Chapter 30: Mission Overload

Shi Mo was officially at her limit.

Ghosts. Secret rooms. Reawakened spirits. An ever-hungry Gu worm.

And now—feelings.

She hadn't signed up for this much chaos. Or affection. Especially not for someone like Fu Yunshen.

Yet here she was, sitting on the dorm room floor, staring at the system panel floating in front of her with quiet despair.

[Brotherhood Value: 865 / 1,000,000][Mission Status: Progressing – Emotional Risk Detected][Note: Host has shown repeated signs of deviation. Recalibrate emotional priority?]

She clicked "no" without hesitation.

And also without confidence.

Across the room, Fu Yunshen sat at his desk, flipping through a thick notebook. Occasionally, he'd glance at her.

She noticed.

Of course she did.

His eyes lingered longer these days.

And that… was dangerous.

Zhou Zhi burst into the room with his usual unfiltered energy, a bag of snacks under one arm.

"I brought milk tea! Also, who do we exorcise today?"

Shi Mo looked up. "No hauntings. Just homework."

Zhou Zhi blinked. "Oh. That's worse."

Fu Yunshen chuckled under his breath. "Finally something that scares him."

Zhou Zhi handed them their drinks and flopped onto his bed. "So, Shi Mo, how's the bonding mission going?"

Shi Mo froze. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, your mysterious system of 'get closer to Fu Yunshen, save the world,' or whatever your spiritual worm is whispering these days."

Shi Mo narrowed her eyes. "How do you even know about that?"

Zhou Zhi shrugged. "I'm observant."

"You're nosy."

"Same thing."

Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow. "Bonding mission?"

Shi Mo went still.

Zhou Zhi grinned wickedly. "Oops."

Fu Yunshen turned to her. "Care to explain?"

Shi Mo stood up abruptly. "I need air."

Zhou Zhi whispered, "She's panicking."

"I can hear you," Shi Mo snapped, already halfway out the door.

She sat on the steps outside the dorm building, drink in hand, staring up at the overcast sky.

The system buzzed in her ear again:

[Warning: Target engagement compromised.][Redirect emotional trajectory. Suggested action: Detach.]

She clenched her teeth.

The problem wasn't that she was too close.

The problem was that she didn't want to back away anymore.

Minutes later, Fu Yunshen joined her on the steps, hands in his jacket pockets.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No."

"Want to pretend to talk about something else and actually talk about it?"

She gave a weak laugh. "You're annoyingly perceptive."

"I've had practice."

They sat in silence for a while.

Then he said, "Whatever this 'mission' is… you're not obligated to explain. But if it involves lying, I'd rather you stop."

Shi Mo looked at him. "And if it involves protecting you?"

He paused.

"I don't need protection," he said quietly. "I need honesty."

That hurt more than it should have.

Because he wasn't wrong.

But if she told him everything—about the Gu, about the mission, about her real identity—it would change everything.

And she wasn't ready for that.

Not yet.

Back in the room, Zhou Zhi had fallen asleep with chips on his face.

The lights were dim. The air was still.

Fu Yunshen sat on the bed, legs crossed, staring at his notebook.

Shi Mo sat on her own bed, lost in thought.

The silence between them was heavier now.

Not because of tension.

But because of everything they weren't saying.

[System Notification]Brotherhood Value +35 (Emotional Boundary Reached)Current Total: 900 / 1,000,000[New Objective Unlocked: Confession or Collapse – Choose One]

Shi Mo closed the panel.

She had already chosen.

She just didn't know if she could survive the consequences.