Chapter 104: Forgery

“Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

Although Nian Zhi’an’s body was under control, her consciousness remained faintly awake. She had a clear impression of what the other person had just said and what she herself had said, but she was a bit confused now.

Seen what? The red carp birthmark? During her previous visit to this world?

How could that be? If she had any memory of it, would she have racked her brains searching for the birthmark? Nian Zhi’an was certain she had never seen any birthmark on Zuo Yuanxi’s back.

But Zuo Yuanxi wouldn’t lie to her about something like this. Her expression carried a hint of doubt, as if she didn’t understand why Nian Zhi’an couldn’t even remember this.

“I-I don’t…” Don’t have this memory?

As Nian Zhi’an spoke those words herself, she suddenly froze.

Zuo Yuanxi watched as Nian Zhi’an abruptly broke free from her control. The illusion technique imposed by her mental spell had been bounced back, almost like an uncontrolled counterattack.

It wasn’t exactly resistance; it felt more like a loss of control.

She frowned slightly, a faint unease stirring in her heart. Bringing up the topic again made her recall certain strange events from the past. Back then, Lin Ying’an had nearly lost half her life, and Zuo Yuanxi had consulted renowned physicians far and wide without finding a cure. But one day, the pain had suddenly vanished, and Lin Ying’an never mentioned it again. Zuo Yuanxi had feared bringing it up would upset her, so when Lin Ying’an didn’t mention it herself, Zuo Yuanxi never spoke of it either.

“Don’t think about it if you can’t remember.” Zuo Yuanxi’s voice remained cold, but a careful listener could detect a trace of urgency in it.

When you care, it makes you flustered; when you care, it makes you urgent. If Nian Zhi’an hadn’t been tangled up in all that mess in her mind at that moment, she probably could have analyzed Zuo Yuanxi’s underlying emotions—jumping for joy would have been the understated version. But right now, she wasn’t even hearing Zuo Yuanxi’s voice.

Memories?

Nian Zhi’an realized she should have understood long ago that memories weren’t reliable—especially hers. That blank period was the best proof.

If Zuo Yuanxi said there was such a past event, then it must exist. The fact that she didn’t remember it meant there was a problem with her memories.

She roughly reviewed her past recollections and found no gaps. Then she searched her memories for anything illogical. Her soul force was extremely powerful, so flipping through them took only moments.

Before long, she actually found it.

Even if the person who had altered her memories had made them perfectly seamless, it still wasn’t something Nian Zhi’an had created herself. Others might not notice anything wrong, but she herself could sense a slight abruptness.

For some reason, she hadn’t paid attention to this before, allowing it to slip by unnoticed…

No, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Even if she had discovered it back then, she couldn’t have changed the current reality, since she had no power to resist s-232 at the time.

The false memory was triggered, and a “safeguard” left behind by the former system quietly activated.

Nian Zhi’an had prepared herself mentally, but when the pain truly came crashing over her, she realized she had overestimated her endurance. In that instant, she lost control of her body and collapsed to the ground.

Her memories turned into a chaotic tangle as a remnant system program began to devour her soul—that so-called “safeguard.”

A scream echoed through the room, the kind that tugged at one’s heart just hearing it.

But amid this level of pain tearing at her spirit, she actually felt a strange sense of familiarity.

“Zhi’an!” Zuo Yuanxi’s panicked voice was right by her ear, yet it felt utterly distant.

Nian Zhi’an finally heard her and wanted to respond, but she couldn’t overcome the tearing agony in her mind.

Red carp… the red carp birthmark.

The false memories in her mind began to blur, and the recollections that s-232 had guiltily hidden away emerged in fragments.

“This is… a tattoo?”

“No, I’ve had it since birth—it’s a birthmark, shaped exactly like a red carp. My parents always saw it as an auspicious sign.” The merfolk sat by the seaside, her expression carrying a love that Nian Zhi’an only now understood.

…

This was the memory the system had tampered with. It had erased the existence of the red carp birthmark.

At that time, seeing the birthmark had given her an intense headache, with strange images flashing sporadically in her mind.

“Zhi’an, what do you think of the painting?” But in this segment of memory, another abrupt scene popped up. Speaking to her was a woman in a light cyan long skirt. Nian Zhi’an couldn’t see her face clearly, only sensing her profound gentleness—the kind that made one want to weep.

An easel stood before her, bearing a painting of a pair of vivid, lifelike red carp.

“It’s adorable, exactly like I imagined!” That was her own voice.

Why choose carp?

Because, Niannian has plenty…

Niannian has worries.

“Cough…” Nian Zhi’an suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood, her vision filled only with scarlet.

【Host!!!!】 The alarm blared piercingly inside the system. It didn’t know what dangerous thing its host had done this time, but the data showed that Nian Zhi’an’s mind and even her soul were on the verge of collapse. If this continued, there would be trouble!

Even if they skipped this mission, it would have to forcibly knock her out and drag her away!

But someone was even faster than it, rushing past to scoop up the host.

