Bab 79: 1.3.1: Special Target

Xiao Yunhua gently patted the head of the man in front of her. She didn't hate him like Zhou Feng, and genuinely cared for him like how a friend would care for another. It was just that due to the system, Xiao Yunhua wasn't sure that they were going to have a chance to be any more intimate than friends.

Her heart broke. She really and truly felt helpless. She couldn't abandon him, but unfortunately, Xiao Yunhua knew that she would have to clarify their relationship as soon as possible. It may hurt him, but she didn't want for him to have false hope.

Her situation was worse here than with Zhou Lang. At least the latter had the chance to call her his 'girlfriend', while Qiang Yue couldn't. And she wouldn't dare to suggest anything anymore.

She had already manipulated the situation at the island... She didn't want to manipulate any longer.

After what felt like an eternity, yet was only five minutes, Xiao Yunhua found an excuse to swiftly go to the restroom.

Once there, she snapped her fingers and appeared in the familiar grey, dimensional space.

The little fairy fluttered around anxiously, and as Xiao Yunhua looked around, she couldn't see Xiao Lili. It seemed like the other little fairy wasn't there.

"Xiao Taotao—"

"Oh! Thank goodness you're here!" The little fairy quickly fluttered up to Xiao Yunhua and congratulated her, "Well done on another target, Host! I'm proud of you!"

Xiao Yunhua could heat the worry behind her voice, so she asked, "Xiao Taotao, why are you so restless?" The little fairy wasn't acting like her usual self that was bubbly and would try to rip Xiao Yunhua off. She seemed especially nervous, like she dreaded something.

Xiao Taotao sighed, "I'll explain after you gain your points." Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and the calculations appeared.

The number one hundred Pretty Points appeared. Xiao Yunhua blinked. "Is there some kind of a mistake?"

Xiao Taotao shook her head. "Nope, I explained that stuff to you, remember. Doctor, soldier, officer, or surgeon gets you one hundred points."

"Dang it!" After experiencing the numerous Pretty Points that Zhou Feng brought her, she actually greedily thought she would get the same, if not more, points. It seemed like Lady Luck was not on her side today.

"Your total is 54,100 points!" Only one hundred more than her previous. Xiao Yunhua felt exhausted. All that effort for nothing! But at least she actually completed a target, so that was a plus. And luckily, Xiao Taotao did not seem to deduct any points from her as she completed this target in less than a year.

"Pick a skill!"

The skills instrument, hacking, and design appeared in front of her.

"What kind of design?" She asked, curious.

"The creative ones. So for example, art design, fashion design, etcetera. Not helpfully in an offensive or defensive way, but can certain increase your charm when getting a target in whatever modern world you're in, for the future. Of course, it'll also only be useful if your intentional body is in the creative arts area and your target or targets are also interested."

Xiao Yunhua realized that it wasn't a skill that she would need at the moment, so she crossed that one out. As for instruments, she didn't need those, did she?

"Your next world, it'll be beneficial!"

"Wait, how do you know what my next world is already?"

Xiao Taotao quickly covered her mouth with her small hands, as though she had mentioned something she wasn't supposed to have mentioned. Xiao Yunhua understood by her actions that she wasn't going to reveal anything, but as she had already given this little clue, she picked instruments.

Immediately, her mind filled with the complexities of any instrument out there, be it modern or historical. She was intrigued, but she also knew that she needed to practice, so that she wouldn't sound stiff and emotionless when playing anything.

"You've also unlocked the last 50% enhancement! You'll be the goddess of this world! 4,100 points will be taken!"

"What!?"

Xiao Taotao shrugged, "I like to keep things easy to calculate for the future. Getting you to exactly 50,000 is beneficial to both of us, don't you agree?"

Beneficial my ass. This was the Xiao Taotao she was familiar with, the same Xiao Taotao that used any chance to rip her off.

Taking her silence into consideration, Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers. Immediately, Xiao Yunhua felt an exhilaration go through her, and a mirror appeared in front of her.

It was like the gods had especially taken their time to carve out this inhumanely beautiful face. Her almond-shaped, honey-colored eyes darkened slightly, her already ruby-lips darkened with pigment, creating a wine-red shade. Her skinny body immediately became perfectly proportioned, and her face seemed to have become more enhanced.

