Last life
Dark Alley Across Yummy Noodles
October 15th, 2341
11:30 PM
"Come on, sweetheart," a beautiful young woman urged, her voice smooth but tinged with impatience.
"Mie Mie, are you really sure about this plan?" the handsome young lad asked anxiously, his eyes wide with concern.
He looked up at the girl, her long blonde hair cascading down to her lower back, and her captivating black eyes set in an oval face that could rival a doll's perfection.
She was stunning, but the smile she gave him was anything but reassuring.
"Of course, honey," she replied sweetly, but there was a cold edge to her words.
"Why wouldn't I be? Don't you trust me? Or are you doubting me? Don't tell me you're thinking of bailing on me." She feigned anger, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"No, I wouldn't do that to you. I just... I don't think it's safe," he replied sincerely,
his voice trembling with worry.
"Why wouldn't it be safe? I trust you, so you should trust me too.
Now, stop hesitating and follow me." She tugged at his hand, pulling him deeper into the dark alley.
As they walked, he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. The alley across from Yummy Noodles—the sense of déjà vu was overwhelming.
He had been here before. But why?Suddenly, she pushed him hard, and he fell to the ground, scraping his skin against the rough pavement. "Be careful, sweetheart," she said, her voice laced with false concern.
"N-no worries, I'm okay," he mumbled, but before he could get up, a familiar voice cut through the night.
"She wasn't talking to you." The boy looked up, dazed, to see Mie Mie rush into the arms of another boy—Senior Brother Jun. "Brother Jun, how are you doing today?" Mie Mie asked, her voice dripping with affection.
"I'm fine. Is everything going according to plan?" Brother Jun replied, his tone cold and businesslike.
The young lad, still on the ground, looked up in confusion.
"Senior Brother, you're going to the tea cafe with us?" he asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" Brother Jun's voice was sharp, cutting through the boy's confusion like a knife.
"N-no, not at all. I'm actually glad you're here. It'll be just like old times. The only one missing is Elder Sister Bai."
The boy's voice was filled with naive optimism, completely oblivious to the danger he was in.
"Yeah, like old times," Brother Jun muttered, a smirk playing on his lips.
"But you seem to have misunderstood our relationship."The young lad blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean, Senior Brother?"Brother Jun didn't bother to explain, instead offering a hand to Mie Mie. "Let's go, babe."As they walked away, Mie Mie's soft giggle echoed in the alley, sending a chill down the boy's spine. Something about this wasn't right.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************
Jinyian Hospital
August 30th, 2340
2:15 PM
Yawn "Wow, it's already morning? How long did I sleep?" the young lad asked as he stretched his sore arms.
[FLUFF BALL FELL ASLEEP AT EXACTLY 5:00 PM. YOU SLEPT FOR 18 HOURS.]
"Wait, you're still here? I thought you were just a hallucination from too much antiseptic. You're actually real. That's... nice."
[SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY REAL AND NOT THE PRODUCT OF TOO MUCH ANTISEPTIC.]
[IT IS TIME FOR FLUFF BALL TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT CHOICE.]
[DOES FLUFF BALL WANT]
SYSTEM SOFTWARE - AUTOMATIC ROBOTIC ASSISTANCE THAT WILL HELP HOST ACCOMPLISH GOALS STRICTLY PROFESSIONALLY AND TRAIN HOST UNTIL HOST IS THE MOST FEARED BEING IN ALL THE GALAXY. SYSTEM WILL SHOW HOST STATS AND EXPRESS HONEST OPINIONS WITHOUT REGARD FOR HOST'S EMOTIONAL CAPACITY.
CONSCIENCE - THE PAST AND GREATEST OVERLORD WILL GUIDE HOST IN LIFE, BUT NO TRAINING OR IMPROVEMENT WILL BE IMPARTED IN HOST'S NORMAL LIFE.
SYSTEM CONSCIENCE - COMBINES BOTH, BUT CONSCIENCE HAS POWER OVER HOST'S STAT AND IMPROVEMENT THROUGH TRAINING. HOWEVER, CONSCIENCE CANNOT INCREASE HOST'S POWER UNLESS DIRECTLY GRANTING HOST HIS OWN POWER. HOST SHOULD BE AWARE OF SERIOUS SAVAGE ROASTING AND MOCKING ALONG THE WAY.
