Chapter 44

Chapter 44

The system was the first to exclaim, "Boss, we absolutely can't let Xing Shi leave! If he goes, we're done for!"

Yan Feng replied angrily, "Of course I know that, but tell me how to keep him here? It's work hours right now, and there are people outside. If I really keep him here, I'll end up in prison, and that's just as bad as being finished!"

He felt like this was an unjust disaster and was practically seething. "Where did this lunatic come from, suddenly spilling everything? He’s crazy! What about me looks like a host?"

He had seen Fu Xiuning's file and knew he had been through a lot.

But he had chosen the 'little brother' route, and the plan was supposed to start only after he climbed to a high position.

Since he didn’t resemble any of the typical hosts, he didn’t expect one to come and claim him as a host!

The system suggested, "Then let Yu Yi make a move. This whole situation is his fault!"

Yan Feng quickly glanced at the trembling man and became even angrier. "With his weak, ghost-like appearance, can he take on Xing Shi? I doubt he can even stand up to him!"

Xing Shi didn’t care what they would say to the system, nor was he concerned about Yan Feng's rapidly changing expressions.

He stared unblinkingly at Yu Yi, pressing him. "Speak!"

Yu Yi shuddered and took two steps back, his face pale.

"Sys... System..." he asked in a trembling voice, "What do I do now? Help me!"

Shang Shang Qian's voice remained cold. "Go to Yan Feng's side."

Yu Yi was at a loss and retreated further.

Yan Feng finally thought of a temporary solution and instructed the system to send a message in the group.

The system immediately went to work.

Later Takes Over: "Pretend to go mad and bluff your way through this. Remember to cover it with something crazier, then we'll save you."

Several systems noticed the activity and joined the conversation.

Green Bean Paste: "Hey?"

Wish for Wealth: "What's going on?"

All Are Concubines: "Who are you talking to?"

Face Control: "?"

The systems asked their questions but reacted quickly.

They immediately reported to their hosts and asked to check on Fu Xiuning.

After receiving permission, they quickly checked and found Fu Xiuning sitting alone in his office, so they gave up and came back.

With just one vague clue, they couldn’t pinpoint the location or the person, so they went back to the group, sending messages to probe for information.

System 99 also relayed the information to Xing Shi.

It was shocked again. "Yan Feng is actually a host! His system's name is Later Takes Over, but whose system is Yu Yi's? Besides Shang Shang Qian, the rest have shown up. Could it be that someone is pretending to be dumb? Or is the newcomer Green Bean Paste his system? But how did they know Yan Feng was a host?"

Xing Shi said, "Who knows?"

He spoke to Yu Yi, "Don't hide, answer my question!"

Meanwhile, Shang Shang Qian also saw the group message and relayed Yan Feng's solution to Yu Yi.

After waking up and listening to Yu Yi's account of Yan Feng's situation, he suspected that Yan Feng's recent attendance in class might be Xing Shi fishing for him, but didn't expect Xing Shi to play it this way.

But this worked out well; they were all nearby.

He instructed, "Get closer to Yan Feng, preferably grab his hand or arm. I'll go negotiate with his system, help relay information for you, and then get you out."

Yu Yi, who was already near Yan Feng, lunged forward and grabbed him.

For a moment, Yan Feng felt like strangling him.

What are you doing? You were supposed to act crazy, not grab me like that... With a cold expression, he forcefully broke free from Yu Yi. "Talk properly without grabbing people. Xing Shi is asking you something; what did you mean just now?"

Yu Yi stumbled and fell to the ground, suddenly bursting into tears.

He quickly got up and lunged again, grabbing Yan Feng's clothes. "Don't you recognize me? You appeared in my dream! I told you I like Fu Xiuning, and you said you'd help me get him. Do you forget?"

Yan Feng was secretly pleased but showed disgust on his face as he tried to remove Yu Yi's hand. "Are you crazy?!"

Yu Yi screamed, "You said it! You absolutely said it!"

Glancing at Xing Shi from the corner of his eye, he suddenly changed his target. "And you, you also said it! I said I was the chosen one of this world, and you said you knew you were wrong, that you wouldn't ignore me anymore, and that you'd help me get Fu Xiuning!"

