After failing to romance two different billionaire CEOs, I completely, unequivocally gave up. When the system issued my third target, even it had stopped trying. [If you die one more time, we’re going to get demoted to background NPCs.] My eyes instantly lit up. [Wait, is that a promise?] So, when my new target’s childhood best friend slapped me across the face and demanded I jump into the ocean to retrieve her bracelet... I didn't say a single word. I just dove headfirst into the freezing water. My target was absolutely stunned. He frantically ordered his security team to fish me out. "Is this how you try to get my attention? You're just a sugar baby, do you honestly think your life is worth that much?" He used the toe of his designer loafer to tilt my chin up, his voice dripping with mockery. I offered a weak, shivering smirk. "You're right. It's not worth anything. I'll go die right now." Before he could react, I snatched the glass liquor bottle from his hand, smashed it against the deck, and violently dragged a jagged shard across my own arm. My target was completely paralyzed with shock. As my consciousness began to fade, I heard him screaming into his phone: "Hey! How hard did you guys push her in the last few rounds?! This host is literally trying to kill herself!" He seemed to be shouting the names of my first two targets. Perfect. If I could just rack up a few more death counters with these guys, I could finally say goodbye to this miserable game! 1 I opened my eyes to the overwhelming, sterile stench of hospital bleach. Loud voices echoed around me. "I didn't even do anything yet." "Honestly, watching her play the desperate, pathetic puppy dog for you guys definitely made me curious." "But now that it's finally my turn, why is she acting like a complete psycho? It's honestly kind of a buzzkill." The voice was arrogant and flippant. I recognized it instantly. It was my newest target, Carter Sterling. The System shrieked in my ear: [No wonder every single mission failed! They were manipulating their affection meters the entire time!] [Thank God you decided to quit, host. Otherwise, you would have been tortured by these psychos for a third round...] [You know what? I'm giving up too. Just call me the Death System now. Let's finish this death quota so we can hit the NPC track.] I let out a cold, raspy scoff. My brain felt like it was still drowning in seawater; I had zero energy to speak. The next second, the hospital room door was kicked open. Carter strutted in, his arm wrapped protectively around his childhood best friend, Chloe. She buried her face in his chest, putting on a sickeningly fragile, tearful act: "Carter, I swear I didn't say anything to her! I have no idea why Maya suddenly went crazy..." "Everyone was so worried about saving her, they made me look like the bad guy. All I wanted was for her to give back the limited-edition bracelet she stole from me..." She shot me a covert, triumphant smirk from behind his jacket. During my previous attempts, I had grown completely numb to this exact brand of manufactured, mean-girl sabotage. At first, I used to fight back. I used to defend myself desperately. I would stand my ground, practically willing to rip my own heart out just to prove my innocence. Later, I learned to just drop to my knees, beg for forgiveness, and accept whatever humiliating punishment they demanded. All just to look obedient, hoping my target would pat me on the head and throw me a few scraps of affection points. But now I know the affection points were completely faked... A massive, crushing sense of absurdity washed over me. Seeing my completely dead, unresponsive expression. Carter clearly lost his patience. He aggressively yanked my hospital blanket back: "That bracelet cost over a hundred grand. How exactly are you planning to pay for it?" I met his glare with dead eyes. "Let me make one thing clear. Stop using these pathetic, psychotic stunts to try and manipulate me." "A cheap piece of trash like you should be on your knees thanking me that I even allow you to be my sidepiece..." His voice abruptly died in his throat. Because, fueled by a sudden, inexplicable burst of adrenaline. I vaulted straight over the hospital windowsill, half my body already hanging out into the open air. I offered him a bright, cheerful smile. The next second, a hand clamped down on my arm with bone-crushing force, violently yanking me backward. The agonizing pull on my torn muscles snapped me back to reality. "What the fuck are you doing?!" His arrogant, relaxed demeanor completely shattered. "We're on the third floor! Jumping from here won't kill