The only word that Xiao Yunhua could use was truly what Xiao Taotao had used earlier: goddess.

She had become a super beauty, impossible to achieve with merely plastic surgery.

Xiao Yunhua didn't know how to feel. She also knew that she would garner suspicion for suddenly turning more beautiful, but at the moment, she didn't want to think much about it. She had already become so impulsive in this world, why not become more impulsive and have a slight change in appearance? Then again, she didn't really have a choice as it was the system's decision.

"Okay, so who's my next target?" Xiao Yunhua asked as the mirror in front of her disappeared quickly.

Xiao Taotao seemed to have contemplated on how to express her words, but the little fairy finally said, "Well, the higher ups have decided that the next one will be your final target—"

"That's great!"

"But also, it'll be a Special Target."

"What?" She didn't remember Xiao Taotao ever mentioning such a thing in the beginning.

"Well, Special Targets are unlocked in further worlds, but seeing as you handled the second target so well, they decided to make you already have a special target!" Even though Xiao Taotao was gleeful, Xiao Yunhua could sense the worry behind her voice.

This was most likely why she was so anxious earlier. But what was so bad about Special Targets?

"Well..." Xiao Taotao had heard her question, so she would honestly answer. "Special Targets are okay to not get the heart of, it wouldn't count as a strike."

"Wait, before anything, what do you mean as a strike? I thought that it was a requirement to get a target's heart or else I would experience soul obliteration."

Seeing that she had revealed something else she wasn't supposed to reveal this early, Xiao Taotao sighed and knew that she would get in trouble later on. But if she was going to get in trouble, she preferred explaining it all so she wouldn't unjustly get in trouble with the higher ups.

"Well, I wasn't supposed to tell you this until you failed a target, but you get six strikes. It's not immediate soul obliteration!" Seeing the shock on Xiao Yunhua's face, the little fairy felt embarrassed. "It's protocol to say that to every Host so that they wouldn't slack off and say that they'll take the strike."

"Oh... but I can take a strike? For each world?"

"Nope! The strikes are for as long as you have the Ultimate Goddess System with you. Also, yes, you can take a strike and quit on that target, but is it really worth it? Especially when you don't know how many worlds you'll go through and how many targets you'll have to get the hearts of?" Xiao Taotao took a deep breath, continuing, "Also, you can earn a strike if you die in a world without gaining your current target's love."

Xiao Yunhua was shocked again. This made things so much harder, especially in the historical worlds that she would experience. If she were to die, especially a time period that people got killed so easily, would she get a strike?

"Yeah, even if it's unintentional, you'll still gain a strike. Be careful!"

Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and motioned for Xiao Taotao to continue.

"Back to Special Targets... You don't have to gain their heart, but if you do, then you will be able to gain double the amount of points you would normally gain, based on their identity of status. And usually, they're pretty high when it comes to status or identity, so it's a bunch of points. There isn't a time limit either, well, until you basically die in the current world."

Xiao Taotao fluttered in her direction again and then continued speaking, "But you see... if you don't gain their heart, you'll lose a skill. Sometimes two, depending on the mood of the higher ups and how much they've seen you try."

The anxiety was highly evident as she stared at Xiao Yunhua. It seemed like the little fairy truly treasured her as a Host. In reality, only the little fairy knew why she was so anxious. "But you can reject Special Targets as well. Consider it a bonus gameplay. Special Targets can appear anytime. They can be your first, second, third, etcetera. In this case, they're your last target."

"I see... I'll accept it. I still have to get revenge from a few particular people, hence why I need to stay in this world for a bit longer."

"Alright!" Xiao Taotao snapped her fingers and Xiao Yunhua found herself in the restroom again.

<<For your Special Target, you must figure it out yourself!>>

What!?

<<That's another thing I forgot to mention before you accepted. Special Targets can be anyone, so just a heads up! But they won't be previous targets, so you don't have to worry.>>

Xiao Yunhua wanted to scold the little fairy for forgetting to tell her about such a fact, but it was too late as the little fairy had already disappeared.

Xiao Yunhua took a deep breath and walked out.