Chapter 4: The S-M System

Chapter 4: The S-M System

"...What did you say?"

Xu Qingran's voice was steady and soft.

The system didn't notice the change in his demeanor and enthusiastically responded, "Yes, I brought it along with you, isn't that impressive?"

"If you don't believe me, I can show it to you right now."

With that, it pulled out the carefully preserved ability orb and displayed it within Xu Qingran's current mental realm.

After inspecting it, Xu Qingran remained silent.

The system said, "It originally belongs to another world, so due to the constraints of the laws and the host's constitution, it is temporarily sealed within the system's energy sea and cannot be used."

"But, as the system's chosen host, as long as you can complete the support tasks approved by the headquarters, it can be fully restored to you, and can even merge with the spiritual power of this world to exert its effects."

The footsteps of passersby were drowned out by the sound of Xu Qingran's heartbeat at this moment.

His breathing became unconsciously quickened, his eyes reddened from choking, but he didn't bother to adjust.

"Where is he now?"

His tone grew more urgent.

The system didn't react at first, "Huh?"

Xu Qingran's hand gripping the mask tightened slightly, his tone intensifying, "The target of the mission, where is he!"

"I'll take this task."

The system indeed didn't lie to him; the familiar ability was within reach.

At this moment, any moral boundary seemed trivial.

He was willing to give up anything, but the ability from his past life, he must keep it.

Without waiting for the system's response, Xu Qingran frowned and actively urged the progress, "So what should I do? Just rush over and confess my love?"

"I see the Xu family is quite wealthy, splurge on a grand TV confession?"

"Or use a helicopter to drop 9999 roses for him?"

He asked seriously.

The system: "..."

What a typical male mindset.

It replied helplessly, "He is a camp general, backed by a major family; the closest you might get is seeing his back from a distance."

"So being stubborn won't work. I've already planned it out for you; you can begin with this world's S-M system."

Xu Qingran: "?"

What system?

...Is it the S and M I'm thinking of?

Xu Qingran's face turned green, and he almost crushed the mask that was used to administer medicine to him.

This man surnamed Shen—

Not only was he an old man chasing after young women, but he also had such strange tastes?

Feeling a bit ticked off, he lifted his eyelids and accidentally noticed that strangers passing by him would whisper and point at him. Even those walking alone would cast strange glances his way, as if looking at someone lowly and despicable.

Rather than being annoyed, Xu Qingran was more confused.

Despite his low-key attire and the mask on his face, they shouldn't have recognized his identity.

So, what exactly were they pointing at?

On the other hand, the system's voice echoed in his head: "...The S-M system, which stands for Soul-Mate, refers to soulmates."

It was a matchmaking system in this society.

By extracting unique 'data' from each person's soul and using specialized instruments to collect it, the data would first be uploaded to the main system within each faction for matching. Only if no match was found within the same faction would it be sent to other faction branches for nationwide cross-faction matching, aiming to find the person with the highest soulmate compatibility.

The matching results could recommend the most suitable individuals for friendship and soulmate relationships, including friends and confidants.

Xu Qingran shifted his focus back to the topic: "So, we need to approach that general by becoming his highly compatible match?"

"What's the minimum compatibility needed?"

"Soulmate compatibility ranges from 0% to 99.99%, regardless of age, gender, birthplace, or even race. Officially, a compatibility of 65% or higher is suitable for dating and marriage, while lower rates lead to higher divorce chances."

"However, we need more than just meeting the basic standard; we need to become his highest compatible match, exceeding 98%. Because once it surpasses this threshold, the imperial system will forcibly arrange the marriage, and he won't be able to refuse even if he wants to!"

Xu Qingran thought, so this was about forcing a guy into marriage.

Seeing the system's confidence, he asked, "Can you arrange this data?"

"No."

Silence filled the air.

The system quickly chimed in, "But if there's an existing match, I can help you switch it up, a complete overhaul!"

Xu Qingran wasn't thrilled about this.

He thought, a compatibility above 98% sounded like a very rare dataset, and finding an existing one would be tough.

Unbeknownst to him, the system said, "No, there's one right now."

Xu Qingran was puzzled.

The system explained, "In fact, the original host and Lu Cheng are a pair with an ultra-high soulmate compatibility of 99%, just 0.99% short of the legendary perfect match."

Xu Qingran thought, that's just bad luck.

Soul data used for matching is usually extracted during physical exams.

It was said that Xu Qingan's maternal aunt was one of the high-ranking officials in charge of the Soul-Mate System at Silver Dragon United Hospital. A few days before the engagement, the original host and Lu Cheng happened to have physical exams back-to-back at the hospital. Knowing this, Xu Qingan had her secretly arrange a soulmate compatibility test for the original host and Lu Cheng.

Unexpectedly, the soul compatibility result was 99%.

Since the matching was done privately using a soul-matching device, the data had not yet been automatically entered into the empire's system database.

"The Silver Dragon United Hospital we are currently in is where they had their physical examinations. The data samples of the original host and that jerk of a childhood friend should still be in the hospital."

"And as far as I know, the Golden Wing Battalion has just sent a batch of data samples today, ready to be uploaded to the Silver Dragon Battalion's database for matching. These are all single folks who couldn't find a match within their own faction, including our target of interest."

