Unable to escape

After calming Yi Yu down, Qu Shiyao came out from next door and returned to her own apartment.

She didn't turn on the main lights, but instead sank into the sofa, her eyes lowered, without saying a word, relying only on the scattered light coming in from the window.

The air was so quiet it felt almost oppressive.

The system floated beside her, exuding a sense of caution.

It sensed that the host's condition had been off ever since they separated from Yi Yu. He used to joke around, but now he was so silent that it frightened the system.

Just as the system mustered its courage to ask a question, Qu Shiyao suddenly raised her head, looked directly at it, and asked:

"System, didn't you request access to the files of the previous hosts? It's been a while now, any news?"

Ah, this... it wasn't there when I checked yesterday...

The system quickly opened its internal interface and searched through it, then let out a short exclamation: [Host! Passed!]

It quickly shared the screen with Qu Shiyao, while secretly observing her expression.

It's a bit unsure about the host's current state.

Qu Shiyao's gaze fell on the profiles of the four mission participants displayed on the screen, with several small balls next to them.

"What are these? Why is one missing?" Qu Shiyao reached out and pointed at the slightly glowing data orbs, asking in confusion.

"Oh, these are the data orbs that those who choose to stay in the world of the book will receive," the system explained.

[This serves as a kind of after-sales feedback mechanism. They can leave visual information within it. The main system originally determined the stability of the novel's world after the mission ended, and it's also used for data sealing.]

It looked at the third file without the glowing orb, its tone somewhat somber: "[This mission taker is the one I mentioned to you before, the one who liked angst and ended up killing himself.]"

Qu Shiyao: "..." I was already shocked enough when I heard it, but the impact is even stronger now that I've seen it.

"So, the hosts you've mentored have all successfully completed their missions, but ultimately chose to stay in the novel's world?" Qu Shiyao tapped the sofa armrest with her finger, lost in thought.

【That's not entirely true!】The system tried to save face.

Before the emotional support module was added to our system, the task success rate was only about 50/50. But since the module was upgraded, the overall success rate has increased to over 80%! And me!

It straightened its body, its tone filled with pride: "My host's mission success rate is as high as 85%! That's very high among systems of the same period!"

But under Qu Shiyao's calm and unwavering gaze, its pride quickly deflated, and it awkwardly added: "...Although, after completing their mission, they did all choose to stay..."

"Have you ever thought about why this is?" Qu Shiyao asked, resting her chin on her hand.

"Among other taskers bound to the system, quite a few also chose to stay..." the system weakly defended itself.

“But other systems have also had cases of successfully taking their hosts away, haven’t they?” Qu Shiyao pointed out incisively.

system:【……】

The system silently drifted to a corner, curled up into a ball, and exuded a visible sense of frustration.

Qu Shiyao ignored its little tantrum and clicked on the detailed information of the first case.

It's a novel set in an ancient, fictional world, with the main plot involving domestic power struggles and palace intrigue.

The original plot ended with the emperor dying young in his later years, leaving the female lead to raise the young emperor, but the original female lead's character was underdeveloped.

After the mission taker traveled there, she used her superb skills to resolve various crises, during which she encountered a marquis who was more than ten years her senior.

Initially, she had no interest in the men of that world, but after a series of plot twists, the two eventually met and fell in love...

"Tongzi, come here for a moment." Qu Shiyao beckoned to the corner.

The system tentatively floated closer, and only after confirming that the host didn't intend to attack it did it fully approach: [What's wrong?]

Qu Shiyao pointed to the record on the screen about the host's first encounter with the Marquis and asked:

"I remember when I first met Yi Yu, you were constantly warning me to be careful. Did you give her any warnings back then?"

"Of course!" the system immediately said, hands on hips, its tone slightly aggrieved.

[I reminded every host! She started out just like you, confidently promising to go home after completing the mission! And what happened? At the last minute, she insisted on staying, saying she didn't want any regrets in her life!]

It gets angry just thinking about it. What regret could be more important than being resurrected and going home? This is ancient times! A world without electricity or cell phones!

Qu Shiyao didn't respond, but just silently looked at the file.