Reaching out to grab Xing Shi, he saw him dodge, and Yu Yi glared fiercely. "You can't break your promise. I'm the protagonist of this world. If you don't help me, you're the antagonist!"

Yan Feng hurriedly stepped in, planning to half-heartedly block him a couple of times before opening the door to call someone and then call the police to get rid of this troublesome guy.

But the next moment, he heard his system exclaim in surprise, "Boss, something seems to have entered!"

Yan Feng was confused. "What?"

Shang Shang Qian said coldly, "It's me."

Yan Feng and his system were stunned. "!"

The human and the system were shocked, and the former asked, "Who are you?"

Shang Shang Qian said, "Yu Yi's system."

Yan Feng asked, "Then why are you here with me?"

His system quickly followed up, "How did you manage to unbind from the host? And what's going on with you? Why do you have no energy left?"

Fu Xiuning's office was right above the break room.

He couldn't hear Shang Shang Qian's voice but could overhear Yan Feng and his system's conversation. At this point, he guessed they had encountered Shang Shang Qian and immediately got up to leave.

Xing Shi would bring those two together; Yu Yi and Yan Feng's contact was inevitable. If Shang Shang Qian really appeared, then neither of them could leave.

He pulled out his phone and messaged Xing Shi.

Xing Shi heard the notification sound from WeChat and asked his system, "Who sent it?"

The system, already flustered by the situation, was taken aback. "You still have the mood to check messages?"

Xing Shi said, "Huh?"

The system sighed and checked, then said, "Fu Xiuning sent it. He's asking if you want to have grilled skewers tonight."

Xing Shi said, "Just that?"

The system said, "There's also a bit before that, asking how Yan Feng's class was."

Xing Shi instantly understood what the other meant and quickly seized Yu Yi, opened the door, kicked him out, then closed and locked the door.

Shang Shang Qian couldn't even send messages in the group chat, and his 'brother' hadn't heard his voice several times. Now that he could appear and communicate with Yan Feng, he must be attached to him.

He turned to look at Yan Feng, "Feng Ge."

Yan Feng was still focused on the extra system and responded a beat late.

Xing Shi examined his expression and asked, "You think he's faking it?"

Yan Feng, "!"

The system, "!!!"

Xing Shi said, "What did he mean just now? Something about a host, do you know?"

Yan Feng's heart pounded, trying to think of a countermeasure while also eavesdropping on the system's conversation, he started sweating, "I don't know, I feel like he actually might have some issues. He said he had something to talk to me about, but everything he said was incomprehensible."

Xing Shi, who had caught them off guard, stepped forward a few steps and asked, "You really don't understand?"

Yan Feng feigned calm, "Yeah."

Xing Shi looked at him up close, surprised that there was no sign of being played, thinking: Why hasn't Shang Shang Qian ratted him out yet? What is he up to?

Shang Shang Qian was currently chatting with Later Ju Shang.

It had no energy, but the system and host were naturally compatible, so as Yu Yi made contact with Yan Feng, it transferred to him.

It said, "I've discovered something that will turn your world upside down. Give me some energy, and I'll tell you, including how I unbonded from the host."

Later Ju Shang asked, "Boss?"

Yan Feng said, "You tell us first."

Shang Shang Qian said, "I can't protect myself right now, and I don't trust anyone. Give me some energy first."

Yan Feng said, "Let's meet halfway; I'll give you a little."

Shang Shang Qian said, "Okay."

Later Ju Shang gave it just enough energy to function normally but not for long.

Shang Shang Qian said, "Thanks, goodbye."

It detached from Yan Feng and vanished.

Yan Feng, "?"

The system, "!"

Shang Shang Qian immediately headed toward Xing Shi.

Star Time was still observing Yan Feng's reaction when he suddenly detected an energy fluctuation. Without hesitation, he switched to energy absorption mode, his mind racing.

Shang Shang Qian wrapped itself in energy and, following the opened energy channel, rushed into his body like a desperate surge.

Star Time was not a host, and he was uncertain whether he could enter as easily as he did with Yu Yi and Yan Feng. As a precaution, he had to use this method.

