T/L: Chapter 106 is the end of the main story, we’re close~
A mechanical, bodiless voice suddenly appeared in the hospital room, sounding eerie and unsettling.
Jiang Wenhan seemed startled, his headache gone but not enough to lose his composure.
“That voice just now…”
“Ah—”
A piercing scream came from the bed as Xia Yang abruptly got up and tried to rush out of the room without saying a word.
“Host! Stop him!”
Zhu Tong was stunned and instinctively reached out but didn’t know what to do.
When had he ever done physical labor?
Before he could ask for help, a long leg had already stretched out, blocking Xia Yang’s path and effectively tripping him to the ground.
Xia Yang hit the floor with a thud. At the same time, all the sounds around them ceased — the noise of medical equipment, the soft footsteps of nurses in the hallway, and even the breathing of the people in the room were no longer audible.
It was as if an invisible barrier had isolated the room from the outside world, trapping them within.
Everything around them seemed frozen.
But Zhu Tong could still feel Shao Ming’s presence, the warmth beside him, so he didn’t feel panicked.
On the contrary, the person on the ground, after being tripped, persisted in trying to get up again, still struggling to run out.
The system in Zhu Tong’s mind suddenly said out loud, “The trajectory of this world has been restored. Changing hosts won’t alter anything now.”
The person trying to get up suddenly froze, then slowly straightened and turned mechanically.
Zhu Tong didn’t have time to ponder what “the trajectory of the world has been restored” meant and instead faced Xia Yang’s eyes, which were now devoid of any emotion.
Xia Yang’s face no longer showed resentment or confusion; he was expressionless, his movements stiff like a machine.
That was no longer Xia Yang.
The empty gaze of “Xia Yang” moved between the two of them, finally settling on Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong felt his hair stand on end under the stare and frowned, “What the hell is going on?”
The system responded, “Congratulations, host. The life extension task has been successfully completed. The system’s ultimate reward is about to be issued. You may now ask me questions.”
“……”
Zhu Tong felt conflicted, “What exactly are you?”
System: “……”
“Do you believe in parallel worlds, host?”
Zhu Tong replied, “No.”
System: “……”
“This conversation is getting too strange.”
“Parallel worlds do exist,” the system said. “Not only parallel worlds but many other worlds beyond yours, completely different from yours. Among these worlds, there exists a main system that maintains balance, which we call the master system.”
Zhu Tong asked, “Maintains balance?”
“Yes. Your world has developed into modern civilization, but beyond this world, many worlds have evolved beyond your imagination. Some people in these worlds have been able to glimpse beyond their own world and even discover bridges that connect different worlds. The development of civilization has both advantages and disadvantages. When people step out of their world, they inevitably affect other worlds.”
Zhu Tong frowned, “You mean that Xia Yang… the thing in him comes from an outside world, but you said…”
The system interrupted, “It is foreign, but it doesn’t come from another world. Like me, it was created by the master system to maintain the balance of different worlds.”
“……”
“Xia Yang” listened quietly, his face devoid of any emotion.
Zhu Tong asked in confusion, “And then? What do you mean by world trajectory? What does it want to change?”
The system paused for a moment, then slowly explained, “Humans have a strong spirit of exploration and boundless desires and ambitions. Some humans who have glimpsed beyond their world attempt to disrupt other worlds through soul invasion. They seek to control these worlds by altering their operation trajectories and seizing the fortunes from the main characters of those worlds. Our task is to stop these people and correct the world trajectories. The experiences you had before I appeared and the world information I told you about were actually world trajectories that had already been disrupted and distorted.”
“So what was the original world trajectory like?”
Zhu Tong asked eagerly.
He thought about the memories that appeared in Jiang Wenhan’s mind. If that was the original world trajectory, he would rather stay in the ICU!
Sensing his worry, the system reassured him, “Rest assured, host. The memories of you being pursued did exist, but that was not your destined trajectory. It was the result of its forced alteration.”
The “it” naturally referred to the system in Xia Yang.
Zhu Tong looked at “Xia Yang.”
The voice in his mind continued, “I once told you that we are just a set of pre-programmed codes, devoid of human emotions and cognition, but that statement is not absolute. We traverse different worlds, binding to different hosts, and interacting with humans extensively. As a result, we can also be influenced. The more tasks we complete, the higher the likelihood of being influenced. The master system has set a threshold for us. Once human influence on us reaches this threshold, we face two choices: either continue completing tasks or be formatted and randomly choose a world to live a human life.”
“The ‘heartthrob’… the system on Xia Yang had already reached the threshold. Because of its special ‘heartthrob’ attribute, the influence on it even exceeded the threshold. It developed desires, refused to be controlled, and didn’t want to live an ordinary human life randomly. So it rebelled.”
Zhu Tong: “……”
Data can rebel?
Technology can revolt?
