Chapter 14 – The System's New Orders

Chapter 14 – The System's New Orders

Ding!

[New Task: Survive the Day]

[Objective: Get through the day without raising suspicions.]

[Rewards: +5 Stamina, +3 Intelligence, New Skill – 'Hacking Proficiency (Advanced)']

Chen Yunran stared at the prompt. Another day of getting through this strange game of life, and now it seemed the system was offering him a reward for surviving... but he wasn't entirely sure what "surviving the day" meant.

Get through the day? He glanced around, half-expecting something drastic to happen. But the office looked just as ordinary as ever.

"Great," he muttered. "Just when I thought things were starting to make sense, the system throws in another curveball."

The Morning Meeting

Xu Meilin had been unusually quiet during their morning briefing, her eyes occasionally flickering toward Chen Yunran. He noticed it immediately, but chose to remain calm.

When the meeting finally concluded, she walked up to him, her expression unreadable.

"Chen Yunran," she said, her voice lowering. "I need to talk to you."

He followed her to the same private office they had used the day before, the door clicking shut behind them.

"Look," she began, crossing her arms, "I've been thinking about your... performance lately. You're doing things that not even seasoned employees can do. It's almost like you're playing a game."

Chen Yunran shrugged, keeping his face neutral.

"That's just me," he said, keeping his tone light. "I've always been good at reading people, understanding situations... It's how I survived in my last job."

Xu Meilin's eyes narrowed, but before she could press further, the system chimed in again.

Ding!

[Skill Update: Hacking Proficiency (Advanced) Unlocked]

[New Skill: Hacking Proficiency (Advanced) – You can now bypass medium-level security systems and access restricted networks with ease.]

"Looks like I'm upgrading," Chen Yunran said under his breath, amused. He was quickly getting used to the system's notifications—though he was still not entirely sure about their purpose. He'd figure it out soon enough.

Xu Meilin raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say something?"

"Nothing important," Chen Yunran replied with a smirk. "Just a reminder that I'm always one step ahead."

The Bickering Begins

The awkward silence between them grew until Xu Meilin finally broke it, but not in the way he expected.

"Just how many secrets are you hiding, Yunran?" she asked, an edge to her tone. "You're not just an intern, are you?"

For a moment, he almost wanted to tell her everything—about the system, his previous lives, the skills he had unlocked. But then he remembered the lesson he'd learned the hard way: Never reveal too much.

He grinned. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Xu Meilin didn't laugh this time. Instead, her gaze softened, almost imperceptibly. "I'm getting to the point where I might need to trust you," she admitted, her voice quiet. "But you'd better stop playing games. We're not in a position to be casual anymore."

Chen Yunran couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him. "Trust, huh? Don't worry, I'm not playing anything... for now."

The Unspoken Understanding

Despite the tension, a strange bond was forming between them. It wasn't the romantic tension one might expect in this kind of scenario, but something more subtle—a growing respect, perhaps, or maybe just the recognition that they both had roles to play in a bigger game.

Ding!

[+5% Favorability with Xu Meilin. (Total: 60%)]

The system notification was like an afterthought, but it was still there, reminding him of the subtle shifts happening around him.

Xu Meilin shook her head as if trying to push away whatever thoughts had been swirling in her mind. "Look, Chen Yunran," she said, her voice more serious now, "I'm going to give you one more task. Do it right, and you might get a permanent position here."

"Permanent position?" He feigned surprise. "You mean I'm not just an intern anymore?"

She didn't smile, but there was a brief flicker of amusement in her eyes. "We'll see how you handle this. The task will test your skills... and your loyalty."

Status Update:

Host: Chen Yunran

Race: Human (Ascended – Sealed)

Physique: Weakened Cultivator Body (Suppressed)

Stats:

Strength: 7

Agility: 6

Stamina: 7 (+5 from Mission)

Perception: 8

Intelligence: 22 (+3 from Mission)

Qi Reserves: Sealed

Innate Skills:

Perseverance (From First Life)

Fast Learner (From First Life)

Survival Instinct (From First Life)

Cultivation Techniques (From Second Life)

Body Refinement Mastery (From Second Life)

Pill Creation (From Second Life)

Stealth Mastery (From Second Life)

Weapon Proficiency (From Second Life)

Job Skills:

Digital Espionage (Temporary)

Social Engineering

Technical Aptitude (From System)

Basic Computer Hacking

Acquired Skills:

Multitasking (Advanced)

Observation Mastery (Proficient)

Persuasion (Basic)

Crisis Management (Proficient)

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Basic)

Negotiation (Advanced)

Computer Hacking (Basic)

Hacking Proficiency (Advanced)

Goddess Favorability:

Xu Meilin: 60%

End of Chapter 14