Chapter 357: System Space 1

Under the eaves, the man slowly woke up. His eyes, vast and starry like the night sky, betrayed a deep look of anguish, while his long, powerful hand covered his exquisitely handsome profile. 

The blue veins on his arm stood out prominently, and warm tears slipped through the gaps between his fingers. 

His long eyelashes trembled ever so slightly, and his eyes seemed to harbor an endless sorrow. His shoulders shuddered as if he had just endured a great pain.

Outside the wooden hut, the stream had stopped flowing, yet the blue sky still shone brightly, and everything outside remained unchanged.

Inside, however, the wooden hut was cloaked in darkness and silence, permeated by an atmosphere of suffering.

Suddenly, as if a memory had struck him, the man lowered his godlike hand, his deep eyes narrowing. A clear, resonant voice emerged from his sensual thin lips: "Li Yuan? System?"

Though his tone was calm, it carried a note of anger.

—

The System had just returned to the space with Qingtian.

Qingtian looked around but saw no sign of the System. "System? Great System? System, my dear?" she called out repeatedly, yet there was no response.

A vague sense of familiarity began to stir within her. After a moment, she recalled that not long ago she had been suddenly transported to a mysterious place—a place with beautiful scenery and an exquisite house. She wondered if the System, too, had been sent there.

"Hey!!" she exclaimed.

Ah, that's right! The previous realm was a reward, but what exactly had she experienced there? Why was her mind completely blank?

—

In the pitch-black, silent room, the man sat in a high position wearing a magnificent white robe whose sleeves were adorned with intricate patterns. 

His eyes were sharp and seemed to carry a frost-like chill, and there was a distinctive emblem between his brows—one that, if Qingtian looked closely, matched exactly the pattern on Leng Hanzhi's brow.

Meanwhile, the System knelt pitifully on the floor. It did not want to be in that position, but a powerful force held it down so tightly that it couldn't move or even open its mouth to speak.

The man's well-defined fingertips tapped steadily on the chair, the sound of tapping on the wood—"dong dong dong"—echoing at a perfect rhythm in the quiet room.

Yet the System felt that each tap struck at its very heart, as if with every beat it might vanish along with the sound.

The only one who could have suddenly pulled it from space and brought it here was someone from Headquarters—there was truly no one else.

The System obediently knelt, its little face contorted with anxiety. It did not know what this man intended by seizing it, but for now it decided to act submissively to avoid angering him—after all, the consequences could be dire, and its beloved host was waiting. It simply could not afford to die.

After what felt like an eternity, the man finally paused his tapping.

In a deep, magnetic, and icy voice he said, "I have something to ask you!"

At that moment, the System realized it was finally allowed to speak again, so it quickly nodded, "Yes, sir, please ask."

However, the man regarded the System with a cold stare.

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to freeze. 

The System broke into a cold sweat, its heart pounding with anxiety and fear—what if it failed to answer the question? Would this man kill it? 

After all, it was only a small System; if it died, aside from the host, no one would care, and soon another System would be assigned to take over its duties.

Moreover, such incidents were not uncommon. The System was utterly bewildered, unsure of exactly what offense it had committed to deserve such a response.

The longer it remained silent, the more unbearable the tension became.

Feeling that its body could still move, the System weakly wiped the sweat from its forehead with its tiny hand. Though it was a robot, its biological structure was remarkably similar to that of a human.

Seeing the System's fearful state, Mo Chen's mood suddenly lightened considerably. In a calm, measured tone he asked, "Why do you obstruct your host from engaging in romance on the interface?"

Though his tone was plain and unadorned, the System could sense an undercurrent of lethal intent in his words.

/

Chapter 358: System Space 2

After listening, the System was momentarily stunned—it couldn't understand why this esteemed gentleman would ask such a question. Was it because of its recent actions that had angered him? But what did it matter if the host was prevented from having a romance?

The System's thoughts raced chaotically, yet it dared not ask any questions at that moment.

Faced with the gentleman's inquiry, the System itself did not know how to answer. Was it because it couldn't bear the thought of Qingtian being taken away, or because it feared she might be hurt? The System wasn't sure.

In truth, its greatest motive was that it did not want its host to be harmed. Even though sometimes it truly longed to forcibly take the host away, it could not bear to see Qingtian cry; her tears would break its heart, for she was the first family it had ever found in this world. All it ever wished was for her to be happy.

The System lowered its head in sorrow.

Noticing the System's silence, the man's handsome brows furrowed slightly. "What? Can't speak?" he asked, his tone hinting that he was already growing angry.

Suddenly, the System lifted its head and met his gaze with unwavering determination. In a loud voice it declared, "Because the host is my family—perhaps I simply do not want her to be harmed."

At that, the man's calm eyes flickered with a hint of a smile. In his usually deep and sharp gaze, a faint smile appeared as he murmured softly, "Family!"

"Very well—if you promise to stay by her side and refrain from interfering with her romance, then I will let you go," he said in a flat tone that nevertheless carried a hint of allure.

