Mao Rongrong stared at the eerie blue markings that had suddenly appeared on her wrist, her pupils contracting sharply. The chill of the air-conditioned room crept up her spine and reached the back of her neck. She instinctively took half a step back, only to bump her lower back against the glass coffee table with a sharp clink.
“Compatible candidate detected. ‘Replacement Supporting Female Lead Childbearing System’ successfully bound.” The mechanical voice exploded deep inside her eardrums. Mao Rongrong’s temples throbbed. “Hello, Host. I am your System 077. I will now take you through different worlds to complete childbearing missions.”
“Is this some kind of joke?” Mao Rongrong clutched the hem of her pajamas, her nails nearly digging into her palm. “I’m calling the police!”
“The Host cannot refuse.” System 077’s voice remained icy. “If you fail to complete the mission, your body in the real world will gradually deteriorate. Please look.”
A hospital room suddenly appeared before Mao Rongrong’s eyes. She saw herself lying in a hospital bed, tubes of all kinds hooked up to her, while a heart monitor beeped steadily. The scene changed. Her parents, now white-haired, stood beside the bed, and her mother wiped away tears with a trembling hand.
“Why me?” Mao Rongrong’s voice shook.
“Because you are the perfect replacement,” System 077 explained. “Each world has a key male character who needs a replacement supporting female lead to bear a child with special genes. Your appearance and temperament closely resemble those of the original female lead, making you the ideal candidate.”
Mao Rongrong bit her lower lip, her nails pressing crescent-shaped red marks into her palm. She remembered the words “possible malignant tumor” on last month’s medical report, and the stooped figures of her parents. She fell silent for a long time
