Chapter 3: Discovering the Situation

There happened to be a male doctor on the train carriage.

He rushed over, examined Shen Mengyao, and found that except for the convulsions and unfocused eyes, everything else was normal.

But the male doctor knew that with her condition, there was bound to be a problem; something must be wrong. “We need to use instruments to find out the cause,” he said.

Liu Xiaolong was extremely anxious. “The next station is half an hour away. We can’t just wait. Comrade, please help me take care of Comrade Shen. I’m going to find someone.”

With that, Liu Xiaolong left.

He dashed towards the broadcast room at an incredible speed.

He didn’t know which carriage Xiao Ye was in, so he could only try to find him through the broadcast.

“Comrade, comrade, someone in carriage ten is unwell. I want to find her husband. Could I borrow your broadcast system?”

Illness was a serious matter.

Without a word, the staff member yielded the broadcast booth to Liu Xiaolong.

“Comrade Xiao Ye, your wife is unwell. Please come to carriage ten immediately. Comrade Xiao Ye, your wife is unwell. If you hear this broadcast, please come to carriage ten immediately…”

Liu Xiaolong repeated the announcement several times before exiting the tiny, one-square-meter broadcast booth. “Thank you, comrade.”

The staff member waved his hand. “You’re welcome.”

Xiao Ye, who was interrogating a criminal in carriage nine, heard the broadcast and his face changed drastically, as if struck by lightning.

He punched the criminal in the face. “If anything happens to my wife, I won’t let you off.”

After delivering the punch, Xiao Ye rushed towards carriage ten.

The criminal winced in pain. “What does her condition have to do with me?”

Lu Zhiyuan, who was nearby, spoke up. “You’re holding her hostage.”

Remembering Shen Mengyao’s fierce punches, the criminal became even angrier. “I didn’t hurt her at all, but she beat me black and blue. Is that fair?”

Lu Zhiyuan scoffed. “What fairness is there to discuss with a murderer?”

The criminal stamped his foot in anger. “I’m not a murderer! I only killed those who deserved to die. If I hadn’t killed her, more people would have died at her hands!”

Lu Zhiyuan dropped another bombshell. “You’re involved with spies.”

The criminal was dumbfounded. He was a child raised by an old revolutionary. How could he possibly be connected to spies? This soldier must be framing him. “Bullshit! I’ve never had anything to do with spies in my life! Don’t wrongly accuse me!”

Lu Zhiyuan mentioned a name.

The criminal was struck speechless, staring blankly at Lu Zhiyuan. “He’s a spy? Are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”

Lu Zhiyuan scanned the criminal before continuing the interrogation.

…

Carriage ten.

A buzzing sound echoed in Shen Mengyao’s mind, as her body convulsed.

[Buzz…buzz…30%, 40%…80%, 100%. System upgrade complete. Host, I am Xiaobai, your system administrator. Do you wish to bind? After binding, you only need to complete system-assigned tasks to obtain unlimited resources.]

Shen Mengyao vehemently resisted this feeling of being suppressed. She grabbed the virtual pet dog in her mind and beat it.

[I told you not to shock me! I told you not to suppress me!]

Xiaobai, though not feeling pain, feared being destroyed.

[Host, please stop! You’ll shatter me!]

After venting her anger, Shen Mengyao stopped the beating and wiped her nose with her thumb.

[What good is this broken system? Xiaohēi (Little Black), let me tell you, if this system is useless, I won’t bind it.]

Xiaobai corrected her.

[Host, my name isn’t Xiaohēi, it’s Xiaobái (Little White).]

Shen Mengyao looked at the pitch-black virtual dog.

[You’re as black as a pig, and you dare call yourself Xiaobái?]

Xiaohēi hung its head in resignation.

[Then Xiaohēi it is. Host, will you bind now? The system’s tasks are mostly about developing mechanical weapons, etc. If you don’t understand, you can learn here; there’s plenty of material and videos for you to study. There’s a reward for each completed task.]

Shen Mengyao chuckled in disbelief. A literature major being asked to research mechanical weapons? This was a death sentence!

[Don’t you screen your hosts?]

[Host, you were personally selected by the main system. It said you have a good memory, strong hands-on ability, and are patriotic. After binding, you’re sure to shine in this era.]

Shen Mengyao didn’t immediately bind.

[You mean there’s a reward only after completing a weapon?]

