Chapter 129: Distorted
[If you aren’t even firm in your own convictions, no one can save you.]
The System’s voice remained as calm and powerful as ever, steadying Ji Ke’s panic.
“I’m begging you, System. Can you please help me pick one who is a hundred percent guaranteed to fall for me? I… I’m afraid of dying.”
She was far from the arrogant person she had been when she first arrived. If she encountered another man who treated her like Pei Yuan did, she truly would go insane.
[Remember the first day when six people came to interrogate you? One was missing.]
[I originally thought he didn’t come because of a mission, but he returned to the Alliance these past few days. Although he has paid you zero attention, his hostility toward you is far lower than the other six.]
[I suspect that the Commander named Li Su probably doesn’t love Chi Wan that much. He might be your breakthrough point.]
Ji Ke’s face brightened significantly upon hearing this. She sat up straight, her voice trembling with excitement:
“Why didn’t you say so sooner? Quick, force him to fall for me!”
[Starting favorability shift for Li Su—]
[Li Su’s current favorability toward you: 0.]
For the first time, it wasn’t a negative value. Ji Ke’s eyes lit up, filled with hope.
[Beginning reversal—]
[10.]
[20.]
…
[99.]
[Go find him. It happens to be their rest period right now. He is approximately one kilometer to the north.]
Ji Ke regained her hope and stepped out of the vehicle. In the mist, the corrosive, pungent air mixed with the stench of pollution entities was unpleasant, and the ground was as filthy as a pile of rotting meat, yet none of it could dampen her current anticipation.
“System, what is his specific background again? I’ve forgotten most of what you told me before. Can you repeat it?”
[The sole heir to the future Marshal of the ALP Star System Legion. Currently, almost the entire Star System Legion is under his command.]
[From minor law enforcement to maintaining interstellar order, the Star System Legion has the right of execution and passage anywhere in the galaxy. They are an entity that all families scramble to please—the highest military organization that serves as a check and balance against the Federation.]
“That sounds excellent.”
Ji Ke’s eyes grew even brighter. She smoothed her long hair behind her ears.
From a distance, she spotted the black-haired man in the crowd, currently discussing something with a serious expression with his subordinates. His military bearing was heavy; one could see his integrity and restrained depth just by looking at him.
[That’s him.]
“I like this type too.”
However, with several failed experiences behind her, Ji Ke felt a bit timid. She lingered nearby, pretending to pass by casually.
Keenly perceiving her approach, Li Su cast a faint glance her way before continuing his official business with his subordinates.
Ji Ke felt panicked. “System, this isn’t right. Does this look like the way someone acts when they like you?”
[A repressed, workaholic military officer is like this. They have the most endurance and are the best at playing it straight. Approach him with confidence.]
With the System’s encouragement, Ji Ke grew bolder and refused to leave.
Suddenly, a surge of energy was lashed out from behind her.
Ji Ke, whose vigilance was currently at its peak, managed to dodge it.
She turned to look at the man ten meters away. It was Pei Yuan.
He didn’t even look at her, saying only with a cold tone:
“Get lost.”
Ji Ke began to tremble uncontrollably from fear when a tall figure stepped in front of her.
Ji Ke looked up at that straight back, feeling an inexplicable sense of security.
Li Su’s brown eyes were extremely dark as he looked at Pei Yuan. He turned back to Ji Ke, his steady voice softening slightly:
“Stay close to me.”
Ji Ke was overjoyed. “Okay!”
This one sentence caused Shi Ye, who was originally treating his wounds and paying no mind, to cast a glance over. Immediately after, he stopped his treatment, grabbed his blade, and walked away.
Pei Yuan finally raised his eyes.
He stood up, arms folded behind his head, looking leisurely at the two. He simply gave a thin smile. “Lock them in.”
That smile was laced with murderous intent no matter how one looked at it.
Ji Ke fearfully retracted her gaze, but she couldn’t resist asking in her mind:
“System, do his words have a hint of jealousy in them?”
