Chapter 31: World Two [1] Part 1

What was the limit of the human lifespan?

In existing records, the longest-living person was a woman who lived to be one hundred and thirty-four years old.

But that was an extremely rare case, a solitary existence among billions of people over thousands of years.

Jing Ke felt she wasn’t being greedy. She only wanted to accompany Shang Siyu until she was a hundred years old, more than thirty years short of the human limit. Wasn’t that a simple enough wish and desire?

But Jing Ke could not control the lifespan of others. As she was now, she still couldn’t defy natural laws like birth, aging, sickness, and death to restore her white-haired lover to youth.

“It’s fine, it’s already very good. Ninety-nine years old, it symbolizes that we can be long-lasting.” Lying on the hospital bed, Shang Siyu was exceptionally at peace, the added wrinkles on her face not diminishing her beauty in the slightest.

“Little Yu…” Jing Ke, also with graying hair, held Shang Siyu’s hand, her eyes red-rimmed.

Jing Ke possessed a human body, but she had almost never fallen ill or been injured. Jing Ke’s body aged slowly with time, but at a rate slower than an average person’s.

If Jing Ke wished, her body could live to the limit of human lifespan, that is, the recorded one hundred and thirty-four years.

“Jing Ke, did you get what you wanted?” Shang Siyu, who had been speaking slowly, suddenly spoke with clarity and fluency. “Was the Fortune on me enough for you to exist for a long, long time?”

“Yes, enough for me to exist for a long, long time.” Jing Ke nodded.

After Professor Lin’s research achieved another new breakthrough, New Life Technology successfully entered the list of top 100 domestic enterprises based on a new patented technology.

Shang Siyu’s decision allowed this technology, which could benefit many people, to be popularized at the fastest speed. With state subsidies in place, she didn’t intend to make much profit from ordinary people, instead providing various subsidies.

After the age of forty, Shang Siyu also took a liking to charity work. She first established many special schools, then spent time and effort creating a one-on-one support program for impoverished students, receiving national commendation countless times.

These deeds that accumulated prestige and reputation also became Fortune upon Shang Siyu, from which Jing Ke benefited immensely.

“That’s good. Keep our memories safe from now on, don’t lose them.” A smile surfaced in Shang Siyu’s slightly turbid eyes.

“Jing Ke, I want to sleep now. Can you give me a goodnight kiss?” Shang Siyu asked.

The first goodnight kiss was initiated by Jing Ke asking her. So, for this last one, she would be the one to ask Jing Ke.

“Okay.” Jing Ke’s voice trembled slightly. Just as she had done countless times before, she reached out to cup Shang Siyu’s face. After Shang Siyu closed her eyes, she gently placed a kiss upon her.

“Little Yu, goodnight,” Jing Ke said. As she closed her eyes, a tear slipped down and fell onto the person on the hospital bed who had stopped breathing.

So this was death?

Jing Ke understood for the first time the distance separating life and death, a chasm she could never cross.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Jing Ke reached out and wiped away the tears – unsure if they were hers or Shang Siyu’s – from Shang Siyu’s face.

Jing Ke quietly adjusted Shang Siyu’s attire and hairstyle, ensuring she was beautiful and dignified even after departing.

According to the wills they had long prepared, all property under their names would be given to the state, to be used by the state for charitable causes.

Jing Ke and Shang Siyu had no children, so Jing Ke presided over the funeral. At her insistence, both of their names were carved on the tombstone, and the photo used was the one from their wedding.

No one knew where Jing Ke went after the funeral, but every year, a steady stream of people would come to pay respects before the tombstone.

These people were all those Shang Siyu and Jing Ke had once helped. They had walked new paths in life after breaking free from their original fates.

–

Jing Ke’s physical body was obtained through a deal with the consciousness of a Small World. After paying a small price, her body turned into a pinch of white ash, appearing within the sealed urn.

After completing this final step, Jing Ke, once again a Consciousness Form, fulfilled her first promise. She neatly organized and packaged all the memories within her related to Shang Siyu, backed them up, stored one copy in the Core of her Consciousness Form, and sent the other copy to her main body, which existed in no Small World.

After this step, Jing Ke’s consciousness experienced a brief moment of chaos, suddenly unable to recall how she had acquired so much Fortune and energy.

Discovering that no part of her main body existed in the current Small World, Jing Ke began sensing her body parts scattered across other Small Worlds. Following the principle of proximity, she traveled to another independently existing Small World.

–

【Greetings. You appear to be in need of help.】

A strange, young female voice abruptly appeared in her mind, causing Shao Qing, who had been staring blankly at the mirror, to jump in fright.

Looking around and finding no one else, Shao Qing gently patted her own face. She seemed to have been putting too much pressure on herself lately – she was already hallucinating.

【Are you looking for me? I reside within your consciousness, not beside you.】

Hearing the unfamiliar voice again, Shao Qing’s expression changed. She scanned her surroundings once more, this time observing some of the less noticeable corners.