So they need to wait until later when most of the hospital staff have left, sneak into the matching department of the hospital, and change the registered identity on Lu Cheng's data sample to Shen Tingyu. Then, before that set of 99% data samples is destroyed, upload them to the soulmate matching database.

The final results will be generated in the central system of the Imperial Star.

The system chirped cheerfully: "Then I'll help the host buddy accept the task!"

Xu Qingran shifted his body, adjusting his sitting posture.

The expression on his face under the mask wasn't very pleasant: "What's got you so cheerful?"

The system replied straightforwardly: "It's all about my KPI, of course I'm happy!"

Xu Qingran didn't speak anymore.

Suddenly, a nurse came by, the same one he had seen in the consultation room earlier.

Xu Qingran glanced at her name tag, it read Lin Xiao (a female name).

Lin Xiao handed over a white glove, her expression somewhat awkward: "Mr. Xu, this is for you, to cover the soulmate mark on your left hand."

He paused, switching the hand holding the mask from left to right, then turned the back of his left hand towards Lin Xiao: "You mean this?"

As a result, Lin Xiao's face instantly turned red, and she lowered her head, closing her eyes: "Yes, sir, please put on the glove as soon as possible to avoid affecting others in the hospital!"

Xu Qingran didn't quite understand: "Why?"

Before she mentioned it was a soulmate mark, he didn't even know what it was.

Lin Xiao thought for a while, then finally answered tactfully: "Because it's inappropriate."

Xu Qingran fell silent.

He thought he might understand why people passing by kept giving him weird looks.

Although he didn't understand the reason, he still put on the glove. Lin Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and dared to look at him directly, repeatedly reminding him not to take it off before she left.

·

By the time Xu Qingran finished his IV drip, night had fallen.

The hospital lobby became very quiet, and even the TV, which was hard to hear during the day, became clear.

From the news came the anchor's crisp and clear voice.

"...Since the invasion of the alien creatures known as 'Devils', it has caused great trouble to the residents of the empire. The loss of territory, the loss of homes and vital resources, as of today, seven key star systems of the empire have been severely disturbed by them, including the FR Andromeda Star System."

Xu Qingran had just walked to a nearby water dispenser to get some water when these words caught his attention.

In the news footage, bizarre-looking 'creatures' were shown.

Massive reddish-brown writhing tendrils, varying in height and girth, were squirming and spreading across different areas. Abandoned buildings were quickly surrounded by them, and the tendrils climbing to the rooftops were swirling clockwise, looking like antennas picking up signals or scouting around.

The system happily told him: "After all, humans have spread out into outer space, encountering alien creatures is normal."

The anchor's broadcast continued.

"As one of the habitable planets in the Fairy Galaxy, Red Maple has also been heavily affected, with Red City being the most severely impacted."

"Red City originally encompassed 38 districts, but due to the uncontrollable spread of Class I 'Devils,' nearly half of the land has been lost. Moreover, they have been encroaching upon the largest South 13 District for years, attempting to advance towards the city center, causing widespread fear among the populace."

In the high-definition video, it was the ruins of the deserted city he had briefly visited yesterday. However, compared to before, there were many more military equipment like battleships and mechs. Amidst the continuous flashes of battle, the red monsters from all directions burst into clouds of red mist.

Then, quickly, they began to regroup.

Xu Qingran sipped his water, watching intently.

He even felt a tingling in his fingers, as if something in his blood was boiling and churning.

"Fortunately, according to the latest news, the situation in the South 13 District of Red City was finally alleviated last night after a surprise attack by the Golden Wings Elite C Team. Their troops beat the Silver Dragon Battalion to locating the source crystal that the Class I 'Devils' used for control and growth in the South 13 District, and successfully destroyed it. This not only dealt a severe blow to the Class I 'Devils' in the area but also temporarily halted their advance towards the South 11 District."

The scene cut to an indoor interview setting.

"Hello, viewers, I am Chen Feng, the host of the Empire's official team." The male host in the camera said while gesturing awkwardly to the side, "The gentleman being interviewed next to me is Colonel Xie Nanjun from the Golden Wings Headquarters."

The man sitting on the single sofa was in his early twenties. Upon hearing this, he pursed his lips and removed his hat, revealing his golden, sunlit short hair. He crossed his long legs, sitting arrogantly like a lord, and nodded expressionlessly at the camera, exuding an air of aloofness.

—If it weren't for the lollipop in his mouth.

The host asked, "Colonel Xie, I heard you were the team leader of this surprise attack, so was the final key location of the source crystal in the South 13 District also located by you?"

"Hmm..." In the camera, the blond man frowned, his speech was slurred, likely due to the candy in his mouth.

Before he could remove it himself, a hand reached out from off-camera and yanked the lollipop from his mouth, as if reminding him to straighten up.

Xie Nanjun dared not show his anger, reluctantly straightened up: "Not at all, the source crystal in the South 13 District of Red City is notoriously hard to find. Such a high-difficulty task, of course, had to be handled by our great General Shen."

When mentioning his superior, there was a hint of gritted teeth.