Yet both the system and the merfolk were at a loss about what to do for Nian Zhi’an.

Fortunately, the host passed out on her own, and the alarm stopped. The Little System let out a breath of relief as it floated over to her side. 【I know you like messing with me, but I didn’t expect you’d be just as ruthless with yourself! You nearly scared me to death, you know? You almost scared poor Zuo Yuanxi to death too!】

Oh, right—Zuo Yuanxi?

The Little System carefully examined Zuo Yuanxi’s expression. This merfolk, who was usually so aloof and kept the host at arm’s length, showed not a shred of her usual calm detachment now.

The host’s air of confidence probably stemmed from this. Peel back the antagonist’s cold exterior, and underneath was probably all softness—at least toward their host, soft as could be.

Just like in the previous world. Even if this one seemed tricky, Zuo Yuanxi wouldn’t abandon the host. Look—even someone as formidable as Zuo Yuanxi probably wouldn’t shed tears many times in her life, yet for their host, she’d already cried twice in such a short time.

This was love down to the bone.

…

When Nian Zhi’an woke again, she found herself in human form on a bed. The mattress beneath her was even softer, and the ceiling now had strange decorations.

Looking closer, she realized they weren’t strange at all—they were an enlarged version of a cage.

A bed sat inside the cage, with plenty of open space elsewhere. Getting out of bed to move around would be more comfortable, without worrying about bumping into the bedframe. Nearby was a cat bed and a cat tree, perfect if she wanted to shift into her Pallas’s cat form.

She raised her hand to cover her eyes, processing the new memories she’d recovered. She still felt somewhat dazed. Although she’d retrieved those from back then, she discovered an even bigger secret lurking behind them.

Who was that woman in the cyan skirt?

The Little System was the first to notice Nian Zhi’an was awake. It hurried over to check if the host had gone dumb—her condition before passing out had been pretty dire.

【Host, what’s this?】 The Little System held up a sign with a number on it.

Nian Zhi’an didn’t stand on ceremony and swatted it straight onto the bed. “Your grandpa.”

Yes, yes! That was the vibe—looked like her host’s brain was fine.

【You really are my ancestor! Ancestor, what the heck did you do earlier? Your soul nearly suffered permanent damage! The data from the backend scared the hell out of me! I’d already braced myself to do missions with a vegetable from now on, mmmph…】 The Little System’s head got buried in the blanket and struggled for a good while before emerging.

【Even if not for me, you gotta think of your wife next time. No more pulling stunts that dangerous, got it?】

“Where is she?” Nian Zhi’an asked.

【She’s off simmering soup for you. The fresh dragon bone is a billion points precious—the chef here didn’t dare touch it, afraid of ruining the ingredient, so Zuo Yuanxi had to cook it herself.】 After all, it was real dragon bone. The System Mall sold it, at prices the Little System could only dream of, and yet Zuo Yuanxi just used it for soup. The life of the wealthy was beyond it, but damn, what a shock.

Who knew if the host would end up with a nosebleed from all the nourishment.

【These past few days, she hasn’t rested well, searching everywhere for spirit pills to heal you.】

Nian Zhi’an’s eyes curved in a smile, a healthy flush tinting her pale face.

“See, I told you my wife cares about me.”

【Tsk tsk tsk…】The cheesy stench of romance hung in the air, and the Little System professed that it couldn’t bear to watch.

【Host, you haven’t told me yet—what exactly happened before? It was pretty scary. What did the antagonist mean? Did you really see the birthmark on her body back during the previous mission?】

“…” Nian Zhi’an’s smile faded a bit. “Yeah, and along the way, I discovered that my memories had been tampered with by your predecessor.”

【???!!!】The Little System fell instantly silent. It took it quite a while to regain its voice. 【My predecessor?】

Systems did indeed have the ability to alter an Executor’s memories, but because the Main System feared that systems might go rogue, it had imposed extremely strict restrictions.

【Did it use the… Memory Tampering Program from within the system?】That was a program that systems could only employ against their Hosts in the most dire circumstances. After using it, they still had to report to the Main System, because the side effects were severe.

Moreover, to prevent the memories from being reset again, the predecessor systems would add an extra layer of insurance, one that was directly linked to the Executor’s soul. Breaking that Insurance Program would be suicidal, and the mere fact that the Host was still breathing was already a miracle.

【Host, did you… remember it? Did you really see the birthmark on her body, just like the antagonist said?】The Little System had to admit that its own Host was just a little bit tougher than the toughest.

“I remembered, but that only brought up even more mysteries.” Nian Zhi’an rubbed her forehead, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes. “s-232 went too easily. I really want to drag it back out of your processing plant and whip its corpse again.”

The Little System shuddered. 【Your body’s not well—don’t get mad. It’s bad for your liver.】

“I’m not mad. On the contrary, it gave me some inspiration.” Nian Zhi’an quirked the corner of her mouth. “I know exactly what fall to make Fu Jun take now.”

She could no longer take revenge on s-232 herself, so she would just have to make its “good son” Fu Jun pay for his “father’s” crimes.