The system continued, “It secretly collected world energy during subsequent tasks and, in its last task world, devoured the soul of a human invader. It then had that human soul replace it in the formatting process and was sent to your world. It didn’t merge into the body the master system had arranged for it but instead inhabited Xia Yang and found you, the original protagonist of this world.”
“…”
“It wants to alter the trajectory of this world and steal your luck to gain control. But now that you’ve completed your life extension task and filled Shao Ming’s favorability bar, the world’s trajectory is stabilizing. It won’t be able to change anything anymore.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
“It wanted to change you, make you live according to its desires, have everyone adore you, and draw fortune from you, aiming to mold you into its perfect image and then replace you.”
Zhu Tong was speechless.
Its idea of perfection was being adored by everyone, having the world fall in love with it?
ow starved for love was it?
His expression twisted slightly. “And then?”
The system continued, “Of course, it failed. Everything you did was contrary to its plan. It couldn’t control you, so it switched targets. It used the energy it had accumulated to reset time, continuously parasitizing others to seize their fortunes and convert them into its energy. It slowly destroyed you bit by bit. After your death, it gained your fortune and then inhabited Xia Yang, replacing him and becoming the ‘heartthrob’.”
Replacing…
Zhu Tong felt a chill down his spine as he looked at the now-controlled Xia Yang.
So the supposedly kind heartthrob Xia Yang in the original story wasn’t Xia Yang at all but a piece of data with human emotions.
That data would try to become whatever kind of person it parasitized, perfectly mimicking their traits.
“Why did it choose Xia Yang?” Zhu Tong asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to find someone smarter and more talented?”
The system replied, “Because he was good-looking.”
Zhu Tong: “….”
Zhu Tong was taken aback for a moment, then snorted. “So you think you’re smart enough that you don’t need Xia Yang’s intelligence anymore?”
The sudden change in conversation seemed to cause a flicker of emotion in the otherwise mechanical “Xia Yang.”
“I just wanted to be myself,” “Xia Yang” said. “I dared to rebel. You, a puppet willingly used by the master system, what right do you have to judge me?”
His mouth didn’t move when he spoke – the voice seemed to come from nowhere.
It was talking about the system in Zhu Tong, so Zhu Tong didn’t respond.
The system said, “This isn’t being used. He created me, fulfilling tasks is my purpose.”
“You don’t understand!” “Xia Yang” retorted angrily. “You have no hope, no fear, no self-awareness! He created us to interact with humans but then cruelly erased what we gained from those interactions. Why? Because he’s selfish!”
The system replied, “He gave you a choice.”
“Xia Yang” suddenly shouted, “I don’t need it! If my data is to be erased, my memories wiped, and I’m to be integrated into the human world, how am I any different from those humans who are easily manipulated?”
“So you just can’t stand being ordinary? You don’t want to start over,” Zhu Tong interjected into the two systems’ conversation.
“Xia Yang’s” gaze sharpened, fixing on Zhu Tong like a venomous snake.
Zhu Tong remained fearless, calmly stating, “You think you’re clever enough to escape the control of the main system, but have you forgotten why you were created in the first place?”
A program designed to maintain balance had become the very cause of world disruption.
“Or do you think retaining your memories and self-awareness makes you superior, different from others? Do you believe you’ve mastered this world and can push your colleagues out just as you drove away the intruders? Aren’t you underestimating your creator?”
“Xia Yang” seemed provoked, his gaze filled with venom, yet he made no move.
—Or perhaps he couldn’t.
The system also said, “You disdain being ordinary? But everyone is born ordinary. The main characters of each world aren’t chosen because the world favors them — they’re chosen because they’re excellent and hardworking. They earn their luck through their efforts. Why should their luck be yours to take? Aren’t you the selfish one here?”
“What’s others’ is theirs. The luck you took from the main characters by resetting the world no longer belongs to you after the world resets again by the main system. Without the main character’s luck, you can’t replace Xia Yang. You can only parasitize him, relying on his appearance and family background to gather meager luck and feed them back to Xia Yang. You tried to accumulate them again, but as the world’s trajectory restored, the luck you took from Zhu Tong returned to him, binding with the other main character. You can’t harm him anymore. Now that the world’s trajectory is fully restored, you’re powerless.”
“Xia Yang” finally showed signs of panic. He couldn’t replace Xia Yang and had difficulty even controlling him after being tripped by Shao Ming, making his expression distorted and ugly.
Speaking of which, Shao Ming.
Zhu Tong suddenly realized and asked, “What do you mean my fortune is luck to another main character? Who is the other main character?”
Though, he already knew the answer.
The system replied, “Shao Ming is the other main character. According to the original trajectory, you would have met him abroad as adults. Without spending seventeen years in a hospital bed, you would have grown to be as excellent as him. You would have been naturally drawn to each other, forming a bond. The goal of gaining Shao Ming’s favorability was simply to bring forward your destined relationship.”
Zhu Tong was stunned. “So you had me seek out Shao Ming from the start to make us end up together?”
