My best friend asked me if I was still doing system tasks.

A month ago——

modern.

The midday sun was scorching hot, making the corners of the tall buildings bright. There, one could see the hideous demons with their grotesque faces, their suppressed whimpers rising and falling, but ultimately being swallowed back down by fear.

Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan huddled together, their heads in their hands. She turned her head slightly and glanced nervously at the armed terrorists pacing back and forth on guard, her mouth dry.

Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, "I...I'm not really going to die here, am I?"

Her words drew the attention of several Chinese people nearby. Their faces turned pale, and they trembled like leaves. They wanted to refute the girl's ominous words, but dared not speak.

Ruan Chayan's lips trembled as she forced a smile: "No, no, there are so many people from several countries, they wouldn't dare, they definitely wouldn't dare..."

That smile was uglier than a cry.

Luo Hanying sniffed, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, "Cha Cha, if there's an afterlife, I definitely want to be your daughter, sob sob sob..."

Ruan Chayan choked up, "What nonsense are you talking about? If you're my daughter, then who's my best friend?"

I knew the US had a bad reputation for safety, but I never imagined it would be this bad. If I had known, I wouldn't have come to the US to study. I've even dragged you into this mess..."

Luo Hanying's tears fell in large drops to the ground: "It's not your fault, sob...it's my fault..."

If God could give me another chance, I definitely wouldn't ask you to eat hot pot with me... I haven't even started cooking the hot pot yet..."

The terrorists, covered from head to toe, approached the two girls after hearing their cries and threatened, "What are you two talking about?! Just be quiet!"

All around were the sounds of ordinary people of all races sobbing.

Ruan Chayan's heart pounded. She cautiously raised her head and mustered her courage to speak carefully: "We are both Chinese citizens..."

Before she could finish speaking, the light and heat from the explosion robbed the building of all life.

*

A month ago——

Systems domain.

When Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan opened their eyes again, their minds were blank.

They all stared intently at the gray dome that emitted a faint glow, wondering if they had survived the explosion.

Then they rejected their own idea. They were located at the very center of the explosion, facing the scalding heat and deafening noise before they died. The shockwave from the explosion may have vaporized them.

So why am I able to think about it again?

"Hey, you two are awake?"

A clear, gentle, yet unrecognizable, neutral voice broke through the confusion in Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan's minds.

It seemed as if the two women had suddenly regained control of their bodies, feeling that their limbs were fully functional, and they both sat up with a somersault.

When Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan saw their good friend sitting beside them, they burst into tears of joy and hugged each other tightly, asking about each other's well-being.

A round, iron-eating beast stepped forward and patted the two of them on the shoulder: "Alright, alright, I know you two are close, listen to me for a few minutes first, then you can cry later, okay?"

Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan were so frightened by the talking panda that they scrambled all over the ground.

"Holy crap, holy crap, this is insane! This panda is talking like a human!"

Luo Hanying muttered to herself, her expression blank, "Why does the underworld now use giant pandas to collect souls, and what about the Black and White Impermanence?"

Although Ruan Chayan was also shocked, she was calmer than Luo Hanying: "What are you? What do you want to say? Where is this place?"

Are we alive or dead, or are we dreaming?

The Iron-Eating Beast stood with its hands on its hips in a very human-like manner, looking both adorable and revealing a hint of the uncanny valley effect: "Greetings, both of you hosts. First of all, you are both dead. I have taken back your souls. This is my territory."

Then, let me introduce myself. My name is Xiange, code name 4248. I am the 328th system with independent thought and emotions under the Taiheng Realm Chenghe Divine Lord.

And you are honored to be my 492nd host.

The two looked at each other in disbelief: Really? Is this not a dream? Has the novel come true? I've been transported to another world with a system?

They were pinching their own flesh, trying to see if it hurt. String Song's tone changed, the electronic synthesized voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "System detection shows that the soul repair of hosts Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan has been completed, and their consciousness has been restored."

The system task is now being assigned; both hosts, please accept it.

Main quest: Investigate the cause of the spiritual energy dissipation in the Canghai Realm.

Side Quest: Prevent the war between good and evil in the Canglan Realm a hundred years from now.

Hidden quests: None.

Mission Rewards: Upon completion of the main and side missions, each host will receive one wish based on the points earned, including but not limited to resurrecting in the original world or changing the fate of others.

During the mission, please help each other and work together to solve problems.

If, during the mission, the system determines that either host is shirking their duties or is incapable of completing the mission, the two hosts will be immediately teleported back to their original world.

After seeing that Xiange had finished speaking, Luo Hanying and Ruan Chayan huddled together and whispered to each other.

Ruan Chayan: "Are you in pain? I don't feel any pain."

Luo Hanying: "I'm not in pain either! Oh my god, were all those people who got blown up just dreaming?"

Wow, this dream felt so real!

String Song: "Why don't you consider believing what I'm saying?"

Luo Hanying exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, we've been brought back from the dead, and we've even received a time-travel bonus!"

She muttered to herself again, "Why can't I control my own dreams? When will I wake up?"

Ruan Chayan looked dazed and asked with difficulty, "Am I dreaming? Would something like this happen in my dream?"

Xiaoxue, we're not really dead, are we?

Luo Hanying's mind went blank for a moment, and she stammered, "Am I going crazy...? This doesn't make sense, how do you explain it..."

The two stood up one after the other and began to explore the system space, trying to explain everything they were seeing scientifically.

The stringed instrument was used to this, and it remained silent, waiting for the two hosts to calm down.

After discussing for a while, Ruan Chayan and Luo Hanying found that the surrounding scenery remained unchanged. They finally believed that they were dead and asked about the details of the String Song mission.