Xiaohēi didn’t understand why Shen Mengyao asked that, but answered truthfully.

[Yes, host.]

Shen Mengyao picked up Xiaohēi, who resembled a pet dog, and beat it.

[Only you systems are smart, huh? I’m the fool, right? Do you know how difficult it is to complete a weapon? If you want me to bind, I need a reward for every chapter I learn. For completing a weapon, the reward must be huge, otherwise, I’m not doing it.]

Xiaohēi was almost beaten into depression.

[Host, host, stop hitting me! I’ll talk to the main system, see what we can do!]

Xiaohēi, being on its first assignment, had often heard colleagues say that hosts would bind themselves upon hearing about the system, without needing any prompting. It was much easier that way. This host, however, was both violent and demanding.

Shen Mengyao released Xiaohēi, looking impatient.

[Hurry up.]

Fearing Shen Mengyao’s violence, Xiaohēi quickly contacted the main system.

After a while:

[Host, the main system says that there will be a reward after ten days of study. This is already the best deal we could negotiate; other hosts don’t get this kind of treatment.]

[You’ve had other hosts?]

[No, the hosts my colleagues bound to. You’re my first host.]

Shen Mengyao stroked her chin, hesitated for a moment, and then agreed to bind.

After binding, Xiaohēi breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally done.

When Xiao Ye arrived, Shen Mengyao had just finished binding. She had recovered to normal. He asked with concern, “Yaoyao, where are you uncomfortable?”

Shen Mengyao stood up and stretched. “Probably a cramp. When I’m in a bad mood, this happens.”

Xiao Ye was stunned. There was such a disease? “Let’s get you checked at the army hospital.”

Shen Mengyao knew her situation best. “No need. As long as I’m in a good mood, this usually doesn’t happen.”

Liu Xiaolong, having witnessed Shen Mengyao’s convulsions, didn’t believe her explanation. “Comrade Shen, you should still get checked.”

The male doctor also nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, you need a check-up.”

Shen Mengyao didn’t want to continue the topic. She looked at Xiao Ye. “Is the interrogation over?”

“Not yet.” Xiao Ye said, then took out a sleeper berth ticket from his pocket and handed it to Shen Mengyao. “It’s another day and night on the train. A sleeper berth will be more comfortable.”

Liu Xiaolong also wanted one. “Can you get me one?”

Xiao Ye shook his head. “I can’t. This one, I had a comrade pay a high price to get from someone else.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaolong felt like a broken branch, his whole person wilting. “Sigh, it seems I’m destined for a hard seat!”

Hard seats were too uncomfortable; Shen Mengyao didn’t want to sit in one either. “You could ask around if anyone is selling a sleeper berth ticket at a high price.”

The light returned to Liu Xiaolong’s downcast eyes. “Right! How could I forget that!”

…

Shen Mengyao was on the upper bunk.

With Xiao Ye there, she didn’t worry about anything. She found her place and climbed up.

After confirming that Shen Mengyao was alright, Xiao Ye left the carriage.

As soon as Xiao Ye left, Liu Xiaolong returned. “Comrade Shen, no one is willing to trade, I’m going back to carriage ten. You’re alone here, so be careful.”

When Shen Mengyao first saw Liu Xiaolong, she thought he was steady, but after getting to know him, she realized he was not only talkative but also a bit of a goofball.

“Okay, you be careful too.”

After Liu Xiaolong left, Shen Mengyao simply lay down and closed her eyes.

To outsiders, she was sleeping, but she was actually studying.

After studying for an hour.

Shen Mengyao realized that one hour outside was one day inside the system.

This meant that she only needed to study for ten hours to get a reward.

Shen Mengyao was overjoyed.

This was good.

She excitedly exited the system and rolled around on the bed.

In her excitement, she forgot that she was in a narrow train sleeper berth. With a bang, she bumped her head.

“Ouch! That hurt!”

Shen Mengyao rubbed her forehead and looked at the passenger opposite.

She saw the other person reading a German book.

She pouted.

So focused!

She hadn’t even noticed the noise.

The person was so engrossed that a bookmark fell out of the book onto the floor without them noticing.

Shen Mengyao called out twice in a low voice, but the other person didn’t react at all.

Shen Mengyao: “…”

So engrossed?

She needed to go to the bathroom, so she got out of bed to pick up the bookmark. From the corner of her eye, she saw the content on it, and her face suddenly changed.