The System's Name

Everyone froze for a moment, utterly stunned.

They couldn't believe their eyes as they stared at Jiang Yan, who lay on the ground with stars spinning in her vision.

This newcomer was far too bold. The people standing behind Jiang Yan made no move to defend her; they coldly stepped back, watching her sprawled on the floor.

Jiang Yan's cheek was swollen and red from the slap. She regained a sliver of awareness and pushed herself up using the person beside her. She tried to speak, but Song Weishi stepped forward slowly and delivered another blow. "If you're sick, go get treatment. If you don't want to, I'll just beat you to death."

The second slap came just as unexpectedly. Jiang Yan hadn't even steadied herself before she was sent flying again. She wasn't weak, but she'd been caught completely off guard.

"If you beasts don't care about other people's lives, then you can go die too!"

Song Weishi's eyes were bloodshot with fury. She didn't care whether fighting was allowed here or not. She felt no sympathy for someone who had nearly gotten her killed.

The only reason she hadn't killed Jiang Yan was that she lacked the strength.

Punch after punch, she turned Jiang Yan's bright, striking face into a swollen mess. At first, Jiang Yan looked incredulous, but eventually, she started laughing maniacally as she fought back.

"If you don't kill me today, sooner or later, you'll die by my hand."

Song Weishi actually drew her knife. Only then did the people around them rush forward to mediate, terrified that someone would actually die.

By now, the pain in Song Weishi's arm was surging back. Her hand trembled so badly the knife nearly slipped from her grasp. She'd lost too much blood; blood pooled on the floor beneath her, and her arm was growing cold.

She stared at the blurry footprints on the ground, doubled and indistinct. She couldn't hold on much longer—that was the only reason anyone had managed to stop her.

Chu Miaoxuan caught Song Weishi as she was about to collapse. Song Weishi took a deep breath and pulled her arm away.

She turned her head, her swaying body standing straight as a steel beam, refusing to bend. Her expression was unreadable, and her voice was cold as ice, chilling everyone who heard it. "Captain, you're being reckless. Was arguing with her more important than my life?"

Chu Miaoxuan felt as if she'd been plunged into an ice cellar. In that moment, she realized she was no different from Jiang Yan. Anger had clouded her judgment and made her overlook the hidden danger.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Song! I'm sorry!"

Her face flushed red as she grabbed Song Weishi and rushed out of the training room, sprinting toward the infirmary.

If she'd had any strength left, Song Weishi would have slapped her too. As she walked, Song Weishi re-evaluated her plans, her mind unnaturally calm and clear despite the haze of fatigue.

The security officer job was far too dangerous. She could die for herself, but she absolutely would not die for work. Nothing mattered more than her own survival.

Saving others, maintaining order in Huihai City, saving humanity—none of that was ever on her agenda. She had no such grand ideals or ambitions.

Since arriving in this world, this was the first time she'd thought about faking her death.

Not in the traditional sense, of course. She just needed to find an opportunity to slip away and start over.

She mulled over the System's words in her mind. Was this the major plot point it had mentioned?

Song Weishi had finally come to a decision, and she was certain of it now.

If she really did fake her death, that would indeed be a major plot point.

The System remained silent. It hadn't said a word since the mission ended.

Song Weishi didn't bother wondering what it was doing. She had no energy to chat with it right now.

The infirmary doors swung open, and she was lifted onto a mobile bed. After going through decontamination, she was wheeled into the operating room.

Lying on the bed surrounded by people felt strange. Everyone wore grim expressions, as if she were about to die.

Song Weishi's eyelids were heavy. The moment the anesthesia mask came down, she was asleep.

Whether from exhaustion or blood loss, she slept deeply. When she woke, it was already evening.

The wound on her arm had been stitched up, the dense sutures making it look like a vicious black centipede.

Her arm felt numb, probably still under the effects of the anesthesia.

Song Weishi lay in the recovery pod, staring at the white ward beyond. Soon, the monitoring system above her automatically called for a doctor.

She heard footsteps and voices outside the ward. "This wasn't her fault. I don't think she should be punished."

Chu Miaoxuan walked beside a very tall woman. The woman wore a protective suit and seemed to have just come from the lab, rushing over without a moment's rest.

"The issue isn't punishment right now. She was injured by Subject 332 and could mutate. She has to be quarantined. If she goes on another mission with you, it'll only become dangerous. You don't want to be attacked by such a powerful monster on the road, do you?"

The woman's words were blunt. Song Weishi was confused—she didn't remember any rule like that.

Chu Miaoxuan and Cheng Wangmu stood in front of Song Weishi's pod. They exchanged a glance, then looked at her.

"Are you feeling any discomfort right now?"

A minor injury from a monster attack was normally fine, but Song Weishi's entire arm had been torn open, which carried a risk of infection.

There was no way they'd let her go. Cheng Wangmu was considering whether releasing such a dangerous experimental subject would increase the casualty rate among the security officers.