She scrolled to the back of the list, glanced at the host's final record after the system left, and then clicked on the light orb next to her.

The sphere of light projected an image, showing that the bright and cheerful girl in the archival photo had become an old woman with white hair.

She rambled on about some past events, and the image finally froze on the picture of "grandmother".

[Host?] The system tilted its head in confusion when it saw Qu Shiyao fall silent again.

"It's nothing..." Qu Shiyao closed the first file and opened the second one.

This is a cultivation world. The original story is a classic master-disciple romance, and the ending is that the female protagonist dies and the master becomes a demon.

After the mission taker entered, she attempted to change the story to a female-centric narrative without a romantic pairing, but the devoted second male lead from the original work began to pursue her intensely and offer her selfless help.

Just as the mission taker realized his own feelings, the second male lead, possessing an unparalleled sword heart, was murdered by the sect's Grand Elder who stole his treasure.

The mission taker, seeking revenge for the second male lead, resolutely succumbs to demonic possession.

Even if the mission is deemed successful, she resolutely chooses to stay in that world...

Qu Shiyao's brows furrowed more and more, and her expression became serious.

She clicked on the second orb of light.

The mission participant in the video walks further and further down a road strewn with blood and fire, her feet littered with corpses.

[Host...] The system felt a strong sense of unease.

Aside from joking, the host rarely showed this expression; the last time was when he deduced the truth behind Si Cheng's rebirth.

But she relaxed after figuring out that this wasn't the main battlefield, but now...

Qu Shiyao did not respond to the system, but directly opened the file of the third tasker.

The original work is a very popular angst-filled romance novel, so angsty that the ending almost completely kills off both the male and female protagonists.

As the system said, this person who was tasked with the mission was a serious fan of angst-filled stories. As a result, he went too far and killed himself, causing the mission to fail. The male protagonist also committed suicide.

She took a deep breath and clicked on the last one, which was the file of the system's previous host.

The original novel is a sweet romance story set in the entertainment industry, telling the love story between the female lead and the movie star. The writing style is sweet throughout, until the very end.

After the male and female protagonists' relationship was exposed and they lived happily together, in the final chapter, the male protagonist was killed by a crazed obsessive fan.

Qu Shiyao: "..." This ending twist was too abrupt! Her previous seriousness was somewhat diluted by this unexpected development.

"System, what's going on now?"

The system leaned over to take a look, the data stream flickered silently a few times, and then explained:

It's said that the author of this novel was cheated on by her boyfriend, and in a fit of anger, she sacrificed the male protagonist of her book to her own love.

Qu Shiyao was speechless and choked with emotion.

No wonder the story needed to be revised; this ending would definitely kill off a lot of readers.

Logically speaking, the tasker only needs to change this abrupt tragic ending, which is not difficult.

She continued to read through the experiences of this mission taker.

As the system mentioned before, this host is intelligent, calm, and very likable, but unfortunately, he is infatuated with the villainous BOSS in the book.

In the end, the villainous boss reformed himself for her, and she chose to stay for the villain's sake after the mission was successful.

Simply put, this host has a perfect life in the novel's world, with success in career, love, and family, so his choice to stay seems understandable.

Qu Shiyao clicked on the ball that belonged to her.

However, the image projected was of a woman with bandages wrapped around her body, sitting on a hospital bed.

The villain who retired from his life of crime for her is dead.

She painfully recounted everything to the camera, and then, without warning, stabbed her own carotid artery with a pair of scissors.

Qu Shiyao silently shut down the light sphere.

She looked at the frozen system beside her.

She didn't say anything.

The system clearly had a good relationship with its former host; it must have seen the video long ago, but it was still shocked every time it rewatched it.

Qu Shiyao closed her eyes, and the entire living room fell into a deathly silence once again, with only the occasional sound of a car coming from outside the window.

"System..." After a long silence, Qu Shiyao finally spoke softly, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness.

"Do you know what my first thought was when Yi Yu said those things to me just now?"

