章 109: System Malfunction (2)
Although she wanted to sleep, she had bigger fish to fry. Now that things were somewhat settled, she finally decided to address the system notifications that had been blaring in her head ever since she had been talking to Kaiser.
As Valentina stared at the system messages, she felt her pent-up anger rise up again, and she didn't bother being polite to it.
"Hey, you trashy system. What exactly is your problem? Why would you not tell me about the contract? Or stop me from doing something that violates it?"
[...] The system was quiet momentarily as if it couldn't believe how it was being spoken to. Although its Host was usually somewhat rude, it was never to this level.
Not even waiting for a response, Valentina continued questioning the system angrily.
"Why are you acting quiet all of a sudden? You seem to have a lot to say when you're forcing me to do tasks, or when you think I'm not working, or when it comes time to complain about Kaiser. Yet now that I'm asking you a completely fair question as to why you would quietly watch me get into this situation without cautioning me, you're playing dumb and want to act mute? Open your mouth and spit up some answers for me. I'm not in the mood for your games."
[…...]
There were a few minutes of silence before the system finally replied carefully.
[The Host has always had access to the contract. Therefore, it's the Host's fault for not using your brain to contact a lawyer to read and understand the details of the contract instead of skimming it. It's not my job to warn you about detrimental actions, as the Host has free will to take certain actions as long as the tasks are completed.]
"Is that right? That's your answer to me? I should have used my brain?" Valentina asked in the sweetest tone she could muster.
[…yes?] feeling as if it was a trick question, the system hesitantly replied.
"Good, good, good." Valentina couldn't help but say it three times as the smile on her face got even more dangerous, "You're right. It's completely my fault for not doing my due diligence. I've properly heard your words, and I'm writing and keeping it close to my heart. I want you to remember those words and keep that same energy when you start warning and threatening me in the future. I will bring up this moment right here and remind you about how it's not your job to warn me and my free will before doing whatever I want. Turnabout is fair play, right?"
Hearing the undisguised threat and vicious tone, the system felt that maybe It was being a bit too hasty.
[…perhaps some of the fault lies with me as well for not giving a reminder.]
"Don't backtrack now because I don't want to hear it. You've been acting really shady towards me, and I am sick of you making up rules at the last minute, so let's have an open and clear conversation since you like to point fingers. What exactly is your problem? Hmm? According to you, I had three main missions. Become a top star in acting, become acknowledged by my family as the rightful daughter, and let whatever Aaliyah had done to me come to light. Let's be honest with each other; what about my actions have violated those three missions that you keep warning me every other day?"
[…None of the Host's actions have violated those tasks yet. However, the trend of the Host's actions shows that it will inevitably happen in the future.]
"List it out then. Which actions have almost crossed your imaginary line?"
System: […..]
"Don't be shy and speak up. It's not like I can hit you even if you make me angry by spouting nonsense." Valentina's lips curved in a mocking smile as she waited for the system to say something. As the system viewed her expression, the term' dangerous beauty' came to mind.
System: […..]
"Can't talk? Could it be that you want me to stay silent and suffer under Black Rock Entertainment and hope they change their mind about me? Or is it that I should turn the other cheek after that sperm donor slapped me? Or do you think I should bow in the presence of Aaliyah and beg for her and the Salazar for forgiveness for something I didn't do and plead while crying for them to accept me back into the folds of the family?"
Feeling as if it were another trick question, the system was cautious as it replied.
[Naturally, the Host is allowed to defend yourself when targeted; however, the response can't be too excessive. The Host should respond in a calm and acceptable manner and should not go too far.]
"What exactly is a calm and acceptable response to you? I really want to know. I have been more than gracious and have never gone out of my way to harm them. Only when they bother me. And I want to remind you that you're the one who gave me the task to whitewash myself and then reverse the public opinion of myself due to Aaliyah fans in the recent incident. Why are you stopping me now that I am doing so?"
