Alternate Dimension Game: Happiness is all that matters!

"Can humanity prove the Godbach Conjecture within a hundred years?"

"Irrelevant."

"How many anomalies are there in the world?"

"Irrelevant."

"Does the universe have an end?"

"Irrelevant."

All the answers to the questions were "irrelevant," leaving one feeling listless.

Finally, another line of text was typed into the phone: "Do you know my true identity?"

...

...

...

"I'm such a genius!"

When Wang Hao asked this question, his heart was filled with expectation.

Since it concerned "me," the victim, the real answer to this question shouldn't be "irrelevant."

But this question had a double meaning; "I" referred both to Chen Xinyi and to the player behind the controls.

So, the question pertained to the existence of the "Fourth Wall."

Did the Game know that "I" was the Player?

Although Wang Hao didn't think that the so-called program would be able to give a novel answer, ultimately it was bound to be an "irrelevant."

But hey, the best part about playing games is toying with the game mechanics!

Just like the speedrun routes in Super Mario that often exploit bugs in the game mechanics, otherwise completing the game in just a few minutes would be impossible. Cs:go once had a bug where you could stand on a bird and fly to the sky, which was hugely popular among players; in Civilization 4, the peaceful Gandhi due to a bug ended up being a nuke-dropping maniac...

Hardcore players have their hardcore tactics; mod users have their ways of modding.

But digging into game mechanics, especially uncovering interesting game bugs, is a common desire among avid players.

Finding exploits in the programming is the happiest moment, a joy of triumphing over the game developers.

Thinking of this, Wang Hao rubbed his hands together cheerfully, thinking expectantly, "Although all answers beyond the program's scope should be 'irrelevant,' now you can't tell, can you?"

...

...

The final answer was somewhat unexpected, and it wasn't "irrelevant."

The Tortoise Soup gaming group offered no further clues, seemed like they had crashed?!

No matter what he tried, there were no responses.

This made him somewhat anxious, unsure of what to do next.

Wang Hao, wanting to challenge the game mechanics, controlled his Avatar to run to the balcony to take in the urban scenery. The quiet city at night was still busy, with constant traffic on the streets, a bustling metropolis with a population in the tens of millions.

This time, the scenario seemed to be set in China; squinting, he could see the neon Chinese characters not far off: Big Rice Bucket Canteen.

However, his Avatar was not allowed to leave his dormitory.

Every time he tried to jump out of the building or leave the dorm, a prompt would pop up: "You cannot leave the scripted scenario."

"You cannot leave the scripted scenario."

"You cannot leave the scripted scenario."

So, he could only once again pick up the Kitchen Knife and walk cautiously towards the bedroom.

"No, don't!"

Chen Xinyi's eyes widened, that suffocating sensation reemerged.

And then...

"You died."

...

Wang felt immensely frustrated, seeing the words "You died" on the screen, he pounded his head fiercely.

Did I get ahead of myself or was the anomaly unable to pick up the knife?

Why did I provoke it, why?!

My 100 points.

...

Here we go again!

...

This time, I didn't fuss with too many tricks, there was no more to explore, and finishing the Game was the priority.

If I played with death again, who knew if I'd throw away a life for nothing.

So, after completing the task methodically, I chose to end the Game.

[You have completed the main quest: "Save Chen Xinyi from the inevitable destiny of certain death."]

[Task completion: 100%]

[Score: 1500 (Main quest 500) (Task completion 1000)]

Not exceeding 100% task completion left Wang Hao somewhat dissatisfied. Maybe it was because I hadn't truly killed that "female ghost"...

If I had really found a way to deal with her, I might have exceeded 100%.

But no good method came to mind, and every time I flirted with death, it cost money.

These three-plus hours were a blast to play, and the 500 points for hints were well worth it.

[Task settlement in progress, please wait... Estimated settlement time is 10 hours, 22 minutes, 39 seconds.]

The settlement was taking its time.

Thinking it through, I realized how the Game mechanics worked.

"Tasks in the main world often have a Game time limit, so the settlement takes a long time."

"Tasks in historical worlds have no time restrictions since they already happened, so they settle quickly... Well, they've made it quite rigorous."

Seeing that it was getting late, I didn't wait any longer and went straight to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

I looked at myself in the mirror again; I hadn't stayed up late, so I was in good spirits.

Before going to bed, I played with my phone for a while and posted a message in the "Save the Multi-universe" group: "The peach is tasty, thanks, Savage Bro."

"Friends, who wants to play the Sea Turtle Soup game?"

"What's Sea Turtle Soup?"

"It's like a big version of a brainteaser. I'll start with a bit of information, and you can ask any question. I'll only answer 'yes,' 'no,' or 'irrelevant.'"

Then he began to plagiarize content from the Game: [Thud, thud, thud, footsteps in the stairwell grew closer, and the door opened. It turned out to be mom, and I was hiding under the bed, shaking with fear, not daring to move. Why is that?]

After guessing the answer, people in the group yelled, "That's too scary, man! Why are you posting horror stories in the middle of the night? I won't be able to sleep."

Really?

Wang Hao was quite surprised; he had been having a great time.

"I'm about to turn into a graduate from the University of Insults. Can I curse people?"

"You are cleverer than I am!"

"Sleepless tonight."

Suddenly someone said, "There's a 'thud, thud, thud' knocking at the door outside and the sound of high heels, scaring me so much I dare not open the door."

"For real?"

"For real, it turned out to be my mom."

Wang Hao laughed so hard in bed it sounded like a rooster crowing. He kept chatting in the group until midnight and then drifted into a deep sleep.

...

...

...

Chen Xinyi, in a bewildered state, watched the high-heeled woman crawl around the bedroom like a Voldemort, resembling a giant worm.

Multiple Reincarnations had brought on an unreal sensation, her heart beating "thump-thump" rapidly.

It wasn't due to fear but an unprecedented suffocating thrill...

This stimulation made it hard for her to stop even at the brink of death, the more reckless she was, the happier she felt, and she even contemplated picking up the Kitchen Knife again...

Suddenly, she found she had regained control of her body, her trembling fingers clenched into fists and then released, as she took several deep breaths.

"I must be mad!!"

The stench of decay from the corpses, having been breathed in for a while, seemed to have become familiar.

But the next second, she was struck with terror.

The departure of the mysterious power meant she had lost the ability of Infinite Resurrection...