Shen Mo was touching up her makeup in the mirror. Just one look at her arched eyebrows was enough to tell she was in a fantastic mood. Who didn’t know she was Lu Mofeng’s girlfriend now? The thought that she would one day be Mrs. Lu made her feel even better.
With Lu Mofeng by her side, it would be easier to get close to people overflowing with luck, making it simpler to absorb their luck value. She stroked her face, which had returned to its fair complexion, and lowered her eyes as she capped her lipstick.
When she looked up again, she was startled by another person in the mirror. The woman wore an elegantly tailored black formal dress and was standing silently by the restroom door, watching her with an inscrutable gaze.
A chill went down Shen Mo’s spine, and she almost lost her composure and screamed. But having lived through two worlds, she had seen a thing or two. She forced down the shriek that had already reached her throat.
Tan You smiled when she saw her expression. She unhurriedly closed the door. Upon hearing the CLICK of the lock, Shen Mo suddenly shuddered.
’System! System! Hurry up and absorb her luck value, quick!’ she shrieked frantically in her mind. Soon, Tan You saw countless silver octopus tentacles extending from Shen Mo’s head.
The Beauty System didn’t dare show itself at all, trembling behind Tan You. "It looks... so scary!"
The Plundering System hadn’t expected to confront this task-doer so soon. It had to strike with its full power. Holding back now would be foolish.
Tan You looked at the dense mass of tentacles and frowned in disgust. "What an eyesore."
Despite her words, Tan You’s actions were anything but soft. She grabbed a few of the octopus tentacles that had already touched her. This time, she didn’t rip them off at the root. Instead, she began a tug-of-war.
Soon, a silver, "sea urchin"-like ball of light was pulled out of Shen Mo’s head by Tan You.
Shen Mo couldn’t help but clutch her head and let out a muffled groan. She couldn’t see the system, only that Tan You was pulling at something. The more Tan You pulled, the more her head hurt, as if thousands of steel needles were piercing it.
"Spare me... I’m begging you, let me go." Shen Mo, still somewhat conscious, knew when to yield and immediately began to plead for mercy.
Tan You chuckled, not dignifying her with a response. Once she had the silver sea urchin firmly in her grasp, Shen Mo collapsed onto the tiled floor, now barely breathing.
"I can form a contract with you," the Plundering System said, sensing the situation. Now that it was in her hands, it sensibly tried to defect to her side.
Tan You glanced boredly at the so-called rewards from the Plundering System. "Twenty luck points for ’snow-like skin and jade-like flesh’? You’re such a rip-off. These are all useless rewards."
As she spoke, Tan You clenched her right hand forcefully. Behind her, the Beauty System shuddered as if it could feel the pain itself.
The moment Tan You crushed the Plundering System, countless tiny points of light flew out from it. As for where they went, they were likely returning to their original owners.
"It’s yours." With its core program crushed, the Plundering System shrank to a third of its original size. Tan You tossed it casually, and the Beauty System, which had been cowering behind her, immediately sprang out.
Its movements were not slow at all. It swallowed the Plundering System in one gulp, then let out a human-like burp of satisfaction.
Tan You glanced at it. "Go play on your own. Your luck can’t be so bad that another system will pop up, right?"
The Beauty System was delighted. "Host, this system is off to play!"
It had been terribly cooped up for the past few days. With an unknown danger always present, it couldn’t go anywhere. Now that the threat was gone, the little guy was eager to go out and have some fun.
Without a second glance at the unconscious Shen Mo on the floor, Tan You walked straight out of the restroom. Just after she left, a conversation suddenly materialized in the empty space. "So... that’s the strongest newcomer?"
"Should be. She’s bound to the Beauty System."
"She really is impressive. Well, this was a wasted trip. Let’s get going too."
"A trip for nothing, and I’m out 10 Energy Points."
"You’re a Scavenger, why are you being so petty? Let’s go, there’s nothing interesting here anymore. I don’t get this kid’s style, though. Why not just leave after dealing with it?"
"Host, not everyone enjoys fighting and killing as much as you do."
"This is righteous vengeance in a world of passion! What does a little system like you know?"
No one heard this conversation, and the restroom soon fell silent again. It wasn’t until other guests came to use the restroom and found the unconscious Shen Mo that she was finally taken to the hospital.
Tan You stood outside the hotel, watching the ambulance arrive and then depart. Afterward, she even followed it to the hospital. After all, it was her masterpiece; she had to admire it.
Once at the hospital, the doctors were astounded by the examination results. "Multiple organ failure simultaneously? With no traces of any drugs?"
"Yes, she’s been moved to the ICU. The cause is unknown." The doctors were equally baffled; they had truly never seen a case like this before.
Tan You couldn’t hear the doctors’ words, but she was standing right outside the ICU. Just by watching the doctors coming and going, she knew Shen Mo’s condition was not good.
"Doctor, how is she?" When a doctor finally came out, Lu Mofeng rushed to grab him, his voice filled with anxiety.
The doctor pulled down his mask. "The patient is in critical condition. She’s suffering from multiple simultaneous organ failures, but we haven’t detected any lesions or drugs. We are currently organizing a consultation with specialists."
"For now, we plan to use a ventilator to maintain her vital signs. The family should please wait patiently outside."
After these few hurried words, the doctor walked swiftly toward the main office. Lu Mofeng, devastated, staggered back a couple of steps and collapsed wretchedly onto a chair in the hallway.
Tan You averted her gaze impassively. It had come to this; Shen Mo’s life was now on a countdown. She felt no sympathy for Shen Mo. According to the information she had just obtained from the Plundering System, Shen Mo had used it to travel through several worlds, murdering dozens of people.
How could she possibly feel a shred of pity for such a wicked soul, rotten to the core?
The CLICK-CLACK of high heels faded into the distance. Lu Mofeng looked up, but only caught a glimpse of a black dress disappearing around the corner. He shook his head. When he looked again, the hallway was empty and silent.
"Host, Shen Mo is dead." Tan You had returned, but the Beauty System was determined to watch the drama unfold to the very end. Anyway, now that the Plundering System that had threatened it was dead and gone, the Beauty System had gotten its confidence back.
"Dead?" Tan You turned a page in her book. "Good. She was very cooperative in dying."
The Beauty System circled Tan You twice. "Host, who do you think really died? Shen Mo, or that task-doer?"
Tan You put down her book. "The task-doer died the moment the Plundering System was stripped from her. As for Shen Mo, she should have died in that car crash ten years ago. If she hadn’t encountered the task-doer on the brink of death, and then had the Plundering System keeping her alive, how could she have lived for so many years?"