The New System and the “Revenge” Plan

“Beep.”

“Beep.”

“Beep.”

What was that sound?

Shi Ji’s scattered consciousness slowly began to return. He half-opened his eyes, his smoky-black pupils rotating sluggishly.

Pain.

His entire body felt as if it had been run over by a car several times. He stared blankly at the blindingly white color before him, his chaotic thoughts finally managing to grasp a single question.

Am I dead?

He wanted to turn his head to look around, but his neck felt as if it were held in a vice, completely immobile. Shi Ji tried to curl a finger, but the slightest movement of his numb joints sent a jolt of sharp pain through him.

Shi Ji couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air. His brain felt heavy and muddled, leaving only that slow, rhythmic sound in his ears.

“Beep.”

“Beep.”

“Beep.”

He parted his lips, but his dry throat couldn’t produce the slightest sound.

Is this heaven? Shi Ji thought instinctively.

After all, the System had already begun collecting his life force; he felt there was no reason for him to still be alive. Fragmented memories could only be pieced together slowly. Shi Ji didn’t know if the prolonged oxygen deprivation had damaged his brain, because whenever he tried to recall what happened, his head would throb violently.

How miserable. To die of suffocation. And maybe with an added electric shock for good measure.

Shi Ji lay there half-dead, debating how to redefine his own passing.

Just as he was struggling with his phrasing, he suddenly heard another voice.

[Host! This System guarantees on its very honor—this System is really not a liar! And definitely not a monster!]

That familiar electronic, mechanical tone drifted over. Shi Ji instinctively shuddered, but then he noticed something off.

This voice sounded much more vivid than the original one. Mainly, Shi Ji had never heard his own System cry so expressively.

“You’re invisible and untouchable, yet you can talk to me. If you’re not a monster, what are you?!”

That voice belonged to Li Chen.

Shi Ji’s already tense emotions spiked. Had Li Chen… also died like him? What about the two male leads? What about the original plot?

Shi Ji struggled to turn his head. He opened his eyes and saw Li Chen, dressed in blue-and-white hospital scrubs, sitting on a hospital bed. The youth had a piece of gauze taped to his forehead and was talking to thin air.

Shi Ji snapped his eyes shut again.

I must be dreaming. Even in death, Li Chen looked far too good.

The blinding fluorescent light spilled over his thin eyelids, but even then, it couldn’t block out the glare; through his lids, Shi Ji saw a faint wash of red.

[Aiyah! I’ve told you! This System is a System! Gold Finger System No. 0373! As long as you want something, I can make it happen!]

[And, I even helped save you and…]

The electronic voice paused abruptly for a few seconds. Then, Shi Ji heard a scream.

[AHHH—!!! Why did you make me save the vicious cannon fodder!!]

Vicious cannon fodder? Me?

Shi Ji thought about it. His role in this book was indeed the vicious cannon fodder.

“What vicious cannon fodder? Speak clearly!” Li Chen was clearly losing his patience.

0373 cleared its throat pretentiously and began to explain.

[To put it simply, this world is actually a novel. And you, Li Chen, are the most important character. Before you met me, you would have suffered all kinds of hardships. My appearance is to help you take revenge. However, in the plot, you will also meet two very important main characters, and eventually, the three of you will walk toward a harmonious and beautiful grand finale.]

[The most detestable vicious cannon fodder in this book is the man lying right next to you! He tormented you, humiliated you, and even wanted to kill you! So, Host, please work with me and take proper revenge on him!]

This familiar scene and familiar dialogue instantly reminded Shi Ji of when he had first transmigrated.

Something was wrong. This 0373 System… it was Li Chen’s System?!!!

Shi Ji instinctively gripped the bedsheets beneath him. Alarm bells rang in his mind. He didn’t even have time to wonder why he could hear the conversation between Li Chen and his System.

I’m dead! I’m so dead!

He recalled that in the original text, this Gold Finger System’s buffs were almost entirely maxed out. In short: if Li Chen could think it, the System could do it. Combined with the “all-loving” protagonist attribute, Li Chen practically owned the world in the original story. No wonder the original host had lost so miserably.

Shi Ji swallowed nervously.

Maybe I should take this chance to make a run for it.

While Shi Ji was busy planning his escape, Li Chen’s volume suddenly rose: “He’s not!”

The System was stunned.

[Uh, let me rephrase. Doesn’t he bully you often?] 0373 asked cautiously.

Li Chen thought for a moment and nodded.

[Doesn’t he always say mean things?]

Li Chen bit his lip and nodded.

[Doesn’t he always drag you into miserable situations?]

Li Chen went silent, but eventually, he nodded.

0373 breathed a sigh of relief: [Then he truly lives up to the title of ‘vicious cannon fodder.’]

“He’s not!!” Li Chen insisted stubbornly, contradicting the System.

0373: “…” Shi Ji: “…”

Shi Ji, who was eavesdropping, was amused. Wait, kid. What exactly are you doubting?

System 0373 was silent for a while. Then it continued: [Let’s set that aside for now. Your current task is to take revenge on everyone who bullied you, and then join hands with Male Lead 1 and Male Lead 2 for a perfect ending!]

Li Chen lowered his lashes and thought for a while before asking, “Who are Male Lead 1 and Male Lead 2?”

