After Transmigrating into a Book as a Cannon Fodder Character, The System Turned out to be Completely Unreliable! - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Suffocation! Warning!

A sudden jolt scared Ye Lingxi half to death.

She stiffly turned around like a puppet on strings—and saw a massive alligator snapping turtle glaring at her with murderous intent. Its shell was covered in messy green water plants.

Ye Lingxi didn’t hesitate. Grabbing her sword, she swam frantically toward the shore, like she was on a sugar rush, reaching land in one breath.

But she barely had time to breathe before the turtle chased after her. She screamed in panic.

“System, help me!”

System: Sorry, host. This feature hasn’t been unlocked yet.

“Ahhh! System, I hate you!” Ye Lingxi focused on dodging. The turtle, like a mountain with a shell, crashed through every tree she tried to hide behind.

System: I’ve seen people chased by dogs, but never by a snapping turtle.

“Well, now you have.” Ye Lingxi panted as she ran. “D#mn it, System! Easy for you to joke when you’re floating around! Can you think of something useful?!”

System: …

After scanning the terrain, the system said: Host, there’s a hollow ahead—you can hide there.

Ye Lingxi followed the instruction and darted into the hollow beneath a tree root. The turtle charged forward and knocked itself out.

Seeing the turtle collapse, she finally relaxed and let out a long breath.

“Thank goodness.” She clutched her chest, trying to calm down.

System: You finally did something right.

System(a bit sheepishly): Thanks.

Ye Lingxi nodded. “Don’t get cocky. Keep it up.”

System: Understood.

Before she could finish praising it, Ye Lingxi noticed a large hole nearby and asked curiously, “What’s this cave?”

System scanned it: No idea.

Ye Lingxi: “…”

“Can I take back what I just said?” She had just complimented it, and now it was clueless again. Can’t praise this guy.

System: …

“Forget it. Asking you is pointless. I’ll go check it out myself.” Ye Lingxi figured if she stumbled upon it, there must be something important inside.

But the deeper she went, the wider and darker the cave became. A growing sense of unease crept over her.

The air thinned. She stood still, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

System (shouting): “Host!”

Her head began to spin, and her vision blurred.

The system’s interface glowed over her pale, unconscious face, calling out desperately: Host! Host! Wake up!

Warning! Warning! Detected life force fluctuation in NPC! Warning! Warning!

Seriously? Was she really going to die like this?

She closed her eyes as the system’s interface faded from view.

She found herself in a pitch-black space, completely empty. She muttered to herself, “Am I… dead?”

The space began to shake. She lost her balance and fell—then a beam of light pulled her back.

She jolted upright, patting herself all over. “I’m… okay?”

Looking around, she saw a child with their back to her, tending a fire. It was already nighttime.

“You’re awake?” Ji Fuyu spoke.

Ye Lingxi gave an awkward smile. “It’s you… no, Master, did you save me?”

Ji Fuyu turned around, her eyes flickering. “Are you stupid? You almost suffocated to death.”

Ye Lingxi pursed her lips and avoided eye contact. “Heh heh… did I?”

System (quietly): “Yes, host. If she hadn’t shown up, you would’ve had to restart.”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

Unbelievable. She was speechless at her own stupidity.

“Thank you, Master.” No matter what, she had to show gratitude—gotta stick to her strategy of clinging to a powerful ally.

Ji Fuyu didn’t even glance at her. “You’d better start thinking about how to pass the test. Time’s almost up.”

That snapped Ye Lingxi back to reality. It was already nighttime—more than half the time had passed. If she didn’t finish by morning, she’d fail the exam.

As she scratched her head in frustration, unsure what to do, Ji Fuyu noticed her panic and approached. “Just kill a few magical beasts and you’ll pass, right?”

Ye Lingxi was at a loss for words. She wasn’t entirely sure. In the original story, that was how it worked—but this high-difficulty version? She wasn’t confident anymore.

**System**: *Host, I remember Mo Huaishu said that whoever defeats the most magical beasts will pass the exam.*

Ye Lingxi was startled. “She did?”

System: “Yes. Maybe you forgot.”

Her mind was a mess. Maybe she really had forgotten. She’d been too busy complaining, then got chased by a giant snapping turtle, nearly suffocated… probably oxygen-deprived.

“Right,” Ye Lingxi finally replied.

Ji Fuyu nodded. “Then it should be easy.”

Ye Lingxi looked up at her, seeing a mischievous smile. She instinctively leaned back. *What is she planning?*

Ji Fuyu snapped impatiently, “Are you done resting? If so, follow me.”

Ye Lingxi blinked, confused. “Follow you where?”

System: “She’s taking you to hunt magical beasts.”

Ye Lingxi: “…”

Isn’t that like killing her own kind?

**System: “Who knows.”

Whether it was right or not, she didn’t care—she was desperate.

System**: *She really seems eager to get her greatsword back.*

Ye Lingxi: “Yeah, I can tell.”

Ji Fuyu shouted again, “Why are you still standing there?! Hurry up and follow me!” Her brows furrowed.

Ye Lingxi reluctantly replied, “Got it, Master.”

She had just come back from the brink of death, still recovering from suffocation, and now her boss was barking orders again.

Unwillingly, she stood up—dizzy and nearly falling over. She caught herself with her hands before hitting the ground, rubbed her head, took a few deep breaths, and stood again.

“What are you dawdling for?!”

Ye Lingxi grumbled, “Alright, alright, I’m coming.”

Nag, nag, nag. All she does is nag. What’s the rush? It’s not like I’m not risking my life here.

You capitalist tyrant. If clinging to your leg didn’t give me a shot at surviving to the finale, I wouldn’t be working under someone like you.

She muttered behind Ji Fuyu’s back—but just as she finished, Ji Fuyu turned around.

Ye Lingxi froze.

Ji Fuyu narrowed her eyes. “You…”

Ye Lingxi looked around nervously. Ji Fuyu grabbed her collar and said coldly, “You’d better pass this test. If you don’t, I’ll kill you myself.”

Ye Lingxi bowed low, trembling under the threat.

“Did you hear me?!” Ji Fuyu’s crimson-black eyes glinted with icy menace. Her small frame radiated a snake-like aura that wrapped around Ye Lingxi, sending chills down her spine.

Ye Lingxi never imagined that Ji Fuyu, in child form, would be even more terrifying—like a venomous serpent. No wonder she came from a snake pit.

Swallowing hard, Ye Lingxi said, “Don’t worry, Master. I won’t let you down.”

Only then did Ji Fuyu release her and turn away. “Then hurry up and follow me!”

Ye Lingxi straightened her clothes and exhaled. “One day, I’ll make you kneel and beg me instead.”

Just imagining Ji Fuyu kneeling before her felt incredibly satisfying.

“Ye Lingxi!” Ji Fuyu suddenly called her full name—way scarier than calling her an idiot.

Ye Lingxi rushed to her side. Ji Fuyu shot her a glare, and Ye Lingxi instinctively slowed her pace.

“Tch. So I’m not allowed to walk beside you now? What’s with the glare? These days, even clinging to a big shot is hard work…”