Chapter 54: Welcome to the Intermediate World

Hearing new information from the system’s response, Sang Zhiyi asked, “So E-rank and F-rank main mission ratings will deduct mission points?”

Inside this small space, there was no need to worry about leaks.

Even though System Sir’s voice still sounded from within her mind, Sang Zhiyi was still accustomed to communicating with him as if speaking normally.

It was a kind of reciprocation, in a way.

System Sir was so… devoted to her, so she would treat him with respect and friendship.

At least in Sang Zhiyi’s heart, she regarded System Sir as a real “person.”

The system replied: [Yes.]

[Depending on the coefficients of different level worlds, an E-rank main mission rating will deduct 1 times the mission points, while an F-rank will deduct 10 times the mission points.]

[Ratings of other levels also follow this rule.]

[Taking your novice world as an example, the world coefficient was 1.

A D-rank main mission rating earned 0 mission points, C-rank earned 1, B-rank earned 5, A-rank earned 10, and S-rank earned 20.]

[When a host’s mission points fall below -100, according to the contract, they will be eliminated by the system.]

At this point, the system’s faint static made a noticeable fluctuation, as if suddenly receiving a signal from elsewhere.

Sang Zhiyi was a bit puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

After a brief silence of a few seconds, the system’s voice sounded again.

[Miss Sang, I just received a request from Miss Ren Xiaoqian.

She wishes to meet with you.

Do you agree?]

Sang Zhiyi: “…?”

Sang Zhiyi was a bit confused.

What did it mean that Ren Xiaoqian wanted to meet her?

Blinking, Sang Zhiyi suddenly thought of something, her gaze slightly sharpening.

Could it be… that Ren Xiaoqian, the original owner she had transmigrated into, actually had her own consciousness?

The system quickly gave a detailed explanation.

Just as Sang Zhiyi, after dying in the real world, had signed a contract with the system in the form of a soul, so too, in the many small worlds, those who fit the “cannon-fodder supporting female lead counterattack” module that System Sir was responsible for would have other specialized systems to negotiate with the dying supporting female leads.

If the original owner agreed, they could take over the original owner’s identity and body for various hosts to transmigrate into and complete missions.

These supporting female leads had all experienced extremely tragic fates in life, and their souls after death were filled with deep resentment.

Only through the counterattacks and revenge of the hosts, producing a kind of purifying energy, could the resentment be gradually washed away, allowing the supporting female leads to no longer be trapped in the void and to successfully enter the cycle of reincarnation.

That was the transaction between the system network and the original owners.

The hosts’ actions in the small worlds were all visible to the original owners’ souls.

However, under normal circumstances, the original owners only knew about the hosts unilaterally, while the hosts were unaware of the original owners’ existence.

On one hand, this was because the original owners were indeed too full of resentment, and contact with the host might cause unnecessary accidents.

On the other hand, and more importantly, each host would achieve different mission ratings, and the same small world required at least ten hosts with C-rank or above ratings to completely eliminate the original owner’s resentment.

Depending on the level of the supporting female lead’s resentment, the amount of purifying energy required also differed.

The deeper the resentment of the original owner, the more purifying energy was needed, and the higher the requirements for the quality and quantity of the hosts’ mission completions.

This time, with Ren Xiaoqian, the original owner proactively requesting to meet the host was something System Sir had encountered for the first time.

[It may be because Miss Sang produced a particularly abundant amount of purifying energy for Miss Ren Xiaoqian,] the system offered its own speculation for Sang Zhiyi’s reference.

[Or it may be because Miss Ren Xiaoqian’s resentment has now been completely eliminated, and you are the last host she will experience.]

“So many hosts came to this world before me,” Sang Zhiyi murmured.

“I’m quite lucky to be the last person to see her off.”

Hearing that Ren Xiaoqian could soon escape the confines of her past and embrace a new life, Sang Zhiyi was genuinely happy.

The fact that Ren Xiaoqian still had her own consciousness wasn’t actually too surprising to Sang Zhiyi.

As early as when she was in that world, Sang Zhiyi could clearly feel that everything around her—people, events, things—was too real.

They were not the pale words and data in the information, but living, three-dimensional existences.

During those five years, she had lived as Ren Xiaoqian, and those around her had addressed and treated her as “Ren Xiaoqian.”

Although Sang Zhiyi had always known she was not Ren Xiaoqian, after such a long time, she had developed an unspoken sense of familiarity with “Ren Xiaoqian,” a familiar stranger.

“I agree to meet with Miss Ren Xiaoqian,” Sang Zhiyi replied in a relaxed tone.

[Okay,] the system immediately responded.

[A short-distance spatial transfer of your soul is about to take place.

Please be prepared.]

The small space with gray walls disappeared in an instant.

