Ever since the day he was struck on the head by a meteor while on duty and blacked out, Fang Wen had felt as though there were a voice inside his head.
"Captain Zhu Yuan, I really think that in my current condition, it's hard for me to keep working in the Special Operations Unit."
"It feels like every day now, I'm fighting inner demons."
As he spoke, Fang Wen forced his gaze away from the deadly pair resting on top of the desk.
Fortunately, Senior Qingyi was out on patrol. Otherwise, a tiny movement like that would probably have become another one of her favorite topics for teasing the two of them.
To be fair, when it came to observation skills, Senior Qingyi was leagues above Zhu Yuan.
But who says being dense is necessarily a flaw?
At the very least, Fang Wen quite enjoyed being able to see Zhu Yuan every day while she remained blissfully unaware of certain things.
That was why he had to gather a truly extraordinary amount of resolve before saying what he was about to say to her.
"So… I want to resign. Take some time to calm down."
"No!"
"I refuse!"
Zhu Yuan unconsciously pursed her lips into a faint pout.
It was rare, but she was genuinely a little angry.
To everyone in the Special Operations Unit, Zhu Yuan was an impeccable superior. She cared deeply about her subordinates, never shoved her own work onto others, and often even gave away her vacation days to them while staying at the precinct herself to work overtime.
What kind of saintly boss from a new era was this? If Fang Wen had met someone like her in his previous life, he never would have chosen, in utter despair, to drag that inhuman bastard of a boss down with him into reincarnation in another world.
In any case, he had been reincarnated.
As for that old bastard?
Fang Wen sincerely wished he had been reborn straight into a Hollow, so at least he wouldn't be wasting oxygen.
Still, specific problems required specific analysis. Zhu Yuan being wonderful was beyond dispute, but Fang Wen really did have his reasons this time.
"Can I ask why?"
"Fang Wen, maybe other people don't know your situation, but we were classmates for four years and teammates for two. Do you really think I wouldn't understand?"
"Hm?"
"Your parents disappeared during the fall of the Old Capital. You've been living alone ever since. And just a few days ago, while on duty, you even developed that serious… 'aphasia'?" Zhu Yuan furrowed her cute brows and thought for a few seconds.
"Never mind that. As your superior and… friend, my instincts are telling me that at a time like this, I absolutely cannot leave you alone." Zhu Yuan bit her lower lip lightly and fixed her eyes on Fang Wen's handsome face.
Huh. The way she said it, it almost sounded like she was afraid he'd do what he did in his last life and go get himself reincarnated into another world again.
Was that right? It felt… not quite right.
He just wanted some time to clear his head and figure out the voice that kept popping up in his mind from time to time.
"Zhu Yuan, you've misunderstood."
"Maybe. But I'm not letting go."
"Then… what do you suggest?" Fang Wen sighed and tossed the question back to her.
Most people, when confronted with a problem that demanded a concrete answer, would instinctively choose to dodge it.
That was just human nature. After all, no one liked trouble.
But apparently, he had underestimated Zhu Yuan's determination.
"Then… if there's really no other way…"
"If there's really no other way?"
"You can come stay at my place."
"I go stay at your place… what?"
???
Hold on. This development was definitely not right.
…
Late at night.
It just so happened to be a full moon, the kind of night meant for family reunions.
Unfortunately, of the two people lying in the bed, one was so devoted to work that she had no time to go home, while the other no longer had a home to return to.
Thinking back on the conversation from earlier that morning, and breathing in the faint scent of lavender drifting into his nose while listening to the soft, delicate sound of breathing by his ear, Fang Wen felt as though he were dreaming.
The kind of dream that came with an R-18 label.
Every story he had ever read with a setup like this—
Moving into the home of your beautiful superior!
—always ended with—
…something.
Fang Wen had a feeling he wasn't going to be sleeping tonight.
But why was Zhu Yuan able to fall asleep within a minute, looking completely unaffected?
Could it be that in her eyes, he didn't even count as a man?
He shook his head, trying to throw those distracting thoughts out of his mind.
Unfortunately, Zhu Yuan's scent was everywhere, mercilessly shattering his self-control.
Left with no choice, Fang Wen began reviewing his current situation.
The truth was, the inner demon he had mentioned did exist. And it wasn't just referring to Zhu Yuan's lethal curves. Ever since being hit by that meteorite, there really had been a voice in his head. Or rather, he could vaguely see things other people couldn't.
For example, when he had first woken up, there had been a pale blue panel floating in front of him. But after asking everyone around him, he discovered that nobody else could see it. Because of that, he was diagnosed with a new kind of illness—"aphasia."
Though now that he thought about it, aside from Senior Qingyi, it seemed Zhu Yuan had also been there when the diagnosis came out.
Calming down and thinking it through carefully, Fang Wen realized that whatever strange new condition he had might not be entirely without risk of contagion. Even if his case was nearly impossible to replicate, no matter how he thought about it, a bizarre illness even doctors couldn't explain shouldn't have allowed him to continue serving on the front lines in a unit that was deployed at any moment.
Right. In a normal situation, shouldn't the higher-ups have directly told him to leave, given him some severance, and called it a day?
How could they act like nothing had happened?
Which meant… Zhu Yuan must have suppressed the matter for him.
Honestly, once he realized that, Fang Wen suddenly felt that maybe this apocalyptic world wasn't all that terrible after all.
