Chapter 67: Chapter 67
Morning light filtered through the nursery windows, pale and soft.
Lin Yue lay in bed with Auriel beside her, his tiny hand curled around her finger. She had not slept well, her mind turning over the events of the previous night—Uriel’s sudden departure, the men in black suits, the document with the name of a man who was supposed to be dead.
She was about to close her eyes again when a familiar voice echoed in her mind.
[WAKE UP. I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU.]
Lin Yue blinked. "Now?"
[YES, NOW. THE BABY IS FINE. I HAVE ACTIVATED THE BABY MONITOR ON YOUR PHONE. YOU WILL SEE AND HEAR HIM AT ALL TIMES. HE IS SAFE.]
She looked down at Auriel, still sleeping peacefully, his tiny chest rising and falling.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand.
The screen showed a clear image of him.
She set the phone on the pillow beside him and carefully slid out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor, the world around her shifted.
She was no longer in her. She stood in a vast, circular room with walls made of light, data streaming across the surfaces in endless cascades.
Screens floated in the air, displaying numbers, names, and images she did not recognize.
The floor beneath her feet was smooth and cool, like polished glass.
[WELCOME TO THE SYSTEM LOUNGE ROOM. HERE YOU CAN VIEW ALL YOUR COMPLETED MISSIONS, INCOMING MISSIONS, AND REWARDS. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO SHOW YOU. I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE RANKING SYSTEM.]
A massive screen materialized in front of her, displaying a long list of names, each accompanied by a number and a set of icons.
Her own name appeared near the bottom, far below the others.
[THESE ARE YOUR FELLOW MOTHERS IN THE PROGRAM. AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU ARE QUITE DOWN THE LIST.]
Lin Yue’s eyes scanned the top of the ranking.
The names at the top had millions of points, their profiles decorated with badges and achievements she could not even dream of.
Some had already raised their children to adulthood.
Others had adopted multiple kids beyond the requirement.
[OH, THESE MUST BE THE BOARD’S FAVORITES. LOOK AT THOSE REWARD POINTS! THEY ARE ALREADY FINISHED WITH THEIR CHILDREN. SOME HAVE ADOPTED EXTRA ONES. TRULY IMPRESSIVE.]
She watched as the screen scrolled through the names, her own position sinking further into obscurity.
[AND THEN THERE IS YOU.]
Her name glowed faintly at the bottom, her point total a fraction of what the others had earned.
[YOURS IS QUITE SHAMEFUL. I AM ASHAMED. DO BETTER.]
Lin Yue’s eye twitched. "What do you want me to do? I want to adopt the rest of the children, but I also want to spend time with my own child. Besides, do I not have three years?"
[I SUPPOSE. BUT LOOK AT THE TASKS SECTION. THERE ARE PLENTY OF MUMMY-RELATED TASKS YOU CAN ACCEPT TO BOOST YOUR RANK. YOU NEED TO ENTER THE TOP FIFTY BY THE END OF THE WEEK.]
Another screen appeared beside the ranking, this one filled with a list of available tasks.
Lin Yue scrolled through them—easy tasks like feeding and bathing, then mid-level tasks with higher stakes.
She stopped at one.
Establish a consistent bedtime routine and get your baby to sleep within thirty minutes for three consecutive nights.
[THAT IS A MID-LEVEL TASK. IT WILL GIVE YOU A DECENT POINT BOOST IF YOU SUCCEED. BUT FAILURE WILL DEDUCT POINTS.]
"Points can be deducted?"
[YES. THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT MID-LEVEL. THERE IS RISK.]
Lin Yue thought about the previous night, the hours of rocking, the desperate attempts to calm Auriel.
It had taken nearly two hours to get him down.
But she had learned something.
She knew what worked and what did not.
"I accept."
[TASK ACCEPTED: ESTABLISH A CONSISTENT BEDTIME ROUTINE AND GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP WITHIN 30 MINUTES FOR THREE CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS. TIME REMAINING: THREE DAYS. REWARD: 500 POINTS. PENALTY FOR FAILURE: -200 POINTS.]
She turned away from the screen. "Is that all?"
[FOR NOW. THE LOUNGE WILL ALWAYS BE AVAILABLE TO YOU. YOU CAN ACCESS IT THROUGH YOUR PHONE WHENEVER YOU WISH. AND LIN YUE—]
She paused.
[DO NOT FORGET. THE MISSION TO CATCH THE RAT IS COMPLETE. YOUR REWARD HAS BEEN GRANTED. BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE CHALLENGES. ALWAYS MORE TASKS. YOU MUST STAY VIGILANT.]
She nodded slowly. "I understand."
The lounge room faded, and Lin Yue found herself back in her bedroom, standing beside the large bed where Auriel lay sleeping.
The morning light had grown brighter, streaming through the curtains in pale gold streaks.
She had not been gone long—perhaps only a few minutes—but the world felt different now.
She sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at her son. His tiny hand had curled around the edge of the blanket, his platinum curls fanned out against the pillow. He was peaceful, unaware of the ranking systems, task lists and point deductions that now occupied his mother’s thoughts.
[YOU ARE PROBABLY WONDERING WHAT THE POINTS ARE FOR.]
Lin Yue glanced at her phone, where the baby monitor still showed Auriel’s sleeping face. "I was wondering, yes."
[THE POINTS CAN BE USED IN THE SYSTEM STORE. I WILL SHOW YOU.]
A new screen materialized in her vision, this one divided into categories.
Household Items.
Baby Supplies.
Medical Aids.
Personal Care.
Luxury Goods.
Each category opened into a list of items, each with a point cost attached.
Lin Yue scrolled through the store slowly.
A crib that rocked itself—five hundred points.
A bottle warmer that kept milk at the perfect temperature for hours—three hundred points.
A healing salve that could close minor wounds in minutes—eight hundred points.
A noise-canceling device for colicky babies—four hundred points.
[THE STORE HAS EVERYTHING YOU MIGHT NEED TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER. THE HIGHER YOUR RANK, THE MORE ITEMS BECOME AVAILABLE. SOME ITEMS ARE LOCKED UNTIL YOU REACH CERTAIN MILESTONES.]
She saw a section labeled Biological Upgrades and tried to open it, but a padlock icon blocked her way.
[YOU ARE NOT YET ELIGIBLE FOR THAT CATEGORY. REACH THE TOP ONE HUNDRED, AND IT WILL UNLOCK.]
Lin Yue closed the store and set her phone aside. "So the points are not just for show. They actually buy things."
[THAT IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU. THE TASKS ARE NOT MEANINGLESS. THEY ARE OPPORTUNITIES. AND RIGHT NOW, YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EARN FIVE HUNDRED POINTS IN THREE DAYS. IT’S PRETTY EASY.]