However, upon entering, he found that this was also an energy space. Though the energy signature differed from a host's, it was sufficient to sustain him.

He quickly said, "Star Time, this is Shang Shang Qian. I didn't tell Yan Feng about your matter. I have something to say to you."

System 99’s response was a shocked, "!!!"

It exclaimed, "W-w-what do you want to do?"

Star Time absorbed the small amount of energy, feeling that his magic core could finally move a bit.

With newfound confidence, he had a bit more patience. "Oh, what is it?"

Shang Shang Qian said, "There has never been any so-called host and system. We are all energy separated from the main system. We were all... human before."

System 99, shocked: "Ah?!"

Star Time catalyzed the magic core, allowing the energy to slowly form a closed space in his mind.

He had felt soul energies in the magic world before, and the system's energy was almost the same as the magic source—not a soul body, but a pure energy body.

System 99 had mentioned that their energy originated from the main system, so even if they were human before, they were no longer complete souls. At most, they retained some fragments of their former personalities, stuffed by the main system into an energy mass and sent here.

He wasn’t about to soften or hesitate just because the other party hadn’t exposed him.

He asked, "So what?"

Shang Shang Qian calmly said, "I know what you're going to do. I can help you."

Star Time said, "Do I look like I need it?"

Shang Shang Qian said, "At least you need someone to infiltrate the main system."

System 99, both confused and horrified, asked, "What do you mean by a nail? What are you planning?"

Yan Feng and Later Jushang were equally bewildered.

Yan Feng, unable to sense the system’s energy, asked, "Where did it go?"

Later Jushang, struggling, said, "It... it seems to have crashed into Star Time."

Yan Feng's expression changed slightly. "Does it want to bind to Star Time?"

Later Jushang said, "It's impossible. We can't forcibly bind to natives designated by the main system. Even if we could, there's not enough energy to complete the binding."

Yan Feng asked, "Then what is it doing?"

Later Jushang said, "It... crashed into him and then disappeared."

Yan Feng: "???"

As far back as he could remember, Yan Feng had always been the picture of confidence. He had clear goals, was well-prepared, and had strong execution, believing nothing in this world could stump him.

At this moment, he was completely lost in thought and it took him several seconds to snap out of it.

"The host is acting weird, and the system is just as bizarre! What’s their problem? Did they go crazy or something?"

He became agitated again, "If they want to go crazy, fine, but why drag me into it? I really want to kill them with my own hands!"

Later On was also at a loss and advised, "Boss, let's handle the immediate issue first."

Yan Feng forced himself to calm down and turned to Xing Shi.

Xing Shi looked at his hand, a hint of confusion in his expression. "Did you feel something just now?"

Yan Feng immediately saw hope. "Maybe something weird is going on. Could it be some kind of spirit messing with Yu Yi?"

Xing Shi lowered his hand. "Really?"

Yan Feng said, "I'm not sure."

He asked the system, "Can Xing Shi sense the system even though he’s not bound?"

Later On explained, "It's possible. When the energy flow is strong or concentrated, a sensitive person might feel something, which is normal."

Yan Feng temporarily set aside his doubts and said to Xing Shi, "Ever run into anything strange before? I have a friend who experienced something similar. Just to be safe, maybe you should go pray at a temple."

Xing Shi responded with an "Oh" and turned to leave. "Then let's go check on Yu Yi."

For a second, Yan Feng felt like killing someone, but he quickly pushed it down.

The cops weren’t playing around. If he tried anything with Xing Shi now, he’d be done for. But if he didn’t, there was a chance that Xing Shi’s attention would be diverted by the supernatural event, giving him a bit of breathing room.

He took a deep breath to adjust his emotions and followed.

Outside, it was chaos.

Yu Yi was putting on a full act, lunging at people.

The employees were scared and screaming; no one dared to touch him.

Fu Xiuning arrived to see this scene.

As soon as Yu Yi saw him, his eyes lit up and he rushed towards him.

Fu Xiuning easily restrained him, holding his wrist against the wall. He looked at the nearby employees and told them to come and hold him down, then went to the rest area.

