dark.

An endless darkness, as if time itself had frozen.

Lin Nuannuan (or rather, Su Nian)'s consciousness floated within it, like a piece of broken wood on the sea after a storm. The intense pain brought on by the torrent of information still lingered in her mind; countless fragmented images, sounds, and emotions flickered and collided like ghosts in her chaotic thoughts.

Her mother's blood... the weeping in the stormy night... the cold hospital room... the golden shard embedded in her brow... the interplay of light and shadow in the world... the cold commands of System 088... and finally, those eyes that, in the gaps of the struggle for consciousness, gazed deeply at her and uttered, "It's you..."—eyes filled with endless tremor and complex emotions...

These fragments, though chaotic, began to slowly and spontaneously search for their place in each other, attempting to piece together an unbelievable truth deep within her subconscious, like scattered puzzle pieces.

Who is she? She is Su Nian. A mission taker from the real world who, in order to be resurrected, is bound to a system and travels through the worlds of novels.

Who is he? He is Xie Chen. He is the male protagonist of this domineering CEO world, a man who is obsessive, fragile, and has a tragic past.

But... is that really all there is to it?

What is that golden light? What is that "subjective consciousness"? What is that "container"? What does System 088 mean by "guiding energy recovery"?

"Buzz... Host consciousness activity is recovering..."

"Initiating memory fragment integration..."

"Attempting to re-establish a stable connection..."

The intermittent, familiar electronic sound, as if coming from an extremely distant place, with an unprecedented weakness and... a faint, barely perceptible electrical noise, reappeared deep in Su Nian's mind.

088! It's still there!

Su Nian's spirits lifted suddenly, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw.

"088! What just happened? Xie Chen, he..." She asked anxiously in her mind, not even having time to think about the critical moment when the system lost contact earlier.

"Buzz... Energy overload... Host's mental body enters self-protective hibernation..."

"The outcome of the battle for the target [Xie Chen's] consciousness... unknown..."

"The system is being interfered with by an unknown force... Some functions are restricted..."

The system's responses remained intermittent and incomplete, but at least it confirmed that Xie Chen's situation was unclear and that the system itself was malfunctioning.

"Unknown force interfering? Is it that golden 'subjective consciousness'? What exactly is it? And it says I'm an 'anomaly,' a 'contaminant,' and wants to 'eliminate' me! What's going on?!" Su Nian fired off a barrage of questions. This was the closest she had ever come to the truth, and she had to find out.

System 088 was silent for a moment, seemingly searching and evaluating, and the noise became more noticeable.

"Based on cross-analysis of received memory fragments and historical data... preliminary conclusions..."

"The target [Xie Chen]... is not simply a character from a novel world..."

"Its core essence...is that of a high-ranking being (tentatively named 'Fragment of God')...in pursuit of a specific goal...actively splitting...and entering the cycle of reincarnation...one of the soul fragments..."

"The current world... and all the 'novel worlds' that the host has experienced before... are all 'container' fields for this fragment to reincarnate, train, and accumulate energy..."

Fragments of gods?! Reincarnation trials?! Container field?!

Su Nian's brain went blank for a second, almost crashing again!

What she thought was a quick transmigration mission, what she thought was a yandere male lead, actually... concealed such a shocking truth?!

"Then...and what about me?" Her voice trembled in her mind. "What role do I play in all of this?"

The system noise increased, as if it were resisting some invisible pressure.

"Host [Su Nian]...identity confirmed...is the core anchor point that this 'fragment of a god'...is seeking in endless reincarnation..."

"This system [088]... its true function is... the 'Fragment Energy Recovery and Stability Maintenance System' under the jurisdiction of the Main God Space..."

"The core mission... on the surface is to [cure the yandere] and [gain trust]... but in reality it is... to stimulate the activity of the 'divine fragments' through specific emotional connections... to guide their energy to recover in an orderly manner... and ultimately... be recovered by the Main God Space..."

Boom—!!!

Like a bolt of ultimate lightning, it cleaved through all the fog!

Su Nian understood completely!

So that's how it is! It was all a lie!

There are no simple transmigration missions, and no yandere characters that need healing! She, Su Nian, is the "core anchor" that is being sought! And System 088, which claims to help her revive, is actually using her as bait to stimulate, guide, and ultimately reclaim the "divine fragment" that is attached to (or is) Xie Chen's soul!

Xie Chen's obsession with her, his pursuit across worlds, his subconscious sense of familiarity, and the "it's you" that still slipped out during the battle for consciousness... all of this was not unfounded, but rather stemmed from the deepest part of his soul, an instinct that was being exploited by the God Space and the system!

She remained completely unaware, acting like a fool, diligently playing the role of a stimulant in order to achieve the so-called "resurrection," and even racking her brains on how to gain his "trust"!

A tremendous surge of anger and sorrow over being deceived and exploited erupted within her like magma! No wonder the missions always revolved around intimate acts like "trust" and "kissing," because these were the most likely to trigger the emotional energy of that "fragment"!

