When Lin Mu returned to the system space, she first looked down at herself.
White hair. Her height seemed to have shrunk again, with small arms and legs, like a glutinous rice ball just scooped out of milk.
Paired with a soft, fluffy white nightgown, the whole picture…
She was silent for two seconds.
Then calmly came to a conclusion. Oh. This time, there was really no saving her.
[Host——!]
The system’s voice was far more agitated than hers, popping out with a whoosh.
[You’re awake! Look! Look look look!]
The next second, a full-length mirror taller than her was shoved in front of her with a clang.
In the mirror, the little girl’s white hair reached her waist, her skin was pale and glowing, her pupils were a light gray, her eyelashes long, and her face very small—at first glance, she looked like an exquisite doll displayed in a shop window.
The only problem was that her face was far too youthful. So youthful that Lin Mu stared at herself in the mirror for a few seconds, and only one thought surfaced in her mind.
‘If this were on the roadside, passersby would definitely give me a piece of candy.’
[How about it? How about it?]
The system excitedly circled around the mirror.
[Cute, right?! Isn’t it super cute?!]
[Completely evolved into a little white-haired loli!]
Lin Mu expressionlessly met her own eyes in the mirror, then nodded.
“Mm.”
“It really is quite cute.”
The system was momentarily stumped.
It had been fully prepared to hear the host’s stubborn denials or complaints, but Lin Mu’s calm admission left it at a loss.
[That’s your only reaction?]
“What else would it be?” Lin Mu raised a hand and pinched her own cheek. “I can’t just roll around on the floor just because I’m cute, can I?”
The system imagined that scene.
The little white-haired loli expressionlessly rolling back and forth on the floor. Sss! A bit too cute.
Lin Mu ignored it, slowly sat down on the sofa with a soft pillow in her arms, and took a look around the system space.
Compared to the last time—a small room as bare as a model home—this place had clearly been upgraded quite a bit. The walls were still an off-white, but now there were a few warm yellow sconces. The stained-glass window was larger, and outside it was still the fake daylight, but it looked more pleasant than before. A soft rug covered the floor, snacks were set out on the table, and beside the sofa there was even a hanging chair she could curl up and sleep in. Clearly, a certain system had finally climbed out of extreme poverty.
“Fixed?” Lin Mu asked.
[Fixed! Fixed!] The system immediately chimed in, its tone very proud. [Not only fixed, we’ve even upgraded!] [A new generation!] [After all, the mission was completed beautifully, so the system space updated too!]
Lin Mu listened quietly while hugging the pillow, then asked the most practical question.
“What about the points?”
[We have them! We have them!] The system popped out a translucent panel. [Host, you still have two thousand points!]
Lin Mu looked at the number and blinked.
She softly said “Mm,” leaned her shoulders back, and sank into the soft sofa. Two thousand—not a huge amount, but not small either. At least it wasn’t the state of being completely broke like before.
“Not bad.”
[Right?!]
The system was triumphantly pleased.
[I told you all this effort hasn’t been for nothing!]
Lin Mu didn’t argue.
She just hugged the pillow a little tighter and looked down, lost in thought.
The system was excited for a while, but soon quieted down too.
Of course it knew what Lin Mu was thinking.
After a moment, the system tentatively spoke.
[Host, how about I pick the next world for you now?] [You can take a nap first, and when you wake up, you can set off directly.]
Lin Mu had already pulled the blanket up to her legs, but when she heard this, her movements paused.
She didn’t immediately agree, nor did she refuse.
She thought quietly for a few seconds, then spoke softly.
“Wait a moment first.”
The system didn’t speak.
“No rush to go.” Lin Mu looked down at her own tiny hands. “Wait a little longer.”
[Okay, then we’ll wait.]
The system slowly drifted beside her, floating in midair like a very sensible electronic piece of cotton.
Lin Mu hummed in acknowledgment.
The room fell quiet, the sconces warm, the fake sunlight from the stained-glass window bright.
This kind of silence should have been comfortable, but the longer they waited, the more boring it grew.
Lin Mu leaned in the sofa, her gaze fixed on the fake sky outside the window, her face still expressionless.
But the pillow was being hugged tighter and tighter.
She herself didn’t know what she was waiting for.
Or rather, she knew, but she didn’t want to admit it.
Yes, she was being stubborn again…
The system looked at her for a while, just about to say something to lighten the mood.
The next second, the entire system space suddenly shook violently.
The sconces on the wall flickered in unison.
The hanging chair swayed.
Even the stable fake daylight outside the window seemed to be shaken by someone, twisting unnaturally.
The system was startled at first, then its voice changed pitch.
[W-Wait——] [Why does this feeling feel so familiar?!]
Another, even more intense shake.
A blindingly bright light rapidly approached from outside the window, like an unreasonable meteor, dragging a long tail of flames, charging straight toward the system space.
The system screamed on the spot.
[Aaaaaah, again?!] [Host! Something glowing is about to crash into us again!]
Lin Mu sat on the sofa, first glancing at the approaching bright light, then at the system that was nearly reduced to gibberish from fear.
She was silent for half a second.
The absurd “crash” from the last time suddenly flashed through her mind.
Then, she let out a soft breath, stood up, and placed the pillow aside.
The white-haired little girl stepped on the soft rug, her figure very small, but her expression unexpectedly calm.
“System.”
[Here! I’m here!] The system was on the verge of tears. [Host, should we try to dodge first? Or I can try to change course! Although I might not be fast enough——]
“No need.”
Lin Mu interrupted it.
She also looked at the light getting closer, her gray eyes blinking gently.
“Let’s enter the world.”
The system was stunned.
[N-Now?!]
“Mm.”
Lin Mu nodded.
“Enter before it crashes into us.”
The system didn’t process it for a moment.
[Are you sure?]
“I’m sure.”
Lin Mu stood still, expressionless.
‘Anyway, whatever that thing is, it’ll probably chase us anyway. Better to leave first than wait here for another collision.’
The system was dumbfounded for two seconds, then suddenly felt that this reasoning was very sound.
It really didn’t want to get hit again either.
[Alright, received!]
It immediately switched to work mode, its voice becoming tense.
[Now locking onto new world coordinates——] [Detaching system space anchor——] [Teleportation in progress——]
Outside, the light was now close enough to be blinding.
The entire system space began to shake violently.
Lin Mu raised a hand to steady the sofa, her white hair lifting in the formless wind.
She took one last look at the charging light, her lips moving as she muttered to herself.
“If you’re even one step slower this time…”
She didn’t finish the second half of the sentence.
The next second, the white light suddenly swallowed everything.