Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The entire standalone villa was brightly lit.

The proposal scene had been set up, stretching all the way from the spacious front yard to the back, looking very romantic.

Fu Xiuning stood alone in the backyard, adjusting the projector.

The main system walked over and saw this scene.

Its main body was still waiting for those two ants, and with the situation now uncertain, it was growing suspicious of everything.

In Feng Zifan's tone, it asked in surprise, "Why is the boss here alone?"

Fu Xiuning said, "I don't like having people disturb Sui Sui and me, so I sent them away."

The main system smiled and said, "Oh," waiting for his instructions.

Fu Xiuning had just a bit of finishing work left to do.

He had something to inform Feng Zifan, so he called him over to lend a hand. He would be staying with Xing Shi tonight and needed to arrange things in advance to avoid having to find time amidst other tasks to discuss plans with others.

Of course, these were just surface-level excuses to deal with the main system.

He didn’t explain too much to avoid going overboard.

After setting up the projector, he pulled up a map on his tablet and gestured for the other to come closer.

The main system cooperated and stepped forward.

At the same time, the two ants reached the central area but suddenly broke free from its energy lock.

It thought to itself how they were overestimating their abilities and began a renewed search with its main body, while its sub-unit controlled Feng Zifan's body to stand next to Fu Xiuning.

The small light strips set up around the area created a dim atmosphere.

On both sides were walls of flowers. Xing Shi was behind one of these walls, watching them through the gap, completely still and quietly lying low.

99 was watching with him, so nervous it was about to crash. Although it didn’t know their exact plan, the setup made it clear they were about to act.

Fu Xiuning was adjusting the nearby map.

The route led upwards from the hot spring hotel, passing through this villa area, and further up was a viewing platform.

His plan was to meet Xing Shi at the hotel later, have the staff hand out flyers announcing the fireworks show on the viewing platform that night, and then guide Xing Shi to this villa halfway up, under the pretext of something.

He had originally made another arrangement, but since Feng Zifan and the others were all here tonight, he might as well make use of them. It would seem more natural if they handled the guiding part.

Fu Xiuning gave his instructions, saying, "Go back and tell Sang Chenhao and the others that when they see the flyers, suggest heading up to watch the fireworks together. That way, Sui Sui won’t suspect anything."

The main system said, "Okay."

Fu Xiuning added, "But don’t stay too long. Once Sui Sui arrives, you can leave."

The main system snorted coldly in its mind and said "Okay" again, staring at him.

Fu Xiuning met its gaze, "After this is over, I’ll have your agent pick out some scripts and variety shows for you."

The main system said obligingly, "No need, boss. It’s all part of what I’m supposed to do."

Fu Xiuning said, "Consider it as wedding candy."

The main system smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, boss. I wish you both a long and happy marriage."

Fu Xiuning gently responded with a "Mm."

Their first encounter wasn't a pleasant one, and Feng Zifan had always been somewhat afraid of him, unable to act naturally in his presence.

He had been pursued by this energy for so long that, despite the restraint and concealment in its eyes, there was a subtle familiarity, though it couldn’t mask its underlying greed.

So, it has already seized Feng Zifan's body?

Fu Xiuning inconspicuously put away his tablet and directed it to work.

In the villa on the mountain at night, with only the two of them present, it was the perfect opportunity to make a move.

To ensure everything went smoothly, it needed to boost the body’s capabilities, which would result in energy overflow. At that moment, Xing Shi would be able to take it down in one go.

The main system looked at Fu Xiuning up close, with a flash of greed in its eyes, which it quickly suppressed.

Every favored child of destiny, once grown, receives the world's favor and protection. If it made a move on him, losing control even for a moment would result in backlash.

It had actually come down this time to take a gamble, but instead, it stumbled upon an unexpected opportunity.

Compared to Fu Xiuning, Xing Shi, who hadn't fully matured as the world’s favored one, seemed like a safer target.

Besides, after being cooped up for so long, how could just one Fu Xiuning be enough?

It planned to consume Xing Shi's energy, take over his body, and instantly tap into the favorability system, gaining favor before Fu Xiuning could react, and then absorb him entirely.

