Chapter 78: Covenantor (I)

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Chapter 78: Covenantor (I)

【Congratulations, Host, on completing Additional Mission 2—Prevent Dipson from spreading the mutated genes.】

【Three missions completed successfully. Host will receive triple rewards: Constitution +10 (+3+5), Memory +15 (+4+5), Mental Power +15 (+5+5), Appearance +15 (+3+4), Lifespan +5 (+1+2). The points in parentheses are rewards from the Additional Missions.】

【In addition, Host may select two new skills to learn.】

Shang Ke lay motionless, his mind repeatedly replaying the image of Qin Yuan holding his corpse and weeping at the end. An unbearable ache filled his heart. For Shang Ke, every world offered another chance to meet him again. But for that man, each world meant losing Shang Ke once more—an irreversible loss every single time.

“System, I remember you saying that once I complete all the missions, I can choose either to return to the real world or revisit the worlds I’ve already experienced and rewrite their endings.”

【Host must not only complete all missions, but also achieve an overall Mission Perfection Rating of at least 50%.】

“What is my current perfection rating?”

【40%—Completing only the Main Mission earns 20 points; completing two missions earns 50 points; completing all three missions but dying earns 70 points; surviving perfectly earns 100 points.】

Forty percent. That was much better than Shang Ke had expected. From now on, he needed to strive to complete at least two missions in every world. If he could somehow survive as well, that would be even better.

Shang Ke collected his thoughts, pulled himself together, and prepared to begin training his skills.

After some thought, he ultimately chose 【Car Racing】 and 【Mechanics】, while also continuing his studies in 【Martial Arts】 and 【Medical Arts】.

After leaving the Hundred Training Space, Shang Ke officially entered the next world.

Slowly opening his eyes, Shang Ke discovered that he was sitting in the back seat of a speeding car, with only a driver accompanying him. The scenery outside rushed past as towering buildings lined both sides of the road. Clearly, this was a highly technologically advanced world.

Shang Ke breathed a sigh of relief. The System had finally shown a shred of conscience and had not thrown him into a life-threatening situation the instant he opened his eyes.

Information about this world was soon transmitted into his mind.

This time, Shang Ke’s identity was Yue Ze, the eldest son of the prominent Yue Family in the Union Empire. He had just turned nineteen. Brilliant from childhood and exceptionally talented, he had always been deeply favored by his father, Yue Cheng, and was intended to become the future heir of the Yue Family. Unfortunately, at the age of eighteen, he supposedly contracted the Mental Virus.

The Mental Virus had existed for more than three hundred years, yet neither its origin nor a perfect cure had ever been discovered. Humanity knew only that the virus lay dormant within a person’s mental domain and, once activated, would drive its victim insane and kill them within three days. At present, the only effective treatment was to completely sever the neural pathways responsible for emotion, thereby eliminating the Mental Virus at its root.

Although the treatment restored rational thought, it also erased every normal emotional response. Former relatives, friends, and even enemies became nothing more than sets of data in the patient’s eyes, devoid of love, hatred, affection, or resentment. More importantly, anyone who underwent the procedure suffered a drastically shortened lifespan and could live no longer than thirty-five.

The Empire collectively called people who had undergone this treatment Covenantors. More than four thousand Covenantors were created each year, while over seven thousand others died from the Mental Virus before treatment could be administered. Generally, the disease appeared most often among impoverished civilians living under severe hardship and psychologically vulnerable groups. For someone as privileged and outstanding as Yue Ze, the probability of developing it was exceedingly low. Yet misfortune had seemingly chosen him anyway.

Watching Yue Ze descend into madness, Yue Cheng eventually made the painful decision to authorize the treatment, even knowing it would condemn his young son to die before the age of thirty-five.

What Yue Cheng did not know was that Yue Ze’s madness had never been caused by the Mental Virus. His younger brother, Yue Xuan, had injected him with a special psychotropic drug. The insanity induced by the drug would naturally disappear within one or two days, and with the proper antidote, it could be cured within only a few hours.

The drug was extremely difficult to detect, and the doctor responsible for Yue Ze’s treatment had been personally appointed by Yue Xuan’s biological mother—Yue Ze’s stepmother, Lady Chang. Through a meticulously arranged conspiracy, a perfectly healthy Yue Ze was mistaken for a Mental Virus patient and pushed into the merciless treatment room, emerging as an emotionless Covenantor doomed to die before thirty-five. At the same time, he completely lost his right to inherit the Yue Family.

Aside from their missing emotions, a Covenantor’s other abilities remained intact. Some even displayed greater potential than before, and Yue Ze was one such case. His concentration became extraordinarily powerful, his learning speed increased to three times what it had once been, and both his technical skills and physical abilities improved by leaps and bounds.

When Yue Xuan saw this, his jealousy flared once again. After discussing matters with his mother, he secretly arranged a false identity for Yue Ze and submitted his records and medical certification to the Covenantor Placement Center, an employment organization created specifically for Covenantors. Although Covenantors had short lives, they were extraordinarily principled. Once they signed a contract, they followed its terms without deviation. Neither financial temptation nor violent threats could make them betray their employer. Even harming their family members would not shake their resolve.

That was the true origin of the name Covenantor. They were cold, unwavering executors who faithfully kept every agreement they made—and also pitiful people with nothing left in their hearts to live for.

Covenantors received different star ratings at the Placement Center according to their abilities. Yue Ze, now living under the false name Shang Ze, underwent an assessment and received a rating of three and a half stars. His overall qualifications were above average, with particular strengths in professional work, combat, and household management, making him a comparatively versatile employee.