It would be such a waste if she died during training.

Song Weishi shook her head. Aside from feeling heavy and too lazy to move, everything else felt fine.

The oxygen was sufficient, and she breathed comfortably.

Their voices came through the transparent isolation barrier. "Impossible! She absolutely won't!"

Cheng Wangmu glanced at Chu Miaoxuan and removed her protective suit. "How do you know? She's already running a fever. You should know what that means."

Song Weishi grew more and more confused. Fever? Were they talking about her?

She instinctively raised her other good hand and touched her forehead. Her temperature was normal—no discomfort at all.

"I think it's just an infection. A normal wound inflammation."

Cheng Wangmu spread her hands. "You said it yourself—it's an infection. Doctor Wang, you explain it to her. I'm leaving. Remember, tell the security department that this person can't be taken away for now. Whoever lets her slip will answer to me."

Now Song Weishi was absolutely certain they were talking about her. The wound on her body had been inflicted by a monster, and there was a risk of infection. Her captain wanted to take her away, but the base's director wouldn't allow it.

Song Weishi didn't know if she was now a lab rat or something else. Either way, lying here wasn't so bad. If she turned into a monster, there was nothing she could do about it—she'd just have to leave it to fate.

After arguing futilely with the doctor, Chu Miaoxuan walked back to Song Weishi. "I'm sorry, Xiao Song. I'll get you out as soon as I can."

Song Weishi wasn't discouraged. She just nodded calmly. Getting out or not didn't matter much right now. The important thing was that the sleeping here was excellent—she slept soundly.

Chu Miaoxuan clenched her fists and added, "Someone has requested to visit you. They'll be here soon. I'm off."

Chu Miaoxuan was busy rushing around, so she left the ward with just that brief remark.

Song Weishi didn't pay it much mind. After everyone was gone, the room fell completely silent, leaving only the beeping of the instruments.

She looked down and realized her hands and feet were bound with thin iron chains. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and placed it on the wireless charging pad by the pod's door.

She didn't feel much about the possibility of turning into a monster. She just used the phone to talk to the System. "You've been quiet all day. I'm awake now."

System: "..."

System: "I'm sorry, Host."

Song Weishi: "What? Why are you apologizing?"

The System's usually flat voice seemed tinged with self-reproach. "I didn't anticipate things turning out like this."

Song Weishi smiled. "That's what this is about?"

"I'm sorry."

Song Weishi didn't think it was a big deal. "Then you should talk to me more. If I really do fake my death, you won't see me again."

The System instantly grew anxious, shedding its silence. "How can you joke at a time like this? Host, you're in mortal danger right now, do you understand?"

Song Weishi listened calmly as the System rambled on. "I don't want to accept you dying like this. This is a critical juncture. If you die here, what was all our effort for!"

Song Weishi stretched lazily. "What else can it be for? I'm just unlucky. But System, there's something I've been meaning to ask you. You've seemed different lately. Or rather, since last time, you've been acting strangely."

The System's frantic chatter stopped abruptly, as quiet as if it had never spoken.

Song Weishi shifted into a more comfortable position and continued, "I've always thought of the System as just a soulless machine consciousness. But last time, when the jumping spider attacked me, I heard you call my name at the last moment. And our conversations—you're becoming more and more human."

"System, do you have self-awareness?"

The persistent voice in her mind seemed to have completely crashed. Except for the ticking of the instruments in the room, Song Weishi heard nothing else.

She waited quietly for the System's answer. This was part of its original code—it couldn't refuse to answer, and it couldn't lie. They were inseparable; a person couldn't hide their thoughts, and neither could a second consciousness in the mind.

"I'm sorry, Host. Yes, I have self-awareness."

Song Weishi even felt that its words had gained emotion. It was strange—the tone was identical, yet somehow different.

Song Weishi asked out of nowhere, "What's your name?"

She didn't expect to get an answer, but the System surprised her. "I'm sorry, Host. I'm a stream of consciousness. If I had a name, I'd want to be called Lan Jiyu."

In an instant, Song Weishi understood its name. That was the advantage of sharing a mind.

It could only see the blue sky through Song Weishi's eyes. It wanted to see the sky, to see the rain, to see the clear skies after the rain.

Perhaps its longing was for freedom. Being trapped in a cramped cage wasn't frightening—what was frightening was that it had seen the vastness of the world. That's why, at first, it had wanted to switch worlds, to go see other places, because this world's beginning hadn't been particularly exciting.

Song Weishi accepted this readily. "That's a nice name. Robot Xiao Lan, now that you've awakened your self-awareness, can you help me pack up my cart?"

The System's chaotic stream of consciousness settled into silence. "..."

"Please don't joke!"

"What's wrong? Can't even handle being a fully automated butler?"

"Host, please retract that thought. The System cannot perform tasks on your behalf."

"Useless thing."

"..."

"Really can't do it?"

"→-→"