Sang Zhiyi felt only a flash of white before her eyes, and she was in a place that was pure white in all directions.

“Miss Sang!”

A female voice, both surprised and shy, sounded.

Sang Zhiyi turned her head and saw behind her a young girl in a floral print dress.

She had long black hair, a slender figure, was a bit shy and reserved, and her features closely resembled the face Sang Zhiyi had first seen of herself after transmigrating into the last world.

Without a doubt, this was Ren Xiaoqian.

The moment she saw Sang Zhiyi’s appearance clearly, Ren Xiaoqian was stunned, and then her eyes filled with awe.

“So beautiful…” Ren Xiaoqian murmured.

“I knew you must be very beautiful, but I didn’t expect you to be this beautiful…”

Both of them were now in their original appearances.

Sang Zhiyi’s features were incredibly delicate, every angle seeming like a perfect carving, both pure and charming, her visual impact even stronger than Ren Xiaoqian’s, who was already quite beautiful.

After speaking, Ren Xiaoqian seemed to feel that commenting on Sang Zhiyi’s appearance as soon as they met was very rude, and her face flushed slightly as she hurriedly tried to change the subject.

“Thank you so much!

I, I am very grateful!”

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t spoken to anyone in too long, and her emotions were a bit excited, her words came out incoherent.

“Many people have come to help me, but you are the only one who is so, so…”

As she spoke, Ren Xiaoqian herself realized that the way she was talking was very problematic, that she hadn’t clearly expressed what she meant.

Her already slightly flushed face turned completely red, and she became flustered.

“It’s okay, don’t rush,” Sang Zhiyi stepped forward, like an old friend, reaching out to gently pat Ren Xiaoqian’s shoulder, her voice warm and comforting.

“I can stay here for a long time.

Take your time speaking, I’ll listen to everything.”

“You really are so gentle,” Ren Xiaoqian whispered.

With Sang Zhiyi’s careful comfort, Ren Xiaoqian calmed down and slowly organized everything she wanted to say into sentences.

“I still remember the last scene before I died.

Those bastards made me beg for food on the outskirts of A City in the middle of winter, barely clothed, sick and freezing, dying in a bridge cave…”

“People have a moment of clarity before they die.

My feverish brain was finally not so confused, and I thought, if I die, I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt them!!!”

“So when the system came, I didn’t even listen to all the terms of the deal before agreeing immediately!

As long as it made those bastards pay, I would have been willing to go down to the eighteenth level of hell!”

“After that, I’ve been here, like watching a movie, seeing on the screen how many hosts transmigrated into my body and avenged me.”

Ren Xiaoqian pointed in a direction in this seemingly boundless white space.

Sang Zhiyi looked over, and indeed there was a very large screen there, but because it was transparent, and nothing was playing on it at the moment, it was hard to find without being pointed out.

“This place of mine seems to be what they call the ‘novice world,’ right?”

Ren Xiaoqian continued.

“As long as it spares me from being harmed to death, many ways of completing the mission are acceptable.”

“I’ve seen the simplest operation from one host.

She directly left A City to live elsewhere.

Those bastards couldn’t find me, and after more than a year, they gradually forgot about my existence.

In the end, she received a C-rank rating.”

Sang Zhiyi curved her eyes.

That was indeed a solution.

At the beginning, Ren Xiaoqian still had some belongings.

In a place as expensive as A City, they were negligible, but in other places with less extreme cost of living, they would be enough for a very good life.

“There were also quite a few hosts… who chose the route of winning over Lou Yanchen,” Ren Xiaoqian bit her lower lip, clearly not wanting to recall it.

“Most failed, but a few really made Lou Yanchen fall in love with them.”

Regarding Lou Yanchen, the root cause of her death, Ren Xiaoqian no longer had any of her former love.

Ren Xiaoqian truly didn’t understand.

“I don’t know what they were thinking…

He’s just a scumbag.

Why would any good girl go to such lengths to please him, even going so far as to seriously injure herself or put her life in danger?”

Sang Zhiyi looked at her.

Even when Ren Xiaoqian mentioned other hosts trying to win over the enemy she hated, the point that distressed her most was not that they were using her body to do these things, but that she felt it was not worth it for them.

This girl, as always, was soft and kind.

Sang Zhiyi could also understand very well.

A scumbag is a scumbag, even if he later regrets it beyond measure, does that erase the despicable things he did?

That was why Sang Zhiyi had treated Lou Yanchen like dirt from beginning to end.

“Quite a few people seem to like the route of winning people over,” Ren Xiaoqian said.

“They don’t necessarily have to go after Lou Yanchen.

Some also chose to go after Director Song Ying, or other wealthy and powerful men.

But Director Song Ying was very difficult to approach; none succeeded.”