It wanted both of them.

Fu Xiuning, seeing that it was actually working obediently, narrowed his eyes slightly and immediately guessed: the fact that it hadn't made a move meant its target likely wasn't him, but Xing Shi.

The location had already been set. If it wasn’t going to make a move, then they would have to.

The only issue was that it was currently using Feng Zifan's body, and there was a chance it might lead to a deadly struggle, leaving them with a corpse out of spite.

But delaying would only invite further complications. The main system had brought a lot of energy this time, and the longer they waited, the slimmer Feng Zifan's hopes would become.

Fu Xiuning’s gaze darkened slightly, and just as he was about to signal Xing Shi and initiate a provocation, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

Sang Chenhao stood at the door leading from the living room to the backyard, smiling. "Looks like I found the right place."

Both Fu Xiuning and the main system turned to look.

The former asked, "How did you track us down here?"

Sang Chenhao replied, "I heard about the proposal from Little Feng and knew it was up in the mountains."

Fu Xiuning asked, "Is there something you need?"

Sang Chenhao said, "I need to discuss something with Little Feng that couldn’t be explained over the phone, so I came in person."

He looked at Feng Zifan and gestured outside. "Can we talk privately?"

The main system, standing near the door, readily agreed and moved toward him.

Fu Xiuning briefly considered taking action but quickly suppressed the impulse.

If Sang Chenhao had sensed something was off, he could have had the system alert the main system or called for reinforcements rather than coming alone.

He watched them walk away, then subtly shifted his stance, using a gesture while picking something up to signal Xing Shi that Feng Zifan's body had been compromised.

Xing Shi stood still and did not speak.

To avoid being tracked, he'd left his phone back at the hotel. However, the backyard and the place where they had just discussed things were different. There were many smart devices here due to the scene requirements, making it inconvenient for them to communicate.

99, who was already on edge, almost held his breath when he saw this. "What is he doing here?"

Xing Shi said, "I don't know."

They hadn't had many interactions with Sang Chenhao and couldn't gauge his thoughts.

He had deliberately provoked him during lunch, but the energy of the host that had crossed over and the main system were of the same source, so he wasn't sure how much Sang Chenhao had taken to heart.

99 worried, "Could it be that he's suspicious of us because you're missing?"

Xing Shi said, "Is there any call or message from him on my phone?"

99 checked quickly, "No."

Xing Shi said, "Then it probably isn't that. Go and listen to what they're saying."

99 said, "Okay!"

By this time, Sang Chenhao had already arrived outside the villa.

He looked up at the dark sky and murmured, "Do you think it will snow?"

Gongxi Facao, puzzled, asked, "What do you want to do?"

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Sang Chenhao took out a small cake from his pocket, unwrapped it, and took a couple of bites. "I need to talk to it about something."

Gongxi Facao asked, "The main system or Feng Zifan?"

Sang Chenhao said, "Of course the main system."

Gongxi Facao said, "You could have just asked me to send a message."

Sang Chenhao smiled, "That would make me seem insincere, wouldn't it?"

Gongxi Facao, having some understanding of him, guessed, "You're suspicious because of what happened at noon?"

Sang Chenhao said, "Not really, it's something else."

Finishing the cake slowly, he turned to Feng Zifan and said, "I need to talk to the system."

The main system said, "That's me, and coincidentally, I have something to ask you too."

It had originally intended to catch those two small ants and extract answers directly from them, but its main body was too large, and they were still evading capture.

The group chat was out of the question. Yu Shu and Yan Feng had both met with accidents, and Xing Shi had been there for both incidents. Plus, 99 had bound the wrong host. It was all too convenient.

Following the sabotage at noon, its trust in these ants had diminished. Still, face-to-face conversations would at least let it gauge their sincerity through their expressions.

It had resolved to destroy all their soul fragments once this was over. It asked, "After Yu Shu and Yan Feng died, didn’t their systems go offline?"

Sang Chenhao raised his eyebrow. "Are they the hosts?"

Gongxi Facai was stunned. "What?"

The main system said, "Hmm, did their systems speak after the host's death?"

