The final task of Chapter 97? To keep the story unfolding according to the established plot…
The result of their conversation lasting until the early hours of the morning was that Chen Mi didn't get up at all the next day. She slept until the afternoon, completely missing lunch.
When she woke up, the setting sun swept across the edge of her bed. Shen Mi was still fast asleep in bed, her hair scattered on the pillow, her eyes and brows filled with tranquility and peace.
In a daze, Chen Mi arrived at that snow-white, gleaming house again, but this time there were no mechanical malfunctions or urgent alarms; it was like the calm before a storm.
[Host, congratulations. You have successfully increased the conquest value of each character to 80%. Dan Heng and Jing Yuan's conquest values have already reached over 95. You are just one step away from complete success.]
Chen Mi stood in the center of the room, listening to the familiar yet unfamiliar voices coming from all directions, and asked hesitantly: [System?]
The voice chuckled softly a few times. "It's me, host."
Why does your voice sound like this now? It feels completely different from the old system.
The system chuckled twice more, neither confirming nor denying Shen Mi's words: "Let's assume that's the case for now. Because the strategy points you've accumulated are continuously providing me with upgrade energy, I can now be considered reborn as a new generation system."
To avoid disrupting your progress, I will communicate with you in my dreams from now on. I will also continue to accumulate energy to ensure your safe return to your original world after your success.
I have a feeling that this day isn't far off.
Shen Mi smiled awkwardly. "I feel like you're happier than I am."
The system nodded slightly. "Of course. No one has ever taken the mission this far before; it's the first time for both of us. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
"[It's something to be happy about, of course it's something to be happy about.]" Shen Mi changed the subject, frowning and questioning the system with dissatisfaction: "[But before you leave, could you answer my questions? There are still many things I don't understand from what you said intermittently that day. I want to know the true intention behind the strategy guide.]"
[Host, please calm down. Before we begin, may I tell you a story?] The system's voice remained calm, like the clear sound of an ancient bell tolling in the distance, concise yet resonant: [Deep in the universe, there is an invisible World Tree, unseen by the naked eye, yet bearing countless "segments of time." Each vein records the comings and goings of a story; each branch sustains the lifeblood of countless lives. And I am but a tiny "bird" of maintenance, my daily duty being to guard that unseen thread, that is: to ensure the story flows along its predetermined path.]
Its tone lowered slightly, carrying an unconcealed weariness and solemnity: "But one day, I noticed that those smooth veins began to branch out into many tiny twigs. At first, I thought it was just normal texture and didn't pay much attention; but then, the deeper main trunk quietly bent, as if pulled by some unseen force, slowly deviating from its original direction."
The system continued, its voice tinged with helplessness and warning: "I launched a comprehensive investigation, bringing in countless modules and volunteers to try and repair and correct it; but each repair was merely a superficial patch, the bends never truly straightened. The more cycles there are, the less energy I expend on repairs, and slowly even maintaining my own stability becomes difficult. If left to deteriorate, the entire storyline will face systemic collapse. At that point, not only will I be unable to continue, but everything living on this line, the stories carried by its veins, and the memories of everyone will be slowly severed, turning into silent fallen leaves in the long river of the universe."
The system paused in silence for a moment, as if weighing its next words, before slowly speaking: "When I was nearly exhausted, I issued a final summons to the outside world—and you were the response to that summons. The time spent alongside you showed me the possibility of repair; every bit of strategy value you accumulated will be converted into energy for my restoration of the main structure."
The more Shen Mi listened, the colder she felt inside. She asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you tell me these things sooner?"
The system responded calmly: "In my experience, 99% of failures are because I spoke too soon."
Shen Mi pressed further: "What about the remaining one percent?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Shen Mi understood that the one percent was himself.
The system remained silent for a long time, seemingly having acquiesced.
Shen Mi was caught in a dilemma. She had been given this critical mission not because she lacked the courage to accept it, but because the matter had exceeded her expectations, and she couldn't ignore everyone involved. She knew the weight she could bear, and she was genuinely afraid she couldn't shoulder it.
Shen Mi asked again: "Then how can you be sure that I am the one who can save you and save this timeline?"
The system replied with only two words, concise yet undeniable: 【Intuition.】
After listening, Shen Mi sighed heavily, then asked the most crucial question: "What will happen to you if I fail to complete the mission? What will happen to Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, and Ren? Will they just disappear like that?"
The system's voice trailed off in the room, as if compiling an unavoidable list. After a long silence, it slowly stated the consequences, each word heavy with weight:
[It won't be an abrupt disappearance. Before the branches are severed, the World Tree will weave a logical ending on its own—the fates of everyone will cease to unfold, with no further chapters. Their endings will be simplified to a few lines in the text, perhaps even without names. That includes me.]
Shen Mi grasped the key information, pondered for a moment, and then analyzed in a low voice: "Is it possible that... only if I find that 'ending' that needs to be severed and rewrite it, can the branch possibly return to the right direction?"
That's right.
Having obtained a definitive solution, she gradually calmed down, and her initial panic subsided somewhat.