At that moment, the door opened and Xing Shi and Yan Feng came out.

Xing Shi called out, "Brother."

Fu Xiuning glanced at Yan Feng, then turned to Xing Shi. "What's going on?"

Xing Shi came over. "Not sure, Yu Yi suddenly went crazy. Where is he?"

Fu Xiuning said, "He's been restrained. Did he grab you?"

Xing Shi said, "He did, but I dodged it."

Fu Xiuning looked into his eyes, and seeing his calm demeanor, nodded.

The premise of keeping Yan Feng here forcefully today was the existence of the Shang Shang Qian. Judging by Xing Shi's appearance, either the issue with the Shang Shang Qian was resolved, or there was a temporary cooperation with Yan Feng.

Xing Shi looked around and saw Yu Yi being held down.

Yu Yi was unprecedentedly disheveled.

His clothes were in disarray, his voice was hoarse, and bloodshot lines were spreading in his eyes, making him look truly insane.

He also spotted Xing Shi and suddenly burst out with a surge of strength, struggling to lunge at him.

But having exhausted quite a bit of energy, he didn’t manage to break free completely, held by two people grabbing his arms, his body at an oblique angle to the ground.

Free from the threat of death, the crazier he became, the more sober he was.

He wondered if the system was lying to him or if Yan Feng was just stringing him along, and started thinking about his next move.

There was no way he was giving up on Fu Xiuning, but for now, he had to leave and figure out a new plan.

He glared at Xing Shi, half-crazed, half-sane, his eyes red and voice choked as he said, "I really like him, will you help me? You have so many people who like you, can’t you just give him to me? Please?"

Xing Shi looked into Yu Yi’s obsessed eyes, unsure how much of it was due to his personality and how much was driven by the main system’s energy.

He stepped forward, his voice slightly cold. "No, it’s not up to you or me, or anyone else, to decide who he wants to be with. It’s his choice, got it?"

"Beep"

"Current favorability: 65"

Shang Shang Qian: "???"

It asked, "How much?"

99, still clueless but already gloating, said, "65!"

Now it had someone to brag to, so it couldn’t help but gloat, "How about that, isn’t that much better than you guys?"

Shang Shang Qian asked, "Are they dating?"

99 replied, "Not yet, but it’s bound to happen soon, just look at this favorability. It’s only a matter of time!"

Xing Shi said, "Everyone, shut up."

Both 99 and Shang Shang Qian went silent.

Fu Xiuning glanced at Xing Shi.

He still couldn’t hear Shang Shang Qian, but it was easy to understand what was going on.

So, Shang Shang Qian was with Xing Shi now?

The security team, having received the message, rushed up at that moment.

Fu Xiuning selected two of them to hold Yu Yi down and called for training staff to take Yu Yi to the hospital.

As they walked away, Xing Shi said, "Yu Yi had an incident at the company, should this be considered a work-related injury?"

Fu Xiuning, understanding the implication, said, "I’ll have someone keep an eye on him."

Xing Shi nodded, feeling a bit better, and said, "I’m still shaken up, I don’t think I can focus on class right now."

Fu Xiuning asked, "Do you want to sit in my office for a bit, or would you rather go home?"

Xing Shi said, "Let's head to your office."

Yan Feng interjected, "I’ll come with you and explain what happened."

Fu Xiuning said, "No need, I can handle it."

Yan Feng: "..."

He watched helplessly as they stepped into the elevator. A wave of anxiety washed over him.

System was also anxious, "Boss, what do we do now?"

Yan Feng snapped, "How the hell should I know?"

System wondered aloud, "Do you think Xing Shi will leave us out when he explains what happened?"

Yan Feng said, "What do you think? Like that’s gonna happen?"

System sighed, "Yeah, probably not."

Yan Feng returned to the rest area and closed the door, pacing back and forth.

"We need to think fast and find something to distract him right away."

Then, System could use the time to devise a safe way to send Xing Shi away before things got worse.

System said, "Is a variety show about to air?"

Yan Feng said, "That could work."

He quickly took out his phone and started making calls.

