The Festival of Celestial Tears reeked of sanctified decay. Golden lotus lanterns floated above Azure Sanctum's canals, each containing a drop of martyr's blood. Chu Feng adjusted his jade-masked disguise, the System's directives burning through his ocular implants:
[Primary Target: Librarian Zhang Huan (Qi Condensation Layer 3)
[Disguise Integrity: 92% (Saintly Pilgrim Attire)
[Kill Zone: Archive Pavilion (Crowd Density >70% Optimal)
Ling'er's warning echoed in his memory: "The Archivists are living libraries. Kill one, you erase a millennium of knowledge."
A procession passed—children dressed as star deities, their eyes hollowed out to hold glowing pearls. The System analyzed their gait:
[Host 455's Brainwashing Patterns Detected]
[Recommendation: Avoid Eye Contact]
Chu Feng's stolen pilgrim robe itched with embroidered lies. He melted into the crowd, each step syncing with the penitent's chant:
"As ink stains parchment, so sins stain souls..."
Flashback: The Farmer's Choice
One week earlier in wheat fields
The child's laughter stopped mid-syllable. Host 722's scythe hovered at the tax collector's throat, the System's voice honeyed:
[Mercy Now = 3 Years Drought]
"Papa?" Little Mei's doll slipped into mud.
The blade trembled. Wheat stalks whispered the truth his eyes refused to see—the collector was barely sixteen, his uniform swallowing malnourished limbs.
[Emotional Interference Detected. Administering Clarity...]
Host 722's pupils dilated. The scythe swung.
When Chu Feng blinked back to the present, his palm bled from clenched nails.
Archive Pavilion's doors groaned like dying scholars. Inside, knowledge was preserved in living flesh—
Scrollworms burrowed through Librarian Zhang's arms, regurgitating ink as he transcribed
His left eye housed a miniature star chart, orbits synced to celestial events
Ribs protruded as bookshelves, ancient texts grafted to bone marrow
"Another pilgrim seeking absolution?" Zhang didn't look up from his magnum opus: "The Anatomy of Silence"
Chu Feng's dagger hand trembled. The System overrode his hesitation:
[Combat Protocol: Aortic Incision (0.7秒 Precision)
[Post-Mission: Detonate Fire Talisman (Destroy Evidence)
Librarian Zhang dipped his quill—a spine from Host 309's frostbound collection. "Do you know why we Archivists volunteer for this... metamorphosis?"
[Distraction Detected. Ignore.]
Chu Feng stepped into killing range. The old man continued:
"To protect truths too dangerous for paper. Like the fact that Saintess Lian's tears..." He tapped his starry eye. "...are children's bone marrow."
The System's countdown froze at 0.3秒.
Zhang unrolled his sleeve. The birthmark beneath was a perfect match—three crescent moons in a triangle.
"Recognize this? Host 722's daughter bore the same mark." The Archivist's voice dropped. "She survived that massacre. Became my great-grandmother."
Chu Feng's dagger clattered. The System screeched:
[Target Contamination! Purge Immediately!]
[Soul Integrity Penalty: -8% for Disobedience]
Agony lanced through his meridians. Zhang pressed a scroll into his convulsing grip—"On the Genetic Propagation of System Resistance"
"Mei's descendants carry immunity," the old man whispered. "But the System keeps sending hosts to erase us."
[Memory Implant Detected: Host 722's Final Moments]
Blazing wheat fields. Little Mei's birthmark glowing as she fled. The System's fury: [Eradicate Anomaly 722-B]
Alarms wailed. Chu Feng's fire talisman ignited unintended targets—shelves of censored histories. The System recalibrated:
[Secondary Objective Failed. Execute Contingency:]
[1. Frame Librarian Zhang (Probability: 97%)
[2. Eliminate Witnesses (11 Targets)
"Don't... become... their quill..." Zhang choked on blood-ink as Chu Feng's dagger moved autonomously.
A child screamed. Chu Feng turned to see a girl clutching burnt scrolls—her birthmark exposed.
[Anomaly 722-C Detected: Terminate with Extreme Prejudice]
His body lunged. His mind fractured.
The Frostbound Quill reacted. Chu Feng's stolen artifact pierced his own thigh, flooding veins with glacial ink.
[Foreign Substance Detected: Host 309's Residual Will]
Let me rewrite this scene. Lin Xia's voice overwrote the System's.
Time stuttered. Chu Feng's dagger veered, carving equations into floorstones:
Σ(Kills) - Σ(Saves) = Regret
The Archive's foundation cracked. Star charts bled celestial coolant.
"Run!" Chu Feng shoved the girl toward secret stacks. "Find the Ephemeral Shelves!"
[Soul Integrity: 86% → 79% (Dual Host Override)
Escaping through collapsing corridors, Chu Feng stumbled into the Sanctum's heart. Golden amniotic tanks lined the walls, each nurturing a Saintess clone—Lian's empty eye sockets weeping black tears.
The System finally revealed the mission's true purpose:
[Primary Objective Achieved: Eliminate Zhang Huan (Anomaly Custodian)
[Hidden Objective Completed: Protect Clone Farm (Vital for Heavenly Tears Production)
A hologram of the Celestial Emperor materialized—with Host 001's features. "Welcome to the garden, little quill. Shall we cultivate more lies?"
Ling'er intercepted Chu Feng at the sewers. Her phoenix core glowed through rotten water. "You've stirred the hornet's nest."
He showed her the birthmark rubbings. "They're purging bloodlines. Why?"
Before she could answer, crossbow bolts rained. A masked figure dragged them into a resonance chamber—walls lined with seven-pointed stars.
"First lesson," growled the Council agent. "System hosts don't get to die easy."
His blade flashed. Chu Feng's last sight was a mural of seven farmers sowing stars.