Okay, I accept this final mission. But... what if the mission fails? Will I disappear too?
The system slowly shook its head: "No. I have two crucial items here: one is the 'Tree Soul Seal,' which embodies all my power. Even if you fail, it will safely send you away from here without you being erased by the branch; the other is the 'Branch Key,' which can advance or retreat time by fifteen minutes. It can be reused, but each time it is activated, you will be bound to the set time period."
The "Tree Soul Imprint" is now etched in your palm, and the "Branch Vein Key" is in your hand. Remember, you must carry it close to your body, grip the key firmly, and silently count the precise time interval to the second when using it; otherwise, it may fail.
Shen Mi looked down and, sure enough, saw a pale green, translucent key lying quietly in her palm. It was as smooth and lustrous as jade, like the rings of a tree, its surface shimmering with a faint halo. Her fingertips touched it, and the cool, delicate touch instantly seeped into her heart, like an invisible wind stirring countless unknown possibilities. Her heart involuntarily tightened, a mixture of alarm and an instinctive unease at the weight that fate had suddenly placed upon her.
【Well then, host, see you next time. Best of luck!】
The sound slowly dissipated in the air, receding like the tide, leaving a lingering echo, like the aftersound of a wind chime, reluctant to fade away.
Shen Mi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and allowed his mind to calm down. His consciousness gradually withdrew from the empty room, and his soul returned to his sleeping body.
"You're awake?"
A deep voice suddenly came from the corner of the room.
Shen Mi was slightly taken aback. Why was there Ren's voice? She slowly turned her head and saw Ren sitting in the corner on a rattan chair, holding a book that he had found somewhere. As he spoke, he turned to the next page.
The evening sunset painted him with an orange hue. Perhaps influenced by his books, he hadn't been this calm in a very long time, and his eyes were filled with an indescribable gentleness.
Seeing one of the main characters from their earlier discussion suddenly appear before her, Shen Mi was first taken aback, then her chest was filled with an unexpected sadness, like a tide engulfing her. That sadness wasn't born of failure or departure, but of a more cruel fear and panic: they had clearly had vivid experiences, memorable moments, and a future that should have continued, yet everything could be silently brought to a close and summarized into a few cold words.
Imagine those warm conversations that will happen in the future, experiencing all sorts of possibilities together, laughing and crying together, sharing moments in life, and walking hand in hand. But these days are compressed into a single footnote in the background of a game. Colors are stripped away, sounds are flattened, and even the possibility of the future is cut off. It is no longer disappearance, but a death that is "textualized": tangible life is replaced by a few shallow strokes, like branches that have been pruned in a garden, leaving only a circle of ruthless cuts.
Her sorrow stemmed from mourning "possibilities": not from the pain of their past lives, but from the silent denial by fate of the future they should have lived through. In Shen Mi's eyes, the world seemed to have been abruptly switched off, all the vibrant fragments losing their color in an instant, like a painting stripped of its base color, leaving only cold white outlines and dry footnotes, trembling forlornly at the edge of the page.
She had no choice but to do everything in her power to seize the opportunity, to grasp the time, and to find the "ending" that could be rewritten.
Shen Mi raised a hand to brush away the stray hairs damp with sweat from her forehead, her breathing heavy. She looked around to make sure she was in a familiar place before she couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing in my room?"
Ren looked up from the book, glanced at her briefly, and said in a low, calm voice, "Jingyuan was worried that you might not wake up, so he asked me to come and check on your condition."
He spoke calmly and without emotion, as if he were stating a trivial matter.
"Since you are safe and sound, I should be going now."
Ren closed the book in his hand, the soft rustling of the pages closing being particularly clear in the quiet room. He lowered his crossed legs and slowly rose from the chair.
As he said those words, he unconsciously let out a soft sigh of relief, without even realizing it himself.
The rattan chair creaked as it lost its weight, and his nearly 1.9-meter-tall frame suddenly spread out in the twilight, like a silent umbrella. His tall shadow fell over the wall, also quietly enveloping Chen Mi, unexpectedly bringing a sense of security.
"Hey!" Chen Mi's heart tightened, and he blurted out, wanting to stop him, but he suddenly stopped when the words were on the tip of his tongue, not knowing how to continue.
Ren paused, turned to look at her, his gaze steady, his voice low: "What? Is there something else?"
Shen Mi pursed her lips and asked with slight anxiety, "Where are Dan Heng and Jing Yuan? I haven't seen them."
Ren paused, remained silent for a moment, and unexpectedly recalled a dark joke he had heard his colleagues talk about when he was in the Industrial Construction Department.
When a child comes home from school, the first thing they say when they see their father is, "Where's Mom?"
Now he understands.
“They both went out this morning on some errands,” Ren said casually, glancing at the clock on the wall. “They should be back soon.”
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Author's Note: I've finally gotten to this point. The ultimate goal of this walkthrough isn't just to get home. I wanted to say something to everyone, but I'm worried you won't be able to accept my storyline [crying emoji], so I'll hold it in for now.
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