Chapter 7 — Death Exam

I looked at him coldly, without any mercy.

“You've eaten too many souls. Now it's time to… vomit.”

BAM—! The system finally could not withstand that paradoxical blow and completely collapsed. A giant wave of energy centered on the dragon swept away the entire palace. The splendid golden grand palace in the blink of an eye turned into a pile of rubble, the magnificent palace was now as fragile as paper. In the blinding white light, I heard a mournful howl—Ta Canh Hoa's last scream. Immediately afterwards, his body dissolved into a thick pool of blood and pus, not even a single bone remained. That is the end of someone who is betrayed by the power they depend on.

08

Everything calmed down. The once magnificent royal palace is now only ruins. I stood in the middle of a mountain of rubble, my face dirty, my clothes torn to pieces by the shock wave, but inside I felt relief like never before. The so-called "heaven's way" that once oppressed us, once held high above us—has finally died. At that moment, a cold mechanical voice rang out in the ruins. That voice had no emotions, was even colder than the previous system, and seemed to come from an even higher dimension.

“Unit number 89757, mission ‘Eliminate infected system’ has been completed.”

“Evaluation: The original observer (you) successfully induced the system to self-destruct. Performance rating: S.”

I was stunned. It turns out, I am not only a time traveler, but also an "anti-virus software" dropped into this world by a higher civilization? Or to put it another way—they're still watching, until we do this. The mechanical voice continued to sound:

“According to the revised terms of the Interstellar Travel Law, you are entitled to immediately return to your original (modern) world, and bring an 'item' from this world as a reward."

A soft pillar of light descended from the sky, covering my body. Take away an item? My eyes turned to all four directions. In the ruins, countless treasures are hidden. There are paintings and books that Ta Canh Hoa has looted, there are priceless night pearls, and even the hereditary jade sister—the symbol of supreme power—is now quietly lying in a puddle of mud. As long as we bend our back, we can bring it back for a lifetime without spending it all. But I didn't move. My eyes pierced the ruins, looking at the corner of the wall where a small figure huddled. Nine princesses. She is still alive. When the shock wave hit, I rushed to cover her, but I didn't know if she was injured. At this moment, she was covered in blood, trembling and cowering, like a broken-winged sparrow lost in her flock. In this world, she is an abandoned royal bloodline, a mute, a disabled person. She is a communication tool, the biological battery of the system. She is an "item", only not human. I looked into her eyes. There is still fear there, but deep inside the fear, there is still a faint glimmer of attachment to our "fellow kind". The last light of humanity. If I leave and leave her here in this ruin, she certainly won't survive the night. I took a deep breath, raised my hand and pointed straight towards the corner of the wall.

“I choose you.”

The system voice was silent for a moment, seemingly calculating and evaluating.

“Scanning data…”

“For symbol: Abandoned royal bloodline. Status: disabled, voiceless, no social value.”

“Conclusion: Meets the criteria of ‘recoverable waste items’.”

“Take away allowed.”

Hearing this sentence, I burst out laughing. Laugh until tears. Defining a person as an “item”—becomes the only reason to save her. This is the most resounding slap for that cannibalistic era, the harshest satire for the so-called "heavenly way". I strode forward, regardless of the blood and mud on her body, and lifted her off the ground. She is very light, as light as a bundle of dry firewood. She looked at me in panic, her body stiff and not daring to move. I smiled at her, still the same smile as the first day I met her at Lanh Palace. I held her handicapped hand and gently tapped her palm:

“Don't be afraid.”

“I'll take you to a place.”

“There is no emperor, no system.”

“There, women are not objects. They can learn to draw, learn to code, can talk loudly, marry whoever they want, if they don't want to marry, they will be single for life."

The pillar of light becomes increasingly brighter, the rubble around us begins to fade. The Ninth Princess seemed to understand my words, or at least feel my heart. Her body gradually relaxed, her fingers that once tightly clung to the hem of her shirt now gently let go, timidly—but very gently—hugging my neck. Before that dazzling white light swallowed us both, I felt a hot drop of water fall on my collarbone. Those were her tears. Goodbye, Dai Wei. Goodbye, this damn feudal hell. I will carry my spoils and return home. (Full text)