As soon as Quan Tianjiao spoke, the atmosphere froze. This sentence was clearly laced with flattery and obsequiousness toward God, to the point that his intent to pry into God’s mind was exposed for all to see.
God’s gaze fell lightly upon him. “Oh? That is a good idea.”
Quan Tianjiao’s expression brightened with joy, but in the next second, God waved her hand. “Drag him out. How dare he be so bold as to command me.”
“No… that is not it!” Quan Tianjiao was stunned, but God’s cold, sharp gaze swept over him, making him almost unable to speak.
God said, “What you should experience? You should already know.”
“No, please!”
Quan Tianjiao clawed at the ground with his hands, but he was dragged away mercilessly, leaving only a long, futile trail of blood on the floor.
The attack of the fine threads stopped there. As if God had grown tired of the game, she did not look at Xing Yun again. Xing Yun’s mind was flooded with questions: Why did wounds heal, and why were traces of previous injuries preserved?
This did not conform to the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. But were those restored limbs not created out of thin air?
Xing Yun wanted to ask Honghong, but suddenly she remembered something she had forgotten. Honghong had shown her the wounds on her body. According to the recovery speed within the dungeon, only new wounds should remain, so how could there still be crisscrossing old scars?
A trembling Honghong curled into a ball and lowered her head completely, her tentacles fearfully wrapping her entire body into a sphere, as if she would roll away if touched even slightly. In reality, even if she were given a shove, she would only wobble back and forth like a roly-poly toy.
Xing Yun walked over to her and organized her thoughts. “Why did Quan Tianjiao’s vocal cords, which were cut earlier, recover so slowly, while even tragic wounds like a crushed skull healed so quickly afterward? And why do you have old scars on your body?”
After Xing Yun finished speaking, she looked at the severed limbs scattered all over the floor. Her mind was filled with immense confusion and bewilderment, because according to the rule that injuries heal, it should be impossible for severed limbs to exist on their own.
Because her vision and brain had been overwhelmed, she had only just noticed this, and once she did, she could not stop obsessing over it. Her mind felt like mush, and she needed a logical explanation.
Although the Infinite Game itself was bizarre, there was always some basic logic. Behind such a contradictory phenomenon, there had to be specific rules supporting it. Just as the previous dungeon was the work of a boss, this dungeon must also have a root cause.
At the same time, she could now feel the wounds caused by the fine threads beginning to heal.
So, were the wounds on her body different from those on Honghong and the others?
Honghong seemed confused by her questions. “Of course, it is because I voluntarily offered myself to the Great One. My wounds are the proof of my loyalty; how could something so important be easily erased?”
Xing Yun nodded calmly, inputting this new knowledge into her brain. Beside her, Rong Ping’an was not as calm. Before learning this, she thought that no matter how much they acted out, they would not die; knowing this meant that acting out could actually lead to death.
“The fact that you can be injured means you can die, yet you are still so calm?” Rong Ping’an asked, astonished.
Was she reckless or bold? Rong Ping’an did not know.
Xing Yun countered, “Why not? Is this not an interesting and good thing?”
Rong Ping’an felt her face twitching slightly. How could such a thing be called a good thing? If you went out and interviewed 100 people, 99 of them would not want to die.
Xing Yun said, “Since the rules allow for the existence of injury and death, then God is also within the bounds of the rules, which means…”
“Be careful what you say!” Rong Ping’an stood to her side, sternly stopping her, her eyes darting toward God.
Xing Yun pursed her lips and fell silent, looking at her toes. In truth, even if Rong Ping’an had not spoken, Xing Yun would have kept quiet, because to say it out loud would be too offensive. Offending God three times would result in being erased directly. Xing Yun wanted to touch the tiger’s bottom, not crawl into its mouth to touch its teeth.
“Do not be reckless.” Rong Ping’an’s expression was complex. When a normal person finds out they could die, their first reaction is fear; how could her first reaction be to resist, or even provoke the rule-maker? “I must remind you, going against God will not end well.”
Xing Yun had already guessed she would say that, so she waved her hand. “I always have a plan in mind; as long as you do not interfere, it will be fine.”
“You are my teammate. Of course, I will not interfere if it is something I can clean up after, but if it escalates beyond control, I will have to intervene.” Rong Ping’an’s gaze turned cold. “You must know that you are very weak; do not harbor thoughts you shouldn’t have.”
Xing Yun fell silent.
Yes… Rong Ping’an was not wrong. She was weak. But if she, being so weak, were not a little braver, she would have died in the first dungeon. And God… was it not because God appreciated her courage that she was allowed to live until now? If she retreated, that would be truly seeking her own death. After many lonely nights, even God was craving some excitement.
Even weak people have ways to deal with things.
Now, she needed to know how those unhealing wounds had come to be.
She had intended to ask Honghong, but Quan Tianjiao happened to be dropped down. As the saying goes, one must examine the body at the crime scene first; now that there was a fresh example, she naturally had to take a closer look.
