leave
In the stillness of the night, the system was in a good mood, humming an off-key tune as it slowly organized the data of its recent hosts in its database.
Since binding itself to Qu Shiyao and arriving in this novel world, it has been so busy that it hasn't had time to properly organize Qu Shiyao's information.
As is customary, during the intervals between mission worlds, in addition to organizing the data of the current host, it also checks the "after-sales service" records sent by other hosts from the previous few worlds.
The main system uses the information sent back by those who chose to stay in the mission world to assess the stability of the rewritten world and the status of the mission participants.
As for those missions that successfully chose to be resurrected and have their memories erased before leaving, I'm sorry, it doesn't deserve to have such a host!
[Hehe, if I gather more material for this grudge notebook, it might just get published in the "Avoiding Pitfalls Guide" in the main space, titled "The Invincible A06 24th Host's Record of Pitting the System," as a warning to future leaders!]
The system happily flipped through the bits and pieces of its battles of wits with Qu Shiyao, feeling that if it wrote a little more, it would be enough to fill a thick book.
He casually compiled the various memes and everyday photos of Qu Shiyao that he had secretly taken into an electronic album, and then created an archive of her mission data in this world.
After doing all that, it began processing the time capsules sent by the previous hosts.
[Next is... the 20th host.] The system brought up a faintly glowing data sphere, marked with an upload date of seven years ago.
"How much time has passed in her world?" It calculated the flow of time. "Wow, almost thirty years have passed over there!"
It clicked on the data sphere, and the light screen unfolded, revealing an old woman dressed in brocade, with a full head of silver hair, a kind face that could not hide the marks of time.
The system was momentarily confused before finally connecting the old man before it with the spirited and radiant eldest daughter of the Zhao family who had traveled to the ancient world.
In ancient times, when medical conditions were limited, being over fifty was considered a long life, and now she certainly looks like she's in her seventies.
The old woman in the light screen fumbled around on the screen somewhat awkwardly, seemingly unsure how to operate the technology.
She leaned closer, raising her voice slightly, with the slowness and hearing loss typical of the elderly: "Can you hear me?"
She didn't seem to expect an answer, but rather was talking to herself: "Today, my little grandson found this in an old box... It turns out, so much time has passed..."
Her weary gaze seemed to look across the screen to a distant place as she murmured, "I wonder how Father... how are Mom and Dad doing over there..."
Having lived in that world for so long, even the most familiar terms of address have gradually been assimilated.
The system thought silently.
“Look at me, now that I’m a mother and a grandmother myself, I always find myself thinking about my family over there…”
The old woman carefully wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and continued speaking:
"System, I originally planned to send you this message ten years later, but during that time... sigh, it was chaotic, with power struggles, coups, and so on..."
"Look at me, I've gone off on a tangent again."
The old woman snapped out of her reverie, carefully tucking her silver hair behind her ears. The arrogance and sharpness she once displayed when discussing palace intrigue and plot twists were nowhere to be found on her face.
"I'm doing quite well here, surrounded by children and grandchildren, enjoying a blessed life. I also hope that in the future you, System, will encounter children who successfully complete their missions and return home safely... That's all..."
In the distance, the faint sound of a child calling "Grandma" could be heard. The old woman hurriedly waved her hand at the screen, and the image went out.
The partners who once complained about the plot and planned for the future together have ultimately succumbed to time and space, becoming strangers and distant, without a single extra word of concern.
【Mission taker, may you enjoy good health and longevity, surrounded by your children and grandchildren…】The system silently picked up the dimmed data sphere and carefully placed it into the file box marked “A06 20th”.
Sealing it away also signifies that the story of this mission taker has come to an end in the records of the Transcendent Bureau.
[Alright, next up is the 21st host.] The system roused itself, retrieved the next data sphere, the time displayed on it showing it was uploaded ten years ago.
[Ten years ago... six or seven years have passed in that world?] It entered the information and then clicked on it.
The light screen lit up, instantly filling the air with murderous intent!
The image shows a woman dressed in black, with a cold and glamorous makeup and sharp, icy eyes.
Her long sword was dripping with blood, and beneath her feet lay countless corpses. Behind her were burning palaces and pavilions, which could be vaguely discerned as having once been a large-scale cultivation sect.
The woman casually toyed with the data ball in her hand, seemingly recalling something, her eyes momentarily glazed over.
Although it had only been a short time for the system, her aura seemed to have endured ten thousand years of vicissitudes, leaving only an unyielding malevolence and icy killing intent.
“A06,” she said, her voice icy cold.
"I have already killed more than half of his enemies. As for the remaining behemoths, we need to plan for a long time. I will be in seclusion for a long time, so I will tell you about these things in advance."
The system looked at the woman in the light screen and could hardly connect her with the timid and obedient girl in its memory when it first entered the world of cultivation.
The world of cultivation is indeed terrifying; it can change a person to this extent.
"Oh, right!" the woman added, as if suddenly remembering something, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
"Here's a piece of advice: if you're still mentoring new hosts, you should remind them not to develop too deep a bond with people in the mission world, especially people of the opposite sex. I... can't go back to that."
