When Perry heard the voice, a look of excitement instantly appeared on his face. His eyes flickered slightly, and there seemed to be a light in his deep eyes. His face, which was originally pale due to fatigue, gradually regained some color.
Teresa was puzzled by his reaction. She widened her eyes, frowned, and her voice was full of vigilance and worry: "Henry, are you really okay? Seeing you like this, let me call a doctor to check!"
"No, no!" Perry waved his hand to stop him. His tone was urgent, but mixed with unconcealed ease and excitement, "Really no, I'm fine, no problem at all."
The smile on his face became brighter and brighter, even with a hint of relief and relief that was difficult to conceal. That real and strong emotion even he himself could not completely hide.
Teresa frowned even more, she crossed her arms, and looked at every subtle movement of Perry, with a little more hesitation in her tone: "Are you sure? You were obviously very pale just now, but now you look-" She paused, as if looking for the right words, "It's so strange, like...something good happened."
Perry smiled, but did not answer directly. In order to hide his emotions, he pretended to be relaxed and changed the subject: "I'm really fine, Teresa, don't worry. But..." He touched his stomach, and the expression on his face became more natural, "Don't you think what I need most now is not a doctor, but some food? My stomach is growling with hunger."
Teresa blinked, and didn't react for a while, then frowned and said: "Hungry? Oh, yes, you have been in a coma for a week, and you will feel hungry when you wake up. But..." She paused, with a hint of reminder in her tone, "You can only eat liquid food now. The doctor has told that people who have just woken up can't eat too much."
"No problem, liquid food is Liquid food," Perry smiled and nodded, with a flattering tone, "Please help me ask the nurse for something, I'm really starving."
Teresa looked at him half-doubtfully, as if she wanted to ask more questions, but finally sighed, "Okay, since you insist, I'll go find the nurse. But," she pointed a finger and said seriously, "You'd better stay in bed now and don't run around, do you hear me?"
"I heard it, I heard it, thank you, Teresa!" Perry nodded repeatedly, with a bright smile on his lips, watching Teresa turn around and leave briskly. Her steps were as casual as always, and she was still holding the thick book in her hand. When she walked to the door, she glanced back, as if to confirm that Perry was really okay, and then pushed the door open and walked out.
Perry's eyes followed her back until the door slowly closed with a slight "click" sound. His smile froze in an instant, gradually disappeared from his face, replaced by a deep solemnity.
"Okay, I won't be disturbed for now..." As the door closed completely, the room fell into silence, with only the sound of wind outside the window and the occasional chirping of insects. Perry took a deep breath, slowly lay back on the pillow, and closed his eyes. He held his breath and concentrated all his attention on the cold mechanical voice that was vaguely waiting in his mind.
Sure enough, a moment later, the familiar mechanical voice sounded in his mind: [Link established... Perry, sorry...]
Perry suddenly opened his eyes, narrowed his eyes slightly, and frowned. He stared straight at the blue orb that suddenly appeared in front of him. The orb emitted a soft fluorescent light, but with an inexplicable coldness. This time, although the mechanized voice was as cold as usual, it vaguely revealed a trace of imperceptible emotions, like... self-blame.
This subtle change made Perry's heart tremble suddenly. He suppressed his doubts and said calmly but with inquiry: "Why did you apologize suddenly? Did something happen?"
The orb trembled slightly, and after a moment of silence, it replied: [Yes... Remember, I got some energy from other systems before. Although this energy helped me maintain my functions, it also affected my operating state and indirectly affected you. ]
"What do you mean?" Perry raised his eyebrows, with doubt in his tone, sat up straight, and locked his eyes on the blue orb.
[Have you noticed that you are more likely to be involved in some strange events than ordinary cooking tasks? ] The system's voice was still stable, but there was a hint of temptation between the lines, as if guiding Perry's memories.
Perry was slightly stunned, frowned and thought carefully. "Strange events..." He repeated in a low voice, a series of scattered memories flashed through his mind, "It seems a bit... the inexplicable conversations between Rufus and Larkin before, and then the Glass Doll, and this time's shadow..." His tone gradually became affirmative, "These things are not normal, they are indeed very strange."
The system shook slightly, as if nodding in approval of his analysis: [That's right. These events are all related to the energy I absorbed. This energy has a special attraction that can trigger or attract strange events, so you frequently encounter these things that have nothing to do with cooking. ]
Perry frowned even more, he pondered for a moment, and slowly said: "What about your analytical ability? Weren't you able to accurately analyze the ingredients of food before? It seems that it is becoming less and less effective afterwards... Is this also related to that energy?"
The fluorescence of the blue orb dimmed a little, as if it was annoyed by it: [Yes. At first, I could use my own energy to analyze the ingredients of food, but since the integration of that external energy, my control has gradually declined. Now, the influence of this energy is beyond my control. ]
Perry lowered his head and thought, tapping his knees with his fingertips. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, his voice low but tentative: "It sounds like a serious problem... What should we do now? Is there any way to solve it?"
The system was silent for a moment, and then slowly said: [I do have a solution to this problem. I need to separate this energy from my system. But this requires a special substance... or find the source of energy and return the energy, but this possibility is very low. ]
Perry raised his head and looked at the system deeply: "Special substance?" He paused, as if thinking about something, "Then how to find it specifically? Or, how can I help?"
The system's voice was a little hesitant and seemed a little uneasy: [Your help is very important, special substances... It can neutralize the characteristics of this energy. But this road is not simple, it may be more dangerous than you think. ]
Perry smiled bitterly and tried to calm his tone: "No matter what, we still need to solve this problem. Tell me, what exactly is that substance?"