These awkward terms felt unnatural coming from his mouth.

[You’ve already met them!] The System’s voice sounded quite cheerful. [They are Jiang Mo and Ji Shichu.]

[Let 0373 have a look… your affection level with them is… ZERO PERCENT????!]

Li Chen’s face remained cold. He knew Jiang Mo, but who was this Ji Shichu?

[Host! How can your affection with the male leads be zero?!]

Not only was 0373 collapsing, but the “sleeping” Shi Ji beside them was even more distraught.

I worked so hard for so long… and you’re telling me the protagonist’s affection levels didn’t move an inch?!

He was tired. Let the world burn.

“Jiang Mo and I are just friends,” Li Chen replied flatly. “And that Ji Shichu… I don’t know him.”

Shi Ji felt like the System was about to cough up blood because of Li Chen. He heard 0373’s trembling mechanical voice: [Fine. Let’s set the romance aside too. For now, our main task is: Revenge on the Vicious Cannon Fodder!]

[The first target for revenge is the one lying next to you, the most cruel character in the entire book—Shi Ji!]

[However, before I bound with you, I detected another system on Shi Ji. But its power isn’t as strong as mine, so you don’t need to be afraid.]

Li Chen caught the key point immediately.

“System? You’re saying he has a system too? Just like you?” His tone grew excited as he questioned the air repeatedly.

Shi Ji instantly became nervous.

[Yes, but I’ve forced that system offline. Once it comes back online, you can drive it away yourself.]

Li Chen didn’t say anything. Shi Ji kept his eyes closed, wondering what Li Chen was thinking. Maybe having Li Chen get rid of the system was a good thing; he would be free, no longer forced to maintain a persona or complete tasks.

But if the system disappeared, how would he get back to the real world? He didn’t belong here; he didn’t want to spend his whole life in this book.

He peeked through his eyelids to see Li Chen’s expression, only to see him staring blankly at a fruit basket on the table. In the next second, the apple on the very top of the basket vanished and instantly appeared in his hand.

Shi Ji silently closed his eyes again. He couldn’t take it anymore.

Magic. Didn’t they say magic was forbidden in the Muggle world?!

It seemed Li Chen’s System was indeed much more powerful than his own; items had never just flown into his hand.

Run. I have to run. Tonight! Shi Ji felt a cold sweat on his brow.

Seeing Li Chen’s lack of response, 0373 asked: [Host, what is our first step?]

Li Chen’s lashes fluttered. He turned to look at the “unconscious” Shi Ji. The man’s eyes were tightly shut, his profile was elegant, and his long, curled lashes cast shadows over his eyelids.

The youth’s lips moved as if to speak, but the System interrupted: [Host! I am high-tech; I can connect directly to your neural network. You can communicate with me without speaking.]

Li Chen ignored it, staring fixedly at the sleeping Shi Ji before muttering: “Make him wake up first.”

0373: ? Shi Ji: ?

[This is a Revenge System! Not a first-aid system!] 0373 despaired again. [The System Bureau didn’t tell me this mission would be so difficult!]

Li Chen glanced coldly at the empty space beside him. “You can’t even do that? Then what use are you?”

His calm tone was filled with mockery.

[Who said I couldn’t do it!] 0373 yelled.

Immediately, Shi Ji felt his entire body wrapped in a surge of warmth. It wasn’t blood flowing through his veins, but an indescribable warm current. It felt incredibly comfortable; his aching bones seemed to normalize instantly, and his throbbing brain cleared up. Many lost memories flooded back like a tide.

Even though it only lasted half a minute, Shi Ji felt as though he had been reborn. The lightness made him want to spring out of bed and jump around, but the thought of Li Chen watching him made him suppress the urge.

“Why isn’t he awake yet?” Li Chen asked with a frown.

0373 let out a mechanical snort: [Because he’s faking it.]

Dammit. Shi Ji’s fist tightened. His little game had been exposed.

Li Chen was silent for a few seconds before getting out of bed. Shi Ji heard the rustle of movement, and then his nose was lightly brushed twice.

Li Chen’s scent lingered around him as the youth’s warmth drew closer. Shi Ji’s spine stiffened reflexively.

Li Chen leaned over Shi Ji, his misty-blue eyes staring intently at the man’s closed eyes. He liked lowering his head to nuzzle against Shi Ji’s nose; this intimate posture let him feel the other’s shallow breathing and gave him the illusion that this person belonged to him alone.

This feeling of fulfillment gave Li Chen a brief moment of satisfaction.

Only 0373 was still screaming in his ear: [Hurry, Host! While the vicious cannon fodder is still asleep! Take your revenge now!]

Li Chen pursed his lips. He really should take revenge on Shi Ji. He was supposed to be the victim, so why was Shi Ji’s injury worse than his?

He looked down at Shi Ji’s hand resting outside the covers. He reached out and lightly tapped the man’s cool fingertips. The fingers twitched instinctively, only to be grabbed and held firmly in Li Chen’s palm.

Li Chen leaned down, his lips brushing against Shi Ji’s cheek for a fleeting second. Then he quickly pulled away, his ear tips tinged with a faint red. He whispered softly:

“I’m glad you’re still here.”

“Brother.”