Chapter 18: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision vs. Five Female Leads (18)
Liu Chengpei, hungover from the previous night, woke up and searched the villa for Huo Xian but couldn’t find him. Finally, he found a note Huo Xian left on the table where he had fallen asleep.
[Urgent matter, out for a while, return time uncertain – Huo Xian]
Liu Chengpei immediately started cursing. Couldn’t he have moved him to a guest room? The dining room was only thirty to forty steps from the guest rooms on the first floor. That good-for-nothing Huo Xian let him sleep on the table all night.
Wait…
Why did he drink with Huo Xian yesterday? It was to get Huo Xian drunk so he could openly search the villa for treasures!
Thinking of this, he immediately took out his phone and called Huo Xian. After more than half a minute, someone answered. Huo Xian’s somewhat breathless voice came from the other end, his “hello” a little hoarse.
Liu Chengpei was stunned for a second, sensing what Huo Xian was doing. He teased, “In such high spirits so early, Axian?”
In a remote snow-stricken area half a country away from City A, Huo Xian had just applied a warm towel to his eyes. He hadn’t checked the caller ID when he answered. Upon hearing Liu Chengpei’s voice, his first reaction was to hang up, but he held back.
“What is it?” He asked, his breath still uneven.
Liu Chengpei chuckled lewdly, “Am I interrupting something good?”
Huo Xian didn’t want to waste words, “Nothing. I’ll hang up.”
“Don’t…” Liu Chengpei quickly stopped him, muttering something unpleasant under his breath before saying, “What do you mean by ‘return time uncertain’? Where did you go? When did you leave?”
“I didn’t want to spend New Year’s alone at home, so I came out for a stroll. I’ll come back when I feel like it,” Huo Xian said indifferently. “You’re still at my house?”
“Uh… uh…” Liu Chengpei answered vaguely.
A sarcastic smile curved Huo Xian’s lips. He said casually, “Lock the door when you leave.”
There was silence for a moment, then Liu Chengpei guaranteed, “Don’t worry, I’ll check every window in your house. I won’t let any thief have the chance.” He paused, tentatively asking, “Axian, shall I look for the safes again?”
“Suit yourself.”
Liu Chengpei immediately happily said, “I’ll let you know when I find them!”
After ending the call, the warm towel on Huo Xian’s eyes was no longer warm, but his eyes felt much more comfortable.
[Host, Liu Chengpei will definitely search your house. Aren’t you worried he’ll find the basement?] The system asked.
Huo Xian, who had already moved all the items from the safes, chuckled, “Even if he finds the basement, can he open a bank-vault-level door?”
The system fell silent.
After about twenty minutes of rest, someone rushed to call him. He grabbed his hat and went outside.
Even wearing thermal clothing couldn’t completely block out the winter cold. In this icy and snowy area, a village was buried under the snow. Due to the complex and rugged terrain, it was difficult for the rescue team to conduct search and rescue operations. Life detectors could be used, but perhaps due to technical limitations, the distance was very limited, and they could also malfunction due to the cold weather.
Therefore, Lin Da thought of Huo Xian, who possessed X-ray vision. After explaining his intentions yesterday, Huo Xian didn’t hesitate; after packing his things, he followed to the disaster area to assist in the rescue.
On a day meant for family reunions, people in a village were suffering, and a group of people were working tirelessly in the wind and snow to save people.
Half an hour later, Huo Xian found another family of three trapped. The father had already lost his breath while protecting his wife and son. Although the wife and son had also lost consciousness, they were still breathing. As long as they were still alive, there was hope.
[Host, your hands are frostbitten.] The system reminded him, its mechanical voice seemingly a little low.
Huo Xian glanced at his hands, numb from exposure to the ice and snow, and calmly hummed.
[Host, this isn’t your mission.] The system said, [You shouldn’t be here.]
Huo Xian ignored him and continued the rescue operation.
The consequence of continuously using his ability was that his brain felt like countless needles were piercing it, even more uncomfortable than when he assisted the armed police in rescuing people at the bank. For four days, he was in a state of extreme mental tension. It felt like any minor mistake would cause his brain to explode.
Fortunately, there was a reward for his efforts. Although the snow disaster was severe, the casualties were not that many, a fortunate outcome.
Huo Xian stayed in a small hotel in town. His eyes just closed, and the fatigue of recent days allowed him to fall asleep quickly. However, two seconds after falling asleep, he suddenly said, [System.]
The system, which could be described as always appearing when Huo Xian called, didn’t respond immediately but waited a few seconds before replying, [Host, what is it?]
Huo Xian: “Nothing.”
System: […]
After ten minutes, Huo Xian opened his eyes again.
System: [Host, aren’t you tired?]
Huo Xian: [Although I’m sleepy, I can’t sleep.]
After another ten minutes, Huo Xian opened his eyes again.
System: [Host, you should rest properly.]
Huo Xian: [Hmm.]
After repeatedly opening his eyes and falling asleep several times in this manner, Huo Xian finally didn’t open his eyes after ten minutes. The system waited for half an hour and, seeing that he had probably fallen asleep, quietly…
“System.” Huo Xian directly called out.
A small gray light ball in Huo Xian’s consciousness trembled, then quickly hid, followed by the system’s voice, [Host, I suggest you actively complete the mission to unlock the mall. The mall has various drugs, including treatments for insomnia.]
“I feel like I was being pressed down when I was sleeping. Do you know what’s wrong?” Huo Xian asked with his eyes closed.
System: [It may be because the host is too tired.]
Huo Xian said again, “When I close my eyes, I feel like I’m back in your little dark room. My soul is not free.”
System: […]
System: [It’s probably the host’s illusion.]
