.

Qi Cheng : “…”

God: “Could it be because of… guilt?”

When those words were spoken, the God’s face was inches away from Qi Cheng ’s.

It felt as if Qi Cheng  had been struck hard by a whip. The word “guilt” lashed at her nerves. She clenched her fists, trying her best to suppress the surging… sense of dread.

It wasn’t hatred, nor was it a flame of rage, but… fear.

In her mind, Xia Lin’s crushed and deformed corpse took shape once more—overlapping perfectly with the silhouette of that “her” from her memories.

Qi Cheng ’s back was soaked in cold sweat. Her face was deathly pale; at this moment, she looked as powerless as a child with no one to rely on.

And the God watched her current expression with great satisfaction. In those fierce eyes, there was a sense of playfulness and a surge of pleasure derived from bullying.

A long, long time passed before Qi Cheng  spoke. Her voice sounded as if it were being squeezed out from between her teeth.

“…Have I violated the game rules?”

The invisible pressure strangling Qi Cheng ’s throat vanished. Qi Cheng ’s “counterattack” was as sharp as a knife, piercing through the “barrier” that had been suppressing her.

The God bounced away, once again wearing that annoying, teasing smile: “Of course not.”

The rules of the Divine Realm were absolute. If someone violated them, the world itself would directly erase the offender, even if the Referee God in charge of the game or the Law Enforcement God overseeing it did not act.

In other words—GAME OVER.

“Oh dear, after all, matters of the heart are far too complex, and everyone’s standards are different.”

The God hopped around, returning to his silly, buffoonish persona. “Some people fall in love just by locking eyes once. While others, even if they walk side by side for a lifetime, remain two parallel lines whose emotional paths never intersect~”

Qi Cheng : “…”

“For slow-burners like you, this God has always been very tolerant~”

Where is the tolerance? Qi Cheng  couldn’t help but complain inwardly. Wasn’t the fool who was just mocking her you?

The God continued his antics. “If you really can’t accept Xiao Lin, how about just using [Divorce]?”

Qi Cheng : “…!”

God: “This God is, after all, the God of Love, the deity who presides over romance. I don’t really want to see a miserable couple.”

Unknowingly, the God had closed the distance again.

Qi Cheng ’s eyes flickered. “…Can [Divorce] be used even when not currently in a game?”

The God said in surprise, “Oh? That’s unexpected… I thought little Qi Cheng  had already read the game rules carefully and understood them thoroughly.”

Qi Cheng  recalled the game rules, and her eyes suddenly widened.

This rule remains in effect until the final completion of the game ☆

Remaining in effect meant—regardless of whether the game was in progress or during a break.

“Can [Divorce] be executed even outside of active gameplay?”

“You only just realized? Tsk, tsk… you really shouldn’t have.”

The God’s gaze, which was both playful and insightful, seemed to pierce through Qi Cheng .

“—Your heart is in turmoil.”

Being exposed by the God, Qi Cheng ’s pupils constricted coldly.

—She had been played.

With this, there were even more things she needed to be on guard against.

“So, if [Divorce] is used outside of game time, what happens to the two people?”

Since this was a question related to the game, the God could answer: “If [Divorce] is used during the halftime break, both people can still enter the next round of the game. However, the [Obligation to Notify] will be executed when the new round of the game begins.”

In the Resurrection Game, being paired as lovers didn’t involve telepathy like in a sci-fi world, nor were there marks like in an Alpha/Omega setting. Everything relied on the God performing the [Obligation to Notify].

The same applied to [Divorce].

Even if it was a secret betrayal, as long as the game was in progress, the God would fulfill the [Obligation to Notify]. Furthermore, the target of this [Obligation to Notify] wasn’t just the two parties involved, but everyone participating in the current game.

Some might think: since there is an [Obligation to Notify], what’s the point of a secret betrayal?

No. Of course, there was a point.

The conditions for [Remarriage] were the same as the completion conditions for the first stage, requiring two points:

– A God must be present (to witness).

– The new partner to be bound must be present (to re-swear the oath).

When a person has the thought of [Divorce], they don’t have to execute it immediately. Instead, they can quietly scout for a new partner (teammate).

Once they find and reach an agreement with a new partner, and ensure a God is present, what would happen if they immediately used [Divorce] at that moment?

The betrayed original partner wouldn’t even have time to react or stop it before the traitor had already established a new relationship with the “new flame.”

This was the hidden game rule that Qi Cheng  had been worried about. Or rather, it was more appropriate to describe it as a “tacitly permitted rule.”

If this rule was used outside of gameplay, the danger was even greater.

For example, right now. Xia Lin wholeheartedly believed in Qi Cheng , fully intending to keep moving forward hand-in-hand with her. But what if Qi Cheng  had thoughts of betrayal at this moment?

Also, currently, only the two of them were together. But who knew how many more rounds of games and halftime breaks there would be? Who could guarantee that for the next halftime break, the management (the God) wouldn’t arrange for others to be present?

Suppose there was a person “C” present in their current resting place. While Xia Lin was completely off guard, Qi Cheng  could make a secret deal with C and [Swear an Oath] before the God.