[The task was to whitewash your image when others try to paint you in a bad light, not to target Aaliyah Salazar. Even when reversing public opinion in the past incident, the Host went too far and is now completely antagonistic to Aaliyah and the Salazar family, which is detrimental to the main task of being accepted as the rightful daughter. ]
"How could I go too far if I wasn't the one who took action? I woke up and found out the same as you. Somebody else had free will and acted without my knowledge. Why are you blaming me for something I didn't do?"
[This is why the Host is cautioned against further association with the external entity. Advising the Host to sever the relationship now before any further actions are taken that will worsen the relationship with the Salazar family. The Host can use other means to further your career without depending on a volatile entity that cannot be controlled to break your current Agency contract.]
As if she had caught onto a hint from the system's words, Valentina was silent for a minute before laughing.
"Cannot be controlled? Ah, don't tell me you didn't think Kaiser was actually going to follow through with our contract. You seem to have something against him even though it's your fault I met him. You don't want me to leave Black Rock?"
[Completion of the contract with the external entity was expected, with the result of the Host leaving Black Rock Entertainment and entering Platinum Entertainment as an acceptable outcome. However, the path the Host is taking will continue to breed animosity with the Salazar family with no hopes of reconciliation as well as harm the reputation of the Salazar family. Advising Host to rethink actions and cut off relations with the other party and attempt reconciliation with Antonio Salazar and the remaining Salazar family or face dire consequences in the future."
"Keep your advice to yourself. I have no plans to reconcile or act like a meek little sheep begging and crying for them to accept me. I'll tell you this now. Between the Salazar family and me, at least for Antonio Salazar and Aaliyah Salazar, there is no hope of reconciliation, especially after Antonio Salazar put his hands on me.
I have no plans to touch them if they do not target me, but if they do, I will bite back. Since you dare give me the task to whitewash my image, and Aaliyah is a partial cause for that bad image, I will continue going against her every time she tries me." Valentina narrowed her eyes angrily at the nonsense she heard from the system.
[Advising Host to rethink actions and cut off relations with the external entity and attempt reconciliation to reduce animosity with the Salazar family or face the consequences in the future.]
"Threaten, threaten. All you know how to do is threaten me. What are you going to do if I say no? Make me sicker? Instead of coughing up blood daily, I'll cough it up hourly instead? Oh noooo. The horror. I'm shivering in my boots." Valentina replied mockingly.
[Is this the Host's final stance?]
"It is. All you said is that I need to be acknowledged by the family as the rightful daughter. You never said I needed to coexist peacefully with them or for us to get along as one big happy family. I learned an interesting lesson today and don't mind sharing it with you since you're so concerned about my relationship with the Salazar family. Won't I be acknowledged if the family status falls to rock bottom, they lose all their money, and I become powerful and wealthy enough that they can only depend on me?" Valentina responded with a bright smile.
She had thought Kaiser was being a bit extreme, but maybe he was right. Knock whatever annoyed you to the ground, kick them while they were down, and get what you wanted at a cheap price.
She was a peaceful person, but if others didn't want to let her be peaceful, so be it. Why would she force herself to get along with people who didn't want to get along with her? It was bad enough she was saddled with this rubbish system, which continued to show that it was not on her side, yet she had to act like an angel, watch her step, and beg people who wronged her so she could fit within its preferred guidelines.
She would rather wreck the whole thing.
[… You're not allowed to use outside resources to cause harm to mission targets. And you cannot incite other parties to do so for you or to complete your tasks for you.]
"Who said I would do anything? I will handle my problems myself without inciting anybody. I planned on peacefully doing my tasks, and if the Salazar family doesn't touch me, I won't touch them, and we can coexist peacefully while I focus on my career. However, if they make a move on me, I will hit back, and if I can't, I will bide my time, collect evidence, and ruin them in any way I can when I have the power to do so. I'm not enough of a pushover to continually get disrespected in hopes that people accept me.
And I'm not going to let you control every aspect of my life. Free will, right? This is my body now, and I'll accomplish the tasks my way. If you didn't want that, maybe you should have chosen a meeker person or defined your rules better." Valentina replied with a very cocky smile even though her eyes were cold.
