Chapter 9: Xi Lian?

Black Curtain Lady faced the floating panel, her slender fingers lightly tracing over the names of the Golden Descendants that flickered with a faint glow.

Her gaze finally settled on the name Xi Lian.

"Just her."

Heimu muttered to herself, her tone carrying a hint of a weighed decision: "Based on my understanding from my previous life, Xi Lian can be described as gentle and understanding, a type that's relatively easy to communicate with. Let's start with the easy ones and accumulate some experience points."

She remembered that Xi Lian was a gorgeous, charming girl like Ailixiya, and in her impression, such characters were always reasonable.

With a light tap of her fingertip, as she made her choice, a dim door silently coalesced and appeared in the not far Pure White Space.

The door frame was made of twisted black substance, its edges constantly shedding faint purple energy shards; inside was a swirling downward deep darkness that contrasted sharply with the pure white outside.

Heimu adjusted the brim of her large Mo Nu Mao, making sure her posture remained elegant, then she strode straight toward that door.

Her long boots tapped on the intangible ground, producing a clear echo.

Bai Hang was still immersed in the embarrassment of being called 'master', seeing Heimu suddenly produce such a strangely styled large door and about to enter, she momentarily panicked.

She looked left and right at the empty Pure White Space, and an inexplicable sense of loneliness and fear welled up in her heart.

"Wait, wait a moment!"

Bai Hang whispered a shout, quickly stood up, and trotted after her, "Black… master! Where are you going? I… can I follow?"

In the end she couldn't avoid that title, her voice as tiny as a mosquito.

Heimu's steps didn't stop; she merely tossed off a light remark: "Stay close, don't touch things randomly."

That counted as tacit permission.

Bai Hang felt as if pardoned, hurriedly following step for step behind Heimu, curiously and nervously eyeing that door.

As she stepped over the threshold, she couldn't help but shiver; the temperature inside and outside the door seemed completely different.

Beyond the door lay a wide, spiraling stone staircase that twisted downward, its depths unfathomable.

The staircase was made of some kind of cold black stone, with no lighting on either wall; only a faint, unknown source of dim light barely outlined the steps.

The air was filled with an old dust smell, mixed with a hint of metallic rust.

The whole space felt gloomy and oppressive.

Heimu frowned slightly; this environment was far from the "friendly meeting" venue she had envisioned.

The aesthetic of the Iron Tomb, or rather the default setting of this "summoning vestibule", is truly unflattering.

She steadied her mind and stepped down the stairs one by one.

Bai Hang followed closely behind, her white fox ears erect in alertness, her pair of azure eyes darting anxiously around, her hands unconsciously gripping a corner of Heimu's skirt, as if that could give her some sense of safety.

The stairs finally ended, ahead lay a small, relatively flat platform.

The platform's edge was blocked by a thick barrier made of dense black energy substance, resembling a prison fence.

Heimu walked up to the barrier, still mulling over her opening line: 'Well, first I need to show I mean no harm, I just want to have a chat, exchange views on world peace… after all I'm lawful good… former Boss?'

While thinking, she casually directed her gaze toward the more open space below the barrier.

Then, all the Calm on her face and her inner calculations solidified in an instant.

In the center of the open space below, a petite figure was tightly bound by countless thick black Lock chains, suspended in midair.

That was a girl, her pink shoulder‑length hair limp and stained with dark‑red blood.

Her eyes were tightly shut, long lashes casting shadows on her blood‑less pale face, and her delicate features showed dried bloodstains and smudges.

The light purple outfit that should have been light and pretty was now in tatters, its original beautiful pattern barely visible beneath tears and dirt.

On the exposed skin, one could see the bruised purplish marks left where the Lock chains had bitten in.

She resembled a butterfly tangled in a spider's web, on the verge of death, so fragile it seemed it could vanish at any moment.

Heimu froze completely, her mind going blank.

Xi Lian?

Little Xi Lian?

The girl who in the game always wore a gentle smile, like a newly blossomed flower?

How could this be… what state she's in?!

This is utterly unlike her memory and the scene she'd imagined for their meeting—off by a hundred and eighty thousand miles!

Where is this a "friendly meeting"? This is clearly a prison visit, or rather a torture chamber version!

"Ugh…"

Bai Hang, following behind, also saw the scene below and couldn't help but cover her mouth, letting out a short gasp.

Her azure eyes filled with shock and distress, she instinctively stepped back half a pace; when she looked again at Heimu's back, her gaze became extremely complex, mixed with fear and doubt.

What kind of being is this master who saved her yet possesses such a terrifying 'domain'?

This cruel sight before her made the little trust she had just built begin to waver.

Bai Hang's gasp and her sudden change of expression stabbed Heimu like a needle, snapping her out of her immense shock.

"System!" she almost shouted in her mind, "What the hell is this?! Explain!"

【Hui, this is the manifested state of the target unit "Xi Lian" in the current database. This state is automatically generated by the Iron Tomb's underlying defense mechanism—the "countermeasures". Any individual marked as a "potential threat" or "non‑submissive" with high clearance will have their information projection subjected to varying degrees of restraint and suppression to ensure the database's core safety.】

"Countermeasures? Restraint and suppression?"

Heimu felt her blood pressure spike, "Do I look like I'm going to attack her?! Immediately! Right now! Put her down!"

【Warning: Insufficient clearance. Your current Core Repair Degree is 24%, below the minimum threshold (30%) required to cover the Iron Tomb individuals' restraint agreement. Unable to execute release command.】

Heimu's face darkened completely, the surrounding air seeming to grow even colder from her displeasure.

"Insufficient clearance? So I'm just supposed to watch her hang there like this?"

【Theoretically, yes. Or you can choose to raise the repair progress.】

Heimu drew a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

She glanced again at the petite figure bound by Lock chains below, her fist unconsciously clenching at her side, the black lace gloves distorting slightly from the force.

Tell me, what's the quickest way to gain Repair Degree right now?

Her voice was low, carrying a repressed anger and helplessness.

The System Panel flashed cheerfully, as if it had been waiting for these words.

【Ding! A strong demand has been detected, triggering a special 'Pleasure' task—'The Villain's Self-Cultivation'!】

【Task Description: Choose any one of the restrained Golden Descendants and engage in an initial conversation with them in a manner befitting a 'villain's' identity. Please note that speech, tone, and demeanor must all meet the 'villain' standard, which the system will judge in real time.】

【Task Reward: Upon completion, instantly gain 4% core repair progress!】

Heimu looked at the two characters 'villain' on the panel, and his vision went dark again.

A villain?!

She had finally wanted to turn over a new leaf (at least on the surface), to become an elegant, mysterious savior (a fake), but this broken system and Aha insist on forcing her to be a villain?!

And to make matters worse, she has to play the role of kicking someone when they're down in front of Xi Lian, this girl who appears to have endured countless hardships?!

She really just wanted to turn around and leave—this job is impossible to do!

But… her gaze swept once more over Xi Lian's pale, emaciated face, and those icy, heavy chains.

4% Repair Degree… as long as she completes this task, adding to her previous accumulation, she could reach 28%, just one step away from the 30% permission threshold……

'Alright!'

That word was practically squeezed out from between Heimu's teeth.

She closed her eyes, then opened them again; though her purple-black eyes still lacked luster, they now held a hint of resolve… and resignation.

She lightly snapped her fingers.

Bai Hang, who had been fiercely debating in her heart and guessing Heimu's intentions, only felt a flash before her eyes as the gloomy surroundings were instantly replaced by endless pure white—she had been abruptly sent back to the System's main space.

"…Huh?" Bai Hang stood blankly in the empty white world, her mind still not catching up.