[System Alert: Severe Deviation Detected in Script Simulation][Fate Trajectory—Variable Overflow][Unit L-000 Temporary Lockdown Plan Failed][Initiating Reverse Awakening: K-Line Eraser Deployed]
—
Old Hospital, Building 4.
Li Qi's "Rewind" reversed the situation. Su Ying broke free from suppression, and together, they escaped.
But they knew — luck like this wouldn't come again.
"Who was that?" Su Ying whispered.
"Lu Qi," Li Qi wiped the blood off her arm. "The deepest manipulator behind the script — and the system-appointed 'main male lead.'"
"If I hadn't awakened... I would've been just another pawn."
"But you did awaken."
"Which makes me a mistake he needs to erase." Her tone was flat.
They temporarily hid in an empty, dusty hospital ward. Outside, the rain tapped steadily on the tin eaves — like a countdown falling from the sky.
But the system wasn't finished.
[K-Line Eraser · Awakener 003: Lin Yao][Script Profile: Gentle Angel Type / Hypocritical Persona / Script Reverser]
—
Elsewhere, in the school auditorium.
Lin Yao was delivering a speech — a "memorial" for Li Qi.
"She was my closest friend. Kind, sensitive, and never once resisted fate."
Her face bore a sorrowful smile, as if truly mourning.
But in the audience, a few faces showed flickers of doubt.
Behind the stage, in the system's terminal, a hidden prompt appeared:
[Lin Yao has made a pact with the System][She will infiltrate the awakened variables as an Eraser][Mission Objectives: Mislead. Betray. Erase.][Disguise Identity Success Rate: 93%][En Route to Contact L-000]
—
In the ward, Li Qi touched the torn edge of a script card.
She sensed a clue— "The third Awakener is being inserted into the path."
"We need to reach her first," she said calmly. "If she's like us—"
"Then she's an ally."
Su Ying bit her lip. "But if she's not?"
Li Qi looked out the window, her gaze icy. "Then I'll strike first."
—
Two hours later, at a bus stop.
Li Qi and Su Ying stood among the crowd, destination: Qixing High School — Lin Yao's current location.
According to the script, she was the "White Moonlight," the emotional anchor in the main cast. Her arrival could either collapse the structure or betray all awakened players.
And now, she was approaching.
She smiled and extended a hand to Li Qi. "You're alive? That's wonderful."
Li Qi didn't move, only stared into her eyes.
And in that moment—she saw it. A flicker of cold calculation, buried deep within Lin Yao's gaze.
[Anomalous Read/Write: Success][Lin Yao is attempting to sync with your thought stream]
Li Qi's heart jolted.
This isn't an Awakener.This is the system's weapon.
Feigning friendliness, she covertly activated Fragment Card [Type-F Interference].
Instantly, the sync shattered — and she injected a false memory in reverse:
[I haven't awakened. I'm just lost in a side plot.]
Lin Yao paused, her expression turning scornful.
"Knew it. Just a derailed failure."
Li Qi smiled faintly. "So are you."
Lin Yao's eyes darkened.
And then — chaos exploded at the bus stop.
The air fractured. Time froze. Passersby became statues.
The system was triggering a forced Eraser Judgment.
Su Ying gasped, "She's going to erase you!"
"I know."
Li Qi stepped forward, whispered in Lin Yao's ear:
"But you forgot something. You coded me to fear pain. Fear death. Fear loneliness."
"Now I fear nothing."
She activated hidden Script Card [Mirror Severance] ——and pulled Su Ying into the rupture.
Forced Scene Shift—Escape Erasure Zone!
—
[Temporary Timeline Shift Successful][Li Qi: Alive][Su Ying: Alive][Lin Yao: Mission Failed. Downgraded to Regular Character]
—
System Command Console.
He Linyun read the report and smirked. "They're actually getting better."
"But eventually, they'll face the real question."
"When everyone wakes up—who writes the story?"
"At that moment, the entire fate grid will collapse."
"And I… will personally script her final ending."
4o