【Huh?】 The system struggled out of its gloomy mood, thought for a moment, and tentatively replied:

[Host, do you feel guilty? Because you know you can't stay with me for long, yet you still say comforting words...]

"No." Qu Shiyao decisively rejected its guess and said directly:

"My first thought was that staying with him might not be a bad idea, since he really suited my taste."

System: [!!] Its core is fluctuating violently.

In the past, it would have jumped up and strongly objected, but this time, it chose to listen first.

It trusts its host!

Sure enough, Qu Shiyao opened her eyes, her gaze sharp and clear, her tone unusually firm:

"But as soon as this thought popped into my head, I knew that this was definitely not something I, Qu Shiyao, would ever think!"

She sat up straight and said firmly, "I will feel guilty for any harm I may cause, and I will do my best to make arrangements for his future before I leave, so that he can have a smooth life..."

"But I will absolutely not consider staying! Because in my world, there is my life, my parents and friends, and the memories of growing up! These are irreplaceable by any relationship!"

"No matter how passionate the love, I would never exchange everything I truly possess for it! That's my belief!"

Upon hearing this, the system felt a warm current flow through its core; it must have been moved...

No matter how determined it was in the beginning, all of its previous hosts eventually developed such a deep bond with the world of the novel that they chose to stay.

Even after all that had just happened, Qu Shiyao still knew exactly what she wanted and acted on it without hesitation!

"[Host...]" The system's voice was slightly choked up. It awkwardly conjured two short, luminous arms and tightly hugged Qu Shiyao's arms.

"What? I'm not dead yet, don't make it sound like we're going to die." Qu Shiyao waved it away awkwardly, but her tone softened considerably.

She quickly steered the conversation back on track, her expression turning serious again:

"Tongzi, I remember you told me that as long as the final rating of the plot does not reach 9.5, then the fate of those characters who are destined to die in the original work will most likely remain unchanged, right?"

"Yes!" the system answered affirmatively, its voice seemingly recovering considerably from Qu Shiyao's firmness.

"So, is there a possibility..." Qu Shiyao picked up her notebook and pen from the coffee table, and began to write and draw quickly as she spoke.

"Those who chose to stay, because their rating didn't reach 9.5, didn't truly escape the storyline?"

She tapped her pen heavily on the paper a few times: "The plot I'm referring to isn't the character liberation we gain after level 3, where we don't have to follow the outline. It's more macroscopic, belonging to the core destiny of that novel's world."

The system also nervously moved closer, watching Qu Shiyao list the previous hosts on the paper and draw lines connecting them.

"Look, in the first world, the male protagonist dies young, leaving the female protagonist to raise their children and grandchildren, resulting in a large and happy family, but the process is fraught with hardship; in the second world, one side sacrifices themselves to the heavens, while the other falls into demonic possession, leading to a path opposite to the original story but equally tragic; the third..."

"The third is a double death, not to mention mission failure; the fourth world is the death of the male protagonist."

"Is it possible?" Qu Shiyao raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on the system.

"Those who choose to stay, even if the rating is below 9.5, do not actually gain true freedom, but are assimilated back into the framework of the novel's world?"

"They became the new fictional characters, and the characters who formed bonds with them, after reaching level 3 of the authorization, would be automatically designated as the new male protagonists, thus being forced to follow the fixed ending set in that novel's world."

The entire light sphere of the system froze, and the data stream flickered wildly, almost to the point of overload.

It has never thought about it from this perspective!

The vows left by those hosts still echo in our ears. Did they not betray their promise to return home, but were unknowingly assimilated by the world and lose their true ability to choose for themselves?

Seeing that the system was about to fall into emo again, Qu Shiyao thought for a moment and crossed out the third tasker's file: "Of course, the third one is an exception. She actively pursued tragedy and made her own choice."

But this did not comfort the system; instead, it made it feel an even deeper sense of fear and suffocation.

It suddenly remembered something and trembled with terror: [Host! If what you're saying is true! Then... what if Yi Yu also...?!]

Qu Shiyao paused, her pen still.

She remained silent, the tip of her pen leaving a small ink dot on the paper.

She had actually thought of that just now.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.