Chapter 153: Nightmare Editor

Chapter 153: Chapter 153: Nightmare Editor

Chang Mu hurried through the urban village.

Along the way, she passed the place where the mother and son, Nan Zhi and Nan Yi, had lived during the filming of *Cub*—

Because the variety show had blown up, tourists flocked from all over to visit their house.

Seeing this, the landlord simply gave up on renting it out. Instead, they opened the doors for tourists to visit and take pictures for a fee. All the furnishings inside were a perfect one-to-one replica of how they appeared on the show, right down to the very coffee table that Nan Zhi had repaired by hand.

The tourists complained, but they still came in droves.

The area had effectively become the newest hot spot for social media check-ins and photos.

Many residents of the urban village had even started selling food and souvenirs nearby, creating an alternative source of income.

In fact, Nan Family’s Small Restaurant, where filming was currently underway, was showing a similar trend.

However, the production team was working with local authorities to manage the situation. Other than actual diners, regular tourists were not allowed to get too close, which prevented accidents caused by overcrowding.

No one had expected that a simple reality show about kids would grow more and more popular! It looked like it was on the verge of transitioning from a massive hit to a full-blown cultural phenomenon!

Everyone had thought the show’s emergence as a dark horse from a crowd of popular variety shows was already a pleasant surprise, but it turned out the real windfall was yet to come!

In such a situation, while some were delighted, others were deeply vexed.

Chang Mu herself, for example, standing apart from the bustling crowd.

The thought of how she’d been despised and judged by countless netizens when she first joined the show—how even a simple eye-roll was blown up into an issue with her character...

Chang Mu practically gnashed her teeth to bits!

She lowered her voice and snarled viciously:

"A bunch of sheltered 2D characters, fighting over a look at some broken-down house! Just as they say, you can’t feed fine bran to a wild boar!"

’As a soul from a higher world, my willingness to be on a variety show and be watched by the 2D characters of this lower world is an honor for them!’

’How ridiculous. These people don’t even realize that, yet they go and fawn over a mere villain and cannon fodder?’

Suddenly, a chill ran down Chang Mu’s spine.

She turned her head and noticed a tourist standing beside her, giving her a strange look.

’Did they... hear me muttering?’

Chang Mu pursed her lips.

But she didn’t dare linger. She pulled her baseball cap down and quickly walked away.

Only after getting back to her car did Chang Mu finally let out a breath of relief, letting loose a string of curses to vent her anger.

The system, waiting for her to finish her tirade: ...

[Host, your mission is not over yet.]

After all that trouble, Chang Mu was already quite annoyed.

Having just walked through that wretched urban village, she even felt like she was stained with its sour, foul smell!

And so, the temper she had worked so hard to suppress flared up again, and she lashed out at the system:

"How much more do I have to do! Is this ever going to end?!"

System: [Do you need me to help you calm down, Host?]

The last time it had "helped her calm down," it had been with an electric shock punishment.

A jolt went through Chang Mu’s body. She didn’t dare act up again.

"...What I meant to say was, we should hurry up and advance the conquest mission."

The system couldn’t be bothered to expose her lie, nor did it want to explain too much.

It directly opened a virtual light screen in front of Chang Mu.

In the top-left corner of the screen were the words [System Store].

Chang Mu instantly forgot her fear.

"This is the System Store you mentioned before? Don’t I need to reach a certain number of points to unlock it?"

The system didn’t answer.

Without Chang Mu having to do anything, the virtual screen began to scroll automatically.

Chang Mu’s eyes flew across the items—

Mermaid Songstress’s Voice, Deep Star Sea Eyes, Ice Bone Jade Skin Pills, All Diseases Disappear Spirit Water...

For a moment, her blood boiled with excitement. She wished she could just dive in and snatch everything!

"Stop! Stop! I want that last one!"

Chang Mu shouted, even trying to swipe the page back with her hand.

Unfortunately, it was completely out of her control.

The system scrolled the store page directly to the bottom, locking onto one particular item:

[Nightmare Editor].

Chang Mu had absolutely no interest.

"What’s the use of this? I want the Ice Bone Jade Skin Pills from before! I can exchange points for them..."

[The Host does not have store transaction privileges.]

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head.

"Then why are you showing me this?!"

[According to our calculations, the Nightmare Editor is the most useful item for the Host at this time. Because it pertains to the main mission of "maintaining the storyline," the system is making a special exception.]

Chang Mu’s mind was working faster now, and she quickly thought:

"You mean, I should use this item to make Nan Yi turn to the dark side?"

[The Host is free to use it as you see fit.]

The system’s underlying meaning was that with Chang Mu’s viciousness, she would surely be able to maximize the item’s effects.

But Chang Mu didn’t understand, nor was she interested.

Glancing at the point cost for the [Nightmare Editor], she gasped.

"It’s so expensive! I can’t afford it even with a discount!"

[The Host may choose to overdraft your points.]

"Overdraft?"

[Similar to a credit card.]

Chang Mu frowned, conflicted.

’Can points be used like this?’

’Why has the system never mentioned this before?’

’Otherwise, with my cleverness and talent, how could I have ended up in such a sorry state!’

She felt a surge of resentment but, for once, was smart enough to keep her mouth shut.

"Can I choose not to buy it?"

It wasn’t that Chang Mu had a sudden attack of conscience.

She just purely felt that there was a catch.

The system didn’t answer her.

Only the virtual screen remained, hovering silently before her eyes, giving off the distinct impression that it wouldn’t close until she bought the item.

Chang Mu could feel the system’s unyielding stance.

"Alright, alright, I get it! I’ll buy it, okay?"

The number of points she had to overdraft wasn’t large, landing right at the edge of her psychological limit.

If Chang Mu hadn’t confirmed long ago that the system couldn’t read her thoughts, she would have grown suspicious.

Steeling herself, Chang Mu raised her hand and touched the word "Purchase."

The virtual screen immediately changed, shrinking into a small window.

It looked a lot like a default window from an old computer system, with a crude and simple style.

Besides the words [Nightmare Editor] in the top-left corner, there were only two options in the center.

[Manual Edit] and [Automatic Edit].

Full of self-confidence, Chang Mu didn’t hesitate and immediately chose [Manual Edit]!

"So, I use this on Nan Yi, right? Let me think..."

A flash of inspiration struck. With her thoughts, Chang Mu rapidly typed out line after line of text with a CLACK-CLACK-CLACK...

[Nightmare Edit Successful]!

[Sent]!

"Done!"

Chang Mu was incredibly smug.

She had completely forgotten how reluctant and resistant she had been just a moment ago.

Just as Chang Mu was about to drive away from the vicinity of the urban village, she received a call from an unknown number.

"Hello? This is Lin Xiang. I agree to what you said earlier..."

Having accomplished two things in one day, Chang Mu was in an excellent mood!

’She just knew everything would go as smoothly as she wished!’

’Once she gets rid of Lin Xiang, the clue from Fu Yunfeng will be cut off, and no one in the world will know Nan Zhi’s true background!’

’At that point, what will Nan Zhi and Nan Yi be but fish on her chopping block?’

’So, next, she should think carefully about how to get closer to her conquest target...’