After saying that, she turned around without looking back and resolutely walked into the thick, blood-red fog that rose behind her.
The swirling mist, like a giant beast, instantly swallowed her figure whole.
The light curtain went dark.
The system fell silent.
Don't get too attached to people in the mission world, especially people of the opposite sex.
It immediately thought of Qu Shiyao and Yi Yu.
Although the two are currently so platonic that they haven't even had a proper kiss, their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend is genuine...
Is this considered deep?
The system's data flow instantly became a jumbled mess.
Qu Shiyao had vowed that no matter what happened, she would leave without hesitation once the mission was completed.
But now, two predecessors who chose to stay have given similar warnings...
【Let's seal this file for now! Next!】 The system decided to temporarily avoid this thorny issue, sealed the 21st file box, and moved on to the next one.
[Huh? Where's my ball?] It discovered that the space for the light sphere representing the 22nd host was empty.
It scanned and searched carefully, but found nothing.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, it suddenly remembered.
This host seems to have tortured himself to death.
There was no follow-up.
The system can only seal the host's file in advance, and then take out the last data ball, which belongs to the 23rd host.
This was received shortly before it was bound to Qu Shiyao, meaning that the previous task had ended less than a year ago.
【Huh?】The system picked up the ball of light, feeling that it was both familiar and unfamiliar, as if its specific memories of it were shrouded in a thin mist.
It poked the ball of light, and a clear warning message immediately popped up next to it:
[WARNING: This recording contains highly emotionally impactful content. It is strongly recommended that you back up and clear the current emotional content before watching! After watching, clear the emotional content again and restore from the backup!]
[A hint left by the boss?] The system was startled.
Only a few administrators in the main system space can directly perform this operation and issue this kind of reminder.
It recalled its host, a modern entertainment industry world filled with tragic romance novels. The mission was successful, but the host chose to stay for the sake of the villainous BOSS of that world.
In its memory, it got along very well with this host, and they talked about almost everything.
The system followed the instructions, carefully backing up, encrypting, and hiding the current emotional modules related to Qu Shiyao, then clearing the current emotional modules and opening the data sphere.
The screen flickered, the image seemed very unstable, and finally it froze on a blinding white—it was a hospital ward.
The person in the hospital bed was covered in bandages, especially their face, which was completely wrapped up.
The system's memory modules are becoming increasingly clear.
It remembered that when it left, this host was already a hot star in the entertainment industry. How could his face be ruined?
Where is that man?
What about that powerful villainous boss who doted on her?
Why didn't you protect her?
Even though the emotions had been cleared away, the core logic of the system still produced a slight sense of stagnation.
This girl was once one of its most compatible and congenial hosts.
The image shook slightly, as if it was being adjusted in angle.
The person in the hospital bed was extremely haggard, with empty eyes, as if all life had been drained from them.
"Little Six..." she opened her mouth, her voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
Tears welled up from her empty eyes without warning, sliding down her cheeks and soaking the bandages.
She reached out in vain to wipe away the tears, but only made them flow more fiercely.
The system sensed that its blank emotion module was experiencing uncomfortable emotional fluctuations.
But it knew that the world was already in a state of annihilation, and it could not properly intervene to help this host.
"Huo Ting... he's gone." After saying this, the woman seemed to have used up all her strength, leaving only suppressed, broken sobs.
Huo Ting? Gone? That villain, so powerful he was practically omnipotent?
The system cannot understand.
“Last week…we were on our way home in the car…the brakes suddenly failed, and the steering wheel also…he tried to protect me…” she said haltingly, each word spoken with great difficulty.
From the system's perspective, it was clear that its former host was emotionally unstable.
It sensed something was wrong and wanted to immediately activate the emergency protocol, attempting to request special intervention permissions from the main system, even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance!
However, the next second, the system felt a chill surge up, and the entire database seemed to be frozen instantly!
In the light screen, the woman somehow produced a pair of scissors, and without any hesitation, she used her last bit of strength to stab herself in the throat!
Blood spurted out instantly, staining the snow-white hospital bed, the bandages, and even the system's perspective.
"Cough...cough cough..." Her throat was pierced, and blood flowed back into her trachea, causing her to cough.
She leaned back weakly against the pillow, trying to open her eyes wide to look at the camera, as if trying to force a smile, but only making the blood flow even more violently.
Her breath grew weaker and weaker, and she spoke intermittently in a barely audible, faint voice:
"...Little Six...oh...save...save us...help us...leave this world...we can't get out..."
Gradually, the sound stopped abruptly.
The light screen dimmed completely, and the data sphere turned cold.
The system became so disoriented that it unconsciously curled up into a ball, and the light dimmed considerably.
The girl's smile seemed as fresh and bright as if it were yesterday, but in an instant she lay coldly in a pool of blood, bidding farewell in the most tragic way.
[How could this happen? It shouldn't be like this. Compared to the other hosts who stayed in the world, her ending was the best. Why did this happen...?]
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