VBNWDW - Chapter 148
Chapter 148
When she opened her eyes, she was surrounded by a darkness devoid of any light, as if all things had been consumed. Even if she made a sound, it could not travel.
The memories that had been temporarily sealed away rushed into her brain like a tidal wave.
Before she could even process the questions of who she was and where she was, habits accumulated over the years had already kicked in.
She raised a hand and pushed open the cabin door that had been sealed for a long time, then sat up.
The next second, a familiar yet strange electronic voice sounded.
"Respected Lord 001, your punishment has now ended…"
"Wait," she said, her voice extremely hoarse. She raised a hand to her forehead and repeated, "Punishment?"
"Yes, my lord."
She rubbed her temples, still unable to absorb all her memories at once. Yet, she still remembered the lingering warmth of a touch. If this was a punishment, then countless people would be scrambling to be punished.
The electronic voice waited patiently. This was a common occurrence here; it just had to wait for the Host to fully accept their memories.
But as time passed, 001's brow did not smooth out. Instead, she looked around.
This was a void that stood above all planes. What appeared to be an azure barrier was, upon closer inspection, the projection of thousands upon thousands of worlds.
In the center stood a four-dimensional, transparent monument. The rankings and points on it were constantly changing, the fluctuations more obvious further down. Only the top few names rarely moved, especially 001 at the very peak, who was completely welded in place.
Surrounding the transparent monument were tens of thousands of biological pods. Most were sealed, containing Hosts who were out on missions, as well as people like her who had violated the rules and been cast into various planes to act as villains.
She paused, finally finding the answer that had eluded her.
This was the Plane Maintenance Organization of the multiverse. She and all these others were Plane Executors selected by the System. They had to transmigrate into every world to play corresponding roles, maintaining the stability of the planes and ensuring events unfolded according to their original trajectories.
And she…
001 looked up at the transparent monument that towered like a skyscraper. She was the number one Executor here. Every mission she had undertaken before had been absolutely perfect, to the point that her execution videos were used as teaching materials for newcomers to watch and study repeatedly.
But during her last mission, she had made a grave error. She saved the target character's idealized love, who was not supposed to survive. This had severely impacted the target's life trajectory, nearly causing the mission to fail and leading to planar instability.
Therefore, she was punished by the System: half of her points were deducted, her memories were erased, and she was made into a great villain with a tragic background, destined to suffer countless hardships before ultimately turning to darkness and destroying the world.
001 let out a heavy, turbid breath. Before she could think further, she heard gasps from her surroundings.
She subconsciously followed everyone's gaze. The points of the person who had been in second place suddenly plummeted, and their name dropped continuously, only managing to stop around the halfway mark.
The people nearby began to whisper among themselves.
In the end, the Executors here had two choices.
One was to spend an enormous amount of points to become the overseer of a plane—what some worlds called the Heavenly Dao. This would grant them complete freedom from the System's control. They would monitor and manage their own plane, perhaps offering some conveniences to Executors who transmigrated there. As long as the plane didn't collapse, the System wouldn't bother them.
The second was to continue shuttling between different planes, carrying out missions until they were mentally and physically exhausted, at which point they could choose to become a plane overseer.
Most Executors chose the former, but a few remained, occupying the top ranks on the transparent monument. This was especially true for the top ten, whose accumulated points were in the hundreds of millions. Barring any major incidents, their positions were extremely difficult to change.
"What happened?"
Someone spoke in surprise. "Can someone in that position also make such a huge mistake?"
"Why not? Didn't that one also make a huge mistake…" The person who replied seemed to remember something and glanced discreetly in 001's direction, immediately falling silent.
The person next to them lowered their voice. "But not as severe as this one. They only have a tenth of their points left, right? The System's punishment is really harsh this time."
Another person lamented, "That was enough to exchange for a large-scale plane to retire in."
Everyone nodded in agreement, their faces contorted with shared pain. They couldn't imagine how long it would take them to earn that many points.
While that group was deep in conversation, this side seemed particularly deserted. One person stood alone in silence, head tilted up, staring at the name that had fallen to the middle of the ranks.
Luo Yueqing…
Before this, she wasn't familiar with this person. She could only vaguely recall that she was an exceptionally talented Executor who had reached second place on the leaderboard in just a few hundred years. As for anything else, she couldn't remember.
The side effects of traversing worlds so many times were particularly severe for her. Complicated memories were tangled together; she had even forgotten her own name, remembering only the number 001.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess, impossible to sort through. She could only guess that the other person's mistake was related to her.
"Respected Lord 001, your punishment has ended. You may now go and rest," the System's voice interjected at the right moment.
She gave a stiff nod. Placing her hands on either side of the biological pod, she pushed herself out with a slight effort. A special device inside had prevented the numbness and soreness from long-term inactivity, so she landed lightly on her feet and walked straight ahead.
Leaving that space, she saw an area that looked like an ordinary mortal realm, with blue skies, white clouds, and a stream-filled valley. Houses of various styles stood among the trees. These were all things that could be exchanged for points; in this space, points could buy anything.
A moment later, the lights in a modern bathroom flickered on. Clothes fell to the floor, and hot water gushed out, instantly filling the space with white steam.
She tilted her head back, letting the trickling water slide over her face and body.
She possessed an exceptionally beautiful appearance. Her porcelain-white skin complemented her pale, grayish-blue eyes, and the contours of her features were so exquisite they could have been framed for admiration. Though enveloped in hot water, she still exuded an extreme coldness, a layer of detachment covering her entire being.
The hot water slid down her slender shoulders and neck, flowed over soft curves, and continued down to her well-defined waist and abdomen before winding around her pale ankles. Her toes, flushed red from the heat, unconsciously curled back.
