The Sealed Rift

Qingping Grand Hotel was one of the most renowned properties under the Zhao family. One of Zhao Ziming's conditions when negotiating with Chu Lian was that if they ever visited a city where this hotel was located, they must stay there. Fortunately, since it was a five-star hotel, Chu Lian and her group didn't mind staying—it wasn't exactly a burden.

For many students, however, a five-star hotel had always seemed out of reach. If not for this school trip and the sponsorship Chu Lian had managed to secure for them, the best arrangement would likely have been a three-star hotel. Even the wealthiest schools have budgets—luxury for its own sake isn't part of the plan.

This treatment was exclusive to Class 1 of Grade 7. The other classes traveling separately didn't enjoy the same privileges. In that sense, Chu Lian's seemingly impulsive arrangements had yielded quite a respectable outcome.

Zhao Ziming had arranged for them to stay on the hotel's middle floors—not the cheapest rooms, but far from the most luxurious. It was a suitable level of comfort for the students. Initially, Chu Lian had been assigned a suite on the top floor, but she declined it, citing the rule of not separating from the group.

Inside the room, Chu Lian leaned against the railing, gazing at the night view thirty floors below. Behind her, Chu Chu, fresh out of the shower, was bouncing around with Tina, who had returned to her physical form and was snuggling against her. The girl seemed unusually energetic after her nap. If not for the fact that Chu Lian could now overpower her effortlessly, Chu Chu would have already latched onto her again.

Inori was chatting with Li Xiu'er. With her naturally gentle temperament and stunningly unique appearance, Inori had piqued Li Xiu'er's interest. Seeing that Inori wasn't opposed to her company, she eagerly started a conversation.

No matter what the others were doing, Chu Lian herself was quite troubled. After arriving in Jiuzhaigou, the long-silent system had suddenly reappeared, delivering a series of missions.

"Daughter of Fate Side Quest ① Activated: [The Sealed Spacetime Rift] — A rift leading to the Otherside has been detected beneath the waters of Jiuzhaigou. This rift has been sealed for hundreds of years and long forgotten. Recently, however, inhabitants of the Otherside have learned of this unguarded rift and are attempting to open it. They've already spent significant resources to send a group of monsters through. Your task is to prevent the Otherside from opening this rift and to alert the Rift Guardian to come to this location."

"Quest: Eliminate the monsters from the Otherside. Some of these creatures are already wandering near Jiuzhaigou. They fear sunlight but thrive in the darkness. Their mission is to claim lives and use those souls to erode the power of the seal, ultimately unsealing the rift. Your task is to eliminate them without alerting any ordinary humans."

"Quest Time Limit: Before dawn."

"Quest Difficulty: Advanced"

"Quest Reward: None."

"Quest Failure Penalty: Daughter of Fate mission completion rate -10%."

This was the kind of mission that showed up just to cause trouble—the worst type: no rewards, only punishment.

She didn't know exactly what "Daughter of Fate mission completion rate -10%" entailed, but recalling similar penalties in online games, she was sure it wasn't good.

Most likely, it would reduce the rewards she could receive. Whether she could even complete this hidden quest was uncertain, but she definitely didn't want to let it fail. Her instincts told her this mission wouldn't be simple.

Now she finally understood why Ayase had suggested visiting these specific places. It was because problems requiring her intervention were hidden within them, all tied to the "Daughter of Fate" mission line.

Thinking about Inori's inexplicable appearance here, along with her own sudden surge in attributes, if Chu Lian still didn't realize that this was the result of the system and Ayase secretly helping her, she might as well replace her brain.

"It may be troublesome, but..." Chu Lian sighed, glancing at Inori and Chu Chu. "With the two of them, it shouldn't be too difficult. After all, it's just an Advanced-level mission..."

Chu Chu's strength aside, even a group of ten average grown men wouldn't pose much of a threat to her. And Inori's strength was on par with Chu Lian's current level.

[Inori: Heroine of Guilty Crown, an artificial human, a member of the resistance, and also the internet's most famous singer, Egoist. Originally the resurrection vessel for the Apocalypse Virus's Mana Ouma. After the destruction of the Guilty Crown world, she wandered through countless dimensions and was infected by a mysterious power. She has now become an independent individual.]

[Three souls exist within her: one is Inori herself, one is Mana Ouma separated from the Apocalypse Virus, and the third is Eve, a fusion of the Apocalypse Virus's core consciousness and the world consciousness. While Inori is the dominant soul, the other two can manifest under specific conditions.]

[Attributes: Strength 32, Constitution 30, Agility 35, Spiritual Power: B+]

[Abilities: Void Greatsword, Deathblow, Lost Christmas, Premonition (Mana Ouma), Apocalypse Descent (Eve)]

[Void Greatsword: Drawn from within the user's own body by a Void Controller, it represents the user's core genetic void. As a top-tier Void ability, the Void Greatsword holds unimaginable power. The stronger the user, the more potent the weapon. While wielding it, all attributes increase by 50%, the user gains aerial mobility, and can unleash a special skill called "Void Ray" that expels all spiritual power in a burst.]

