Get out of here.
Liang Shi had a headache. She made a mistake and was mocked by an AI as a "romance killer"?
No, she doesn't admit it.
But the system did something even more despicable.
A few seconds later, the system's mechanical voice sounded again: [Since the host indicated that the task was not fully completed, the reward has been changed to 200,000 yuan, distributed according to the actual progress. The reward will be sent to the host's account within ten minutes. Please check your account.]
Liang Shi: "?"
System: [Honesty is a virtue praised by all mankind; we hope the host will continue to uphold it.]
Liang Shi: "..."
"So you'll reward me for my honesty?" Liang Shi asked with a hint of despair.
The system replied confidently: "No, but we will praise you. Host, you're amazing! This is the first time I've seen such an honest host; it's truly touching! Thank you for considering the Resentment Management Bureau's financial situation; all the staff will be grateful to you."
Liang Shi: "..."
She felt that the host's words were equivalent to: This is the first time I've seen someone as stupid as you. You actually think about other people's income and expenses, but forget that you are still a poor person.
Liang Shi sighed, filled with regret, and had no desire to talk to the system again.
System: [Oh no! The host has started to dislike me, but I still want to continue serving you. *sobs*]
Liang Shi: "..."
This system is as talkative as ever.
System: [What did I do wrong this time? I just wanted to talk to you a little more. After all, you've been completing your tasks quickly and well, and you'll soon reach 100 luck points. While I'm happy for you, I'm also feeling a little sad.]
Liang Shi couldn't hold back any longer and said coldly, "Get to the point."
system:【……】
[Ding dong! Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden mission's bonus task: Help Xu Qingzhu reunite with her parents! The bonus task reward is 500,000 yuan, which will be deposited into your account within ten minutes. Please check your account!]
[Little Tong is really green with envy! Host's 3S-level lucky constitution can really turn you into a lazy bum, winning without even trying. I'd like to interview the host: is being a lucky lazy bum happy?]
Liang Shi: "..."
She was indeed happy, but she didn't say it.
The reward for this task was practically free, and I received the full reward amount.
Liang Shi asked impatiently, "Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to sleep."
system:【……】
[As expected, is Little Tong destined to be disliked? But Little Tong really wants to chat with the host a little longer. As a representative of excellent hosts, what would you like to say?]
Liang Shi: "?"
Thank you, system?
That's impossible.
Liang Shi replied coldly, "I have nothing to say."
System: [...Okay, I'm going to be so sad tonight I won't be able to sleep, sob sob sob.]
Liang Shi: "That's enough, there's no need to be so pretentious."
System: [Hmph! You have absolutely no idea about other people's little pleasures. I really don't know how you managed to progress the mission so quickly.]
Liang Shi: "..."
Just as Liang Shi was about to force an exit, the familiar mechanical voice became serious.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, your luck stat has reached 90, unlocking two side quests.]
Side Quest 1 (Rank C): Prepare a romantic candlelight dinner for Xu Qingzhu. It's said that a candlelight dinner can enhance a couple's relationship. Add a bottle of fine red wine and elegant cello or piano accompaniment, and you're sure to have a truly romantic evening. The reward for this quest is 20,000 RMB, valid for three days.
Side Quest 2 (S-Rank): Spend 24 hours inseparable from Xu Qingzhu. There are so many things you can do when you're inseparable! It will definitely bring you closer physically, creating a deeper emotional connection. This side quest contains two key trigger points: A. Watch a horror movie or go on an escape room adventure with Xu Qingzhu. Love is more likely to blossom in a dark and scary environment. Facing attacks from NPCs can create natural and effective physical contact—a heart-pounding opportunity for the host. B. Put Xu Qingzhu to sleep. Whether singing or telling stories, it will drastically increase her affection for you. No one can resist a lover who tells them bedtime stories.
[Side quest 2 is only considered complete if both key points A and B are triggered. The reward is 200,000 yuan, and the quest is valid for one week.]
[All side quests released this time can be abandoned within 24 hours before the quest ends. Abandoning will not deduct Luck Points, nor will it accumulate Bad Luck Points (whispering: we are currently still within the Bad Luck Points' lower limit). If you do not choose to abandon, it will be considered that you are confident in completing the quest. If the quest expires, 1 and 5 Luck Points will be deducted respectively. Please take this seriously and strive to complete the quest.]
[PS: Two side quests will be added based on the host's requirements. The host can choose to accept them. Once accepted, they must be completed. Failure to complete them will result in a deduction of 10 Luck Points. Please choose carefully.]
[P.S.: The Luck Points deducted for overdue tasks and incomplete side quests do not stack; only the highest deduction will be applied. Hopefully, you won't let your hard-earned Luck Points slip away.]
[The above task announcements have concluded. A friendly reminder: after reaching 80 luck points, the announcements will be presented in ten tiers, increasing the difficulty of accumulating luck points. Please complete your luck point accumulation as soon as possible.]
[Ring ring! The host's current luck value is 96 and bad luck value is 0. However, because the host used illegal means to gain the favorability of the target, 6 luck values are deducted and 10 bad luck values are added. After the settlement, the host's current luck value is 90 and bad luck value is 0.]
[PS: The illegal method mentioned here is gaining trust by mentioning another world to the target of your pursuit. Well done, don't do it again.]
