Perhaps because it had been too long since she had returned to the standby space station, Gu Qingqiu felt a long-lost tingling sensation in her body, as if she had been electrocuted. All around her was an endless sea of stars, but the male protagonist system did not speak, seemingly waiting for Gu Qingqiu to adjust.
Gu Qingqiu slowly closed her eyes. Countless scenes flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern. She suddenly felt that everything around her was unreal, and she herself was unreal. She even felt a little scared, so she asked in a trembling voice, "System, are you there?"
"Buzz—" A faint electrical sound rang in her ears. She didn't know if it was the male protagonist's system responding to her, or if it was angry because she had refused to leave earlier.
Having lived through so many worlds, Gu Qingqiu, while not quite a shrewd strategist, possessed a remarkable ability to read people. She immediately began to apologize in a humble voice: "Okay, system, I was wrong. I shouldn't have stayed in the last world for so long and wasted time. But you see, if I hadn't stayed until the very last moment, the mission wouldn't have been completed. So it can't be my fault. I promise I won't do it again next time!"
"Buzzing"—the faint sound of electricity still rang out.
Gu Qingqiu felt a little flustered, sensing that something was very wrong—even if the male lead system was sulking, it wouldn't scare her like this, would it?
"System? System? Are you there? Say something!"
Only Gu Qingqiu's voice echoed in the space station, bringing her unease to its peak.
Gu Qingqiu couldn't sit still any longer. She got up and paced around the space station, calling out "System" as she walked.
There was still no response.
Where is the child...?
Under these circumstances, Gu Qingqiu immediately thought of the unborn child. Could the system have left the child in the original world?
Gu Qingqiu quickly got up to search and finally found the egg in a low cabinet. She carefully placed her palm on the eggshell and felt a familiar response and rhythm.
While relieved, Gu Qingqiu became even more uneasy. Since the male protagonist system helped send the child back to the space station safely as agreed, it meant that at least the final teleportation was operated by the male protagonist system.
But now... where did the male protagonist system go?
In the past, Gu Qingqiu only had one hour of free rest time in the standby space station. If she stayed there for more than an hour, the corresponding time would be deducted from her health points.
Now, Gu Qingqiu not only doesn't know the settlement situation of the previous world, but also doesn't know how long she has been in the space station, let alone how she will be teleported to the next world.
Aside from resting, the space station has almost no other functions. How can a host without a system transport herself? Could she cause an accident during her own transport? Could she take her child with her?
These questions were clearly making Gu Qingqiu's head spin, but just as she was feeling anxious, she suddenly heard the system's announcement.
[World Difficulty: A-rank, Finished Gold: , Finished Health: 0 days, Please confirm.]
Gu Qingqiu was stunned for a moment, and before she could even feel happy, she realized something was wrong. "...Who are you?"
Please confirm.
Although they are all systems, there are differences between different systems. For example, AI can choose between a loli voice and an old man's voice, while the mechanical voice of the male protagonist's system is obviously not cold, formulaic, and devoid of any emotional fluctuation. The mechanical voice of the current system is like a cool, clear spring.
Gu Qingqiu was a little nervous: "...Confirm." She had expected that no life points would be calculated, but she had at least had such a long and pleasant time, and she was satisfied.
I am your new system.
The answer was simple, making Gu Qingqiu a little uncomfortable: "Where's the male lead system? Where did it go?"
It failed in its duty and was punished by the main god system. Now it's my turn to take over your job.
"Ah?" Gu Qingqiu felt both guilty and regretful. She and the male lead system had worked together for so long that they had developed a certain understanding and bond. Although the male lead system had indeed failed in its duty first, she hadn't expected to be replaced by a new system, especially one that sounded like it would be difficult to get along with!
[You have nineteen minutes of rest time left.] The system coldly reminded you.
Holding the egg, Gu Qingqiu gritted her teeth and continued communicating with the new system, "May I ask your name? Can I bring my child with me when I teleport to the next world?"
You may call me System 057. My only responsibility is to transport the host; other matters are outside my scope of duty.
It sounded incredibly heartless, but Gu Qingqiu finally struggled and said, "I just want to know, is there any chance for the male lead system to come back?"
System 057: [Answering this question is not within my responsibilities.]
Gu Qingqiu: "..."
"Alright!" Gu Qingqiu said helplessly, "Then can you buy me a Forget-Me-Not Herb from the system shop? That should be fine, right?"
System 057: [Okay, the purchase has been made for you, and the coins have been deducted. Would you like to use it now?]
“...Yes.” Gu Qingqiu inexplicably felt a sense of fear, similar to that she was facing a teacher or a superior, and her intuition told her that this new system didn’t seem to like her using the Forget-Me-Not item.
System 057: [You have twelve minutes of rest time left.]
The reminder from System 057 immediately interrupted Gu Qingqiu's desire to chat. She knew that once she was teleported to the next world, she would probably have to continue to work hard to complete missions. This new system seemed to be constantly catching up with her work system, just like the female supporting character system at the beginning.
Holding onto her last hope, Gu Qingqiu asked, "Can't I really take my child... this egg, to the next world? I'll be very uneasy leaving my child alone on the space station, and in the new world, based on my personal understanding of time, I estimate I won't see my child for several years."
System 057: [If you're willing to spend some gold or lives, I can try to teleport you.]
"...How much would it cost?" Gu Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
System 057: [Ten years of life points or 200,000 gold coins.]
"..." Gu Qingqiu: "Thank you, but I'm sorry to bother you. Just pretend I didn't ask."
With only about ten minutes left, Gu Qingqiu wanted to rest, but what she couldn't let go of was the unborn child. She held the egg tightly in her arms, whispering something. The egg seemed to sense the sadness and parting, and it shook gently. Some cracks appeared on the usually sturdy and stable eggshell.
"Baby?" Gu Qingqiu's expression was a mixture of surprise and joy, but she quickly realized that time was running out. She touched the crack and, without caring whether the child could understand, said, "Baby! Don't come out yet! Mommy has to go to work now and won't be back for a while. You stay here obediently, okay?"
"Crack—" The crack on the eggshell grew even bigger.
At the same time, Gu Qingqiu felt a sudden darkness before her eyes.
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