Douluo Dragon King: My Strategy System Is a Bit Off

Chapter 44 The Regret of That Year Became a Deeper Shame

"How...how is this possible?"

Under Lin Ci's almost incredulous gaze, the not-so-handsome man slowly approached her.

He forced a faint smile: "What, don't you recognize me?"

Lin Ci seemed somewhat accepting, though her tone remained slightly stiff: "Huo Yuhao, it really has been a long time."

The man before them, who was not particularly handsome, was none other than Huo Yuhao, the legendary figure who had dominated the world ten thousand years ago and single-handedly founded the Spirit Pagoda.

Lin Ci asked, somewhat puzzled, "But how did you end up here?"

Huo Yuhao chuckled, a hint of smugness in his voice: "You used to be the one making all the plans, but now I've finally experienced it for myself."

Lin Ci was somewhat speechless, but still reminded him, "I remember that our conversation here will be seen from outside."

"Don't worry, with my mental power, I can naturally conjure up a scene of our battle. Your teacher, who has the mental power of a Soul Emperor, can't even see it."

After Huo Yuhao finished speaking, he teased, "Why are you so cautious now? I remember you were very brave when we were together before."

Lin Ci snorted coldly and glared at Huo Yuhao. "Stop talking nonsense and explain how you ended up here."

Huo Yuhao smiled helplessly: "This is more like the you of the past. Actually, after you disappeared, both Dong'er and I have been searching for you. But we couldn't find you. Before I ascended to the God Realm, I deliberately left behind this wisp of my divine soul so that I could continue searching for you on the Douluo Continent. Later, the God Realm suffered a sudden change, and this divine soul remained on the Douluo Continent. But a divine soul without its origin will eventually dissipate completely. To preserve this divine soul, I fell into a deep sleep. Later, I accidentally discovered this new technology developed by the Tang Sect, and my divine soul resided in this virtual world. I just never expected that I would meet you again here, ten thousand years later, after searching the entire continent without success."

Lin Ci nodded thoughtfully, but still asked, "How can you be sure it's me? Or rather, how can you still believe that I exist in this world?"

Huo Yuhao said confidently, "That's easy. When you first entered here, I was already pretty sure of it just by looking at your face. It was only after you fought against Dong'er's virtual character that I was truly certain. The way you looked at Dong'er couldn't be faked."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Besides, knowing you as I do, you must still be alive."

Lin Ci paused slightly, then turned her head away, seemingly not wanting Huo Yuhao to see her expression. "I didn't expect you to become so clever after all this time. Where did that dull, cowardly brat from back then go?"

Huo Yuhao gently patted Lin Ci's shoulder. "We've known each other for so long, we grew up together, so we have this much understanding. Speaking of which, where have you been all these years? Why did you suddenly disappear without a trace? Even when I searched for you with my vast spiritual power in the God Realm, I couldn't find a single trace."

"It's a long story," Lin Ci sighed, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

Huo Yuhao, however, was very open-minded. "It's a long story, so I won't go into it. When we meet, we should chat for a bit and not waste time with nonsense."

Lin Ci smiled slightly. "Okay."

"Oh, by the way. That girl with you guys, her identity is not simple, you should be careful," Huo Yuhao reminded her.

Lin Ci didn't take it to heart: "Don't worry, I know better than you do."

"What? You know so much about me? You're not going to start something and then abandon me again, are you?" Huo Yuhao teased.

"What do you mean? How did I become a scumbag again?"

"Aren't you the same?"

These words successfully silenced Lin Cigan. Indeed, he wasn't a good person. But if possible, he also wanted to spend his whole life with one person, instead of chasing after one person after another like a devoted admirer, only to fall into the abyss again and again, endlessly repeating this torturous process.

Huo Yuhao continued, "Back then, Dong'er liked you so much, but you still deliberately avoided her. Even after she returned to the God Realm, you never saw her once."

Lin Ci sighed helplessly, "You..."

Huo Yuhao interrupted, "Are you trying to say I don't understand?"

At this moment, he became serious. "You didn't go to the Sea God's Fate that year, and she didn't choose anyone. Do you know? Since then, none of us have seen her smile, even though she used to smile the most."

Lin Ci was powerless to refute, but it was too late then.

At that time, the favorability rating dropped to one percent, seemingly due to the pull of fate, or rather, the deliberate influence of that scoundrel. Lin Ci and the system both believed that the strategy was doomed to fail, and there was no need to wait for the Sea God's Fate to confess.

This forced him to start the next conquest mission. Previous conquest missions always required a new body. But this time, it didn't, because the conquest mission was for the Imperial Beast King Qiu'er.

Later, Lin Ci left Shrek Academy and, with the system's help, began to woo the Emperor Beast. He later learned that Wang Dong'er hadn't chosen anyone at the Sea God's Fate event. But by then it was too late; he had found a new target, so he could only try to avoid her.

Therefore, it was under his deliberate influence that Huo Yuhao said earlier that Wang Dong'er had never seen him again.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

It was because of that incident that Lin Ci questioned the system for the first time. The way Wang Dong'er searched for him was definitely not something that could be done with only one percent of her affection level. Yet the system firmly believed it hadn't made a mistake.

In the end, this was the only way. Because he had truly loved, Lin Ci knew very well that he was destined to leave. So, without the mission, there was no need to meet again. Otherwise, he could have spent time with Wang Dong'er while doing the mission, and then resolutely left this world in the end.

She was the only one who got hurt.

Although he had already hurt her, he was unwilling to stab her in the heart again.

Seeing that Lin Ci remained silent, Huo Yuhao sighed softly, "I know you have your reasons. You were precocious from a young age. If it weren't for you, I might have died in the Duke's mansion long ago. I've always trusted you, and your foresight and ability to turn danger into safety time and time again have made me absolutely certain that you are different from us. For example, after ten thousand years, you have reappeared on the Douluo Continent, and you have reappeared here."

"That's why your brother always believes in you."

Hearing his words, Lin Ci smiled, a smile that contained the feeling of seeing an old friend again, but more so, a bitter taste.

That year, the proud young girl longed for a chance to express her feelings. But she never got the chance.

Many years later, when the girl looked back, she didn't blame the person who disappeared; instead, she felt more self-reproach.

She blamed herself for not expressing her feelings sooner...

So, did the system leave because Lin Ci couldn't complete the strategy mission?

So why did the system give out rewards to the protagonist of Gu Yue before leaving, when there were no rewards for completing the previous missions?

(End of this chapter)