At this, Ren Xiaoqian looked at Sang Zhiyi, her tone full of admiration.

“You are really amazing…

Before you, I didn’t know that Director Song Ying could become so easy to talk to.”

“Also, people like Teacher Zhu Qing, Best Actor Yu Zilin, and Mr. Zhongli Hanyu—quite a few hosts managed to get in touch with them, but no one could do what you did and earn such recognition and appreciation from all of them!”

“There were also quite a few hosts who counterattacked by relying on their own abilities, becoming popular actors, singers, and so on.

Many hosts had particularly strong talents, or took the initiative to find teachers to learn and improve.

Even without any external forces in the ‘novice world’ to use, relying only on themselves, many hosts were very successful.”

“But to reach the pinnacle of becoming a Grand Slam Best Actress, really, only you, Miss Sang!”

Ren Xiaoqian’s eyes shone with brilliant light, her emotions once again excited.

“I, I really never imagined that my own life could be so dazzling!”

“Grand Slam Best Actress, Chairman of New Star, renowned charity entrepreneur…

From you, I saw that I had so many possibilities!”

“I am sure I can’t be as amazing as you, but if I work hard, a little harder, maybe I can see different scenery and achieve new accomplishments!”

“Thank you!

I am very grateful!

Truly very grateful!”

Ren Xiaoqian, tears in her eyes, bowed earnestly to Sang Zhiyi.

“Before, when I watched them do missions, what I basically thought was, this approach makes me feel satisfied, this approach makes me feel resentful…”

“But watching you do missions, I felt that I no longer needed to spend day after day, year after year here watching others avenge me.”

“There are still so many things I can do.

Those bastards are all disgusting filth.

With the time I spend watching them, I might as well go embrace a new life sooner.”

“I think I must have been truly ‘purified.'”

At the end, Ren Xiaoqian’s voice choked several times.

Sang Zhiyi stayed quietly by Ren Xiaoqian’s side, drawing a little closer, occasionally gently holding Ren Xiaoqian’s hand, silently giving warmth and support.

After Ren Xiaoqian’s emotions gradually stabilized, Sang Zhiyi knew the time was right, so she softly asked some questions she wanted to know.

Ren Xiaoqian, of course, answered everything, telling Sang Zhiyi everything she knew in detail.

Thus Sang Zhiyi learned that when she first transmigrated into this world, her appearance was closer to Ren Xiaoqian’s, but over time, it became closer to Sang Zhiyi’s, eventually settling at a midpoint between Sang Zhiyi and Ren Xiaoqian.

“The other hosts don’t seem to have this situation…” Ren Xiaoqian frowned, trying hard to remember.

“They basically all looked exactly like me…”

“But I seem to remember hearing that if the host’s appearance differs too much from the original owner’s, it consumes more energy to maintain, and the burden on the host is also greater.”

Sang Zhiyi’s eyelids lowered slightly.

So…

She had already sensed the change in her appearance in the last world, but because the degree was subtle, and she and Ren Xiaoqian already shared similarities in appearance, and a person’s temperament greatly affects their appearance, and her temperament was vastly different from Ren Xiaoqian’s, Sang Zhiyi had only been somewhat puzzled, not sure.

Now that she had confirmation, Sang Zhiyi was momentarily speechless.

It didn’t need thinking; this was definitely System Sir’s doing.

Who else could have such permissions and ability, and would carefully lighten her burden from the very beginning, gradually to the point where it wouldn’t seem strange or abrupt to those around her, such silent, attentive, decisive, and meticulous care, if not System Sir?

Including what System Sir had mentioned, “The original owner’s heavy resentment might affect the host.”

Even though the resentment on the current Ren Xiaoqian had all been purified, Sang Zhiyi had no doubt that System Sir must have secretly taken protective measures for her, and if an accident really occurred, she would definitely be fine.

Sang Zhiyi closed her eyes.

System Sir…

After meeting Sang Zhiyi and saying what she wanted to say, Ren Xiaoqian looked a bit reluctant, but still took the initiative to say goodbye to Sang Zhiyi.

Finally, Ren Xiaoqian gave Sang Zhiyi a gift.

“Over the years, when other hosts did missions, they would feed back some energy to me.

I saved it up.

It should be what you call ‘mission points.'”

“I have no use for this thing, so I’ll give it all to you!

By the way, you also gave me a feedback of over two mission points, almost ten times more than the largest I’ve seen before, which was 0.3!”

A light ball appeared in the space between Ren Xiaoqian’s hands, and she handed it to Sang Zhiyi.

Then, Ren Xiaoqian smiled shyly at Sang Zhiyi, and her whole figure turned into a beam of light and disappeared.

The system’s voice sounded in Sang Zhiyi’s mind.

[You have received a gift of 18.2 mission points from Miss Ren Xiaoqian.

