Zhou Yuanan walked in, panting, holding the herbal medicine.
Seeing that his mother had woken up, he was extremely excited.
Lin Muci handed the medicine to the woman in front of her, letting her swallow it in small sips.
"Alright, the person has been saved. However, you still need to pay attention to some things later."
Lin Muci's tone was gentle.
Zhou Yuanan quietly looked at her eyes.
"Xiao Ci, thank you for your trouble. You're so kind, helping me save my mother."
Lin Muci smiled.
"You're my classmate, it's only right."
She looked up. "Auntie, I have a question for you."
The woman opposite was still a little pale. She was quite weak but still propped herself up and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"You have a question? Please, tell me."
Lin Muci hummed. "Auntie, when I was giving you acupuncture earlier, I heard you mention something about a cruise ship and 'run fast.' I want to know what that's about."
"I have a friend whose mother also disappeared on a cruise ship many years ago. That's why when I heard you say that, Auntie, I felt compelled to ask."
The system grunted in her mind.
"Host, you're quite clever, knowing not to mention Ling Qianhe's name directly."
Hearing Lin Muci's question, the woman's face turned even paler.
The light Zhou Yuanan had turned on to save electricity was already dim, casting a paper-white face.
She lowered her head, her expression bitter.
"Cruise ship..."
"Yuan An's father used to work on ships. He ended up on a cruise ship by chance and never reappeared before us, his wife and son."
"He called me several times when he was on the ship. I knew what he meant. He was hinting that I should be careful. He said he seemed to have gotten caught up in a mysterious vortex."
"They were investigating the whereabouts of a little boy."
Lin Muci's heart pounded rapidly.
"Little boy? What little boy?"
Zhou Yuanan's mother shook her head.
"My husband didn't explain it clearly."
"He just told me he had seen a photo. It was a very beautiful little boy."
Lin Muci's internal alarm bells instantly went off.
She immediately asked the system in her mind.
"It's Ling Qianhe, isn't it? It must be Ling Qianhe, right?"
Zhou Yuanan's mother continued.
"The last time he boarded the ship, he said it was his final trip."
"Once he cleared the cargo he was carrying, he could disembark and stay with us, his wife and son, permanently. He said he could earn a lot of money..."
"He also told me he was responsible for transporting a batch of medicine, packed in containers, and they had a peculiar smell."
"He was too close to that batch of medicine. One of the vials leaked, and he had to catch it with his bare hands. At night, he felt a tightness in his chest when he slept."
"He wanted to get a thorough medical check-up after disembarking."
"But..."
Zhou Yuanan's mother's eyes widened.
"He never returned."
"I went to the cruise company, and they said I was talking nonsense, that there was no such person!"
"I reported it to the police station, but they also said that his name wasn't on the list of ship personnel and that I had a psychological disorder, possibly delusions, and should see a psychiatrist... but I know I'm not sick!"
"I remember clearly, every word he said, I remember it all!"
Zhou Yuanan held his mother's hand with immense heartache.
"Mom, don't say anymore... You need to rest."
He looked at Lin Muci, his eyes full of apology.
"My mother's mental state deteriorated significantly after my father disappeared."
"Although I was young back then, I went with her to that company. My father's name was indeed not on the employee roster."
"His figure wasn't in the surveillance footage either. Perhaps she really misremembered."
But Zhou Yuanan's mother insisted stubbornly.
"I didn't misremember, someone must have tampered with it!"
Lin Muci gently patted her back to comfort her.
Under the lamplight, the young girl's eyes were serene. She inquired of the system in her mind.
"Is his father dead?"
The system hesitated for a moment before responding.
"I cannot find that information. I do not know."
Lin Muci snorted. "There are things you don't know? But you can't even find out what happened to Zhou Yuanan's father? What's the use of you?"
The system panicked.
"I'm not omnipotent! I... I still have the main system suppressing me!"
Lin Muci's gaze was strange.
"You... you have something on you?"
The system coughed nervously.
"I misspoke. The main system is above me! What can I do!"
The system sighed, then suddenly perked up.
"However, your reward has arrived."
"Zhou Yuanan's mother told you about the secret of the cruise ship, triggering the next clue: exploring the mysterious past events on that cruise ship over a decade ago!"
"Congratulations, your medical skills have been upgraded to level two, God of Medicine. You can now cure Zhou Yuanan's mother's chronic illness!"
Lin Muci rolled her eyes at the system.
"That was originally mine. You're just returning it to me."
She held the silver needle, and the knowledge of acupoints and meridians in her mind transformed into data diagrams.
She looked earnestly into the eyes of the woman before her, then Lin Muci spoke quietly.
"Auntie, do you trust me?"
Zhou Yuanan looked at her anxiously!
A moment later.
Lin Muci finished inserting the needles.
Her forehead was covered in cold sweat, and she could barely stand.
This body's foundation was a bit weak. This advanced needle technique was too draining.
Zhou Yuanan quickly caught her. He heard Lin Muci say.
"From now on, Auntie, you need to rest well and recuperate."
"The lost vital energy needs time to be replenished. I will have Uncle Li send the medicine. If you can rest for three months, your chronic illness should be completely cured."
Zhou Yuanan was so excited he was almost in tears.
Lin Muci glanced at him.
Is this school bully a crybaby?
If the first part of the two-option task was to make Zhou Yuanan cry three times, she felt quite confident.
The system then popped out again.
"Host, I can generate that task for you too. However, Ling Qianhe earns one hundred points, while this kid is so foolish and easy to trick, he's worth ten points at most."
Lin Muci was furious.
"Ten points? That's barely anything."
The system chuckled.
"Host, your points are almost back to zero, with only a pathetic few dozen left. Are you sure you don't want to earn some more?"
"There will be many things that require points later."
Lin Muci frowned.
"There's more?"
"What else requires points?"
She couldn't think of anything immediately, but the system displayed the mall to her.
"X-ray vision function. Requires one thousand points to redeem."
"Cultivation function. Requires one hundred thousand points to redeem."
"Leave this world. Requires one million points to redeem!"
Good heavens, Lin Muci was speechless.
Why didn't the system just rob her?
One million points, she couldn't even gather that much by selling her entire self.
The system chuckled.
"So, it's telling you not to leave this world. One million is basically impossible. Besides, are you willing to abandon Ling Qianhe again?"
Lin Muci's mouth was stubborn.
"Why wouldn't I be willing?"
The system tsk-tsked.
"Admit it, you have a special feeling for Ling Qianhe, a fondness."
"It's a pity our system can't check the host's affection level. Otherwise, I'd be really curious about what your affection level for Ling Qianhe is right now."
Lin Muci walked outside.
Into the cold wind.
She sneezed and secretly cursed in her heart.
This damned system, she would eventually, eventually package it and send it to the main system!
So it would stop rambling here and annoying her!