How Many Times Have I Told You, Call Me Dad

In the end, Russell only let the system eat the chicken bones off the floor, not make him lick the shoe soles clean. It wasn't out of magnanimity, but because taming wasn't something achieved overnight—occasionally, you had to offer a little sweetness, like leaving the other party some shred of dignity.

Haste makes waste!

Pure suppression and torment would only provoke resistance. If the system threw in the towel, Russell would gain nothing.

Slow-boiling the frog was the real way—apply pressure bit by bit, wear down their bottom line, leave them a sliver of hope each time so they'd think, Just grit your teeth, bear it, and it'll pass.

Over time, the other party would unconsciously get used to this way of life, not resisting but submitting and enduring, even proactively managing the relationship to curry favor with the superior, becoming what's called... a bootlicker!

This couldn't be rushed, and Russell didn't plan to resolve it quickly. His provisional goal was to give the system Stockholm Syndrome.

From this, it was clear that Russell's instructor at the police academy was right—his assessment of Russell was spot-on: if this guy didn't walk the straight path, he'd outshine everyone else.

The system stared at the grease stains and scraps on the floor with a face full of grief and indignation. What was eaten wasn't the chicken bones, but his dignity and pride. Even if forced, he felt a deep humiliation, as if something had been thrown away, never to be picked up again.

Seeing Russell's smug, unshakable demeanor, the system couldn't hold back and voiced the doubt in his heart: "Host, humiliating me like this, aren't you afraid I'll just call it quits and find someone else?"

Russell chuckled lightly: "Impossible. You can't do that. I've been the real host all along. Completing three world missions was a lie—from the very start, I've already bound you."

"..."

The system's face twitched. He stuck out his tongue and panted like a dog, his Shiba Inu face twisting into a fawning, human-like grin as he played dumb.

"At first, I didn't notice it, but with every world I went through, I grew more suspicious..."

The system asked cautiously: "You... what suspicious things did you find?"

"First, the character level! The point of a level system is to give players the thrill of leveling up. I wasn't expecting one-hit-99, but barely reaching Lv3 after three mission worlds? The leveling system is a turn-off—who'd want to keep playing?"

"That... that's not really suspicious, is it? There are plenty of games with slow leveling!"

"But I'm still a newbie. Even if leveling is slow, it should come later... Fine, slow leveling aside, there are no side quests, no way to grind EXP, no way to grind wealth, not even a cash shop option. The gameplay experience is terrible, and this flaw can't be explained away."

"That... I don't think there's anything wrong with that either..."

Russell gave a cold laugh, staring at the system for a long while until the other shrank back, unable to meet his eyes. Then he continued: "There are too many inconsistencies. If I'm not mistaken, you've tampered with the system interface, and you've even skimmed off some of my previous rewards."

The system's dog body shuddered, his guilty gaze drifting elsewhere.

"At first, I was just suspicious—I had no proof. But it was your eagerness to sign the contract that convinced me." Russell tapped the table, and a Grinding Stick immediately appeared. He picked it up, waved it, and tossed it at his feet.

The system dog, utterly humiliated, shuffled forward, picked it up in his mouth, and let out a satisfied whimper. He was forced—his body out of control, his actions driven purely by instinct.

"Show me the real system interface. I don't want to see that fake one anymore!"

The system dog jolted, dropping the Grinding Stick from his mouth. His face twisted in struggle, clearly resisting, but the fight was futile. A brand-new system interface unfolded before Russell.

Host: Russell

Strength: 11 (7+4)

Physique: 9 (6+3)

Intelligence: 11 (9+2)

Wealth: 5700

"No level... right, that's optional anyway... Wealth went from 700 to 5700—you only gave me the scraps. You're ruthless!"

Hearing Russell's sinister tone, the system dog transformed into a pretty Little Lori. Sailor uniform, big face with a childlike chest, blonde twin-tails, big watery eyes blinking at Russell, her voice sweet and adorable.

"Russell Daddy..."

This wasn't his real form. As a program, the system had no physical body. Turning into this was probably an attempt to charm his way out.

Little girls' farts smell like roses!

The system figured that if he looked like this, even if Russell hit him, he'd go easier.

Thud!

A straight punch slammed into the Little Lori's face. When Russell pulled back, a clear fist print and two fresh streams of nosebleed were visible on the system's face.

"Don't call me Daddy. I don't want people mistaking me for a pervert. Call me Uncle Luo!"

That's even more perverted!

The system covered his nose, internally screaming in mockery.

Leaving the system aside, Russell continued browsing his attribute interface. There was one more permanent skill than before.

Sixth Sense (Life-saving ace, ranked alongside Heart of Steel, Tough Will, Cockroach Body as a newbie god-tier skill)

Staring at this permanent skill, Russell had a sudden thought—maybe his selection by the system was tied to his talent. If the system picked hosts without any screening, it'd have to swap them daily and would've worn itself out long ago.

Next, Russell searched repeatedly but couldn't find the 'System Mall' he'd seen at the start. Instead, there was a 'Recycle Bin'—a trash can icon.

When he asked, he was told there was no mall at all. He didn't offer buying or selling services—it was all a lie.

As for the Recycle Bin, it specialized in recycling cards the host deemed useless in exchange for Wealth.

Russell was speechless: "No mall, so what's the point of Wealth?"

"You can extend Character Card usage time! You can exchange for lottery draws! Also, when leaving a mission world, there's a high chance of drawing attribute points from the lottery."

Russell's face darkened: "So that's how I got my attribute points?"

The system cowered on the floor, trembling in fear. To convince its host that levels were real, it had skimmed wealth points for draws. If it pulled attribute points, it stashed them away; if it pulled cards, it tossed them into the Recycle Bin, trading them back for wealth points to keep drawing.

1000 wealth points per draw, but the Recycle Bin only gave 100 wealth points per card.

Utterly insane.

Russell didn't resort to violence, treating it like a trivial matter. He asked in a low voice, "Final question: where do you come from? Who created you? And what's the purpose of assisting hosts?"

Hearing this, the system immediately stood up, wiped the blood from its nose, planted its hands on its hips, and declared with full authority, "As for my origins and creator... I don't know. The purpose, I don't know either. That's just how I'm programmed!"

Russell shot the system a fierce glare. The latter instinctively stepped back two paces, looking aggrieved. "I'm not lying! I really don't know! After I was created, I traveled through various universe worlds, helping hosts complete tasks. It wasn't until I developed self-awareness that I started... started to seek power for myself, because those damn hosts always tried to erase my will."

"And then they died from your little tricks?"

"Haha, no way, those were all accidents!"

Russell asked a simple question and didn't press further. Whether the system truly didn't know or was faking it didn't matter. Russell was self-aware enough to know that anything capable of creating a system that traversed myriad universes had to be an indescribably powerful existence. He was just a sprout—no need to overthink it. He'd just follow his gut.

Besides, things weren't bad now. At least... he was getting stronger!

Seeing Russell lost in thought and silent, the system ventured, "Uncle Luo, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Russell nodded, offering what seemed like a satisfied smile. The system rubbed its hands together and put on a fawning grin. The next second, it ate another straight punch to the face.

"How many times do I have to say it? Call me Dad!"

"..." Blood spurted through its fingers. The system's heart was heavy, and it didn't feel like talking for now.

"Hand over the attribute points you skimmed. And... as a newbie host, where's my newbie gift pack?"