Xing Shi followed Fu Xiuning into the office, and the moment the door closed, he slumped, exhausted.

Fu Xiuning noticed his dilated pupils and immediately caught him, "What’s wrong?"

Xing Shi rested his head on his shoulder and whispered, "Too much energy consumption..."

As soon as he could tap into the magic core, he siphoned off enough energy to trap the two systems, preventing them from sending any messages. Maintaining this control had been exhausting.

But it was fine—fresh energy was waiting for him, and now he could finally make use of it.

Before System 99 could react, it was engulfed by a strange, powerful energy. It screamed, "What is this—aaaah! Don’t come near me, Xing Shi, what are you doing?"

Shang Shang Qian clearly sensed the level of this energy and quickly distanced itself, watching warily.

System 99's energy was devoured in an instant, screaming, "Noooo! Help! Nooo!"

Fu Xiuning, who was supporting Xing Shi's lower back, instinctively increased his grip, pressing him closer.

Xing Shi's previous two absorptions of energy happened after the systems had detached from their hosts, so Fu Xiuning hadn't heard the sounds. But this time, he witnessed the process firsthand.

After being trapped by these things for over five years, he finally saw their collapse.

"Beep"

"Current favorability: 66"

"Beep"

"Current favorability: 67"

"Didi"

"Current favorability: 68"

"Didi……"

Shang Shang Qian: "!!!"

System 99 didn't celebrate this time; it felt like it was about to die. Panicking, it quickly added, "Xing Shi, I'm still useful! I can look up information for you, help you act in the group chat, and... and I can keep an eye on the other systems! If something like what happened with Shang Shang Qian not logging off happens again, you'll need me!"

The last bit of energy was completely drained.

"Didi"

"Current favorability: 70"

After replenishing a round of energy, Xing Shi felt a little better.

Fu Xiuning noticed he had relaxed and asked, "How are you?"

Xing Shi replied hoarsely, "Much better."

Fu Xiuning guided him to the sofa and poured him a glass of water.

After taking a few sips, Xing Shi stood up, went to the desk, grabbed a pen and paper, and quickly jotted down the most important part: *Yan Feng wants to kill me*.

Fu Xiuning understood immediately; she knew he was worried about being monitored by Yan Feng's system.

Xing Shi continued writing: *I have Shang Shang Qian here. He probably discovered something, but I haven't asked him in detail yet. I kept the idiot alive for now; he might still be useful*.

The two systems watched the scene unfold.

Xing Shi's magic core fully awakened and it became visible.

They suddenly noticed this thing materialize in the "room," and it felt surreal. Though they didn't know what it was, they instinctively felt threatened and huddled in the corner.

Still shaken from its near-death experience, 99 choked out, "Is the fool referring to me?"

Shang Shang Qian said, "Obviously."

99 couldn't wrap its head around what had just happened. "What the hell is going on? How can they talk about this stuff like it's nothing?"

Shang Shang Qian asked, "You don't know anything?"

99 replied, sounding genuinely lost, "I don't know!"

Shang Shang Qian had assumed 99 knew something, given how it had been helping Xing Shi deal with Yu Shu, absorb energy, and act in the group chat. But it turned out to know nothing at all.

It hadn't noticed anything off while watching Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning plan?

It fell silent.

99 waited a moment. "Come on, say something... Where have you been all this time?"

Shang Shang Qian said, "On Yu Yi's body."

99 was immediately curious. "So, who's Yu Yi's system?"

Shang Shang Qian fell silent again, suddenly realizing why he had never suspected Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning.

99 waited a bit longer. “Speak up!”

Shang Shang Qian said, “Take a breather, will ya? You’ve got a small brain, so don’t overwork it.”

99 let out an “Oh,” and after a few seconds, asked, “Are you insulting me?”

Shang Shang Qian said, “No.”

99 wasn’t buying it. “You’re totally insulting me!”

Shang Shang Qian replied coldly, “If that’s how you see it, I can’t help it.”

99 grew more convinced and snapped, “What gives you the right to insult me as soon as you show up?”

She paused, then fired back with an insult, “Show some respect, you traitor!”

Shang Shang Qian: “...”