A spark flared in the darkness, licking at the tobacco, and a man's weary voice sounded in the shabby room.
"So, you're a... system?"
"Mm."
On the phone lying on the table, a stream of blue-glowing data scrolled up and down. Endless ones and zeros crowded together, filling the entire screen with no end in sight.
The man fell silent, then scoffed.
"What the hell? Don't systems in novels go straight into people's heads? What's going on with you?"
The system fell silent too. Only after a long while did it say, "I'm not that advanced."
"Okay, so am I bound to you now?"
"I think... yes."
"What do you want me to do?"
The system fell silent again.
It said nothing, and neither did the man. With these two tight-lipped companions, silence spread throughout the room.
The system spoke up. "What's your name?"
"Xie De. You? What should I call you?"
A string of gibberish appeared on the phone screen.
"@*1455**-/-+/+*521463."
"Huh?" Xie De made a puzzled sound.
The system said, "That's me. I don't have a name, or even a code name. You can call me Gibberish."
Xie De glanced at the screen. "I'll just call you 455. Are you a proper system?"
"No. I'm... a discarded system."
Xie De promptly flopped onto the couch, smoking as he said, "And here I thought I'd finally caught a lucky break. Turns out you're a good-for-nothing? What can you do for me?"
Despite being called a good-for-nothing, the system remained emotionally stable and calmly replied, "I am indeed a good-for-nothing, but you're hardly any better, dear host. You're cannon fodder whose name never even appeared."
His eyebrow rose, and the cheap cigarette dropped to the floor. He picked up the phone and brought it closer. "You're saying I'm cannon fodder?"
"Yes."
The system's data flickered, and a passage appeared on the phone screen.
[The warehouse door opened, and a shifty-looking man walked in. A look of terror immediately appeared on his face. Wei Yanchi stood before him, smiling. The knife in his hand flashed, blood sprayed, and the man died with his eyes wide open.]
This time, Xie De couldn't sit still. His eyes widened. "What the hell? You're saying that shifty-looking man is me?"
The system answered honestly, "Yes, my dear host. You're a character in a book, and Wei Yanchi is its protagonist. You died as soon as you appeared, without even getting a name."
Unable to help himself, Xie De stood up and went into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror, utterly baffled. "Wait, do I look shifty?"
The system told the truth. "Although the wording took some creative liberties, you really aren't good-looking, host."
Xie De was speechless. "That's bullshit."
The system didn't let up, its tongue as sharp as ever. "Short and stubby, buzz cut, plain features, and no concern for your appearance. You smoke and drink, and you're already twenty-seven. Host, you're that slightly greasy, undernourished guy who's achieved nothing and is kind of ugly."
"Shut up, shut up! Stop talking!"
Stung, Xie De nearly lost his composure. "So what? Are you here to save me? What's your mission?"
The data scrolling across the phone paused. The system hesitated, then said uncertainly, "...Win over the protagonist?"
"Are you kidding me?"
The system also felt that wasn't quite appropriate, so it hesitantly suggested, "Then... change the fates of those unfortunate people?"
"Don't tell me you actually don't have a mission at all."
The system grew embarrassed.
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. I'm a discarded system abandoned by the Supreme God. I don't even know what I can still do."
All right, now it was Xie De's turn to be vicious.
"So you're completely useless? And you can only show up on a phone? You can't even get inside someone's head. How useless can you be?"
The system was stung and retorted coldly, "You're just cannon fodder. What more could you possibly want, you loser?"
Xie De clicked his tongue and gave up. "All right, all right. Let's stop hurting each other. I can just treat you as an AI that only knows how to chat."
"Uh, I'm actually not that useless."
"Then what can you do?"
The system racked its brains. "This is a book, and I know the broad outline of the plot. We can use that to reach the pinnacle of life!"
Xie De's eyes lit up. "I knew systems were cheats! What kind of book is this?"
"An infinite-instance horror survival novel..."
Infinite instances...
Xie De flopped back onto the couch. Entering an instance was out of the question. Not in this lifetime.
"I'm scared of ghosts. Even if you tell me the plot, I'll still be too terrified to move."
The system snapped, "Are you really content to be a loser?!"
"So what if I am?"
The system was surprisingly ambitious. It declared fiercely, "You might be, but I'm not! I don't want other systems looking down on me! I'm going to help you clear instances and become a big shot! Besides, if you got a line or two in the book, that means an instance has already selected you! You can't escape."
"What?!"
The system continued its revelations. "This book is an infinite-instance horror survival novel. Its protagonist, Wei Yanchi, is a boss among the instance inhabitants and a lunatic among the players. He kills without blinking and eats people without seasoning. Once you enter an instance, if you face him, you're guaranteed to die."
"And it's not just the protagonist. The villain, Wei Yunmo, is a brilliant researcher who's completely deranged. If you run into him, you'll become his lab rat! Then he'll rip out your tongue and gouge out your eyes, and you'll die horribly..."
Xie De hurriedly raised a timid hand. "Stop. I'll listen to you."
"Good. Let's work out our first step."
Xie De propped up his chin. "Are you going to train me to be braver, or teach me survival techniques? Do you have those functions?"
That question once again pierced the system's sensitive heart.
"No."
"...I knew it. So what's your first step?"
The system fell silent for a long time. "I can push you to exercise and work on looking better."
...Xie De's silence was deafening.
"Completely useless. I still have to do everything myself."
"That's not true! I can, I can change the color of your hair! And make you ten centimeters taller!"
"Anything else?"
"...No."
"One-time use?"
"Yes, but the effect is permanent."
Xie De figured he shouldn't be too hard on a little discarded system. Growing ten centimeters taller wasn't bad. He was 177.6 centimeters tall, so another ten would make him 187.6. Rounded up, that was 188!
Then he heard the little system add, "I can also give you electric shocks to keep you motivated."
"...Gee, thanks."
"You're welcome. Our task is urgent. In three months, you'll be dragged inside, so we have to completely transform your appearance during that time."
Xie De rolled his eyes, speechless.
"Little system, I never would've guessed you were so obsessed with looks. We're going into infinite-instance horror survival! What the hell does appearance have to do with it? Are the ghosts going to spare you just because you're pretty?"
The system said solemnly, "Strictly speaking, yes. I don't know about reality, but this is a novel. Often, a person's bearing and appearance affect other people's judgment. Dear host, if you possessed unparalleled, breathtaking beauty, no one would believe you were cannon fodder."
"...But I don't."
"Correct, which is why I plan to work on your bearing. You can grow your hair out, then let me turn it silver-white."
Xie De wore a complicated expression. He held back for a while before finally speaking. "I never would've guessed you had a thing for white hair, either. But don't you think silver-white hair would make someone stand out? Isn't keeping a low profile what matters in an instance?"
The data on the phone swirled sheepishly.
"But it's really pretty, and it's one of the few skills I can still use."
Xie De said in anguish, "You looks-obsessed freak!"
The system replied matter-of-factly, "Living beings naturally love beautiful things."
At this point, Xie De clearly hadn't realized how serious the situation was. He was still joking and fooling around.
Before you continue