The Gambit of Life

If the plan failed, he would probably have to kneel and beg for forgiveness, then try to find another opportunity. Or worse, there was a small chance of being beaten to death…

The scene from his nightmare flashed through his mind. Just as her legs went weak with fear, the pressure on her shoulders suddenly released, and her body was free.

Qianwei turned to look and saw Qiuyue Han collapsed on the ground. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and she cheered excitedly.

“Wuwu… it really worked!”

In the ten days since arriving in this world, he had nightmares almost every night, secretly wiping away tears out of fear, terror, and confusion. Finally, there was hope for survival.

“Wuwu… no, I need to proceed to the next step quickly…”

Now was not the time to relax! As one of the strongest experts in this world, there was a high probability that Qiuyue Han had strong resistance to potions and might wake up early. The best course was to finish all preparations before the mist in the cave dissipated!

Qianwei wiped away her tears, calmed herself a little, and immediately took out a new small bottle of potion, spraying it fiercely onto the unconscious Qiuyue Han’s face. This special potion, synthesized with his ability, could make an unconscious or sleeping person sleep even deeper and induce specific dreams!

Then, she quickly stripped off her own and Qiuyue Han’s clothes, tossing them aside to create a messy scene. She used props to make herself look miserable. After activating his ability to its initial paused state, she lay down beside her, pretending to be unconscious.

He was gambling everything on his ability to mimic the rules of reproduction—a seemingly high-risk move. Anyone else might have been exposed, but given Qiuyue Han’s personality, Qianwei felt the chance of success was still very high. At the same time, it was his only way to survive. If successful, he could gain sympathy and use the “child” to control the older sister!

Even if he was hated afterward, at least he wouldn’t end up like in his dreams. Even the information analyzed by Blue Hole said it was completely consistent with the world’s defense rules, he thought. Even if I’m thoroughly investigated later, I probably won’t be exposed, right?

As his thoughts wandered, half an hour passed. The mist in the cave dissipated, and when she heard the sound of Qiuyue Han waking up, Qianwei tensed up again.

****

Such a strange dream… No, I was knocked unconscious!?

Her consciousness gradually cleared. Qiuyue Han sat up abruptly and saw the mess, which was terrifyingly similar to the strange dream she just had. She sucked in a breath of cold air.

“H-How could this be?”

Wasn’t it a dream!? Dazed, she stood up and looked down at her unclothed form; her breathing and heartbeat were clearly audible. She raised her hand and saw the still-damp traces on her skin.

“…”

“Huh~? It hurts…”

“!”

Qiuyue Han shuddered violently and instantly snapped back to reality. Subconsciously, she activated her power and hid behind a distant stone pillar. The immense shock of the “truth” left her thoughts in chaos. At this moment, she just wanted to escape.

On the other side, Qianwei, pretending to wake up, propped herself up with a bewildered expression. She found Qiuyue Han missing and showed a hint of dazed confusion. Then came a trace of panic and fear. Seeing this expression from afar, Qiuyue Han wanted to flee even more…

****

What the hell, where is she?! Did she just leave me here alone?

Qianwei looked around in panic, her fear evident. He was terrified of being abandoned in this cave to starve to death. This was one of the worst outcomes he had predicted!

“Wuwuwu… how could this happen?”

Had I guessed wrong? Is she so irresponsible…

Wiping away her tears, Qianwei was on the verge of breaking down when suddenly a familiar voice came from behind.

“You… what did you do? Why has it come to this…”

“Eek!”

Great, she didn’t leave! Good thing I didn’t act strangely earlier and reveal the plan.

Letting out a startled cry, Qianwei shuddered but breathed a sigh of relief inside. Especially when he heard Qiuyue Han’s tone, he knew his judgment was correct. The plan had basically succeeded, even beyond expectations.

In that case…

“Qi-Qiuyue Han? Wuwuwuwu~”

“Alright, stop crying. Explain yourself now!”

“Wuwuwu… I originally wanted to use that bastard woman’s props to knock you out and negotiate, but how could you do this to me? You might as well have killed me…”

With a complex, collapsing mood and ambiguous explanations, she slightly modified her prepared words to make the fabricated story fit the current situation better. Seeing Qiuyue Han’s expression grow more solemn and troubled, his heart was blooming with joy.

Such an expression! Pure delight!

After speaking, Qianwei took a deep breath to keep from smiling and then, as if just remembering, grabbed the clothes nearby and threw them on.

“How did it come to this…”

“Just kill me… wuwuwu~”

But just this probably wasn’t enough. There was still a high chance he wouldn’t be let off. His life was saved, but if he only got this far, the best outcome would be imprisonment. He needed a deeper, more crucial strike.

The bottom line had been reached. Should he stop now? Or continue taking risks for more freedom? After brief consideration, Qianwei decided on the latter. He needed more leverage. Based on the analysis and the information he had inquired about, he began a new round of acting.

Subtly covering her stomach, she feigned a slight abnormality while trying hard to hide it. As expected, in the next moment, a dazed Qiuyue Han noticed and asked with a trembling voice.

“You… what’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing.”

She turned her face away as if afraid to meet her eyes, pulling her clothes tighter, presenting a look of stubbornness mixed with pitiful charm.

Because this world was entirely female, the rules of reproduction were completely different from Earth. This was one of the key factors enabling the fake pregnancy plan. Only the one who “accepted” would leave specific traces during the process. The probability of successful fusion was very low, but once successful, the traces on both parties would quickly disappear, forming a fusion egg.

His ability, Ability Devour, could craft props that simulated the development process after the fusion egg’s “birth.” As long as he strictly controlled the timing, theoretically, he could deceive anyone. This had been confirmed by his Analytical Mental Ability, Blue Hole.

“Don’t move. Let me check!”

“Eek! What are you doing? …Huh?”

Qianwei looked at the white-haired older sister suddenly approaching and instinctively screamed, prepared to be forced to do strange things during the check.

But when she was pinned down, she only felt a surge of energy flowing through her shoulder and concentrating on her abdomen. Then she saw Qiuyue Han’s face turn pale again, showing an expression of disbelief.

“How could this be…”

“Wha, what’s wrong?”

Hahaha~ It’s stable!

“How could it be such a coincidence!”

Qiuyue Han’s expression collapsed. She stepped back half a step, grabbed her hair with both hands—a few pure white strands falling—and then she vanished from the spot.