Return of Black Lotus system:Taming Cheating Male Leads

Chapter 474: Chapter-474

Heena reached out and lightly flicked the little lion avatar right on the forehead.

"You absolute fool. Of course I would have one," Heena said, her tone dripping with dark, undeniable logic. "Do you honestly think a fragile human body can fall off a massive, towering cliff, smash its skull against the rocks, and suffer zero long-term consequences? Even when modern surgeons operate on the brain, or when someone suffers a ’light’ concussion, there is always a risk. The blood vessels in the back of Seera’s head were likely damaged during the fall. A hematoma formed, the cells mutated, and a tumor started silently growing."

She let out a dry, breathy chuckle. "And maybe it’s because I intentionally threw myself backward into the dirt two days ago. The blunt force trauma probably ruptured the swelling. The slow reaction just went into overdrive."

The System was in absolute shock. Its digital fur stood on end.

’[Wait! Host!]’ the System shrieked, floating up to her eye level. ’[If I am not wrong... this is an archaic, low-level martial world! They don’t have neurosurgery! They don’t have radiation therapy or modern medicine! They cannot treat a brain tumor! What should we do?! Host... you are going to die! You will actually die!]’

Heena just looked at the panicking ball of light for a second. Then, she raised her hand and casually swatted the lion right on its digital bum, knocking it back onto the pillows.

"Are you an idiot?" Heena scoffed, a cold, beautifully terrifying smirk curving her lips. "Of course I am going to die. How else do you think I am going to get out of this body?"

’[Oh... right. I completely forgot about that part,]’ the System muttered, its digital lion ears drooping in embarrassment.

Heena looked at the glowing avatar, her expression entirely deadpan. "Of course you did. After all, you are officially the most useless system in the entire multiverse."

The little lion puffed out its chest, crossing its virtual paws as it glared at her with a massive pout. ’[Host! If you do not stop calling me a fool and useless, I am going to stop talking to you altogether!]’

Heena simply leaned back against her pillows, completely unbothered. "Well, that is fine by me. But don’t blame me later when I permanently confiscate your digital credit card and spend all of your bonus points."

The System froze. The realization hit it like a lightning bolt—Heena currently held absolute administrative control over their shared system funds.

Instantly, the lion avatar scrambled forward, practically rubbing its head against her arm in a sickeningly sweet display of digital affection. ’[Of course I am useless! I am a complete fool! But Host, no matter what I am, I am entirely yours!]’

Heena stared at it with absolute disgust, pulling her arm away. "Repulsive. Stay away from me."

Before she could scold it further, another sharp, sudden jolt of pain spiked behind her eyes. It was much lighter than the soul-tearing agony from earlier, but the heavy, throbbing ache was undeniably present. She winced, bringing two fingers up to press hard against her temple.

The System immediately dropped the act, hovering near her face with genuine worry. ’[Host... do you want me to bypass the shop restrictions and buy some advanced painkillers? It’s hurting you so badly...]’

Heena took a slow, measured breath and shook her head. "No. It’s fine. We have to stick to the character setting. I can’t just miraculously suppress a terminal illness with futuristic drugs without raising massive temporal flags. Even in our modern world, you don’t just pop a simple pill to manage a late-stage brain tumor—you need open-skull surgery and highly expensive, aggressive treatments. I’m not taking that risk."

She rubbed her eyes, calculating her physical limits. "Based on the severity of the neural deterioration today... I’d say I have about six months to a year left in this body before it completely gives out."

The System’s digital eyes widened in panic. ’[Six months to a year?! But Host, your mission against the Su family hasn’t even truly started! We have so much work to do! What are we going to do if you run out of time?!]’

Heena looked at the panicking system with absolute, terrifying calm. "What do you mean, ’what are we going to do?’ We just do the work. If we succeed and tear them down before my clock runs out, great. If not, then the body dies and we fail. It is what it is. At the very least, we already secured half the mission points by taking out the mother, so I’d still call that a pretty good deal."

The System blinked, processing her ruthless, robotic logic. ’[Well... mathematically, that does make sense...]’ It rubbed its chin with a paw, looking thoughtful, before its gaze drifted back to her pale, exhausted face. ’[But Host, the sheer pain you’ll have to endure until then...]’

Heena let out a sharp, dismissive scoff, closing her eyes as she settled deeper into the mattress.

"I have been able to handle this level of pain since I was in my mother’s womb," Heena muttered, her voice cold and completely unyielding. "Just shut up and let me rest."

Deep night finally settled over the Marcuset estate, wrapping the courtyard in absolute silence.

Heena lay perfectly still on the massive bed, her eyes closed and one pale hand resting lightly against her throbbing temple. Her breathing was steady, perfectly controlled to manage the lingering ache in her skull.

Suddenly, a faint ’click’ echoed through the room. The heavy oak door slowly opened.

Heena didn’t open her eyes. Her muscles imperceptibly tensed. ’’Another assassin?’’ she thought dryly. ’’Are they lining up in the hallway now?’’

But as the intruder stepped onto the wooden floorboards, she paused. The cadence, the weight, the specific rhythm of the steps—they were entirely familiar.

Samuel silently approached the edge of her bed. He didn’t say a word, just stood there in the dark, staring down at her still form with a heavy, suffocating gaze.

For a long moment, the room was dead quiet.

"If you are going to stand there staring at me like a vengeful ghost," Heena murmured, her eyes still casually shut, "you could at least pull up a chair."

Samuel let out a long, ragged exhale. "Wife... how are you?"

Heena finally opened her phoenix eyes. In a flash of completely unexpected movement, she reached up, grabbed the lapels of his collar, and yanked him downward.

Taken entirely by surprise, Samuel fell forward onto the bed, barely managing to brace his arms on either side of her shoulders so he wouldn’t crush her weakened body. Heena looked up at him, a faint, teasing smile curving her lips as she casually looped her arms around his neck.

"Guess," she whispered.

Samuel stared down into her eyes, the sheer panic of the day finally catching up to him. "Damn it, Seera," he breathed out, his voice thick with emotion. "You had me terrified."

He collapsed the rest of the distance, wrapping his arms securely around her and pulling her into a tight, desperate hug. He pressed a lingering, fervent kiss against her forehead, and then gently rested his cheek against hers.

"The pain..." Samuel muttered, his tone instantly shifting into a strict, scolding whisper. "I told you. I specifically told you to maintain your rest, but you absolutely refuse to listen. Look at the condition you are in."