Sang Chenhao thought for a moment. "It seems so. I'll have the system compile a report and send it to you."

The main system nodded.

Sang Chenhao looked at it. "I have something I want to ask."

The main system said, "Go ahead."

Sang Chenhao said, "I've recovered some memories from the past. In my memory, there was always someone by my side. Where is he?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the main system's eyes.

Human emotions are truly amazing.

So long after his death, with a fragmented soul and broken memories, he still remembered the host who had guided him.

It replied, "He is in your original world, waiting for you."

Sang Chenhao was silent for two seconds and then said, "But the guidance mission wasn't completed, and it seems impossible to continue now. Can I really go back?"

The main system said, "If you cooperate with me, I will send you back."

Sang Chenhao's expression relaxed, and he smiled. "That's good. I was just worried I'd be left behind."

The main system said, "You won't be."

Sang Chenhao said, "Then I won't bother you anymore..."

He paused, his gaze shifting past it to behind.

The main system turned around.

The next moment, it felt intense pain in its thigh. It looked down to see a knife deeply embedded in it.

Both the system's and the transmigrated host's energy originated from it. To be betrayed like this face-to-face, it instantly flared in rage. "How dare you betray me!"

Gongxi Facai was completely caught off guard and didn't react in time.

Hearing the "you" in plural, it protested, "I had no idea he was going to do that!"

Unfortunately, the main system couldn't hear it.

Sang Chenhao, watching the main system's expression change drastically, smiled. "You've wronged the system. I've had this folding knife for a long time. Whenever I'm in Z City, I always carry it with me. Know why?"

He said, "Because every time I see Fu Xiuning, I can't control the overwhelming desires in my heart. I bought this knife to stab myself and snap out of it. To reduce the chances, I even deliberately cut down on my interactions with him. I thought it was my issue, but later, it seemed it wasn't."

"The more issues I discovered, the more my system and subconscious automatically found explanations," he stared intently at the thing in front of him. "My emotions desperately urge me to believe every word, every sentence you say, but my reason and logic tell me that you're lying."

The main system gritted its teeth. "Insects."

Sang Chenhao laughed. "It's worth tripping you. Feng Zifan's thigh is injured, and by forcibly enhancing your body's functions, you'll only bleed more and won't last long."

The main system also laughed. "Then do you know why I called you here?"

The moment the words were spoken, it directly detached from Feng Zifan's body, pouring all its energy into him.

Sang Chenhao's consciousness immediately grew hazy.

The main system said, "You asked where he is, right? He's just like you now, his soul and energy entirely consumed by me."

Sang Chenhao faintly heard these words, sighed softly, and fully succumbed to darkness.

The main system looked at Feng Zifan on the ground, debating whether to search for Fu Xiuning or call Xing Shi. Suddenly, it felt its breathing become heavy, took two seconds to react, and said word by word, "What did he do?"

Gongxi Facao was shaken by the series of events, its mind spinning.

It hadn't been torn apart yet, but upon hearing this, it suddenly realized what had happened and quickly glanced at the discarded packaging on the ground, trembling as it said, "He... he ate a peanut-filled cake. He has a severe peanut allergy and will go into anaphylactic shock. It must be a new batch from the cake shop today. He eats small cakes every day, and I didn't notice which one he picked..."

The main system coldly said, "Puny insect."

Energy surged through its body, enhancing its functions and restoring normal breathing.

But the pathology remained, which would accelerate the collapse of this body.

There was no time left.

The main system made a judgment in a second, simultaneously sending a message to Li Yu’s system to rally their team and locating Xing Shi’s position, deciding to go take him down immediately.

But just as it took half a step, a powerful gust of wind blew it away from Feng Zifan with a howl. An energy shield then appeared out of nowhere, abruptly encircling it.

It looked up and saw Xing Shi in front of it.

At the same time, its main body outside the world suddenly looked towards the intersection of the two realms.

Sang Chenhao had betrayed them, so what?

Why had it lost contact with the sub-system?

The main system below also realized this at the same moment.

Feeling the deterrence emanating from the energy shield, its expression faltered for the first time, and it warily eyed Xing Shi. "You... what exactly are you?"