The so-called "unknown interference" is probably the rejection reaction that the "divine fragments" themselves are generating when they begin to sense something is wrong! And the system's so-called "stability maintenance" is to complete the recovery before the fragments are fully awakened and out of control!

"So... what exactly am I?" Su Nian's voice was as cold as ice. "A high-class 'bait' used to catch 'fish'? A tool that can be used and discarded?"

The silence of system 088 is equivalent to the default.

"What about the 'cleaning procedure'?" Su Nian recalled the cold pronouncement of the golden light.

"When the presence of the 'bait' poses a serious threat to the stability of the 'container' and the recovery plan, removal is the optimal choice..." The system's electronic voice stated the cruel rules without any emotion.

Su Nian felt a chill run down her spine. Therefore, if her existence caused excessive stimulation, leading to the imminent awakening of the "divine fragments" and their potential loss of control, the Main God Space would not hesitate to eliminate her as a "tool"!

"And now?" She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "What's the situation now? The mission shows as complete, but 'trust' is at a critical point. Xie Chen... how's the struggle within him going? Will I be eliminated?"

"Current state...extremely complex..." The system analysis seemed to have encountered difficulties, with constant noise.

"The 【Kiss of Trust】mission... was barely completed due to the host's proactive actions and the target's deep consciousness's recognition... the main body's energy has been recovered... the initial channel has been opened..."

"But... the battle for consciousness... has reached a stalemate due to the impact of fragmented host memories and the confirmation of the 'anchor point'..."

"The activity of the 'Divine Fragment'... has surged abnormally... and has partially deviated from the preset recovery trajectory..."

"Main God Space Command... Priority Change: From 'Guided Recovery'... to 'Control and Suppression'..."

"Host [Su Nian]...Identity has been exposed...Value and risk coexist...Place under observation for now..."

Observation period? Su Nian chewed on the word, a cold smile curving her lips. It meant that she was still useful for the time being, but once she lost control, she would still be "eliminated".

"What can I do?" she asked the most crucial question directly. She didn't want to be kept in the dark any longer and passively await her fate.

"Survival." The system's answer was concise and cruel, "and... maintain as much as possible the emotional connection with the target [Xie Chen]."

"This link... is currently the only one that can... influence 'Fragments of God' to some extent... and provide you with... weak protection..."

"Warning... Once the link is completely severed... you will... face the Main God Space's... purge process... and... the unknown attitude of the 'god' who may be fully awakened..."

Maintaining an emotional connection... this is like dancing on a knife's edge, having to soothe the "divine fragments" (Xie Chen) that could go berserk at any moment, while also avoiding the elimination by the main god space?

This is simply an impossible task!

But does she have a choice?

No.

To survive, to uncover the ultimate truth behind all of this, and for... that fragment of soul that searched for her through countless reincarnations, recognized her in the battle for consciousness, and said "it's you," she must keep going.

Just then, the darkness that had enveloped her began to slowly recede. As her senses returned, she felt the soft bed beneath her and smelled the familiar, cool scent of Xie Chen's apartment in the air.

She... came back? She came back from that state of detachment from consciousness?

She tried, and slowly opened her eyes.

The blurry vision gradually cleared.

The first thing she saw was the familiar ceiling and crystal chandelier. She had indeed returned to her bedroom in the apartment.

She moved slightly, her whole body aching as if it were falling apart, especially her head, which still throbbed with a dull pain.

She turned her head with difficulty, and the next moment, her breathing suddenly stopped!

Xie Chen sat on the chair by the bed.

He sat there quietly, his back to the faint morning light streaming through the window, his face obscured in shadow. He had changed into clean loungewear, his hair slightly disheveled, and he exuded an indescribable weariness and... sullenness.

There was no dazzling golden light from last night, nor the tyrannical and sinister aura that belonged to the domineering CEO Xie Chen.

He sat there quietly, like a weary sculpture that had endured thousands of years of wind and frost.

Seemingly sensing that she had woken up, he slowly, very slowly, raised his head.

Their eyes met.

Su Nian's heart clenched suddenly!

His eyes... regained their deep, dark color. But that color was no longer the cold or sharp one of the past; instead, it had become a... unfathomable calm, as if it had borne the weight of endless years and pain.

Beneath that calm surface, there was a turbulent undercurrent, one that she could not fully comprehend, an undercurrent of extreme complexity.

He just looked at her quietly without saying a word.

There was no questioning of "who you are," no inquiry into the kiss, and no mention of the thrilling struggle for consciousness that took place the previous night.

It was as if nothing had happened.

Yet it seems as if everything has changed.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Su Nian was almost suffocating from his deathly gaze, he finally moved his thin lips slightly, his voice terribly hoarse, carrying a weariness that seemed to be squeezed from the depths of his soul, and asked a question that completely surprised her:

"Does your head... still hurt?"