The First Bloom 26

"In my world, everything's chaos," Jianyu continued, his voice thick with emotion. "Humanity's barely holding on. Xu Xuan—she's dead. She's been dead for years. And you…" Jianyu looked up, his eyes meeting Zhenfeng's. "You and I—we're not like this. We're just friends. We're part of the same guild, and I'm the chief. That's all we are. That's all we ever were."

Zhenfeng's lips parted slightly, but he didn't interrupt.

"The system," Jianyu said, shaking his head, "it's this... thing in my head. It's like some futuristic, overly cheerful supermarket. It gives me options, decisions. Like some messed-up game. It's been keeping me alive—barely. But it's also been driving me insane with its constant chatter and quest."

Jianyu paused, a dry, humorless laugh escaping him. "And now, it's telling me that if I want to go back to the real world, I have to..." He trailed off, the words catching in his throat.