The water on the floor began to pool, gradually rising.
After an unknown amount of time, she finally turned off the water and walked out.
Casually grabbing a bath towel to wrap around herself, she finally spoke. "System."
"Respected Lord 001, I am here," her personally bound System replied.
"I need all of Luo Yueqing's files."
"One thousand points." The mechanical System didn't ask questions, only stated the price.
"Done."
"Transaction successful. The files have been fully transferred to the terminal. Please review, Host."
With a thought, an azure screen of light appeared before her. Aside from personal information, it contained records of every parallel world Luo Yueqing had entered over the years.
"A preference for transmigrating as the target character's short-lived, idealized love…"
Her pale, grayish-blue eyes reflected the line of text.
Executors could choose their own transmigration missions. She, for example, often chose roles like the grand tutor who assisted the emperor, the doctor who cared for the CEO, or the whetstone for the main character—consciously avoiding the emotional entanglements she was worst at.
Was Luo Yueqing very good at this sort of thing?
She tugged at the corner of her mouth and directly opened the file for the last world.
It really was her.
There was a knock on the door. No response came from within, but the door opened automatically.
001 frowned. The moment she stepped inside, she saw a woman dressed only in a silk nightgown, curled up on a plush sofa.
Seeing her visitor, the woman showed no surprise. Her posture remained languid, and a careless smile played on her lips.
"Luo Yueqing," she called out in a low voice.
The other person tilted her head, her tone flirtatious. "Then what should I call you?"
She had a stunningly beautiful and bewitching appearance, with deep-set features, like an Ecuadorian Red Wine Rose blooming wantonly and aggressively. Her beauty was direct and flamboyant, just like in her memories.
"Xi Zhoulu?" She deliberately enunciated the name, her tone rising at the end, turning the short phrase into a winding melody.
"Metis?" She suddenly laughed, her eyes reflecting the other's image.
"Zhong Jinyan?"
"Or perhaps, Lord 001?" Luo Yueqing's tone shifted, suddenly becoming very polite. "Why would a great figure like you suddenly visit a nobody like me?"
The other person didn't answer, walking straight up to her before speaking. "Was it you?"
"What are you talking about, my lord?" Luo Yueqing tilted her head. Though she said this, her tone didn't sound like someone who knew nothing.
"Why did you do it?" she asked, as if to herself, her gaze fixed on the other person. She continued, "That was the punishment I was supposed to receive."
According to the original plot, she should have suffered through endless hardships and died, not experienced what felt like a series of beautiful, illusory dreams.
Luo Yueqing laughed lazily. "I just felt like it."
The other was not satisfied with her answer and said again, "The person I saved was you?"
One of them was sitting, the other standing. The one standing was clearly looking down from a superior position, yet she was the one on the defensive, gradually losing control of the situation.
"Since you already have the answer in your heart, my lord, why do you still need to ask?" Luo Yueqing remained flippant, acting as if she didn't care about anything. But her hand, hanging by her side, had unknowingly tightened its grip on the blanket.
She paid no mind to the other's attitude and spoke again. "Shouldn't you blame me?"
"That mission was also to become the target's short-lived, idealized love, wasn't it? I stopped the people who were trying to kill you and kept you in that world for several more decades. Don't you resent me for it?" She seemed somewhat confused, a look of bewilderment on her face.
After all, to her, completing the mission was the most important thing.
Luo Yueqing raised an eyebrow and uttered a cryptic sentence. "Didn't you also raise me in that world for decades, my lord? You nearly failed the mission."
In that parallel world, 001 was meant to be the indispensable minister who helped the emperor ascend the throne and create a golden age. She, on the other hand, was the short-lived, idealized love who would spur the emperor to rise up in rebellion, someone he would think of whenever he faced difficulties, becoming his spiritual pillar.
But 001 had stopped her assassins and protected her, nearly causing the emperor to give up on his rebellion. It took a huge detour before he found the will to rebel again.
Afterward, she refused to marry the emperor, so 001 took her in as a disciple, trying every means to obstruct the emperor's attempts to get close. It nearly caused a rift between the two of them. Fortunately, the female lead appeared later, allowing the emperor's heart to slowly move on.
But in that world, they were only master and disciple. Under the guise of being her master, she had kept her in her manor for decades.
She had once told Luo Yueqing that if there was a young man she fancied, she should just say the word, and she, as her master, would go and arrange the marriage. But Luo Yueqing had only smiled without a word.
She had also said that if she still loved His Majesty, she would have him make her the empress. But Luo Yueqing still did not answer.
She could only sigh and say, "If you are unwilling, then I, your master, will take care of you for a lifetime."
Only then did Luo Yueqing hug her tightly, exclaiming that her teacher was the best.
"Do you like me?" 001 asked suddenly.
Luo Yueqing was finally stunned. Before she could speak, she saw the other person kneel before her on one knee, bringing their eyes level.
She asked again, "Do you like me?"
"When did it start? Was it from the first world, or even earlier?" She was like a child desperate for an answer, her pale, grayish-blue eyes fixed on the other person.
But Luo Yueqing refused to answer. She turned her head, trying to look away, but her hand was caught in the next second.
She continued, "I'm going to apply to the System for marriage in a moment. Will you agree?"
Luo Yueqing's eyes widened, and she stammered in shock, "Wh-what are you saying?!"
But the other person finally smiled. "You've worked so hard for so long. It's my turn to make an effort, isn't it?"
"Luo Yueqing, I like you too. It might not have been as early as you, but from now on, it will surely be more," she promised.
The person who had been so calm and composed just a moment ago was now completely red-faced, muttering, "Don't be so narcissistic…"
But the other had already leaned in and kissed her on the lips.
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