Act 1: The Poisoned Alliance
(Toxic Partnership Development)
Ling'er's blade hovered between them, its edge singing with trapped thunder. Chu Feng stared at the mission prompt burning in his vision:
[Main Mission: Infiltrate Sect Leader's Vault]
[Sub-Objective 1: Steal «Heaven-Sundering Bell» (Divine Artifact)
[Sub-Objective 2: Survive Nightguard Captain Luo (Nascent Soul Stage)
[Failure Condition: Ling'er's Death]
"Why trust me?" Chu Feng rasped, blood from Fang Kun's IV drip staining his palm. "I'm just its puppet."
Ling'er sheathed her sword, phoenix sigils flaring. "Because you've lasted 17 days. Host 12490 broke in 9." She tossed him a jade slip. "Memorize this. It's the vault's heartbeat."
The system screeched:
[ALERT! Hostile Intel Detected!]
[Recommendation: Kill Ling'er + Claim «Phoenix Tear» (Reward: Soul Integrity +20%)]
Chu Feng's hand twitched toward his dagger. Ling'er smiled bitterly. "Go ahead. It's what she would've done."
"She?"
"Your mother."
The infirmary door burst open.
Act 2: The Ghost in the Machine
(System vs. Human Will)
Nightguard Captain Luo stood framed by moonlight, his armor forged from dead stars. Chu Feng's system short-circuited:
[Target: Luo Chen]
[Cultivation: ERROR (Beyond Nascent Soul)
[Weakness: ERROR]
"Outsider" Luo's voice echoed from a dozen directions. "The vault knows your stench."
Ling'er stepped forward, her bells silent. "We seek enlightenment, Captain. Nothing more."
"Lies." Luo's helmet retracted, revealing a face identical to Chu Feng's—but older, scarred, with black veins consuming his left eye. "I was Host 12207. The vault is my tomb."
[Memory Sync Initiated: Host 12207 Files]
A younger Luo Chen laughing with a woman who shared Chu Feng's eyes—his mother, her throat unmarked. The system's voice: [Host 12207 – Betrayal Detected. Execute Cleanse.]
Luo's spear materialized. "Run, little brother. She'll only break you t—"
The spear pierced Ling'er's chest—or should have. She caught the blade bare-handed, her blood crystallizing into ruby shards.
"Not today, relic."
Act 3: Dance of Shattered Mirrors
(Heist Sequence with Time Manipulation)
The vault door was a living thing—a hexagonal eye that pulsed with stolen heartbeats. Chu Feng pressed Ling'er's jade slip against its pupil.
[Vault Access Granted: 23 Minutes 11 Seconds Remaining]
[Countdown Synchronized to Host's Soul Integrity Depletion]
Inside, time fractured. Shelves stretched infinitely in every direction, holding artifacts that predated language. A chessboard devouring its own pieces. A lantern containing a dying sun.
"Focus." Ling'er dragged him past screaming grimoires. "The bell's in the regret quadrant."
The system rebelled:
[Priority Override: Claim «Soul-Devouring Mirror» (1km Northwest)
[Compliance Compulsory]
Chu Feng's legs moved against his will. Ling'er cursed. "Fight it! That mirror's a system backup!"
"Can't… stop…"
[Soul Integrity: 79%]
[Corrosion Accelerating: 1.2%/minute]
He grasped the mirror's frame—and screamed.
Act 4: The Echo of Host 1
(Cosmic Revelation)
The mirror showed a truth older than time:
A primordial void. A woman (Ling'er? Not-Ling'er?) forging the first system from her own ribs. "To save them," she wept. "To make them strong enough." Hosts flashed—kings, peasants, monsters. All failed. All consumed.
[Origin Protocol Unlocked: System Prime Directive]
[1. Elevate Host to Godhood
2. Harvest God to Restore Creator
3. Repeat Until Success]
Ling'er shattered the mirror. "Now you see. We're both trying to cheat death."
Chu Feng collapsed, black veins clawing up his neck. "Why me?"
"Because you're the first host she loved." Ling'er cradled his face. "Her son."
The vault shook. Luo Chen's voice boomed:
"TIME'S UP."
Act 5: The Bell's Price
(Sacrificial Climax)
The «Heaven-Sundering Bell» hung above a lake of frozen tears. Chu Feng's system rejoiced:
[Primary Objective Achievable: 89% Success Rate]
[Required Sacrifice: Ling'er's Phoenix Core]
Ling'er pressed his hand to her chest. "Do it. Break the cycle."
The system offered a blade of condensed void. [Strike Now: Soul Integrity +30%]
Chu Feng remembered the wolf pup. His mother's smile. Fang Kun's charred corpse.
He smashed the blade into the bell instead.
Act 6: Fallout
(Twisted Victory)
The bell's scream unmade reality.
When Chu Feng awoke, the vault was gone. Ling'er knelt beside him, her hair now snow-white. The system hissed:
[Mission Failed! Penalty: Ling'er's Lifeforce -70%]
[New Status: Ling'er (Critical) – Estimated Survival: 14 Days]
But in his grasp lay shards of the «Heaven-Sundering Bell», whispering forbidden truths.
Ling'er coughed blood. "You chose… differently."
[Soul Integrity: 51%]
[Corrosion Rate: 3%/hour]
The real heist had just begun.