“System, when I had my car accident, more than one person should have died. Why did you choose me?” Huo Xian seemed to be in the mood to chat and started talking to the system.
The system fell silent for a while, then the cold mechanical voice said, [The host does not have the authority to inquire about the system’s selection mechanism.]
“Tsk.”
The room fell silent. After a while, the system detected that Huo Xian’s breathing was even, and his brainwaves were stable. He seemed to be asleep. The system called softly, [Host?]
“Hmm?” Huo Xian hummed.
System: […] [Host, you’re not asleep?]
Huo Xian: “I think I fell asleep, but I woke up when I heard you call.”
System: […]
Huo Xian: “System, is there anything you need?”
System: […] [Nothing.]
Huo Xian: “Oh, then I’ll go to sleep.”
After a short while, Huo Xian’s breathing became even again, but the system dared not make any more sneaky moves.
While Huo Xian was doing a great deed, the An family in City A was sending their eldest son to the hospital in the middle of the night. The doctors employed by the An family could no longer control his condition.
As before, when Anna got close to her struggling brother, she still heard the two words that puzzled her—Huo Xian.
However, this time, after saying “Huo Xian,” An Chun squeezed out a third word—death.
=v=
Huo Xian didn’t rush back to City A. Taking advantage of this trip, he went to a coastal city in southern China… for a vacation.
He wasn’t in a hurry, but the system was, and someone else was too.
System: [Host, there are seven days left until the deadline I gave you. If you still can’t complete the mission, I can only kill your soul. Don’t blame me then.]
Huo Xian was wearing sunglasses and sunbathing. His tone was relaxed and casual, “Since I have seven days left, I should enjoy the last seven days of my life in this world, not wasting my time in this world.”
The system almost crashed from anger. After a minute, it spoke again: [Host, you’ve been diligently involved in rescue efforts. If you are killed, everything in this world will be destroyed, including Huo Ting and Huo En. Can you bear to watch them all die?]
Huo Xian’s expression didn’t change, his tone still casual, “It’s you who’s going to kill me. If you can bear it, why can’t I?”
The system was speechless. After a long while, it said, [But you can save everyone, including yourself, as long as you complete the system’s mission.]
“But I’m not interested in five women.” Huo Xian replied naturally.
The system was speechless again. At the same time, Huo Xian’s phone rang.
During his absence from City A, four of the five female leads, except for Fang Manyun, had sent him messages and called him. Qiao Yirong called the most; she could block one number and use another, she was simply taking advantage of her wealth.
“System, can you block calls from unknown numbers?” Huo Xian suddenly asked. Without waiting for the system’s answer, he continued, “I’m actually interested in meeting the world bug, An Chun.”
[Yes.] The system replied almost eagerly. After a moment, the system said, [I have invaded the host’s phone and changed the incoming call program. Unknown numbers will be automatically filtered. The host no longer has to worry about Qiao Yirong’s calls.]
Huo Xian raised his eyebrows slightly, “Thanks.”
System: [You’re welcome. How do you plan to meet An Chun?]
As soon as the system finished asking, Huo Xian’s phone rang again. It wasn’t a filtered unknown number but Anna.
Anna was the female lead Huo Xian talked to the most. First, they had business dealings because of the jade. Second, Anna was the female lead who conflicted with him the least. Third… An Chun, the world bug, was Anna’s brother. Because of the last point, Huo Xian couldn’t ignore her.
To be honest, Anna’s initiative made him a little headache. Fortunately, Anna maintained her composure. Although she greeted him politely every day, it was only a greeting and didn’t reveal her thoughts. Simply put, a noble queen would never easily descend from her throne.
Huo Xian pretended not to know. He was polite when Anna greeted him.
“Mr. Huo, can you give me your address? I want to see you.” Before Huo Xian could politely greet her, Anna’s suppressed tone, which was slightly different from usual, quickly spoke.
Huo Xian was a little puzzled. He didn’t give his address directly but asked, “What happened, Miss An?”
Anna was silent for a few seconds before her voice turned hoarse, “Let’s talk when we meet, okay?” The last two words were spoken with a hint of pleading and vulnerability, a vulnerability that seemed out of place on her.
Huo Xian frowned. The system popped up at this moment: [It must be something wrong with An Chun.]
Huo Xian asked in his mind: [How so?]
The system replied: [The stronger the protagonist’s luck, the stronger the backlash against the world bug who arrived in this world through exploiting loopholes and lived by absorbing the luck of the protagonist. With the host’s current flourishing luck, An Chun might already be at death’s door.]
Hearing this, Huo Xian narrowed his eyes, grasping the key point in the system’s words: [You mean, it’s either me or An Chun? If I exist, he doesn’t; if he exists, I don’t?]
The system was about to answer yes, but suddenly remembered Huo Xian’s previous question about how An Chun obtained luck. At that time, it had perfunctorily said he didn’t need to kill anyone. In reality, An Chun, who relied solely on luck to survive, would die if he lost his luck.
It seemed to have chosen to compromise, saying stiffly, [Host, An Chun actually died nine months ago. The soul in his body now is a soul from another world who exploited a loophole in the laws.]
A soul from another world?
Wasn’t Huo Xian also a soul from another world?
The system’s answer to this was: [The system is an officially authorized mission system. It came to this world through official channels. The mission is to clear the bugs in the world. In your human terms: The host is a legal resident, and An Chun is an illegal immigrant.]
After listening, Huo Xian only asked, “Do you have any documents or similar credentials that can prove you’re an officially authorized system?”
The system remained silent for ten seconds before saying, [The host is currently in the internship period. Once the host becomes a regular and binds with the system, the system will naturally give the host permission to check.]
Huo Xian shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.