you! Do you honestly think you can threaten me with your worthless life?!" He screamed the words. But the fingers gripping my forearm were digging into my skin so hard it bruised. "You psychotic, manipulative bitch..." Carter forced a furious curse out of his throat. "If you want to seduce me, then sit down and act like a good girl." "I don't play these dramatic, suicidal games." He pulled the terrified, trembling Chloe tighter against his chest, turning to bark an order at his bodyguards: "Get her changed. I'm taking her out." I sat lazily on the edge of the bed, completely compliant, letting the staff dress me and fix my hair. Then, I was shoved into the back of Carter's sleek black Maybach. As the city skyline blurred past the tinted windows. My brain suddenly sparked to life. If I open the door and tuck-and-roll right now, maybe I can die even faster! But the exact second my fingers brushed the chrome door handle, Carter violently snatched my wrist. "Maya, what the hell are you trying to do now?" His sharp, striking features zoomed in on my face. His expression was laced with intense, aggressive irritation. "Why do you keep pulling these insane stunts the second you're with me..." "Listen, I like women who are gentle and obedient. Act right, and maybe I'll actually give you what you want." Ah. He was hinting at the affection points. In the past, I used to bend over backward, desperately trying to analyze exactly what my targets wanted. If they liked thrill-seekers, I did extreme sports. When my parachute 'accidentally' malfunctioned, I dragged a target out of a ravine, surviving for two days on rainwater, getting so desperate I actually caught and ate a snake. If they liked elegant, submissive women, I watched them cycle through mistresses. I would force a perfect, polite smile and personally deliver condoms to their hotel rooms. I had been bled, beaten, and literally had organs harvested. All of it, just my physical body being pushed to the absolute limit. Just to earn a microscopic fraction of their approval. But today, I finally woke up. What could possibly be more beautiful than death? No matter what they did, I still had the ultimate exit strategy. Once I close my eyes, I never have to deal with these psychopaths again. 2 The Maybach pulled up to the venue. That's when I realized we had arrived at an engagement party. When Chloe saw me step out of the car, her face violently contorted. The next second, she and her clique of wealthy socialites formed a wall, aggressively backing me into a corner. "Where the hell did you come from? Who gave you permission to stalk Carter?!" She hissed through clenched teeth. Seeing Carter walking toward us, she intentionally brushed hard against my shoulder and dramatically threw herself backward, plunging directly into the venue's massive decorative fountain. The move was executed with flawless, practiced precision. I paused for a second, mentally consulting the System: [I really need to learn her technique for finding instant, dramatic ways to die.] "Oh my god! How could you push her?!" Her friends immediately started shrieking and pointing fingers. Carter, playing the knight in shining armor, quickly fished her out of the water. As soon as he did, he pointed a furious finger directly at my face: "Have I been too nice to you?! Have you completely forgotten your place?!" "You actually have the audacity to lay a hand on my people?!" I lifted my eyes, a lazy, mocking smirk pulling at my lips: "If Mr. Sterling doesn't need me anymore, he's more than welcome to let me go." "You!" Maybe it was the blatant, undisguised contempt in my smile that triggered him. Carter completely lost it. He grabbed the delicate gold chain around my neck and violently twisted it. The thin metal dug deep into the fragile skin of my throat, a wave of suffocating darkness rushing over me. Yes. Do it. Pull harder. My eyes lit up with genuine excitement. I intentionally threw my body weight backward, increasing the tension on the chain, an expression of euphoric satisfaction spreading across my face... But the sweet release of death didn't come. Carter abruptly let go, and my momentum sent me crashing heavily onto the marble patio. "Are you completely insane? "Why does everyone else get the fun version, but when it's my turn, you turn into this psychotic freak?" Carter cursed, practically spitting the words. "Carter, you're losing your temper way too fast. Did you actually think she was going to let herself die?" The voice cutting through the tension was incredibly familiar. I opened my eyes. Standing there was a striking, impeccably dressed man, a cynical, detached