Chapter 106: System Vision

Chapter 106: 106: System Vision

The Next Day

Nova’s eyelids fluttered open. She found herself enveloped in the familiar warmth of Cassian’s room, with Alan sleeping peacefully beside her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. A gentle smile touched her lips as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and softly caressed Alan’s face.

Suddenly, the translucent blue screen materialized in the air before her.

[Congratulations on completing the second mission successfully! Reward unlocked: System Vision. Next mission unlocked!]

Nova’s brows knitted together. Just as her lips parted to speak, the temperature in the room violently plummeted. The very fabric of time halted. Dust motes hung suspended in the pale morning light, and Alan’s rhythmic breathing ceased instantly. The silence was deafening, thick with an unnatural, chilling pressure.

Out of the suffocating stillness, Anah slowly materialized beside the glowing screen. She was draped in pristine white, her long hair pooling like ink against the floor. As her foggy features began to sharpen, a heavy veil abruptly dropped over her head, completely obscuring her face and leaving an eerie, faceless silhouette.

Nova stared at Anah, her expression bored despite the oppressive atmosphere. "So, what’s this all about?" she murmured, her voice slicing through the frozen silence.

"System upgrade," Anah replied, her voice devoid of emotion. "Claim the reward."

Nova nodded. Without warning, two brilliant beams of blue light shot from the system screen, piercing directly into Nova’s striking blue eyes.

She blinked twice, a sharp sting fading into clarity, and looked toward Anah in confusion. "So, what exactly is this ’System Vision’?" she asked.

From beneath the veil, Anah explained, "With System Vision, you no longer have to wait for the system to download a target’s information. By simply looking at them and issuing a mental command, you can access their direct data instantly."

Nova remained silent, her gaze locked on the veiled figure. Suddenly, a stream of text materialized in a secondary window tethered to Anah.

[Information Report]

[Stolen Name: Anah]

[Original Name: Unknown]

[Status: System Guardian]

[Age: Unknown]

[Threat Level: Questionable]

[Status: Currently irritated by you.]

[Status: Aware you are accessing her data.]

[Other Information: Currently Unknown]

A dark smirk curled Nova’s lips. "This System Vision is quite interesting," she noted.

"Is that why you are testing it on me?" Anah snapped, her tone dripping with annoyance.

Nova gently untangled herself from Alan’s frozen embrace and slipped out of bed, chuckling softly. "I was just curious, so I tested it out on you first. It didn’t give me the information I needed, though, so you’re still safe." She walked over to the vanity mirror, took a seat, and began to slowly brush her hair.

Anah scoffed, floating closer. "The next mission is unlocked."

"What’s it about?" Nova asked, her brush gliding smoothly through her locks.

"You are to assume the identity of Jenifer, the biological daughter of the Darson family, and integrate into their household. The system hasn’t specified your exact objective yet, you simply need to enter the family first."

"Interesting. The system is playing matchmaker and finding a family for me?" Nova teased.

"I doubt that," Anah replied coldly.

Nova met her own gaze in the mirror. "So... do I have to kill Jenifer to ensure I don’t mess things up?"

Anah shook her head. "That girl is already dead."

Nova paused, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Someone beat me to it?"

"She committed suicide."

"Oh... how sweet of her," Nova chuckled darkly.

"Here are her details," Anah said. A new translucent screen materialized in the mirror’s reflection.

"She was a fragile girl who relied on selling dolls to survive. Separated from her biological parents as a baby, she lived among beggars until she was seven," Anah explained.

"She was obsessed with hiding her face behind a mask due to a horrifying scar, so no one truly knew what she looked like. The reason she ended her life was the crushing weight of debt—debt that wasn’t even hers. The family that adopted her when she was seven treated her as less than human. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, she took her own life."

Nova laughed, a cold, melodic sound, and waved her hand, dismissing the blue screen. "Being that weak, she made the right choice. This world isn’t for the weak. If you can’t rely on yourself, you are a loser." She set her brush down, her jaw tightening. "It’s just a pity she didn’t leave behind a personality that matches mine. Now I have to play the part of the tragic, good girl. What the hell."

"Exactly. The system mandates you adopt her true personality," Anah warned. "The Darson family has heard news of her supposed whereabouts and has already gathered information on her. They are unaware of her death and are planning to bring her back."

Nova took a deep breath, a dangerous, thrilling smile returning to her lips. "Well, I suppose this mission will be quite fun," she purred. "When do they plan to retrieve her, and what is the location?"

"The location is the Blili Doll Shop, and they are heading there tomorrow. Also, I preserved her body in the system space. I found it might prove... useful."

"Mhm... It seems I will have to secretly transition to homeschooling and inform my husbands," Nova mused.

Anah lingered in silence for a moment. "Just remember to be in the shop latest in the evening. I’m leaving." With that, she vanished into thin air.

The moment Anah disappeared, the crushing weight in the air instantly evaporated. Time snapped back into motion, and Alan’s soft breathing resumed behind her. Nova’s devilish smile widened. She stood, padded into the bathroom, and emerged a short while later, freshly bathed and dressed in a simple, elegant gown. She cast one last warm look at the sleeping Alan before slipping out of the room.

Descending the grand staircase, Nova spotted Cassian in the living room. He sat in a plush armchair, his laptop balanced on his thighs, his face a mask of intense concentration as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

"Busy?" Nova asked, her voice light as she approached him.

Cassian lifted his head. The severe lines of his face instantly softened into a warm, devoted smile. He set the laptop aside, reached out, and pulled her effortlessly onto his lap.

"Even if I’m buried in work, I will always have time for you, my love," he murmured, pressing a tender, lingering kiss to her lips.

Nova chuckled, resting her hand on his chest.

Pulling back slightly, Cassian’s gaze swept over her. He noticed the absence of her usual school uniform, and an eyebrow ticked upward. "Not going to school today?"

"I’ll be schooling from home for now," Nova replied casually. "Actually, I have some business to take care of. I won’t be coming home to sleep for a while."

The atmosphere in the living room shattered. The gentle, doting husband vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a suffocating, predatory aura. Cassian’s brows slammed together in a heavy scowl, and his eyes darkened with a sudden, overwhelming intensity. His grip on her waist tightened, his obsessive, possessive nature awakening like a dormant beast.

"Where exactly are you sleeping?" His voice dropped a full octave, a low, dangerous rumble laced with dark authority. "And what exactly do you plan to do? Huh?"