[P.S.: The system is an unspeakable entity. Even after the system disappears, the host will still be unable to mention anything related to the system to anyone. The Resentment Management Bureau is an entity that cannot be known to the public; we exist outside the universe.]
[P.S.: To reach a luck value of 100, a key event must be triggered. Please use your clever mind.]
Liang Shi: "..."
To be honest, the sudden massive output from the system made her head spin a bit, especially since she was already a little sleepy.
However, I roughly know what it's talking about.
Having lived peacefully with this system for so long, she's probably able to extract the important information from its nonsense.
I just don't know what this "critical event" the system is talking about is, or what conditions need to be met to trigger it.
but……
"If my body comes here and I tell Xu Qingzhu what happened over there, will there be any problems?" Liang Shi asked.
System: [None.]
You can speak as long as you don't mention the system's existence.
After saying this, the system added quietly: "As long as you're not afraid of being caught and subjected to autopsy by a state secret agency."
Liang Shi: "?"
Was it just her imagination?
She felt that the AI was threatening her.
System: [How could that be? I was just worried about my own safety, I had no intention of threatening you at all. *winks*]
Liang Shi was too lazy to listen to her laborious attempts to imitate humans. After a pause, he asked, "If my body also came into this world, what would happen to this body? Would it be destroyed?"
The system is silent.
Liang Shi continued, "If you erase all traces of my existence in that world, what about the original owner? Will she have to stay in the interstellar prison forever?"
System: [After your body arrives in this world, your current body will be returned to another Liang Shi. If her danger level decreases, the system will release her from prison based on the test results and randomly select a world for her to continue living in.]
Liang Shi hesitated, "I've been to this world before, so which body do I actually belong to? Did we switch places, or is it simply that I've been here before?"
After asking the question, Liang then inquired, "Can you tell me?"
system:【……】
After a long silence, the system replied: "From birth, you've used your own body. But fundamentally, your bodies are no different. You are two people from parallel universes, simply living in different environments with different thoughts. Your DNA is the same. In other words, once your body arrives here, none of the detection instruments will detect that you've been replaced. We need to ensure your safety."
Liang Shi: "?"
She was even more surprised, "Our parents are different, so why is our DNA exactly the same?"
System: [This may change under specific circumstances.]
The system tonight was like an angel, answering every question imaginable.
Liang Shi pondered its words, "In other words, even if I bring my body here, my DNA will become the same as hers before, and if she brings her current body back to my original world, then her DNA will be the same as mine."
System: [Theoretically speaking, that's correct.]
Liang Shi: "..."
After a moment, Liang Shi asked, "Is there really no other way for her to use my body to return to the other world?"
She asked the question cautiously, with a hint of hesitation.
System: [...Tell me, what are your reasons for insisting on this?]
Liang Shi let out a soft breath. "If I originally belonged to this world, and our lives before the age of eight were swapped, then she must be Liang Shi from another world. I remember my grandmother once told me that she wished my parents could see me like this, which means that my personality has changed drastically. In other words, the grandparents who have been with me all this time should have been her grandparents. Because I became her, I have received a lot of love, while she has suffered a lot because she became me."
“There’s no reason for me to go back to where I was before, and for her to be locked up in prison,” Liang Shi said. “If anyone’s going to be locked up, shouldn’t I be locked up too? I also stole her life and her love.”
system:【……】
A long and terrifying silence.
After a moment of silence, Liang Shi said in a deep voice again, "I know it's dangerous for me to persuade you to release a 3S-level criminal, and it's put you in a difficult position, but I hope to find a solution, as if I'm giving back her life."
Most importantly, it's about repaying my grandparents for their kindness.
Chapter 87
What followed was an even longer silence than before; the system seemed unsure how to answer Liang Shi's question.
After a long time, so long that Liang Shi thought the system would be forcibly shut down and thus avoid the matter.
The eerie mechanical voice sounded again: [Sorry, host, because you were the first person to mention this, I just urgently went to discuss it with the leadership.]
For some reason, Liang Shi breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, there's room for negotiation, which means there's hope.
"And what was the result of the discussion?" Liang Shi asked.
System: [Since your swap with the original owner was a subjective accident, we are currently correcting past mistakes. The Management Bureau considers that the original owner's growth into their current form was significantly hampered by objective environmental interference. Therefore, if the host wishes, you can integrate the interference encountered during the original owner's growth process. The Management Bureau will use this as an important basis for its judgment in applying for a retrial for the original owner. This evidence will also serve as an important reference in the Interstellar Court's retrial judgment, at which time the Bureau will consider mitigating the original owner's punishment accordingly.]
[PS: Host, please note that if you choose to accept this task, its duration will become indefinite. This means the system will accompany you throughout your growth until the task is completed.]
[P.S.: This is an optional mission with no rewards or penalties. Once accepted, it cannot be abandoned until death.]
[A friendly reminder from Xiaotong: Even if you obtain sufficient evidence, it will only serve as grounds for sentence reduction, not as a key factor in releasing the original owner. If the original owner wishes to leave the interstellar prison, she must pass an interstellar labor reform and a danger level test conducted by monitoring equipment. If the interstellar court determines her danger level to be mild, and she reaches an S level, she can be released.]
[Most importantly, host, you don't need to do so much for her! (Many things aren't useful just because you do them.)]