Chapter 226 - 4.52

"Qiqi, I'm really lonely here since you're not by my side. I've been talking to you like this for so long.. It feels like years even though not much time has passed. Perhaps it's because you're always on my mind. Every single day, I feel a sense of.. foreboding fear that you might actually give up and leave me for good.. Just today, I woke up from a nightmare."

"We were already so closed to tying our vows, standing on the aisle and interlocking hands.. But then, you suddenly vanished into fragments. That... won't happen in relaity, right? You will return, right? I'm probably just thinking too much about this, but i can't help but worry.."

"You're the strongest person I know, so you probably won't do anything that comes close to what I experienced in my dream."

"..."

"I'll come back tomorrow, just like always. Sleep well, Qiqi."

______

It's about time you returned, don't you think? Seasons have changed two times.. I was looking forward to spending time with you in fall. It's my favorite season, but we just skipped it altogether. How troubling, en?"

"That's why, you have to come back soon..."

lso, I'm really sorry. I couldn't hold back my anger and took care of the Zhao family. Those pests are all gone now.. I know that you've always wanted to get revenge using your own hands, but I just couldn't take it anymore.. I placed them in their most suitable position, in a prison that they will never be able to escape. They will rot in that filthy place forever... I will make sure that they stay in there for the rest of their lives. That's not even comparable to what you suffered under in my opinion, you know? I'm still very angry."

"If you came back, my anger will all be dissipated in a flash."

"I can't possibly be angry in front of you, my sweetheart."

______

Good evening, Qiqi. It's been one whole year. Even if you love resting, isn't this a bit too much? You're a big bully!"

"One year passed by.. It felt so fast, yet so slow. I don't really know, but I.. just lost track of how time passed. I don't really know how I feel about all this.. The only reason I'm able to live through another day even when I feel like I'm going to fall apart is because your life.. Your pulse stays alive. Your condition is stable, and you're not in any pain.. At least from your injuries."

"Qiqi, tell me if anything is causing you to be hurt in your dream land. I'll definitely.. Whatever methods it takes for me to jump over there and rescue you, I will be willing to do it."

"Ah, don't worry, though. I'm still taking good care of my company because I know that you will not be happy if you suddenly woke up and saw me in a bad condition. To me, you are as precious as an irreplaceable treasure that no one else is worthy to touch. To match you.. Of course I have to strive to be the best at everything so that you won't be wronged."

"I will continue to wait for you, so please come back soon, my darling.". Thank the heavens.. You're finally awake, my Qiqi!" Tang Yizhou held her tight, but then realized that he might hurt her, so he relaxed his grip and wiped off the tears that escaped his eyes.

______

"...Two years. Qiqi, you're quite cruel. Today.. Am I even allowed to say that it's an anniversary? No, right? I shouldn't. But.. saying that it is makes my spirits lift up a bit. Because anniversaries are supposed to be a celebration of sorts.. Well, that's not always the case. I would hate it if you stayed asleep for even one day longer than what we already passed through, but if that's your choice, what you want to do, then I don't really have any power to.. dissuade you from doing so."

"I love you, Qiqi. I've never lost my hope in you.. I hope you know that. I love you so much."

_______

[Why isn't Host waking up? No matter what I do.. She's not responding. Her soul's vitals are still alive, but I can't sense her consciousness...]

The System had been working on his Host's recovery for all this time, but he had never gotten a chance to even come in contact with the woman who disappeared into nothing.

[The Host is definitely not in the mortal realm. She's somewhere in the Void Realms, but..]

No matter how much he checked, she was not present in their own separate realm, the System's space.

Could she have wandered off somewhere?

Every single day, amidst his searches, he would glance over to the mortal world where her pristine body laid on. For some reason, the man would be there nine times out of ten, as if he had nothing better to do than to crowd his Host's space.   

....

Well, he had to admit, the man was really dedicated. To be able to stick to his Host all the time like this.

Even so, he couldn't help but loathe the man slightly because he suspected that the biggest reason why this all happened in the first place lied with this man.

The System was vexed and filled with uncertainty, but he distracted himself from the poisonous topic.

_______

One day, the System was suddenly notified of a change in Xu Jiaqi's soul. The continuous pings told him that the Host had finally returned after so much time had passed.

Immediately, he dropped everything he was doing and rushed to meet the Host, to which he really encountered her sitting still in the System space.

However, one thing was awfully strange about her. Her eyes were completely blank, as if she was nothing but a doll that possessed no soul in her body.

She sat down, unmoving and unbothered by the interruption of the System. As if she couldn't even recognize the mechanical baby at all.

The System was an expert at its job, even though it didn't have that much experience in terms of time. The deepest, most intricate knowledge was ingrained inside its program as part of the 'special' agent perks he received to cater for Xu Jiaqi's case.

As such, Xu Jiaqi's ailment quickly resurfaced inside his memories, tracking the details down and diagnosing her.

It was a state that was affected by one's soul and its movements or changes.

A state that they called 'Reset'.

It's name was 'Reset', because it literally was a form that the soul purged itself into whenever it sensed something dangerous, be it due to a conscious or unconscious change.

When one was in the Reset phase, not to mention their mortal body, even their astral body would be laid dormant and not be able to respond to any external factors.

The state made the body specifically focused on shutting itself down in order to recuperate and repair the damages that occurred.

If the damages couldn't be repaired, then unless the problem was handled from the outside, there was no way of pulling the soul out of this wretched state.

[Why.. to the Host?] The System tried to think about the possible causes.

He had always kept a close watch on the Host, worrying over every single threat that they could face.

The Host risked her life when she took the bullet, but it should've only affected her mortal body, but not down to the astral body and soul.

The fact that she was in 'Reset' meant that something injured her other than the bullet wound. An attack.. whether malicious or not, caused Xu Jiaqi's soul to register it as an unavoidable injury and decided to shut itself off as a form of emergency protection.

The System twirled around the Host's body as he contemplated the current situation.

There were several ways to pull someone out of 'Reset', but most of it had repercussions and negative consequences for both him and the Host.

Reset phase meant that the soul was akin to being frozen up and hidden inside a massive block of ice that was hard to penetrate through. It protected the soul, but also left little to no chances of coming out of the gigantic block of ice.

He ran checks all over Xu JIaqi's state and discovered that his Host's particular case was even worse than he estimated. Not to mention a block of ice, it was more like a mountain. A humongous mountain.

However, rather than having to place his hope upon nothing, having his Host's astral body in front of him made him so relieved that he thought he could pass out right away. At least he knew that the Host was safe, unable to be harmed and yet unable to get out of her dormant condition.

He must work to the maximum extent to free her out of that misery.

The System was fired up as he began to cheer and work on this new subject.