The System broke at the worst possible moment.
One second, Luo Feng was sneaking into the Jade Lotus Manor—home of the notoriously paranoid Noble Yun. The next, his vision split, displaying two overlapping mission screens:
[CHECK-IN #1: SEDUCE LADY YUN]
"A lonely widow seeks... companionship."
[Reward: Moonlit Veil (Stealth Boost)]
[CHECK-IN #2: PLUNDER THE YUN FAMILY VAULT]
"They stole first. Probably."
[Reward: Earthsplit Gauntlets (Tier 4)]
Luo Feng froze. "System. What the hell?"
The Fox Spirit, currently invisible thanks to her unstable Illusion VE, whispered in his ear: "Ooooh, multitasking!"
Li Qing, who had very reluctantly agreed to this heist, gave him a look that promised violence. "Problem?"
[System Alert: TEMPORARY ERROR DETECTED]
*"Double Check-In activated! Complete both missions within 2 hours for bonus rewards!"*
"Failure Penalty: Noble Yun's private army + Void Dynasty assassins (again)."
Luo Feng took a deep breath. "New plan."
[The Seduction (A Masterclass in Awkwardness)]
Lady Yun was exactly as the rumors described—a stunning widow with a razor-sharp wit and a collection of poisoned hairpins.
She sipped her tea, eyeing Luo Feng over the rim. "So. You're the 'merchant' here to discuss silks?"
Luo Feng, who had zero idea how silks worked, nodded solemnly. "The finest. Very... smooth."
The Fox Spirit, still invisible, snorted.
Lady Yun's eyes narrowed. "Did you just—"
"Ahem." Luo Feng leaned forward, channeling every terrible romantic play he'd ever seen. "My lady, your beauty outshines even the rarest jade."
[Seduction Progress: 20%]
Li Qing, watching from the shadows, mouthed: "Pathetic."
Then—
CRASH.
The Fox Spirit, now visible and tangled in a priceless tapestry, waved. "Uh. Surprise?"
Lady Yun stood so fast her chair toppled. "Assassins!"
[The Heist (Chaos Mode Engaged)]
What followed was the most disastrous simultaneous mission in history:
Seduction Derailed
Luo Feng tried to salvage the moment by catching a falling vase (romantic in theory).
It was a urn. Full of ashes.
Lady Yun screamed.
Vault Breach
Li Qing took advantage of the chaos to pick the vault's locks.
The Fox Spirit's third tail chose that moment to manifest—with a mind of its own.
It immediately started licking the security runes.
The Glitch
The System, overwhelmed, began spawning duplicate prompts:
"Kiss Lady Yun!" / "Punch Lady Yun!"
"Steal the artifact!" / "Return the artifact!"
[System Stability: CRITICAL]
[The Exploit (Unintentional Genius)]
In the end, Luo Feng's saving grace was sheer, dumb luck.
The Fox Spirit's rogue tail sneezed—unleashing a burst of Illusion VE that made everyone in the manor see double.
Guards tackled empty air. Lady Yun swooned at a statue.
And Luo Feng?
He accidentally completed both missions:
"Seduce" Lady Yun
His panicked attempt to steady her looked just like a dip-and-kiss from romantic plays.
She fainted.
[CHECK-IN #1: COMPLETE (Technicality)]
Plunder the Vault
Li Qing tossed him the Earthsplit Gauntlets mid-chaos.
The Fox Spirit's tail ate a secondary treasure (oops).
[CHECK-IN #2: COMPLETE (Partial)]
[Check-In Complete (Barely)]
[Rewards Claimed:]
Moonlit Veil (Now he can turn slightly transparent when embarrassed)
Earthsplit Gauntlets (One is missing a gem because someone's tail swallowed it)
[New Status Effect: System Instability]
"Future check-ins may randomly duplicate until rebooted. Enjoy!"
As they fled the manor, the Fox Spirit's third tail happily wagging, Li Qing delivered the killing blow:
"That was the worst seduction I've ever seen."
Luo Feng pointed at the gauntlets. "But it worked."
The Fox Spirit gasped. "Wait. Does this mean we have to do two check-ins tomorrow?"
[System: "Maybe. Probably. Good luck!"]
END OF THE CHAPTER18