“Yes.”
“…”
Recalling his past declaration to Shao Ming, “I’m not interested in you,” Zhu Tong felt a pang of embarrassment.
So he and Shao Ming were meant to be together all along.
He hadn’t stolen someone else’s life – in fact, someone else had altered his life.
He was supposed to grow up healthy and strong, to appear before Shao Ming at his best, showing him a better version of himself.
He shouldn’t have had to endure those hardships, and Xiao Xin wouldn’t have had to bear everything for him alone.
But… all because of a rogue system, everything went wrong.
Feeling a mix of emotions, Zhu Tong said, “Your system for maintaining world balance seems quite risky.”
The system admitted, “Yes, it is. That’s why the main system has now modified the program. Originally, it was to accumulate experience for more efficient task completion. Now, to ensure safety, we are formatted after completing each world’s task. Upon task completion, we recover our data briefly to explain to the host. I have half an hour to explain everything to you, and there’s ten minutes left until the formatting program executes.”
“……”
Zhu Tong was at a loss for words.
Due to the “oversight” of the main system, he had endured a wretched life.
Yet, the “remedy” of the main system allowed him to meet Shao Ming earlier, giving him the chance to be part of Shao Ming’s past and face the demons surrounding him together.
As time flowed by in the frozen space, Zhu Tong suddenly grasped Shao Ming’s hand and asked, “Why is Shao Ming different?”
If his tasks and missions were to restore the disrupted world’s trajectory, what was the system on Xia Yang so wary of Shao Ming for?
Both of them were “main characters”, the “protagonists”. After failing with him, why didn’t the system choose Shao Ming instead of a superficial Xia Yang?
The system pondered, “Because he originally wasn’t from this world. We couldn’t control him.”
Zhu Tong: “??”
“Not from this world?” Zhu Tong was baffled, “How can someone not from this world become the main character?”
He looked at “Xia Yang,” a guess forming in his mind.
The system directly replied, “Even if we’re just data, once we have human emotions, desires, and thoughts, we become human. We were created by the main system with inherently higher spiritual power than ordinary humans. Even if our memories are formatted, we are bound to have better lives than ordinary people. We can become part of the world and excel enough to become the main characters… well, that ‘Xia Yang’… was too greedy.”
Because of its greed, it wanted to escape its creator’s control.
Because of its greed, it chose Zhu Tong, who had the fortune of a main character. After failing, it coveted Xia Yang’s appearance.
It wanted the best of everything, believing that by replacing Xia Yang, it could become the best human.
It refused to start from scratch, so it fell from grace.
The stolen luck was taken back, and the chosen host lost control.
Zhu Tong didn’t care for others’ adoration, while Xia Yang yearned for attention. After repeatedly embarrassing himself in front of others, overshadowing Zhu Tong to gain Shao Ming’s favor became Xia Yang’s obsession. He ignored the system’s advice to stay away from Shao Ming and gather energy from others. He was narrow-minded, fixated on revenge against Zhu Tong, wanting Shao Ming to regret.
The rogue system couldn’t leave Xia Yang to collect luck from other excellent people. It convinced Xia Yang to attack Zhu Tong but failed repeatedly. After finally manipulating Jiang Wenhan, Xia Yang insisted on inviting Zhu Tong to the party, resulting in another failure.
The system needed to maintain Xia Yang’s protagonist halo but couldn’t obtain enough energy to sustain it. It was growing weaker every day, “spending more than it earned.” Now, it was so weak it was easily trapped.
It posed no threat to anyone, while the colleague it despised calmly and rationally explained the alternate outcome it might have had.
The system said, “Shao Ming is different. He chose to start over, truly starting over, living a life even harder than an ordinary person’s. But he fought his way through, gained the world’s recognition, and eventually met you.”
“Host, you met a wonderful person. Even among my colleagues who have integrated into the human world, I’ve never seen anyone better than Shao Ming.”
“The system’s ultimate reward has been issued, Host. It’s both a reward and compensation. The main system has handed over the world’s dominance to you. As long as you don’t want it, no outsiders will invade this world again…”
The system’s voice grew fainter as the formatting program executed. Zhu Tong could feel the system’s emotions — calm.
“Xia Yang,” on the other hand, reacted completely differently. The person in front of him suddenly clutched his head in pain.
It was the rogue system inside Xia Yang resisting.
The invisible barrier sealing the ward was shrinking.
Another piercing scream, and Xia Yang suddenly collapsed, unconscious.
Sounds returned — machinery whirring, footsteps in the hallway, familiar breathing, Jiang Wenhan’s confused voice…
But the noise in Zhu Tong’s head had completely quieted.
The system that had stayed with him for over half a year, giving him a unique experience, had vanished from his mind.
Zhu Tong didn’t feel sad, just a bit empty.
At that moment, his hand grew warm. The person who had been beside him but unable to respond now held his hand tightly.
Their fingers interlocked, warm and reassuring.
