The System Was Back

Time passed much faster than Lin Mo had expected.

It seemed that in the blink of an eye, the day he came of age had arrived.

Of course, Vought's researchers wouldn't celebrate his birthday for him. They didn't even know when Lin Mo had been born.

The system had sent him to this world as an infant, and even he couldn't determine the exact date of his birth.

As for how he knew he had come of age now, that was thanks to an unexpected surprise.

A surprise he had waited eighteen whole years for.

It happened that night, at around midnight.

Lin Mo and Joanna had finished their activities together early and returned to their own rooms.

By his reckoning, Joanna was also about to come of age.

Vought's training schedule for her had recently come to resemble the standards for public appearances more and more. Image consultants, media advisors, and the Hero Management Department were constantly coming and going at the Research Center, and documents about the new leader of The Super Seven had begun appearing in executive meetings.

If everything went according to Vought's plans, it wouldn't be long before Joanna joined The Super Seven as Homelander and became its leader in both name and practice.

That would also mark the start of Vought International's true period of rapid expansion. By then, some of the familiar superheroes from the original story would begin joining The Seven one after another, such as Queen Maeve and A-Train.

Lin Mo was lying in bed, thinking about what to do next.

Joanna could now control her powers with relative consistency, and she had developed a certain degree of judgment, too.

Perhaps he should get out and explore this world. He'd been here for almost eighteen years and was nearly bored out of his mind.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a voice suddenly rang out in his mind without warning.

[ Ding! ]

The crisp, mechanical notification made Lin Mo's eyes fly open.

His whole body stiffened on the bed. It took a full three seconds for him to confirm that he hadn't misheard.

That sound...

The system, silent for eighteen whole years, had actually reappeared.

If it hadn't suddenly made a peep tonight, Lin Mo would have all but decided that this so-called system would remain crashed forever, never responding again until he died of old age.

Then the cold mechanical voice rang out again.

[ Host has entered adulthood. ]

[ Basic system requirements have been met. ]

[ Dimensional Shuttle System officially online. ]

[ System functions loading... ]

[ Loading complete. ]

[ Hello, Host. ]

The last traces of sleepiness in Lin Mo's mind vanished instantly.

Dimensional Shuttle System.

That was the name of his system. He'd read plenty of novels on Tomato in his previous life, so he knew the type well. Even systems came in different tiers: some ridiculously powerful ones let their hosts check in on the spot and become emperors, then step on their own left foot with their right and ascend to immortality. They were so overpowered it was absurd.

The meaning behind the name of his system didn't sound as straightforwardly invincible as something like a Check-In-to-Godhood System, but it far surpassed any mere ability-enhancement system.

It meant that he might no longer be confined to this world.

Lin Mo sat up at once.

Before he could sort out his thoughts, the system notification continued in his mind.

[ System functions are as follows: ]

[ The Host can obtain system energy by influencing the current world. ]

Lin Mo couldn't help frowning slightly.

"Influencing it?"

That definition was far too vague.

Would changing someone's choice count as influencing the world?

Would disrupting Vought's plans count?

Or-would destroying the world count as a major influence, too?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the system seemed to sense his question.

[ Yes. ]

Lin Mo's expression froze.

The system continued explaining.

[ "Influence," as defined by the system, includes but is not limited to changing the fates of existing characters, interfering with major plot points, disrupting the established trajectory of the world, and killing important characters. ]

[ The greater the degree of deviation caused in the world, the more system energy will be obtained. ]

Lin Mo stared at the virtual panel gradually appearing in his mind and didn't speak for a moment.

Wait.

He'd just thrown out an extreme example.

It really was possible?

Destroying the world counted as one way to obtain energy?

As expected of the standard-issue system for an otherworldly demon. I like it.

This system's way of judging value seemed even more crude and simple than Vought's.

Suppressing the corners of his mouth as they curled upward, Lin Mo lowered his gaze.

Lines of text slowly appeared across the translucent virtual panel.

[ Host: Lin Mo ]

[ Age: Eighteen ]

[ Current World: "The Boys" ]

[ World Influence: Calculating ]

[ System Energy: Pending settlement ]

[ Completed Influential Events: Detecting... ]

At the last line, Lin Mo's eyes shifted slightly.

Detecting the influential events he'd already completed?

In other words, although the system had only officially come online today, it would calculate the changes he had caused over the past eighteen years.

And without a doubt, the greatest influence he'd had on this world was Joanna.

The original violent infant Homelander no longer existed.

In her place was Joanna, whose sex, personality, upbringing, and emotional attachments were all completely different.

Soldier Boy's fate might also have shifted because of his presence, and Vought's plan to raise superheroes had changed direction at its very core.

If all of that could be counted by the system as influence on the world, then he should be able to obtain a considerable amount of energy on the very first day the system came online.

Just as Lin Mo was thinking this, the text on the panel suddenly began to flicker.

[ Detection complete. ]

[ The Host has caused multiple major influences on the current world. ]

[ Conducting first energy settlement... ]

[ Detected a severe deviation in the fate trajectory of a core character. ]

[ The current worldline has diverged irreversibly from the original plot. ]

As Lin Mo watched the notifications appear one after another, the surprise on his face gradually turned into a strange expression.

Irreversible divergence.

That was within his expectations. From the moment he decided to change Joanna's upbringing, this world could no longer follow the original plot.

What really concerned him was something else.

How much energy did dimensional travel require?

Could he bring other people with him?

And could he travel back and forth between different worlds? How did time pass during the journey?

And most importantly, could he still go home...

No matter what, though, this could only benefit him.

Just as he was about to check the system's functions, the mechanical notification rang out again.

[ First settlement complete. ]

[ Detected that the Host changed the plot trajectory of an important original character: Homelander. ]

[ Congratulations, Host. You have obtained 1,800 energy points. ]

Lin Mo watched the energy figure in the center of the panel rise. After a moment of silence, his gaze gradually grew serious.

Perhaps he could change his plans.

Before Lin Mo could think about what to do next, the system's voice continued in his mind.

[ The Host can obtain a fixed 50 energy points per day. ]

He could earn energy points every day, too? Before he'd even gotten an answer to his first question, another one followed right on its heels.

Lin Mo was full of questions. He involuntarily sat up in bed and asked the system in his mind,

"What do you mean, I get energy every day?"

[ Host, the influence caused by changing the plot can be divided into two types. ]