[…]
Ji Ke followed Li Su’s A3 Base team as they set out.
She had finally stabilized the favorability of one male lead. She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
However, before she could enjoy her peace for long, the team ventured deep into a heavily polluted area, and pollution entities arrived one after another.
Although Ji Ke possessed a body full of super-strong energy and mental power, her actual combat experience was zero. Although she commanded her phoenix to fight, a mental entity follows its host; the phoenix was far from valiant. Under its chaotic attacks, it was easily suppressed by the pollution entities.
Ji Ke was afraid of pain and injury, so she recalled the phoenix. She dodged around in a panic, several times grabbing onto Li Su’s combat uniform in her fear, interfering with his combat.
“I’m scared…”
She clung to him tightly, her voice softening as she pleaded for his sympathy.
“Move to the back. Stand at the rear of the squad.”
Li Su’s voice was steady, but his brow furrowed slightly because her interference was affecting the battle. Ji Ke nodded and moved toward the rear.
Hiding behind the main force, she stopped observing the battle. Consequently, she failed to hear Li Su’s deep voice ordering her to provide a mental barrier to support a critically ill Sentinel.
Once the battle ended and more than half of the pollution entities were dead, the System’s voice suddenly rang out urgently:
[His favorability is dropping rapidly. What did you do?]
Ji Ke was shocked. “I didn’t do anything!”
[Slackening in combat in front of an officer who loves his soldiers as much as his own life—you stepped on his landmine. His favorability toward you has dropped to -99.]
Ji Ke couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She turned to look, only to see the A3 Base team already moving away from her. Li Su never looked back at her again.
Panicked, she tried to rush forward to salvage the situation but was blocked by a Sentinel.
“Guide Ji Ke, our Commander has decided to choose other Guides to follow the team. Please leave.”
She wanted to say something, but the Sentinel had already turned and left.
Nearby, some remaining severed limbs of pollution entities grabbed tightly at her ankles.
It destroyed her last shred of sanity.
Ji Ke screamed frantically, squatting down to clutch her head:
“Why? Why?!”
“System, I don’t want their favorability anymore! Help me kill them all!”
“Didn’t you say you could squeeze Chi Wan’s soul into a mechanical world before? Squeeze all of their souls out too, and implant mechanical souls that are devoted only to me!!!”
The System’s voice was calm and cold:
[That kind of operation defies the heavens. Even a high-level System like me only has one chance. I cannot accomplish it unless I borrow the power of other Systems.]
“Then go borrow it!”
Seeing that her emotions were about to collapse, the System continued:
[Calm down. The most important thing for you right now is to stay calm. Don’t be defeated by the current adversity. The harder you fall, the more satisfying the moment of your comeback will be.]
Ji Ke had heard enough of that phrase.
In her despair, she didn’t have the luxury to wonder why the System’s voice was trembling slightly. She only murmured:
“System, you are so strong, so why am I still so miserable…”
“Can you please think of another way? I’m begging you…”
She tore away the wriggling limb of the pollution entity and gripped the corpses on the ground with both hands. Her nails sank into the rotting flesh, squeezing out sizzling black blood.
The mangled, missing middle finger on her right hand looked especially hideous.
As she spoke, she waited for the System’s comfort and a new plan.
Unexpectedly, the air fell into a ghostly silence this time.
Immediately after, a mechanical voice that was neither male nor female let out a stifled laugh:
[Heh… Heh heh… Hahahahahahaha—!]
The laughter grew louder and the pitch stranger.
By the end, the laugh carried a trace of cruelty and undeniable malice.
Ji Ke seemed to realize something. Her body shook uncontrollably, and her eyes were filled with terror:
“Sys… System, what are you laughing at… has your program crashed…”
The System’s laughter continued before it slowly spat out cold mechanical words:
[There is a sentence I have held back for a long time—]
[Ji Ke, you are truly an idiot.]
Recommended Reads
