Don’t Be a Kept Man

Chapter 163: The System

There were about 3,000 worlds in the space station, floating in the expansive, unending space of the galaxy. The Galactic Officer was the highest power here, and once it was time for the systems to return, numerous balls of light would gather here and accept a rating for their performance.

System 008 had used the last of its energy to open the tunnel of light and quietly slipped into the space station like a thief. Inside, there were about ten or so semi-translucent windows and an innumerable amount of little balls of light chatting with each other as they picked their specific district and lined up at the end of a very long queue.

This year, there were many more balls: tall ones, short ones, fat ones, skinny ones, all sorts.

System 008 was overwhelmed by the sight and it slowly floated before stopping before the window for the self-sufficient/self-reliant systems. Before it was a small pink ball of light who turned around when it sensed it. 

It very enthusiastically said when it saw System 008: 

[ 008, how many worlds did you finish? ]

System 008 thought about it: 

[ 7… ]

The tiny pink ball shook its body, a bit proud as it said: 

[ I finished 10 ]

System 008 complimented the other: 

[ Wow, that’s so amazing ]

A purple ball of light who had gotten in line behind them at some point interrupted: 

[ How impressive could that be. 001 finished 15 worlds. It’s definitely going to be the number one this year ]

If 008 had a mouth, it would be gaping wide open: 

[ How did it do it, 15 hosts, so amazing ~ ]

The pink ball of light moved forward a bit and the light from the window automatically scanned over it: 

[ What amazing, 4 out of the 15 hosts died, so of course it would be fast. If it was me, I would be able to do it too ]

008 quickly followed behind, passing through the scanner and floating into the room with the pink ball of light: 

[ How did they die? ]

The pink ball said: 

[ Taking away life points until they died! ]

So scary!

008 didn’t make another sound and found a spot in the corner to quietly wait. Not long after, the empty room was slowly filled up with balls of light. At first everyone was chit-chatting about their great performance until they all heard the crisp, clear sound of high heels clacking against the floor outside and they all quieted down.

A tall woman with long, beautiful bouncy curly hair that was around waist length appeared outside the door. She looked as beautiful as a rose with thorns and the stripes on her shoulders that denoted her rank was also the picture of a vine surrounding a sword. With her high heels, she stepped into the room like a strict teacher.

“So delighted to meet you all once again. All 63 systems have been gathered together right?”

The beautiful phoenix eyes1 of the Galactic Officer scanned over the balls of light below her and then she smiled as she nodded her head, 

“Good, all are here. Then we shall begin giving out the performance rating and points. If there is a miscalculation, please let me know.”

Following her words, all the balls of light started to get anxious.

“System 001, finished a total of 15 worlds. 4 of your hosts did not pass. 130 points.”

“System 002, finished a total of 8 worlds. 1 host did not pass. 75 points.”

Soon about to reach its name in the order, System 008 was about to be frightened to death. It hid in the corner, feeling like an imposter getting ranked alongside the best, like the student with the lowest grades watching each of the top class students receive their report card.

“System 009, finished a total of 11 worlds. 2 of your hosts did not pass. 100 points.”

Unexpectedly, the Galactic Officer had skipped right over it. 008 sighed a breath of relief but then it became even more nervous because each time a system’s performance was calculated and they were given their points, they would leave. And just like that, it was the only one left in the entire room.

The Galactic Officer closed her laptop and then looked at the nervous ball of light by the corner, who was bumping itself against the wall, and helplessly shook her head, 

“008, come over here.”

Oh, it was found out……

System 008 slowly floated over, quietly dropping down right in front of the Galactic Officer as the light emitting from its body dimmed.

“008, you finished a total of 7 worlds and all 7 of your hosts have successfully passed. But you leaked out all the energy gained from completing your missions so your points total can only be 0.”

The Galactic Officer sighed.

System 008 shook its body left and right: 

[ No worries, I can earn it back in the upcoming year ]

The Galactic Officer didn’t speak as she reached out with cupped hands. Then with System 008 in the palm of her hands, her voice sounded very distant as she spoke, 

“008, you need to know that there are not that many hosts you can contract with in this world, and that not everyone can be saved.”

As she finished speaking, she walked out of the classroom where there was a very long and empty hallway made out of semi-translucent glass. Looking up, stars could be seen littered throughout the galaxy. A lazer scanned over the Officer and successfully unlocked the room at the end of the hallway. 

With a faint clack, the automatic door in front of them split into two, opening up slowly from the middle.

System 008 was not a stranger to this door. Each time they went to a new world to find their host, they would pick from within.

The Galactic Officer lightly said, 

“008, you are no longer suitable to be a system.”

An intelligent system, already experiencing the feelings and emotions of a human, was no longer suitable to be a system.

Learning how to be a human may even be better.

The Officer searched inside the box on the light display in front of her for 008’s number and immediately a small world popped out. The face of a human male appeared in the box above, and for some unknown reason, 008 could not see his face clearly.

[ Galactic Officer, do you need 008 to lock onto this kept man? ]

This question seemed to have hit something that made the female Officer laugh, and she couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. She squeezed 008’s body, feeling its jelly softness under her fingers, and quietly said, 

“008, how about I let you become human once more?”

“Go to the human world, experience their life, and live well this time……”

The Officer had an inquiring tone, but without waiting for 008’s reply, she immediately used her psychic ability to send it into the tiny world before her. When that faint blue light disappeared, the window in front of her closed and the surroundings became so silent, it was as if nothing happened.

There were millions of stars in this galaxy, but only the heavens and the earth will live forever. Yet only those who have experienced it would know that this kind of endless life is a sort of torture as well. Living as a human for one life, living through their life and through their suffering, would be better than this kind of life