Quan Tianjiao appeared even more sluggish than before. His already poor mental state had been dealt a devastating blow; his pupils trembled, his lips were slightly parted, and he did not even realize that saliva was drooling from his mouth. His knees felt weak, and he could only crawl tremblingly on the ground, slurring his words: “Give it back to me! Why did you take my things away! I cannot get out; I have absolutely no way to leave this place. Why on earth did this have to happen to me?”
It was as if something was pressing down on him, preventing him from standing straight.
Xing Yun was unnerved by his terrifying appearance. She observed for a while before stepping forward, signaling Rong Ping’an to be prepared to rescue her if anything happened. “Why do you say you cannot get out?” Quan Tianjiao’s madness was somewhat similar to Chen Zhiqiang’s. The difference was that Chen Zhiqiang, who had also been dragged into the space under the coffin, had completely disappeared.
Rong Ping’an crossed her arms, watching Xing Yun and waiting to see what would happen.
Why did Chen Zhiqiang disappear? This question struck Xing Yun’s heart like an arrow.
Quan Tianjiao took a deep breath, as if he were about to stop breathing. He suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes, rushed over, grabbed Xing Yun’s hand, and with the strength of someone on their deathbed, pressed her hand against his chest. “Do you understand now? I cannot get out!”
He was panting like an old ox. To avoid being splattered by his saliva, Xing Yun dodged away in disgust. But soon, she discovered what made Quan Tianjiao unique: his tone was intense and his movements were massive, but there was no heartbeat beneath his skin.
Xing Yun stiffened for a moment. After confirming there was no heartbeat, she pulled her hand back violently. Quan Tianjiao erupted with astonishing strength, and a bloody long scratch was left on Xing Yun’s hand. Although the wound would disappear, the pain was real. Xing Yun’s face could not help but twitch slightly.
How could a person live without a heart? But the miracle was right before her eyes. Living in this place in this way, Xing Yun could not tell if it was a punishment or a reward. She looked up at God, and God was watching her too.
God stuck out her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth; the red tongue swept across her lip like a venomous snake flicking its tongue. She narrowed her eyes, looking absolutely captivating. God’s hands moved, every knuckle nimble and lively. Xing Yun’s gaze followed the movement of her fingers, shifting from her collarbone to the gemstone on the crown atop her head.
God lowered her head slightly. “I do not like others touching my things.”
“What?” Xing Yun squinted, attempting to see more clearly.
Then, an unexpected scene occurred. God nimbly removed the gemstone from the crown. The intricately cut gem reflected a chilling light. With a slight flick of her wrist, the gemstone flew toward them with unstoppable force, precisely slicing off two of Quan Tianjiao’s fingers.
God’s expression was indifferent. She looked at Quan Tianjiao without a hint of emotion, completely unbothered by the harm she had caused.
Meanwhile, Quan Tianjiao had become unusually sluggish. He no longer cried out when injured as he had before; he stared blankly at his fingers without uttering a word, his breathing becoming heavier in his nostrils.
God did not care at all. She beckoned, and the gemstone flew back into her hand. Ripples of clouds swirled in God’s eyes. She re-embedded the gemstone into the crown but did not wipe away the blood, making the blood on the gem appear particularly enchanting and eerie, adding a shocking touch to the once-holy deity.
It was impossible to look away.
Only now, as if he had just begun to feel the pain, did Quan Tianjiao start to wail.
“Two fingers, that is all. They were an eyesore; so, what if I cut them off?” God summarized the situation with one light sentence, as if it were merely a whim with no reason.
And Quan Tianjiao, having lost vital organs, could he still be considered a complete person?
They say the human body is a vessel for the soul, but she had never expected that God would actually turn a living person into a container.
Quan Tianjiao’s fingers did not recover; he had lost two fingers forever.
Xing Yun could no longer smile. She looked at the surface of his wound—neat and clean, a power not belonging to this world.
She rubbed her eyes, feeling a tightness in her chest as she watched his fingers, which were still bleeding.
Rong Ping’an pulled her away. In that flash of lightning, even Rong Ping’an, who held the title of the strongest, had not reacted in time.
Xing Yun calmed down slightly, and her initial anger toward Quan Tianjiao vanished.
They were all merely part of one of God’s games. When God grew tired of her one day, her end would be no different. This left her feeling a mix of emotions because she understood that compared to God, her power was still too small.
She let out a long sigh. The library, which she had least expected to be useful, had now become a place she must visit because she needed more information and more materials.
The blood on God’s crown seemed to be brewing some kind of terrifying power. Xing Yun always felt that God punished Quan Tianjiao because he had come into contact with her but thinking about it carefully, that was not entirely the reason. More importantly, God had already treated her as her own prey, and others could not affect her appetite for the hunt.
She wanted to strangle her bit by bit, destroying even her soul along with her.