[A key character has been detected nearby—He Xiao. Please begin your conquest. Current Favorability: 10.]
007 didn’t disappoint. It responded almost immediately.
Sheng He wasn’t surprised that He Xiao was one of her targets.
She’d only skimmed through the novel, but He Xiao was one of the male leads introduced early on. He shared plenty of scenes with the heroine, so naturally he was considered an important character.
She still remembered the first two or three major characters, though she hadn’t gotten around to reading about the others.
The only reason she remembered the original Sheng He at all was because they shared the same name, and the character appeared early in the story, so she’d paid a little extra attention.
Unfortunately, the chapters she’d read weren’t particularly helpful. There wasn’t much plot development, so they offered little useful information for her current situation.
Still, now that she had the system, things were different.
The system would identify the characters she needed to win over, and every increase in favorability would reward her with energy to level up.
With that, surviving the apocalypse no longer seemed impossible.
Sheng He’s objective was now crystal clear.
Win over the key characters.
Level up as quickly as possible.
Become one of the strongest people in the apocalypse.
That said…
He Xiao’s favorability toward her was only 10?
After everything that had happened between them last night, had her charm really declined?
Sensing her thoughts, 007 couldn’t help speaking up.
[Before you arrived, He Xiao’s favorability toward the original host was negative thirty.]
It had jumped forty points overnight.
That was already an incredible improvement.
Otherwise, 007 wouldn’t have chosen Sheng He as its host in the first place.
It didn’t want its host doubting herself and losing motivation, so boosting her confidence was necessary.
“I see.”
Sheng He nodded.
“I knew it wasn’t my problem.”
[Good luck, Host.]
“No rush. The apocalypse starts tomorrow. We should prepare while we still can. Otherwise, how are we supposed to survive the early days?”
The first rule of being transported into an apocalypse?
Stockpile supplies.
No matter how strong you became, it wouldn’t matter if you had nothing to eat.
Sure, you could rob other survivors.
But when food was scarce, even the strongest people couldn’t steal much.
That reminded her.
“By the way, don’t systems usually come with a beginner’s gift pack? Maybe a storage space? Or at least a spatial ability?”
If she wanted to stockpile supplies, she needed somewhere to keep them.
Having an interdimensional storage space would make everything infinitely easier.
Otherwise, she’d have to stash everything in one place—and there was no guarantee she’d be able to protect it.
Once the apocalypse began, there would be no laws left.
Power would decide everything.
The safest storage was carrying everything with her, where no one else could take it.
Under normal circumstances, she might have tried acquiring some high-tech weapons.
But with only a day left…
Where was she supposed to find firearms?
[I’m sorry, Host. There is no beginner’s gift pack. Rewards can only be earned by increasing favorability.]
007’s blunt reply instantly poured cold water over her enthusiasm.
“So I get absolutely nothing?”
“I still put in the work last night, didn’t I?”
“If you expect a horse to run, you have to feed it.”
“You haven’t given me a single benefit. I don’t even know what your system is capable of.”
“So why should I cooperate with you at all?”
Sheng He lazily stretched out on the bed, one hand supporting her head while the other idly twirled a lock of hair.
Her tone remained calm and unhurried.
007 didn’t quite understand what she meant.
[We’re already bound together, Host.]
It was simply stating the obvious.
“Oh…”
Sheng He dragged out the word, her voice soft and teasing.
“But I can always choose to do nothing.”
“At worst, I just won’t level up.”
“If I slack off, it’ll affect you too, won’t it?”
“We succeed together, and we fail together.”
“So, Little Seven… you should think this through carefully.”
Her tone was warm and gentle, as though she were sincerely offering advice.
For some reason, 007 felt its processor heating up.
[If the Host refuses to complete missions, you won’t survive the apocalypse. You’ll die soon enough, and I’ll simply bind to another host.]
It struck directly at the heart of the matter.
Sheng He blinked her fox-like eyes.
This system was smarter than she’d expected.
It wasn’t easy to fool.
“But what if I don’t die…”
“…and I simply refuse to do missions?”
“If that goes on long enough, your performance won’t look very good either, will it?”
“You’ve already seen what I’m capable of.”
“I may not have any special powers, but I doubt I’ll die that easily.”
That finally left 007 at a loss.
Its tone softened a little.
[…But we really don’t have a beginner’s gift pack.]
Now Sheng He was fully engaged.
“Then go negotiate with your supervisor.”
“The more benefits you secure for me, the better I’ll perform.”
“The better I perform, the better your results will be.”
“It benefits both of us.”
“Little Seven…”
“We’re on the same team.”
The more 007 listened, the more convincing she sounded.
Its thoughts became muddled, and before it knew it, it had actually gone to speak with the Main System.
Meanwhile, Sheng He lay comfortably on the bed, waiting for its reply.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long.
007 soon returned.
[Host, the Main System has agreed to give you a storage space.]
[However, you must raise He Xiao’s favorability to fifty before the end of today.]
Its voice carried both excitement and concern.
[The Main System also said that only those with ability have the right to make demands.]
A hint of amusement flashed across Sheng He’s eyes.
She had already thought 007 was remarkably human.
Its voice wasn’t the emotionless monotone of a machine. It expressed feelings, reacted to situations, and could think for itself.
But after hearing the Main System’s words…
She couldn’t help thinking that the one in charge really was on another level.
“Fine.”
“I’ll raise He Xiao’s favorability to fifty today.”
She had to get that storage space.
Once she’d made up her mind, she acted immediately.
Picking up her phone, she called He Xiao.
The ringtone echoed for a long time.
Only as it was about to stop did he finally answer.
The call connected.
But he didn’t say a word.
If the phone hadn’t shown they were connected, she would’ve thought no one had picked up.
Sheng He gave a soft laugh, completely unfazed.
“Come to my room.”
“Help me get out of bed.”
Without giving He Xiao a chance to refuse, she hung up.
In a nearby room, He Xiao stared at the disconnected call, his brows drawn tightly together as he gripped the phone.
He was her bodyguard.
Not her servant.
Why should he help her get out of bed?
[Host… are you sure this is the right strategy?]
007 couldn’t help asking.
He Xiao’s favorability wasn’t particularly high.
He clearly didn’t like her enough yet.
Was ordering him around really a good idea?
She still had to raise his favorability by another forty points in a single day.
Although 007 trusted its host, even it thought the task sounded nearly impossible.
“Relax.”
“He’ll come.”
Sheng He wasn’t the least bit worried.
The fact that He Xiao hadn’t taken advantage of her after she’d fallen asleep last night told her everything she needed to know.
He was the type who acted tough but had a soft heart.
People like him often spoke bluntly and kept others at arm’s length, but underneath that cold exterior, they were surprisingly kind.
Spend more time around them.
Find excuses for physical contact.
Before long, they’d begin to lower their guard.
Of course…
That only worked because she was a succubus.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
He Xiao pushed the door open.
The first thing he saw was Sheng He reclining lazily against the headboard, her cheek resting on one hand as she stared at him without blinking.
She still wasn’t wearing any clothes.
The blanket had slipped just enough to conceal the most intimate parts of her body, leaving her smooth, rounded shoulders exposed.