"Hmmm, this is a big decision. I've been weak for too long. Now that I have this opportunity, I won't waste it. I'll go with number three—best of both worlds."
[SYSTEM ANALYZING FLUFF BALL'S REQUEST… 1%... 2%... 78%... 98%... 99.99999999%... 100%.]
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPLETE.]
"Wow, that was fast. Okay, Greatest Overlord, talk to me."
But no one answered.
"Hello? Don't tell me it was just crazy voices after all. I knew there was nothing like a Greatest Overlord—"
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. A beautiful girl with long black hair and stunning blue eyes entered, her frown deepening as she saw him.
"Senior Sister Bai! What are you doing here?"
"I'm the one who should be asking that. What are you doing in the hospital again? This is the third time this month!" she scolded, her voice full of concern.
"I was training with Senior Brother Jun," he replied, a hint of bitterness creeping into his voice at the mention of Jun's name.
"I told that rascal not to train with you again! And I warned you not to agree to be his training partner, didn't I?" she said sternly.
"I'm sorry, Senior Sister. I'll listen to you next time," he promised, though they both knew it wasn't the first time he'd said that.
"That's what you said last time, and look where we are—at an ice cream shop!" she snapped, her tone teasing.
"Uh, Senior Sister, we're at a hospital," he replied, confused.
"Exactly," she sighed, her frustration clear. But despite her stern words, the warmth in her.
On an impulse, he hugged her tightly, surprising them both. She froze, then gently patted his head.
Are you okay, honey? Did I scold you too much?" she asked, her voice softening with concern.
"No, I just... missed you," he admitted, his voice muffled against her shoulder.
She smiled, ruffling his hair. "Okay, weirdo. Let's get you checked out of here. And by the way, I noticed you haven't talked to Li Mie in a while. Is something wrong?"
He tensed at the mention of Li Mie, but before he could answer, she quickly changed the subject. "Forget that. Does anything hurt?"
He shook his head, then took a deep breath. "Actually, I've given up on people who don't deserve my love. I'll only focus on those who care about me."
She blinked in surprise at his sudden declaration. "So, you're saying you don't like her anymore because you deserve better, right?"
"I guess so," he said quietly, his voice flat.
A wide smile spread across her face. "That's great! I'm so happy you've finally realized that".
"Oh, and by the way," she added, her tone turning serious, "Dad said this is the last time he's paying your hospital bill because of 'training.' Next time he gets a report like this, you and Brother Jun will go meet Lord Yama."
"..."
"Oh yeah, one more thing," she continued, her tone softening. "I'm leaving in a week to join the Cloud Palace Academy for an apprenticeship."
"What?" he said, shocked. Sister Bai had already undergone her first evolution and chosen the path of a healer due to her abundant mana core, so it wasn't surprising that she would seek an apprenticeship with a saint mage. But still…
"Does Dad know?" he asked, trying to process the news.
"Yeah, he knows. He even approved it."
"When did you decide to go?"
"After my second evolution."
"Yeah, that's cool... wait, what? Second evolution?!" he screamed in astonishment.
Senior Sister Bai giggled at his reaction. "Yep, I went through my second evolution last week under close cultivation. But enough of that. Let's get you out of here."
She headed out to complete the discharge paperwork, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Suddenly, a gentle, melodious voice echoed in his mind.
[Hello, Ancient Fluff Ball. I am your master—cough—system conscience, and my humble name is the GREAT, OMNIPOTENT, OVERPOWERED, AWESOME, AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, INVINCIBLE, INDESTRUCTIBLE, AND MAGNIFICENT KING PENG XI HAHAHAHA! I will guide you on your journey to greatness.]
"..."
Wow extremely humble indeed, how am I going to remember all those adjectives.
[Okay, just call me Master—cough—sorry,
Call me the great and amazing Peng Xi and
I will be be your guard to greatness ]