smirk playing on his lips. It was Julian Vance. My second target. I had been assigned to him when his family's corporate empire was on the absolute brink of collapse. I stayed up with him night after night, drinking with venture capitalists until I developed a perforated ulcer. I essentially worked as a full-time, unpaid hospice nurse for his dying mother for six months. I clearly remember him gripping my hand, crying, telling me I was an angel sent from heaven to save his life. But now, he was standing high above me, watching me bleed on the ground with absolute amusement: "Is this a new strategy? I have to admit, it's original." "Why the sudden shift to the extreme, suicidal route?" "But then again, high risk, high reward. Your acting is phenomenal." [These guys are absolute monsters. They literally falsified their affection meters just to drag out the game and torture us!] The System was furiously defending me in my head. The next second, a pair of flawlessly polished, custom Italian oxfords stopped directly in front of my face. "Maya, drop the act. "You'll use any pathetic, degrading stunt just to seduce someone. It's disgusting." I lifted my head, meeting his eyes. Ethan Hayes. My very first target. My throat was still raw and bruised from being choked. I lay on the marble, coughing violently, a sickly, feverish flush spreading across my face. Ethan involuntarily took a half-step toward me. In his eyes... was that grief? Or resentment? I didn't have time to process it, because he violently turned his head away. When he spoke, his words were the same icy, brutal daggers he always threw at me: "Pathetic. Did you honestly think playing the suicidal victim would earn you sympathy and boost your affection points?" "Let me make something incredibly clear. None of us are falling for your psychotic little tricks. You spent all that time desperately trying to romance us, and you didn't even realize we had full control over the affection meters the entire time." I didn't look up at him. I just kept my head down, focusing on my breathing, slowly trying to push myself up off the ground. "And you? Was your meter hitting 99% fake too?" I stood up, my gaze locking onto Ethan as if trying to pierce straight through his skull. He was a completely different person than he was ten years ago. When I first met Ethan, he was an unacknowledged, illegitimate son. Banished by the Hayes family to a rotting, dilapidated apartment, completely broke. When his landlord evicted him, he huddled under a crumbling awning to escape the freezing rain. He was completely soaked, shivering uncontrollably. Until I stopped, and held my umbrella over his head... No matter how much I wanted to deny it now, the truth was, I had given Ethan my entire, uncorrupted heart. 3 My final, defining memory of Ethan Hayes was his affection meter rocketing to 99%, only to instantly, violently plummet to zero. And his bloodshot, furious eyes, his jaw clenched in absolute rage. "You lied to me? I will never, ever forgive you!" The memory perfectly overlapped with the man standing in front of me now. His breathing grew heavy. My single question had completely shattered his arrogant, detached composure. He stepped aggressively toward me, his voice sharp and defensive: "You actually have the nerve to bring up the past?" His gaze swept over the other men standing around us. "How does it feel? Realizing that every single one of your 'targets' was just treating you like a pathetic joke?" "Watching you play the desperate, obedient dog, completely stripping away your own dignity... it was incredibly entertaining." Ethan was standing inches from my face. His eyes were glued to me. As if he was trying to dissect every single micro-expression on my face. But entirely contrary to his expectations, my expression remained perfectly, chillingly calm. No rage. No heartbreak. I just offered him a faint, hollow smile: "That's great. As long as you found it entertaining." "You're the groom tonight. Don't waste your valuable time talking to me." Looking past him, I saw the massive, sprawling sea of floral arrangements. Every single detail of the decor was exactly what Ethan and I had designed together years ago. Honestly, the second I arrived at the venue, I knew exactly whose engagement party this was. Seeing me turn around to walk away, the atmosphere in the courtyard violently stalled. Suddenly, a massive, shattering crash echoed behind me. Ethan's fiancée had tripped over the trailing tablecloth of the champagne tower. A ten-tier pyramid of crystal glasses violently collapsed onto the marble floor. I was far too familiar with