Covenantors rated three stars or higher were generally recommended personally by the Placement Center to powerful and influential clients. Yue Ze stood out in nearly every category, and within only two days, he was hired by a nobleman.

This nobleman possessed his own territory and lived in Baoya County, more than three hundred kilometers from the capital. He was this world’s protagonist, Lu Xiufan. Yue Ze would work for him for three years and gradually become one of his most trusted subordinates. Not long afterward, Yue Xuan would fall in love with Lu Xiufan at first sight, only to discover that Yue Ze had become Lu Xiufan’s personal assistant. Driven nearly mad with jealousy, Yue Xuan would once again begin targeting and retaliating against him.

Yue Ze remained completely indifferent to Yue Xuan’s attacks. He felt neither hatred nor grief and knew only to carry out Lu Xiufan’s orders. Eventually, Yue Xuan arranged for him to die in an “accident.” Lu Xiufan had never known that Yue Ze was actually the eldest young master of the Yue Family. Only after Yue Ze’s unnatural death did an investigation uncover the truth. Lu Xiufan gave the evidence to Yue Cheng, expecting him to deal seriously with the matter, only for Yue Cheng to administer a minor punishment as a warning and then let the entire incident pass.

If Yue Ze’s own family could be so indifferent to his death, what could Lu Xiufan, an outsider, possibly say? But Yue Ze had once served under him, and Lu Xiufan refused to let him die for nothing—even if he had only been an emotionless Covenantor.

Over the following years, Lu Xiufan repeatedly suppressed the Yue Family from the shadows, causing setback after setback. Yue Xuan had no idea that his family’s troubles all originated with Lu Xiufan and even tried to strengthen the Yue Family by arranging a marriage alliance with the Lu Family. After being rejected, he attempted seduction instead, ultimately provoking Lu Xiufan’s complete disgust and bringing devastating consequences upon himself.

Everything that happened afterward had little to do with Yue Ze. Until the day he died, no one ever learned that he had originally been healthy, nor was there anyone who truly grieved for his death. Carrying an ice-cold heart, he quietly departed that colorless world.

By the time Shang Ke arrived in this world, Yue Ze had already become a Covenantor. Under the identity Shang Ze, he had been hired by Lu Xiufan and was currently on his way to Baoya County.

【Main Mission: Become the heir of the Yue Family once again.】

Shang Ke turned toward the window and silently promised, Yue Ze, don’t worry. I’ll get justice for you. I won’t let the truth be buried in darkness along with you.

“Mr. Shang, we’ve arrived.” The driver stopped the car and addressed Shang Ke in the back seat.

Shang Ke stepped out of the car. The first thing he saw was a spacious, sunlit garden courtyard with pleasant scenery. Beyond the garden stood an imposing villa that, judging from its appearance, had clearly been there for many years.

An elderly man dressed as a butler came forward to greet him with a smile. “Mr. Shang, welcome to the Lu Family villa. Please come in.”

As Shang Ke followed him into the villa, the butler introduced himself. “I am the Lu Family’s butler, Fei Lin. If you encounter any problems with your work or daily life in the future, you may come to me.”

Shang Ke nodded without replying.

Fei Lin did not mind. He understood Covenantors well. They were invariably quiet, strictly businesslike, and showed virtually no emotional fluctuation.

Fei Lin led Shang Ke into a room. “This will be your room. Master’s room is the last one at the end of the corridor. He isn’t at the villa right now and should return in about three days. For the next few days, familiarize yourself with the villa.”

Fei Lin did not bother reminding him to review the work procedures and assignment schedule. A Covenantor’s greatest advantage was their extraordinary efficiency and execution. He was certain Shang Ke had already memorized every clause of the contract and every detail of his duties before even arriving at the villa.

After giving him a few more instructions, Fei Lin left the room.

Only then did Shang Ke relax his tightly controlled expression. Pretending to be a perfectly emotionless poker face really wasn’t easy.

He took the contract and work schedule from his luggage and casually scanned them once, immediately committing every detail to memory.

Fei Lin was already advanced in age, so hiring someone now was most likely intended to reduce his workload and gradually transfer some of his responsibilities. Shang Ke’s duties included not only helping Lu Xiufan handle official affairs and serving as his personal security, but also attending to his everyday meals and daily needs.

Shang Ke put away the documents, organized his luggage, then left the room to familiarize himself with his surroundings.

Fei Lin felt quite reassured about Shang Ke precisely because he was a Covenantor. Before allowing him into the villa, Fei Lin had arranged another physical examination to confirm that status. Once it was verified, there was no need for any deeper background investigation. Covenantors did not betray their employers, nor would they sign a second contract before their current employment had ended.

This was the most precious quality Covenantors retained after losing their emotions—and also the cruel brand that defined them.

The villa employed very few servants. Aside from Butler Fei Lin, there was only one cook, one gardener, two guards, and two maids. Shang Ke guessed that no particularly important information was kept here and that the villa was probably merely a place where Lu Xiufan came to rest and relax.

He badly wanted to meet Lu Xiufan and find out whether he was the man Shang Ke had been searching for. But even if he was, Shang Ke had no intention of letting their relationship develop any further. In this world, whether or not he survived his missions, his body was doomed to die by thirty-five. If there was no hope from the very beginning, perhaps it would be better never to begin at all.

His identity as a Covenantor provided the perfect disguise.

After all, how could a person without emotions possibly fall in love?

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