[The substance is the SDS fragment that fell into this world. Its full name is self-destruct system fragment.] The system's voice gradually stabilized, explaining, [This fragment is the remnant of some systems that were deleted and left in various worlds. These fragments contain special powers. As long as you find and obtain this fragment, you can directly eliminate the foreign energy in my body and avoid some dangers.]
"SDS fragment..." Perry repeated in a low voice, frowning slightly, as if thinking about something. He raised his head, with some complex emotions in his eyes, "Is that so... However, it still feels a bit strange to know that the system will be deleted for the first time. Why are these systems deleted? Is it because of something wrong?""
The system's voice paused, as if it was sorting out its thoughts, and then slowly said: [Those systems were deleted not because of problems, but because their hosts... left. The connection between the system and the host is irreplaceable. When the host disappears, they will choose to end their activities.]
"Voluntary deletion?" Perry was stunned for a moment, and there was a slight sense of loss in his tone, "Is their host... so important? "
[Yes,] the voice of the light ball was a little low, [For a system, the host is not only the meaning of its existence, but also the core of its connection with the world. Without the host, they are like stars out of orbit, with nowhere to go...]
Perry was silent for a while, then asked: "What about you? Will you choose to be like them one day?"
The system seemed to hesitate for a moment, and the voice sounded again, but this time it was more firm: [No. No matter what happens, I will not let this happen, I will not let the host's soul disappear. The meaning of my existence is to protect you.]
Perry chuckled, and his tone was a little lighter: "Really? Hahaha, it sounds quite reassuring. To be honest, I don't want my soul to be destroyed." He paused, a trace of seriousness flashed in his eyes, "But then again, since you have a way to solve the problem, you don't have to apologize for self-blame at the beginning. You got that energy to help me, didn't you? "
The air fell into a brief silence, and even the light of the blue orb seemed to dim for a moment. After a moment, the mechanical voice sounded again, but with a hint of unprecedented hesitation: [Actually, Perry, I... have something I didn't tell you. I originally planned to... use other backup systems to take over you.]
"What?" Perry raised his head suddenly, with shock and sadness in his eyes. His brows were tightly furrowed, and there was an imperceptible tremor in his tone, "It's not that serious, right? Are you planning to leave me..."
The light of the system trembled slightly, as if it was affected by some kind of emotional fluctuation, and there was a hint of guilt and self-blame in the voice: [I don't have this plan now, Perry. The backup system is my last option, but it doesn't mean I will leave you. I just... I am worried that if this energy gets completely out of control, I can no longer protect you, so I will consider this method. But now, I will still do my best to find a solution, instead of giving up on you easily.]
This sentence is like a stone, hitting the lake in Perry's heart that has not yet calmed down. His fingers clenched into fists, his nails almost embedded in his palms, and cold sweat oozed out little by little, sliding down his fingers. He knew that the system's explanation was reasonable, and even impeccable, but the inexplicable anger and loss in his heart lingered, like a A nail pierced into my heart, causing a dull pain.
The system was silent for a moment, as if weighing the next wording, and then continued, its voice becoming even deeper: [Originally, I was going to use the excuse of investigation to complete the exchange, because if this matter continues to get out of control, I may not be able to provide any useful information, and you may even die in the incident. Perry, I can't accept that outcome. That's why I made this decision. No matter what, I can't let you disappear. ]
Perry's breathing became rapid, and his chest rose and fell violently due to emotional fluctuations. He understood that the starting point of the system was to protect him, but the feeling of being concealed and abandoned stung a soft corner deep in his heart. He opened his mouth, his voice trembling but with anger: "Didn't I say that no matter what the reason, don't think of abandoning your companions so easily! Eno! "
As soon as he finished speaking, he was stunned. Eno? This name came out of his mouth, but it made him feel strange and familiar. He didn't know why he said this name, nor did he know why this name sounded so important. His brows were tightly furrowed, and a cloud of fog seemed to explode in his mind, chaotic and blurry.
The light of the system seemed to flicker slightly, as if responding to this name, but it did not directly acknowledge it, but asked in a low voice: [Perry... What did you call me just now?]
"Eno..." Perry murmured and repeated, his brows were furrowed, and there was unspeakable confusion in his eyes. He touched his forehead, trying to sort out his thoughts, but he couldn't remember where this name came from. It was something buried deep in his memory, like a closed door. He could only vaguely see the faint light leaking from the gap, but he couldn't push the door open.
"What is going on? "Perry's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of trance in his tone. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down, but he couldn't suppress the emotions surging in his chest.
The system was silent for a long time, so long that Perry almost thought it would not respond again, and then he heard its low voice: [This name... is the name you gave me for the first time. It's amazing that you can remember this name, but what I want to tell you is, Perry, I never intend to really leave you. Whether it is a backup system or other measures, the ultimate goal is only one——to protect you.]
"Protect me?" Perry opened his eyes and looked directly at the blue orb with complex emotions in his eyes. His voice slowed down slightly, but his tone was still imperceptible stubbornness: "If the price of protection is concealment and self-assertion, then what is the difference between it and abandonment? System...or, Eno, I just hope you can remember that no matter what we face, we are companions. "
When these words came out of his mouth, he seemed to be touched by something deep in his heart, and an inexplicable warmth surged in his chest, but it was followed by a deeper confusion. He couldn't explain the source of this emotion, but he could feel that it was not a short-lived impulse, but a deep connection that had been buried for a long time and awakened.
The light of the system trembled slightly again, as if responding to his determination. After a moment, its voice sounded low but peacefully: [I will remember, Perry. No matter what the future holds, I will be with you.]