But the System refused, "No need. If you wish to kill or dismember me, do so. Although I do not understand why you must meddle in this, I cannot consent to preventing the host from having a romance on the interface. 

If one day the host encounters a scumbag and I cannot intervene, then even if you let me go now, I will regret it later. I care more about her not being hurt than about my own life. 

Besides, if I die, I can always be recreated." The System bowed its head in sorrow.

It did not notice that the man's lips curled into an even broader smile. "Aren't you afraid that if you die, the next System assigned to serve her will mistreat her?"

The System's body froze for a moment, its eyelids drooping in uncertainty.

That was something it dreaded facing. Even if it were to be destroyed, it would try to protect its memory chip—but it didn't want that. It did not want to leave its host!

Seeing this, the man's anger subsided to a calm neutrality. Perhaps the influence of that previous realm had affected him more than expected; after all, even this silly System, devoted as it was, might be acceptable if it remained wholeheartedly by her side.

"Family!" the man repeated, his perfect lips curving into a subtle smile. His expression was as cold and distant as frost atop a snowy peak as he regarded the kneeling, despairing System.

"Very well, remember what you just said! You have no further business here—now go back."

"You?" The System began to protest, but before it could finish, it found itself being whisked back to its own space.

Back in its own realm, the System was dumbfounded: "????" It realized that it had been dragged here just for a lonely conversation—and it didn't know that its own words had, in fact, saved it. Had it not spoken, its constant interference in blocking Mo Chen's actions would have been enough to enrage him.

Meanwhile, in the space, little Qingtian sat obediently, hugging a large cloth doll with her small face buried inside. She was earnestly trying to recall everything she had experienced in those various interfaces, but no matter how hard she tried, her mind remained completely blank of memories.

"Phew~!" she sighed sorrowfully.

Then, all of a sudden, she felt the connection between herself and the System stir once more.

/

Chapter 359: System Space 3

Qingtian excitedly lifted her head.

"System?"

"Mm, I'm back."

Seeing the System—now about her height on the ground—Qingtian happily ran toward it and threw her arms around it. Being alone in this space made her feel very insecure, especially after the connection in her mind with the System had been mysteriously severed.

This loss had left her in a panic, so she was overjoyed to see it return.

"Where did you go? How did our only connection just vanish?" Qingtian asked anxiously.

"I didn't go anywhere; right after I came back, headquarters hauled me off to a meeting." The System deliberately kept quiet about the threats it'd faced, not wanting to worry her. After all, it was still alive—and whoever had held it had let it go. Perhaps nothing more would happen.

"Oh, I see! When you suddenly disappeared, I was so scared, thinking something terrible had happened to you." Qingtian pouted adorably, her expression so sweet that the System almost wanted to plant a kiss on her.

"Don't worry! It's nothing—just some idle chit-chat among the systems," the System replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, then if you ever go to another meeting, you must tell me!" Qingtian insisted.

"Mm, definitely," the System answered, though inwardly it wasn't so sure. If there were another meeting, it might not come out unscathed—after all, if it can rip space apart, killing it would be all too easy. The System felt a pang of sorrow as it thought that over.

Noticing the sudden change in the System's mood, Qingtian had more questions to ask, but seeing the situation, she decided to hold off—she could ask later. This meeting, it seemed, was not as carefree as the System had claimed.

With her sweet little face beaming and her pink, pouting lips slightly parted, Qingtian chirped, "Come on! Let's go to the next interface!"

"Mm."

Then, the System suddenly discovered that they couldn't enter the task interface. It quickly contacted the Task System: "Hehehe, buddy! It seems there's a problem on my end—why can't we get into the task interface?"

A mechanical voice responded slowly in its mind, "It appears that headquarters is experiencing some issues. The System is currently under maintenance. Please wait a bit."

"Alright, thanks."

"Just a minor issue."

The System immediately turned to Qingtian to inform her that they still couldn't access the task interface. However, the moment it spoke, they were abruptly pulled into the interface—there was no time to react.

The System thought wryly, "Alright... must be just teasing him!"

—

At Headquarters' tall building:

"Lord Li Yuan, you unilaterally changed the time and issued disordered commands, causing Miss Qingtian to return early—resulting in the previous interface nearly being ruined under Lord Mo Chen's fury. What will we do if Lord Mo Chen finds out about this?"

"Don't worry—he isn't fully awake yet; he should have already fallen into a deep sleep," replied the man, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"But..." began a statuesque, alluring woman. She clearly had grievances to voice—after all, she was only a minor immortal, while Mo Chen is the largest boss in this company. Angering the boss could cost her everything.

The man's icy eyes swept over her, and she instantly retracted her words.

Just as she was about to step out, someone burst in carrying a folder.

"Lord Li Yuan, we were just attacked by a mysterious force—so much data has vanished! No matter how we tried to block it, we couldn't recover the missing files."

"Mo Chen!"

In an instant, the man crushed the teacup in his hand into pieces.

Li Yuan couldn't even begin to describe his feelings; he had only intended to make a joke.

Yet Li Yuan—the perennial bachelor—of course could never truly understand the pain Mo Chen was enduring.