The kid, momentarily uneasy under Ji Chenai’s cold gaze, glanced at his friends nearby and somehow regained his confidence. “Watch where you’re going next time,” he said.

Children were the purest and cruelest of beings. They carry both the most beautiful and the ugliest aspects of humanity.

Before Ji Chenai could say anything, Xiao Qi screeched in outrage. “Shameless! Absolutely shameless! How dare they bully my host like this?! I’m going to teach him a lesson!”

It was the first time Ji Chenai had seen Xiao Qi so worked up. Even when Liu Ziming had provoked him, Xiao Qi hadn’t reacted this strongly. Ji Chenai asked, “Why are you so upset?”

Xiao Qi replied, “Children are supposed to be the hope of the world! How can they behave like this?”

It was difficult for Ji Chenai to get back into his wheelchair on his own, especially with it overturned. His elbows were scraped and bruised. Seeing that the kids weren’t helping but instead just stood nearby, whispering among themselves, he couldn’t be bothered to move.

Xiao Qi said, “I’m activating the Negative Energy Punishment System.”

Ji Chenai asked, “What’s that?”

Xiao Qi replied, “It’ll let them experience the beauty of the world!”

Ji Chenai sighed. “…Speak plainly.”

Xiao Qi: “Oh, for those with too much negative energy, humane destruction is the only solution.”

Ji Chenai: “……” Euthanasia? The person who created Xiao Qi clearly harbored a deep resentment toward the world.

“Are you serious?” Ji Chenai asked.

“I’m just joking,” Xiao Qi replied.

Ji Chenai sighed, “…”

Seeing Ji Chenai fall silent, Xiao Qi continued. “But you’ve accumulated too much negative energy. You’re fully capable of activating the punishment system now.”

As Xiao Qi spoke, Ji Chenai noticed a change in the interface that usually displayed positive energy. In the bottom right corner, a small progress bar labeled “Negative Energy” appeared. Unlike the barely progressing Level 1 Positive Energy, the negative energy had already reached Level 2.

“When the negative energy value reaches 10,000, the punishment system will activate.” Xiao Qi said. Immediately after, several glowing buttons appeared in front of Ji Chenai. They were labeled “Demon’s Smile,” “End of the Liar,” and “Thief’s Regret,” along with a few grayed-out buttons further down.

Ji Chenai glanced at the descriptions beneath the buttons, finding them rather vague. The explanation under “Demon’s Smile” read: Smile, smile—everyone filled with malice toward the world will be forced to smile.

Ji Chenai asked, “What do these do?”

Xiao Qi didn’t answer his question directly. “I recommend the host use ‘Demon’s Smile.'”

Ji Chenai glanced up at the kids across from him, still whispering and giving him mocking looks. He said, “Use ‘Demon’s Smile.'”

The children abruptly stopped talking. They stood frozen in place, and their expressions that had once been filled with malice and ridicule were suddenly replaced by beaming, radiant smiles.

The smiles were bright—almost as if they’d just witnessed something incredibly beautiful. But the longer one looked at them, the more unsettling they became, sending a strange chill down Ji Chenai’s spine.

—