Only now, he owed Zhu Yuan more than just a single favor.
How was he supposed to repay that?
Ugh. What a headache.
At first, he hadn't even known how to make that damned blue panel disappear, and had embarrassed himself twice because of it. But by now, he could summon and dismiss it freely.
He called to it softly in his mind, and the blue panel reappeared before his eyes.
[So now you're finally willing to acknowledge my existence?]
A line of text surfaced on the panel.
Heh. Given the situation, whether he believed it or not, he had no choice now.
In fact, that had been the real reason for his attempt to resign that afternoon.
If he accepted this thing, then sooner or later, he would probably reveal something abnormal in front of other people.
And if the wrong person noticed, it was entirely possible he'd be dissected on the spot.
Sure, New Eridu was still a society ruled by law, but the memories of the Old Capital's fall were enough to keep reminding him that no matter how much New Eridu resembled the old modern world from before he transmigrated, it couldn't change the fact that the entire world was living through a Hollow apocalypse.
Every day, countless people died in this vast disaster.
As one tiny individual in the apocalypse, he did not want to die.
He still hadn't uncovered the truth behind his parents' disappearance.
Having lived two lifetimes, he had finally experienced what family felt like—only to lose it again without warning.
It was like a blind man regaining his sight, only to be plunged back into darkness by accident.
The pain of having something and then losing it was far more intense than never having had it at all.
And if he wanted to uncover the truth and protect himself, he desperately needed to grow stronger.
Damn it. He had grown too complacent after spending so much time around Zhu Yuan.
Fang Wen gave himself a severe mental scolding for how lazy he had become since joining the force.
Fortunately, it still wasn't too late.
[Host, you're overthinking things. As you've already seen, the panel cannot be seen by anyone except you, because it exists only within your consciousness.]
[When the host checks the panel, time in the outside world can flow however the host wishes.]
[At the same time, the panel can also distort others' perception of the host, filling in any unreasonable details in ways they can understand.]
Dragged back to the present by the panel's explanation, Fang Wen thought over what it meant.
It sounded exactly like the kind of cheat ability you'd find in web novels, but then again, this was a two-dimensional world. Nothing here was too strange.
Though to be honest, the real world was even stranger.
"So my worries were unnecessary?"
[Yes.]
"Then what exactly can you do?"
[My full name is the 'Save the World' System… (small print: Romance Edition).]
Naturally, Fang Wen ignored the tiny line of text that was smaller than an ant.
"So… why are you called that?"
[Because the host's purpose is to save the world.]
No. I just want to find out the truth behind my mother's disappearance.
Saving the world could be left to other ambitious, noble-minded people.
[And fall in love while doing it.]
"You'd better explain."
[Long-winded explanation omitted.]
"Stop, stop, enough. Let me summarize. If I complete missions, I get so-called system rewards?"
[More or less. As long as you complete the missions issued by the system, you will receive rewards.]
[Rewards usually include related characters' skills, money from this world, affection points from certain characters, and so on.]
He more or less understood now. As for the specific details, he'd figure those out after completing a mission.
Fang Wen rubbed his chin. Zhu Yuan had refused to let him resign, but in exchange, she had given him two months of paid medical leave in one go.
She was even suspected of having given him a large chunk of the vacation time she had saved up herself.
Damn it. If this kept up, he really was going to have to repay her with his body.
Breathing in Zhu Yuan's scent, Fang Wen turned over and looked at the sleeping figure of his friend.
Now that the system had appeared, it had stirred up something he had buried in his heart for a long time.
The fall of the Old Capital ten years ago.
That incident was far too distant now, and the forces tangled up in it ran too deep. With his current status and strength, he might never be able to touch the truth in this lifetime.
But maybe now that he had the system, maybe there was finally a chance.
Fang Wen quietly steeled his resolve.
Still, now that Zhu Yuan had given him this leave…
Maybe he could afford to be a little bolder.
At that moment, Zhu Yuan just happened to turn over. Her arm crossed over the boundary Fang Wen had set between them—a teddy bear pillow placed upright in the middle of the bed.
Her fingertips hovered above Fang Wen's handsome face, the breeze from their movement carrying with it Zhu Yuan's unique fragrance.
Staring fixedly at those slender jade-like fingers now so close to him, Fang Wen slowly let out a breath.
Good thing she didn't touch me—
Though even if she had, it wouldn't exactly have been his loss.
"Don't go…"
Zhu Yuan suddenly withdrew her hand and clutched the "boundary line" tightly to her chest.
The force of it made Fang Wen tense up. It looked like enough strength to crush two of his ribs.
At that moment, soft moonlight slipped through the gap in the curtains stirred by the breeze, reflecting a faint shimmer of tears on the pale face half-veiled by her long hair.
Wait… was Zhu Yuan… crying?
Staring at her face, Fang Wen froze.
So even the strong Zhu Yuan had a fragile side like this?
What kind of dream was she having?
Only then did he realize that he had never truly taken the time to understand this friend of his.
Seeing the pain etched into her expression, Fang Wen unconsciously reached out.
Quietly crossing the dividing line, he gently patted her on the back.
The exposed skin beneath the backless nightwear felt smooth and cool to the touch—surprisingly pleasant.
The thought came to him for no particular reason.
As he watched the tight furrow in her brows gradually relax, Fang Wen suddenly felt his own eyelids growing unbearably heavy.
Good night, Zhu Yuan.
-------
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