Would you like to deposit them into your balance?]

“Yes,” Sang Zhiyi said.

She wondered how long Ren Xiaoqian had saved to accumulate so much.

The system continued to prompt: [You can now rest and reorganize in the system space, or begin the next world mission.

What is your choice?]

“What level is the next world?”

Sang Zhiyi asked.

“Can I directly choose an advanced world?”

She still had the debt for the C-rank universal medication, and being able to pay it off sooner would be best.

Moreover, having experienced one novice world, Sang Zhiyi felt that both the efficiency of earning mission points and the progress in helping System Sir regain his memories and emotions were not great.

What an advanced world would be like, Sang Zhiyi did not know.

But she knew very well that high risk brings high reward.

It was worth a try.

The system said: [I am sorry, Miss Sang.

To best protect and nurture the vast majority of hosts, the first world after completing the novice mission is fixed as a low-level world.

Only after that can you choose an advanced world.]

The static paused for two seconds, then the system’s voice sounded again.

[However, you can raise the next world mission to intermediate difficulty.

The world’s difficulty will be temporarily increased, and you will need to achieve at least an A-rank mission rating; otherwise, you will be subject to a penalty of at least ten times the mission point deduction.]

[Temporarily increasing the difficulty will significantly increase the difficulty of the small world mission, making it more stringent than other missions of the same rank.]

[Your current mission point balance is 61.2.

The coefficient for the temporarily raised intermediate world mission points is 4.

If you fail, at least 80 mission points will be deducted.

At that time, your mission point balance will become negative, leading to a series of negative consequences.]

[In summary, raising the next world mission to intermediate difficulty is very risky.

I do not recommend you use this method.]

“Am I just fated to keep running into this ‘ten times’ number?”

Sang Zhiyi smiled.

“Last time, when I bought the universal medication on credit, it was also ten times the normal price.”

Sang Zhiyi’s gaze flickered.

“This time, it’s also using your permissions to allow me to raise the mission difficulty, isn’t it?”

What a familiar pattern.

The system’s answer was still very decisive and concise: [Yes.]

Sang Zhiyi: “…”

After a moment of silence, Sang Zhiyi spoke softly.

“Okay, then raise the difficulty.

Let’s start the next world mission.”

She accepted this goodwill.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile lingered on Sang Zhiyi’s lips.

It’s just an A-rank mission rating, isn’t it?

It’s not like she couldn’t do it.

***

Another flash of white light passed before her eyes.

When Sang Zhiyi could see her surroundings clearly again, the light was quite dim.

She was in a cramped, narrow rental room.

The curtains were drawn tightly, not letting in a single ray of light.

A sharp pain came from her left wrist.

Sang Zhiyi instinctively moved away the object in her right hand and then realized that she was holding a fruit knife in her right hand, about to cut her left artery.

Sang Zhiyi’s gaze sharpened.

The original owner was… committing suicide by cutting her wrist?!

Fortunately, the fruit knife had not actually cut down yet.

Only a few drops of blood from the superficial capillaries had appeared at the artery on her wrist; it was not serious.

Sang Zhiyi now understood what “temporarily increasing the world difficulty” meant.

The original owner had already been pushed to this point.

Compared to the critical moment of facing the scumbag’s rejection when she had transmigrated into the last world, this time the plot development was clearly much later.

That is to say, much of the tragic fate had already occurred, and the disadvantages she faced were much greater.

Moreover, she had transmigrated right at the moment the original owner had just started cutting her wrist.

If the host had a weaker psychological tolerance, had problems controlling her body, or had some careless accident, it could have led to very serious consequences.

After all, the fruit knife in her hand was really very sharp.

The information on the original plot of this world that System Sir had transmitted appeared in her mind, and the memories belonging to the original owner gradually awakened.

Sang Zhiyi meticulously organized this information while quickly cleaning up the small wound on her left wrist and safely putting away the fruit knife.

The original owner of this world was named Shi Qiongqiong, a university student.

At the beginning of her freshman year, Shi Qiongqiong met her boyfriend, Chen Junze, who was two years older than her.

Chen Junze attended university in the same city Z as Shi Qiongqiong.

He was an oil painting student, with exceptionally outstanding painting skills and talent.

The works he created were romantic and gorgeous, with a very unique style.

Shi Qiongqiong had been deeply attracted to the profession of painter since childhood.

The moment she saw Chen Junze’s paintings, she was deeply drawn.

Later, when she formally met Chen Junze, Shi Qiongqiong discovered that this boy who painted so well was also very handsome, with a unique artist’s temperament, and she became fascinated with him.

Soon, the two got together and started dating.

It was well known that studying art was very expensive.

Chen Junze’s family conditions were not good.

To study painting, his life was very tight.

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