Chapter 16: The Embarrassment of a Princess Carry

Let me down!

It was already embarrassing enough to have transformed into a girl, but to be held in the arms by another girl, especially my own younger sister…

And in a princess carry, no less—the kind that makes a maiden’s heart explode…

No matter how dignified and imposing I had been mere minutes ago, I was now so utterly mortified that my entire body flushed a delicate crimson.

My eyelids felt searing hot, my limbs turned to jelly, and I found myself almost completely incapable of coherent thought.

‘You brat, I command you!

Put me down!’

Yet, as the words reached my lips…

“M-Master…” For some inexplicable reason, my voice emerged as an incredibly faint, almost pleading whisper, a soft murmur squeezed from my throat, “P-Please… please put me down…”

This was the pet language system at work, a nefarious function designed to translate a pet’s thoughts into appropriate, character-fitting words, integrating this behavior into their very instincts to flesh out their persona.

However, now, it was *my* thoughts it forcibly converted.

No one would ever suspect that a human soul, residing within this pet’s body, had its personality, mindset, and language all subjected to the system’s coercive interference.

“Don’t move.”

Su Yingning panted heavily as she sprinted forward, while I was compelled to lean against her chest, my nine tails coiling around her waist like silken ribbons.

Our current location was a pristine, ancient forest, where towering, sky-piercing trees stood sentinel everywhere.

Vines snaked around their massive trunks, and by the faint glow emanating from the flora, we occasionally glimpsed monkeys and birds darting through the dense foliage.

Meanwhile, fireflies, as large as my palm, unfurled their shimmering golden carapaces.

As Su Yingning plunged into the thicket with me in her arms, she instantly startled this small yet abundant corner of the world.

Countless birds flapped their wings, soaring skyward from the shadows, while the fireflies, in their panic, flew haphazardly in every direction.

The previously somber forest was instantaneously transformed by their light, becoming a glowing, bioluminescent summer paradise!

In that moment, I finally understood the meaning of “features an independent game ecosystem” from the game’s description.

This was clearly another pristine Earth, one that could only exist within dreams… The game’s promotional material had not exaggerated in the slightest!

Her face grim amidst the glowing light, Su Yingning said, “Don’t move.

I’ll carry you.

I’m a warrior; my stamina is naturally high, and I have a sprint skill… If you tried to run yourself, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

The girl was terrifyingly calm at that moment.

I had never seen her like this before; could a game truly bring about such monumental changes in a person?

‘Still, I understood the logic… but why a princess carry?!’

‘And why was I now leaning against Su Yingning’s chest with such overwhelming contentment?’

‘What was with this surge of affection, this desire to dote, and this profound sense of security welling up from within me?!’

‘System, haven’t you had enough?!’

“Don’t run! You little beast! Hand back the equipment and the Nine-Tailed Fox!”

“Run! We’ve called dozens of people to surround you; keep running, why don’t you!

I’d like to see how far you can get!”

“If you’ve got guts, then never leave the forest! Our people have already surrounded the woods!

I advise you to come out and die quickly, lest our brothers be in a bad mood tomorrow morning, and then… you won’t be able to return to the resurrection point without suffering!”

The furious shouts of those players echoed behind us, yet both Su Yingning and I knew these were merely empty threats, bluster masking their impotence.

Perhaps pressed for time, they hadn’t yet had the leisure to rationally consider their gains and losses, only a vague premonition… but once they thought it through, they would quickly realize that this particular event…

They had suffered a devastating loss!

Not only had they gained nothing, but they had also poured in all the resources the entire guild had painstakingly accumulated on the very first day of the server launch!

Su Yingning was not a ‘red name’ (TL Note: A player whose name appears red, indicating a high PK value and a chance to drop items upon death), so even if they killed her a thousand times while she wore that excellent green equipment, there was no way they could force her to drop those items.

Unless Su Yingning agreed to their trade request and voluntarily returned the green equipment, they would be like a mute person eating bitter coptis (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘yǎbā chī huánglián,’ meaning to suffer in silence without being able to voice one’s grievances), unable to express their hardship.

Not to mention they had guarded Su Yingning’s corpse for an entire day, incurring losses in manpower, material resources, and most crucially, their guild’s initial advantage…

‘Guild Leader, you might as well delete your account.’

In truth, both Su Yingning and I knew very well that such a blind escape was merely drinking poison to quench thirst (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě,’ meaning to seek a temporary solution that causes greater harm in the long run).

Before long, we would be surrounded by them once more.

Yet Su Yingning refused to die again; she no longer wished to experience the cold ground and the dizzying process of resurrection, and I, for my part, did not want her to die.

****