this exact scenario. Except normally, Ethan would yank me backward by my hair, and he would aggressively throw himself in front of his fiancée to act as a human shield. In a fraction of a second, a suit jacket was thrown directly over my head, blocking my vision. But the jagged shards of exploding crystal still rained down on me, cutting into my skin like glass raindrops. The sharp, stinging pain instantly sent a rush of adrenaline through my veins. I excitedly yelled for the System in my head: [System! Can you manipulate the physics engine?! Make a shard slice my jugular! Let's just end this right now!] [Uhhh... hold on, let me check the developer console.] Before the System could even execute a command, the owner of the suit jacket—Ethan—suddenly started screaming in absolute panic: "Olivia! Hurry! Call an ambulance!" He dropped to his knees on the glass-covered marble, clutching his fiancée, who had suffered a few minor scratches. In his chaotic panic, he glanced over and saw me standing next to the jacket he had thrown. A cruel, mocking smirk twisted his lips: "I must be losing my mind. I forgot you have a System. No matter how much damage you take, you just keep coming back like a cockroach." "Hey! Grab her and throw her in the ambulance! She can donate blood to Olivia!" I was treated like a broken, bleeding ragdoll. My arms and legs were covered in glass lacerations and bleeding puncture wounds, but I was aggressively shoved into the back of a black SUV. My entire body was screaming in pain. But I couldn't stop myself from smiling a bright, euphoric smile. I sat obediently in the hospital chair, letting the nurses prep me for a transfusion. Through the glass partition, I stared at Ethan's cold, sociopathic face. "Her blood type is a perfect match for Olivia. Olivia's immune system is fragile, she needs it. As for her," He sneered, pointing at me, his voice dripping with venom, "Even if you drain every single drop of blood out of her body, she'll be fine. She literally cannot die." I closed my eyes, suppressing the ecstatic thrill bubbling in my chest: [System, did you hear that?! He's actually going to torture me! Are we finally going to hit the death quota?!] Watching the nurse connect the IV line, I couldn't help but offer a helpful reminder: "Take as much as you need. I'll be totally fine. Saving her life is the priority." The nurse froze, shooting me a deeply complex, disturbed look, but her hands didn't stop moving: "Ms. Quinn only suffered minor lacerations. A standard 300cc donation will be more than enough." I blinked, completely confused. Realizing that the doctors in this 'game world' were actually functioning rationally, and the hyper-dramatic, torturous scenario I needed wasn't happening, I frantically called the System for backup. [Don't worry! I just hacked the medical equipment!] [You're a lifesaver!] I lay back and relaxed. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the doctor noticed I was turning terrifyingly pale and realized something was catastrophically wrong. "What's happening? The transfusion pump is malfunctioning! It won't shut off!" Massive blood loss triggers dizziness, severe palpitations, and cognitive failure. "Ethan, what the fuck are you doing?! Are you trying to kill her?!" "Hey, Ethan! I haven't even gotten a turn with her yet! Give me a chance, I actually kind of like her." "Shut the fuck up!" Wow, did the whole boyband show up for this? I didn't have the energy to think about it. The voices around me were fading into a distant, muffled hum. I closed my eyes, feeling completely, utterly satisfied. 4 I opened my eyes. Directly above me was a stark, blindingly white ceiling. Did I die? Did we respawn in a new world? I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the light. The moment my gaze landed on the man sitting next to the bed, I almost choked on my own spit. "I told you, there's no way a roach like her would actually die." "No matter what happens, she has her little System running damage control for her." Ethan was leaning against the doorframe, aggressively running a hand through his hair in deep frustration. "My engagement party was completely ruined because of this." "Carter. Lower her affection meter." Carter, who was sitting casually on the edge of my hospital bed, shot me a mocking smirk: "If I lower it any further, it's going into the negatives. How about this? Beg me, and I'll graciously add a point back." I rolled my eyes and didn't even bother responding. Julian waved his hand, and two nurses immediately stepped forward, preparing to force-feed me. "Whatever, since she clearly can't be killed, she