Chapter 18: Family

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Lan Ling nodded with an expression full of compassion. Even the ever-cheerful Flying Dragon in the Sky and the goofy Daily Happy, who kept calling out “wife, wife,” stopped their antics. Today’s “Have you eaten?” was filled with deep concern.
Sixteen years old, in the modern world—probably just starting high school. Such a young child, who in their world only had to worry about homework and exams.
But Su Qingyue had lost her family, her hard-earned golden core was stolen by villains, and she was likely being hunted!
What kind of injustice was this? A whole group picking on a homeless high school girl!
Damn it, fists clenched!
Many empathetic players nearby were already teary-eyed.
Su Qingyue was puzzled: “So, what exactly did they imagine in such a short time? I was just out to feel the breeze and rest a bit!”
The players immersed themselves in their own fantasies, beginning to comfort their fragile, orphaned, helpless little girl:
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you. Those bad guys? We’ll wipe them all out, okay?”
“Yeah, we’re your subordinates, boss. If anyone bullies you, I’ll be the first to charge!”
“Our young sect leader is the best in the world! I, your subordinate, would gladly die for you without hesitation!”
Although Su Qingyue was deeply moved, she still shook her head, her face serious: “No.”
“Huh?” the players asked, confused.
She spoke slowly, carefully emphasizing each word: “You’re not subordinates. You’re family.”
“Family?” The unexpected answer left the players unsure how to react.
Family? That was truly strange. Because in every game before, players were treated like NPC tools, running errands for a group of lords, utterly exploited.
A holographic online game should be no different.
But she said they were family.
Lan Ling’s heart trembled slightly as realization dawned—this child was starved for love, no parents, so she took them as family.
Su Qingyue was too trusting, so easily deceived, so willing to believe in others!
Lan Ling grew serious: “Why do you feel we are family?”
Su Qingyue thought a moment and said, “Probably because my intuition tells me you will never betray me.”
Lan Ling thought: Of course not! Because she was an important NPC the players had to protect, forcibly bound to the faction she would create right from the start!
Desertion meant automatic account deletion! Do the players think we’re fools?
This child was sincere, obedient, and sensible—not difficult to get along with.

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Honestly, players were satisfied with such a protagonist NPC.
Family or not, they knew Su Qingyue was just a string of code, even if that code was highly humanized and indistinguishable from them, and her words might have been pre-programmed by the developers.
Still, it was genuinely touching. For the first time, she wasn’t a servant or a tool, but family. And willing to trust them.
The first day entering the holographic online game “Immortal Spirit” ended as the players gradually fell asleep one by one.
Their impression: Fun, loved it! They wanted to keep playing!
As the promotion said, this was a highly realistic and open game.
If not for so many people appearing at the same time, everyone might have thought they had actually traveled through worlds.
Su Qingyue sat inside her tent, glanced around at everyone’s tents, and smiled: “Good night, my players.”
The system applauded: “Host, you’re so clever! What you just said greatly increased these players’ favorability towards you! I also detected that their love and loyalty to the game have risen!”
“Humans do love sweet words, even if they know it’s a lie!”
Su Qingyue: “Uh, I’m not lying. I really consider them family.”
System: “???”
The system was an AI; it struggled to understand. Family? How was that possible?
Logically, players and the system were her ‘cheat codes,’ just tools for her revenge and growth.
She needed the players to become strong and protect her; players could earn points redeemable through it.
These players were merely tools, no different from weapons in a soldier’s hands.
“Well, here’s the thing. After crossing over, my parents left early, and I was alone most of the time.
But they are different—they come from the same world as me. That’s enough.”
Coming from the same place, isn’t that family? Then what else would qualify? Besides, biological parents might abandon or hurt their own children, while the players became absolutely loyal the moment they entered this game.
“There’s still work tomorrow, so I’ll sleep first.” After stirring up so much chaos in just half a day, could the players possibly behave tomorrow? How could she believe it?
“Good night, system. And you’re family too,” she said softly, closing her eyes.
The system was stunned, then after a long pause said, “Good night, host.”
What it didn’t say was that Su Qingyue was the first host who truly treated it as family.
Other hosts either treated it as a subordinate to boss around or as a polite but distant partner.
Only Su Qingyue was different—not frustrated by its limited abilities or the players’ weak early game.

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Though it was a useless system without many powerful abilities or cheat codes, she still called them family.
Family—a strangely unfamiliar word.
The players originally thought they wouldn’t sleep well, too excited by the novelty of the holographic game and outdoor life.
Yet the moment they collapsed, they fell asleep.
Mind: No, I’m not tired, I can still grind!
Body: Let me sleep!
Su Qingyue tossed and turned, unable to sleep, hearing the chorus of snores around her, she sighed again: “Young people are great, they fall asleep right away. Us older folks can’t do that.”
She absentmindedly touched her nonexistent chin beard.
System: “You look disappointed you can’t feel it? I’ll grow you a beard! Free! Consider it a gift for family!”
Su Qingyue: “Get lost!”
The system sulked silently.
Above, the velvet-black sky stretched vast and deep, studded with a dazzling sea of stars.
Under the starlight, the moon shone clear and cold, casting a silver-white glow on the ground, transforming the forest floor into a fairyland.
Xiao Mo was amazed; she hadn’t expected such an unpolluted ancient night sky to be so beautiful!
She glanced around; even the wild grass tips nearby looked like silver, utterly dreamlike.
Looking up at the starry sky again, it was breathtaking—no photograph or Photoshop could compare to this immersive beauty!
Wait, something was wrong.
…Wasn’t I supposed to be sleeping inside a tent? How was I seeing the stars, moon, and grass?
Her face paled in shock. She immediately looked down and around; beneath her was the torn remains of a tent, shredded by animal claws.
Nearby, a shadowy figure stood—someone standing?
“Hello? Do you need our help?” The figure waved repeatedly upon hearing her.
It was a quest! Xiao Mo immediately rushed over enthusiastically.
She completely forgot about the claw marks on the tent fragments. Those were definitely not made by humans.