[Due to Inori's limitations, much of the Void Greatsword's power is sealed. Original Rank: SS; Current Rank: AA. Because of Inori's special nature, her genetic weapon can merge with other gene-based weapons, transforming into even stronger Voids with unique powers.]

[Deathblow: A skill acquired after being infected by a mysterious force during her dimensional travels. Effect ①: Attacks have a chance to include an instant-kill property, slaying the opponent in one strike. Once the Void is activated, this trait is automatically applied to the Void Greatsword. Activation rate depends on the difference in strength between user and target. Effect ②: After two consecutive attacks, the next strike will deal bonus magic damage equal to Strength + (Constitution / 2).]

[Lost Christmas: Once activated, a crystal flower born of the Apocalypse Virus blooms from the user's body, spreading crystalized virus matter outward. All enemies within the spread are temporarily bound; weaker ones are infected and perish.]

[If enemies are still caught within the flower when the skill ends, they will take damage equal to 10% to 90% of their max HP, depending on their strength. Range and duration scale with spiritual power. Current range: 300 meters; duration: fixed at 1–10 seconds. After activation, Inori becomes weakened for three days.]

The system's data wasn't entirely complete, but the detailed explanations in the abilities section were surprisingly thorough.

When she first met Inori, Chu Lian had wanted to scan her stats, but at the time, the system's detection was blocked by an invisible force. All she could see was a name. Only after her own attributes had significantly improved was she able to access this level of information.

She wasn't surprised by how high Inori's attributes were. Even from the anime, it was evident she was powerful. Being quantified now just made it more obvious.

But the Void Greatsword, Deathblow, and Lost Christmas—these three abilities shocked and delighted her. Shocked by their power, and delighted because with Inori on her side, completing the mission might turn out to be a breeze.

She had been lost in thought, her gaze fixed on Inori for a long time. It wasn't until Chu Chu pouted and Li Xiu'er began to feel awkward that Inori finally asked, "Lian, is something wrong?"

Inori's voice snapped Chu Lian out of her daze. Only then did she realize how strange her stare must have seemed. Seeing the three girls all looking at her curiously, her cheeks flushed slightly. "Ah, it's nothing... I was just thinking about something. Mmm, it's late—let's get some sleep."

She suggested sleeping mainly to avoid letting Li Xiu'er find out about anything. Chu Chu likely knew a lot of the inside story and had witnessed Chu Lian's unusual traits, so there was no need to hide it from her. And Inori, with her unique origins and destined involvement, didn't need to be kept in the dark either.

Chu Chu seemed like she wanted to say more, but Chu Lian stopped her with just a glance. Noticing Li Xiu'er, Chu Chu understood that her big sister probably had something else to do. So, pouting, she hugged her pillow and gave it a few frustrated punches before returning to her bed.

"Xiu'er, it's almost midnight. Even though we slept for a few hours on the plane, if we don't rest properly, we'll still be exhausted. Go on to sleep—good night..." Chu Lian gently pinched Li Xiu'er's cheek, coaxing her like a child.

The girl shook her head and slipped out of Chu Lian's grasp. Her face reddened from the gesture, and she quickly scurried back to her bed. But even then, her eyes lingered on Chu Lian until the lights were turned off, and only then did she finally close them and fall asleep.

Originally, this double room had only one bed. But per Chu Lian's request, two more had been brought in. In fact, her room was the most unique among the group. All other students were assigned two rooms with two beds each. Hers, however, was a large suite with three beds.

This arrangement existed because Li Xiu'er was too scared to sleep alone, Inori insisted on sticking with Chu Lian, and Chu Chu—who was likely planning a midnight ambush—refused to leave. So this setup was inevitable.

She waited a long while. Once Li Xiu'er's breathing turned soft and steady, Chu Lian opened her eyes and found Inori silently watching her. She reached out to gently caress Inori's cheek and smiled faintly.

Carefully lifting the blanket, Chu Lian made no sound as she slipped out of bed. She put on her slippers and, holding Inori's hand, quietly opened the door and walked out into the main room. The hallway light hit her eyes—and there sat Chu Chu, already dressed in a snug tracksuit, hugging Tina on the couch, clearly waiting.

"Eh... I wasn't going to let you come, but since you're already up, you might as well join. But let me be clear—you're not allowed to ask any questions," Chu Lian said. She wasn't surprised. She knew Chu Chu would come out even if she hadn't called her, so she simply laid down the ground rules.

"Got it, Big Sis. So, where are we headed now?" Chu Chu's enthusiasm was even higher than Chu Lian's, and she didn't seem to care about the warning. Instead, she asked excitedly.

"To the forest in Jiuzhaigou..." Chu Lian's eyes drifted past the balcony windows, gazing into the distance—toward the Jiuzhaigou forest preserve, that vast expanse covered in untouched wilderness.

"The night air... it's a little chilly," came a soft murmur.

Back in the room, Li Xiu'er opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, lost in her own thoughts.