can stick around and keep us entertained." "Maya, be a good girl and eat. As soon as you're done, we have to go watch Ethan officially tie the knot." I closed my eyes, utterly devoid of the will to live. On the drive to the rescheduled engagement venue, Ethan and his fiancée rode in the same luxury SUV as me. His fiancée lay limply against his chest, acting as if she had no bones. Every time she slightly moved her arm and 'aggravated' a minor scratch, she would whimper and demand to be comforted. I stared out the window, completely deadpan. Ethan, if you guys want to be disgustingly affectionate, fine. But can you please stop shooting daggers at me with your eyes? One look was filled with aggressive, volatile resentment. The other was shooting me pathetic, puppy-dog glances, occasionally flashing a look of smug, victorious pride. I stared at them, my brain processing the dynamic, and casually dropped a bomb: "The diamond on that engagement ring is incredibly small." "Compared to the one you gave me back in the day, this one is basically microscopic." Ethan's face instantly turned black as thunder. His fiancée, whose big, doe-like eyes were suddenly filled with tears, looked up at him. He ground his teeth in fury. "Maya, open your fucking eyes and look closely. This is a custom piece from Italy. Olivia and I designed it ourselves. It's worth three million dollars." "People get the jewelry they deserve. In case you didn't know, the ring I gave you back then was a cheap, cubic zirconia knockoff." "Ethan, it's okay. I understand why she's acting like this. After all, you two share such a... complicated history..." His fiancée wiped a tear from her cheek and pulled the ring off her finger, clutching it in her hand. "I'll just wear it later. I don't want her to feel bad." "Maya!" Ethan's voice was dark and threatening, his eyes locking onto me like a sniper scope. I stared back at him, my eyes shining with eager anticipation. Come on, what's the new torture method? Can you just skip the drama and kill me instantly? And then, Ethan rolled the window down and violently hurled the three-million-dollar diamond ring out into the street. "The engagement party starts in exactly one hour. Get out and find the ring. If you don't bring it back, your little 'mission' here is permanently over." He smirked at me right before ordering the driver to kick me out of the moving car. Carter's sports car pulled up right behind me. "Aww, poor thing. Let me bump your meter up by two points." Carter rolled his window down, smiling brightly at me. "That pair of rings cost Ethan a massive amount of genuine emotional effort. Not like the cheap garbage he bought to string you along." I stood frozen in the middle of a massive, multi-lane highway. Cars were tearing past me at 70 miles an hour. Furious drivers were already honking and screaming out their windows at me: "Are you fucking psychotic?! Do you want to die?!" I enthusiastically waved back at them: "Yes! Yes, I literally do! Can someone please help me out?!" "Maya?! Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Julian sprinted through the traffic, grabbed my arm, and violently yanked me onto the shoulder of the highway. "Ethan threw the ring into the grass median! Are you blind?! Why the hell are you running into the middle of the highway?!" He aggressively rubbed his temples, his voice heavy with deep, genuine exhaustion. "Maya, the game is over. Stop pulling these pathetic, low-class stunts. It's just exhausting to watch." "Put your little tricks away. If you get on your knees and beg me, maybe I'll actually take pity on you and give you a chance to stay by my side." I didn't hear a single word he said. I just kept nodding blankly, my heart hammering a million miles a minute. Because the System was currently screaming in my brain: [I'm out of patience! I activated the developer cheats! An out-of-control semi-truck is exactly 600 feet away and closing fast! Host, brace yourself, this is an absolute guaranteed kill!] Using the absolute last shred of my patience, I waited for Julian to turn his back to look for the ring in the grass. I gathered the hem of my dress, spun around, and sprinted directly into the oncoming traffic. The massive grill of the semi-truck expanded violently in my vision. And then, it slammed into me. My entire body felt like it was put through a meat grinder. An apocalyptic wave of agony crashed over me. But my heart was racing with uncontrollable euphoria. [Preparing for consciousness extraction...] The countdown echoed in my ears. Finally! It's finally over!
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