“Is this some kind of hidden camera prank by the production team? We haven’t even reached the destination yet, and they’re already surprising the guests?” Shao Qing’s face showed no panic as she seemingly spoke to herself, but her discreet gaze had already swept over and inspected the semi-enclosed restroom many times.

Nothing on the floor, nothing in the corners, the ceiling was sealed – electronic devices shouldn’t be able to be installed there either.

After mentally ruling out some impossible options, Shao Qing’s gaze landed on the mirror in front of her. She first stared at the reflection of her own bright, striking features for three seconds, then extended two fingers to press against the mirror surface, leaning in to observe.

There was thickness between her fingers and the reflection’s fingers – it wasn’t a two-way mirror. Tapping it didn’t produce a hollow echo, suggesting there really was a wall behind the mirror.

But there was no device on the floor that could produce sound, nothing on the ceiling, nothing around her – so where was this voice she heard coming from?

Shao Qing frowned slightly, her gaze falling onto the task envelope placed on the wash counter, containing the tasks she needed to complete for the next week.

No, she had gauged the thickness of the envelope; there were at most a few sheets of coated paper inside. It couldn’t possibly contain an electronic device.

【I reside within your consciousness. I have no physical form. You can refer to me as the System.】

【Shao Qing, female, twenty-eight years old, graduated from Sea City Media College. In the first half of your junior year, you were accidentally discovered by the renowned Director Hu, who was on a campus recruitment visit, and took the role of Female Lead as a newcomer. The movie was released during the summer break of your graduation year, earning over two billion at the box office, allowing you to consecutively win the Best Newcomer Award and the Best Actress award at the age of twenty-two.】

【Afterwards, you officially signed as an artist with Zongheng Entertainment, were recommended by Director Hu to be the Second Female Lead in another film, and won Best Supporting Actress at the age of twenty-four. In the same year, you became a spokesperson for an affordable luxury clothing brand, a domestic cosmetics brand, and a renowned domestic jewelry brand, becoming a hotly sought-after A-list actress.】

【But the turning point occurred when you were twenty-five. First, an unexpected injury during filming caused you to lose a Female Lead role because the movie schedule was tight. Then came problems with endorsements – due to Assistant’s negligence, you wore a jewelry brand from another company, which was widely reported by marketing accounts, leading to the loss of the endorsement.】

【And your experiences at twenty-six and twenty-seven years old could only be described as terribly unlucky. Merely going out for a meal, you were secretly photographed by paparazzi spreading rumors, were tied into publicity stunts by many male celebrities seeking clout, resulting in a massive loss of fans and gaining many Anti-fans.】

【Additionally, your film career went exceptionally poorly. Due to various accidents and mistakes, you lost out on three highly outstanding roles. The only two roles you successfully performed were unremarkable Third Female Lead parts. The first film bombed at the box office, and the scenes from the second TV drama were cut down drastically because of censorship issues, making you practically invisible after it aired.】

The voice in her mind calmly recounted Shao Qing’s experiences over the past few years, its tone devoid of any personal emotion, much like an AI-generated voice – extremely measured and steady.

“Who are you? Where are you?” Shao Qing said, lowering her voice.

When this baffling occurrence befell her, Shao Qing didn’t appear overly flustered. She didn’t immediately believe the bizarre female voice that had appeared, but instead calmed herself down as quickly as possible.

Shao Qing acknowledged that the voice in her mind hadn’t misspoken a single word about her experiences. But her experiences weren’t exactly a secret; many people knew about them. If someone had been deliberately investigating, it wouldn’t be difficult to learn about that content.

【I have no physical form. I am currently residing within your consciousness. You can consider me a Higher-Dimensional Being.】

【System, that is what you humans usually call beings like me when you acquire one. But you may call me by my name, Jing Ke. My name is Jing Ke.】

Traveling between worlds had cost Jing Ke a considerable amount of energy, so after retrieving her main body, she hadn’t rashly attempted a second transit. Instead, after receiving relevant information, she chose Shao Qing as a future partner.

“System? Jing Ke?” Shao Qing gritted her teeth and slowly uttered these two terms, a sense of absurdity involuntarily rising in her heart.

Was this really not a joke the production team was playing on her? She browsed novels online too! Weren’t Systems supposed to be things bound to reborn individuals or Transmigrators?

【Yes, if you don’t believe me, I can prove it to you.】

“How will you prove it?” Shao Qing asked.

【I reside in your consciousness. You don’t need to speak aloud. As long as you have the intention to converse with me, I can read your thoughts and respond.】

“Really? Jing Ke? This must be a trick, right?” Shao Qing tried.

【It’s true. I’m glad you chose my name. As long as you and I form a Contract, I will not deceive you.】Jing Ke said, inexplicably finding this dialogue with Shao Qing somewhat familiar.

It seemed a similar scene and conversation had played out once before.

“Can we really communicate mentally? Such an unscientific thing is actually happening to me? What did I have for lunch again? There weren’t any mushrooms in it, were there?” Shao Qing’s thoughts wandered.