Surviving the Apocalypse: All I Want Is to Find a Husband-Chapter 248: He Was Never Just Human

[If System 00 is detected by security, the consequences will be catastrophic. The Creators won’t allow it to escape again.]

Before Medeia could ask anything or even speak, the system continued quickly. [If you don’t want something terrible to happen, then you need to do exactly what I tell you.]

’What do you want me to do?’ she asked silently.

Even though she was still confused, a small part of her believed the system truly wanted to protect Lucian.

Still, another part of her wasn’t so sure.

As far as she knew, the system had occasionally shown signs of dislike toward Lucian, as if it secretly despised him.

[When System 00 regains consciousness, you must knock it out and remove the fragment core from the back of its neck.]

She froze.

She had to do what? Knock him out? Cut open the back of his neck?

’How am I supposed to pull something out from there?’ She didn’t even know what the fragment core looked like.

[It’s simple. Take a knife, make an incision at the base of its neck, and pull the core out.]

How could she possibly do that?! The neck was one of the most vital parts of the human body. What if she accidentally killed him instead?

[You must do it, Host. If you don’t, it’ll be in danger.]

Medeia clicked her tongue silently. ’Stop calling Lucian "it." He has a name.’

The system ignored her correction and continued, [If it connects to the main server, the Creators will locate it immediately and send retrieval agents. System 00—your Lucian—won’t survive that. Neither will you.]

Medeia’s throat tightened.

She glanced at Lucian, who was still beside her, pretending to focus on the stained glass window, yet she could see his eyes flick toward her every few seconds, quietly checking if she was okay.

[The fragment core formed inside it as a result of the system’s attempt to merge with the human body. Once System 00 fully synchronizes with the body, the fragment core becomes unnecessary and needs to be removed immediately.]

Medeia clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

Cutting into a human body wasn’t new to her. She had done it before, but this time was different.

This was Lucian. And suddenly, the thought terrified her.

’So the fragment core is only needed when the system hasn’t fully synchronized yet,’ Medeia reasoned in her mind. ’Then ... how do I know if he has or hasn’t synchronized yet?’

What if she misjudged it and killed him instead?

[The appearance of cancer is a sign that the fragment core is no longer needed inside its body.]

[You’ll have two minutes to remove the fragment core. If you don’t, it’ll automatically connect to the main server.]

[This conversation will not be recorded in my database, and you won’t be able to ask me about this again. When the time comes, I’ll also shut myself down, so your actions won’t be tracked.]

[Be careful of other Hosts, except Tian Zhang.]

[I’ve linked my server to his system, so you can trust him.]

[My time is almost up, so I’ll end our conversation now.]

[Good luck, Lilith.]

Did the system just call her by her real name?

It had never called her that before, not even when Lucifer appeared in her hallucination memories. The system had never once gotten her name wrong.

This time, it felt different. It didn’t feel like she was talking to a machine anymore.

It felt like someone or something had spoken directly to her. Not just her body, but her soul, her thoughts.

As if it had known her long before she became Medeia.

As if it remembered her ... as Lilith.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t ask the system about it because the system had already come back online.

[The system is now back online! Continuing upgrade ...]

The voice returned, slightly robotic again, as if the one who had spoken to her before was already gone.

Medeia held her breath and closed her eyes, trying to process everything she’d just heard from the system, or whatever it really was.

Fragment core.

Cut the skin behind his neck.

Two minutes, or the Creators will find him and destroy him.

She turned her head slightly, stealing a glance at Lucian from the corner of her eye.

He was still facing forward, pretending to be calm, but she noticed the way his fingers curled slightly against his thigh.

Even though he had no memories of being System 00, Medeia was sure, he knew something was wrong. His body knew, even if his mind didn’t.

There was something inside him. A part of him that had never truly slept, only waited for the right time to wake up.

If that time came ... If he regained all of his memories ...

Would she still recognize him as Lucian Charon?

Would he still laugh the same way?

Would he still kiss her lips when he thought no one was looking?

Or worse ...

Would he choose to leave her behind?

Medeia’s throat tightened at the thought.

She wasn’t afraid of the system. She wasn’t even afraid of the Creators.

But she was afraid of losing him.

Losing this version of him.

The version who smiled so brightly it could rival the sun.

The version who spoke to her gently, and so warm it melted every cold part of her heart.

The version who always stood a little too close when he was worried.

She didn’t want to let go of that version of him. She didn’t know if that was selfish. She didn’t know if it was wrong.

Was it wrong to want Lucian, and not System 00?

But there was no answer. The system was silent, and somehow, that silence was more terrifying than any threat.

"Medeia, I’m starting to worry." His voice was gentle, but his eyes were sharp, watching her carefully, as if trying to read her thoughts. "You look pale again. Like something’s bothering you."

Medeia forced a faint smile, hiding the storm inside her mind. "I’m just tired. That’s all." She pushed all the fear and doubt aside, then stood up quickly. "So ... you can’t open the window or pass through the barrier?"

For however long this moment lasted ...

For however long he remained this Lucian, Medeia promised herself one thing, she would cherish him with everything she had.