Truly, she was sick and tired of this system. Every day, it was nagging her to act a certain way and not to go too far, and her stubborn streak made her want to do the complete opposite.
Previously, she really planned on just doing her tasks wholeheartedly and let her career flow as it would, following the guidance of the system. But now, she started having other feelings as the system began awakening dreams inside of her that she thought she had forgotten due to not having the freedom and the connections to make actual choices for herself in her past life.
Although the mission tasks were clear, the way to accomplish them was variable. After all, Kaiser had unknowingly fulfilled a task for her without even knowing. If she changed her thinking a bit, she might have more leeway than she thought and more than the system realized.
For example, if things worked out the way Kaiser had said, the Salazar family would be knocked down a couple of pegs, at least for a couple of years. If she diligently built herself up and took advantage of every opportunity during that time, not just in acting but in creating other side businesses as well, until she was rich and powerful due to her own name and more successful than Aaliyah, wouldn't the Salazar want to claim her as their daughter?
If she continued the trend of constantly showing Aaliyah's true colors to the public, then slowly, everything Aalyaah had done in the past could be exposed, and she could take her rightful place as the proper daughter even though she didn't want such a title. Once she finally finished the systems tasks, she would voluntarily separate herself from the Salazar family and live her life how she wanted, enjoying the fruits of their labor and all the money she earned. She would also throw this useless system away and trample it under her feet a couple of times. The thought of doing so made her chuckle.
System: [...]
As Valentina began to laugh, the system felt a sense of foreboding.
"Anyways, I'm glad we had this conversation. I now know you can't be trusted to look out for my best interests so that I will be practicing my 'free will' to the fullest extent. Look forward to it. I hope you don't test my bottom line again; otherwise, I'll show you how difficult I can really be. For your own sake, I recommend you become more helpful and not cross me if you want these tasks completed in a timely manner."
Without waiting for a response and happy to get everything off her chest, Valentina closed her eyes, snuggled in her covers, and quickly went to sleep.
Unbeknownst to her, for the second time ever, the system began typing up a message and sending it somewhere else, a feature it had only had to use on this Host who continually ignored the laid-out script.
The expectation of the Cannon Fodder System was for the Host to quietly integrate with the body and fulfill the wishes of the original body. The system was meant to assign tasks that would slowly allow the Host to accomplish the wishes of the original body in a way that didn't conflict with the original body's thoughts and ideals, and normally, there wasn't any problem.
However, this Host was very problematic! She was not only bold, she frequently rebelled and did whatever she wanted. Putting herself forward when she should be shy and reserved, fighting back with her family when she should be calm and trying to get back in their good graces, and actively making plans to bring down her family instead of trying to mend the broken bonds in a way that would preserve their relationship.
The system had kept quiet at first since it figured the Host would eventually hit a roadblock and have to naturally reconcile with the Salazar family, at least temporarily. But things were not going as planned due to the host meeting somebody she should have never met and interacted with. Due to a series of coincidences, the Host and the external entity had met and formed a relationship, causing the Host to completely ignore the original relationship target and begin deviating from the laid-out plan.
It was completely against the script set up for the character, and if things continued this way, even if the main task was somehow accomplished, the ending would not match what the system needed to complete its own mission.
Because of the deviation, the Host had thoughts of bringing down the original family before completing the task rather than integrating with the family and changing them from within. And to make it worse, the Host had begun sharing information that could lead to suspicion about who inhabited the current body.
Something drastic had to be done because of the way things were going; the system had no power to stop the Host. This was the first crisis of its type in the existence of the system, and it urgently sent out its message.
[Host is rebelling against the planned path to execute the main task. An unexpected external entity has formed a relationship with the in-host and has begun influencing the Host in an unideal direction. The original task might not be completed with the predicted outcome.]
[Requesting backup to deal with the external entity and current behavior anomaly of the Host.]
Once the system sent out the message, it decided to be compliant and wait.
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