In that case, Xia Lin would be completely kept in the dark, not even knowing how she was being betrayed. And when the new round of the game began, while she was holding onto her original intention to continue the stage with Qi Cheng , she would be suddenly [Formally Notified] by the God that she had been cheated on. What would her state of mind be then?

—It would be very hard not to be shaken.

Because the shock brought by such a contrast would be too great. And under such shock, it would be difficult for a person to make normal judgments.

By then, the new round of the game would have already started. In such a situation, the cruelly betrayed Xia Lin could be said to have an 80% chance of a GAME OVER.

After all, calming one’s mind requires a lot of time. However, others would not give her such an opportunity. The Resurrection Game was essentially about eliminating everyone outside of one’s own team. Tell me, what fool would pass up the chance to snipe a listless prey?

Even if a God couldn’t be found during the halftime break, [Swearing an Oath] at the start of a new game round would produce the same result. After all, this wasn’t an electronic game; there was no such thing as an “interrupt skill.” At least, not yet.

Witnessing the original partner [Swear a Remarriage Oath] with someone else with one’s own eyes would be an even greater shock. Verbal abuse meant nothing, but if one were to physically attack the other person, they would be immediately disqualified.

—Of course, Qi Cheng  had absolutely no intention of betraying Xia Lin. She would definitely do her best to let Xia Lin be resurrected. If Xia Lin betrayed her halfway through, she wouldn’t have the slightest complaint. Because this was what Qi Cheng  owed her.

Therefore, this hidden rule didn’t have much impact on Qi Cheng  herself. It was just that knowing was definitely better than not knowing. This was a rule that even she hadn’t noticed; there were likely very few people who could discern it.

The fewer, the better, of course. Perhaps in the future, there would be an opportunity to properly utilize this hidden rule to achieve victory.

“What? Does little Qi Cheng  want to use [Divorce] right now?”

The corner of Qi Cheng ’s lips curled into a cold, elegant arc. “When I need to use it, I will.”

“What a pity…” The Panda’s eyes became dark and unreadable, and his expression turned strange. “I thought you would say ‘I will absolutely never use [Divorce]’…”

“Your expression says otherwise.”

“Hmph hmph.”

The God pulled out a pair of sunglasses from nowhere. The shape of the sunglasses actually fit his original black circles perfectly.

Under the sunglasses, the God’s eyes suddenly dimmed. “As the God of Love, I naturally want to witness unwavering love. It’s just a pity that everyone seems to have failed to truly grasp the winning formula for conquering the Resurrection Game…”

This last sentence was the God talking to himself. However, he seemed to intend for Qi Cheng  to hear it, as his voice was perfectly balanced—neither too loud nor too soft.

“However, for you, it probably doesn’t matter who you become lovers with, right?” the God said suddenly. “Because in your heart, you’ve always felt that you don’t deserve happiness.”

Leaving behind those words, the God disappeared.

Qi Cheng ’s eyes narrowed slightly. This Panda was as annoying as ever.

The winning formula for conquering the Resurrection Game? Qi Cheng  had known it ever since she saw the rules for the first stage. Only by trusting each other and sacrificing for each other could they walk forward hand-in-hand.

The so-called “love” was the same. Love where only one side gives is not love; it can only be obsession and infatuation.

But humans are often profit-driven creatures. Even with love, they must calculate gains and losses. And this point happened to be the greatest taboo of the Resurrection Game.

The God’s sudden appearance, though within his authority as the game operator, felt to Qi Cheng  as though he had specifically come to find trouble with her.

Even if he made the sofa disappear, with Qi Cheng ’s past experiences, she could sleep on the floor. But to avoid him finding more trouble, Qi Cheng  honestly returned to the bedroom.

Xia Lin was sleeping soundly. Qi Cheng  quietly gazed at her profile. Because she was saving a spot for Qi Cheng , Xia Lin was only covered by a corner of the blanket.

Qi Cheng  sighed softly, gently pulled the blanket over, and covered Xia Lin properly. She also gently placed Xia Lin’s exposed arm back under the blanket and tucked her in. Then, she sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, facing Xia Lin’s sleeping face.

The God’s “troublemaking” and the discovery of the hidden rules had made Qi Cheng  realize one fact. To successfully clear the game, the cooperation between the two of them was crucial. Qi Cheng ’s original philosophy of “carrying” her teammate had to be adjusted.

Although the psychological burden was heavy, from now on, Qi Cheng  had to make herself get used to having Xia Lin by her side as quickly as possible. She had to get used to the established fact of being with her.

…Burden?

Qi Cheng  laughed mockingly at herself. Back when she was still alive, she never had such feelings. Because they had trained her that way. Trained her to be a killing machine without emotions. If her subconscious hadn’t retained her personality, they probably intended to strip away even the concept of her being human.

Since coming to the Divine Realm, her emotions and desires had gradually surfaced, and Qi Cheng  was slowly becoming more like a “person.” She didn’t know why this was happening, but she had to get used to it.

The moonlight embraced them gently, peaceful and serene. Enjoying this rare, quiet atmosphere, Qi Cheng  also drifted into a dreamland.