Midsummer.
The weather was already hot. Although a thunderstorm had passed through in the morning, barely dampening the ground, by the time several hours had passed and deep night had fallen, there was no trace of coolness left.
A guard stifled a yawn.
Even though it was a shift change.
He was still a bit sleepy, and honestly, who could blame him? This sprawling estate was more than a little cooler than the outside, and every building—main residence, corridors, servants' quarters, kitchen—was equipped with some kind of air conditioning.
Good heavens, he'd never seen such an amazing contraption in his life.
Plug it in, and cold air blew out.
Cool from head to toe, as if summer didn't exist. Needless to say, such a luxury was priceless; most people had never even heard of it.
Here, in the Su family estate.
It was just an everyday convenience, and even someone like him got to enjoy the benefits. The other perks, visible and hidden, were countless.
Just as he was counting his blessings, a sound of footsteps came—faint at first, then growing nearer.
Not heavy, but hurried.
In the dead of night, it rang out with unusual clarity. Every guard tensed, eyes sharpening as they looked over—
"Assistant Lin, what's the matter?"
Dutifully blocking the newcomer's path, the guard's voice carried poorly concealed surprise.
This man, of course, was known to everyone.
Who among them hadn't gossiped about this workaholic behind his back? They'd given him plenty of nicknames. But as everyone knew, Assistant Lin drove himself hard, drove his subordinates hard, yet never once let any of it touch the person at the very top.
But it was already the middle of the night...
The guards sensed, faintly, that something major had happened.
"Report to Miss Su. I have urgent business."
Lin Sen's face was grim, his entire demeanor radiating agitation. His outfit seemed ordinary enough, but a few ink splatters dotted his shirt cuffs.
Clearly, he had come straight over without even pausing to clean up.
Seeing this.
The guards didn't dare delay.
Soon, one returned. "Miss Su says you may go in."
So quickly—could Miss Su still be awake?
Lin Sen was caught off guard, but he had no time to wonder. He knocked, entered, and immediately spotted Su Ning seated at the table by the bed.
She was looking out at the night view, dressed in casual home clothes, but definitely not as if she'd just scrambled out of bed. Hearing him come in, those ink-black eyes turned to him, carrying an unmistakable chill.
"Speak. What is it?"
Composure returning.
Lin Sen lowered his head and spoke rapidly, "Word just came from the Northeast—the Japanese have used the bombing of the railway as a pretext to shell the Northeast Army camp..."
This was huge—too huge, too shocking!
Though he'd never had a formal education.
Lin Sen had a natural instinct for such matters, honed over years of experience. He knew exactly how immense the ripple effects would be.
The domestic situation was about to shift dramatically.
And in the Northeast, they had only recently discovered the oil field...
Worry flickered in Lin Sen's eyes.
He could only reassure himself that the news hadn't leaked—only a handful of people knew—and that Miss Su despised the Japanese and had crossed them before. Did they need to change their stance now, or...
His thoughts churned, but he didn't let them get in the way of giving a detailed, cautious, and as impersonal an account as possible.
When he finished.
The room fell silent.
"Just as I thought."
Two words, ambiguous in meaning. Su Ning stood, her expression cold, and ignored Lin Sen's puzzlement as she let out a long breath.
So it really was today.
The world in these books differed from true history, and she considered herself no small butterfly by now, so the timing shifting was hardly unusual.
But it was still the same date, the same moment.
September the eighteenth.
She looked down at her hands. Slender, fair, perfectly maintained by a life of luxury—yet they trembled slightly.
No, not just her hands.
Her whole body was trembling. But this wasn't fear—it was excitement.
It felt like every drop of blood in her veins was boiling.
"Host, do you really want to interfere?" the System suddenly spoke up.
Its voice was colder and more detached than ever before:
"It will be very dangerous. Your mission progress is outstanding. If you keep following the plan, you could even break the previous record. Why take the risk? I am a Weal-Through-Wickedness System, not a Messiah System. There's no need."
It genuinely didn't understand.
In times like these—chaos and upheaval—previous hosts either watched from the sidelines or joined the side of evildoers. That's how you maximized profit.
"Of course I don't want to be a savior."
Su Ning shrugged innocently:
"But look, in order to complete my missions, I've already offended the Japanese several times over. Blame them for getting in my way. And Huo Xiang—that little rat—has already thrown in with the Japanese. I need to deal with him, and that means going up against the Japanese anyway. So—"
"I have no choice, really."
She lowered her voice:
"Besides, great wealth comes with great risk. Huo Xiang has already found Guan Jixing and Mu Wan, and now he's in contact with Wu Yi and the others. The bounty pool on him must be stacked sky-high by now. Can you bear to give that up?"
The System hesitated.
It sounded... logical, maybe. But something felt off.
Still, Wu Yi...
"Fine."
Su Ning's lips curved upward.
Becoming a collaborator was one path—just look at all the traitors and lapdogs spat upon and cursed by everyone. And Huo Xiang wouldn't be a problem either.
The same side could even make it easier to stomp him down.
But—
Someone as kind and righteous as her would never sell out to the Japanese for mere profit!
For now, let's start with a little appetizer.
"Lin Sen..."
In the silent night, her cold voice sounded, unhurried.
Soon, the sprawling estate blazed with lights, and messengers were dispatched in all directions.
...
That night.
The city government building lit up first. Before long, the city gates swung open.
Division Commander Huang personally led his men into the city.
"Arrest everyone on this list. Not one gets away. Miss Su will pay well—but anyone who takes a bribe and lets someone slip will face the consequences!"
The men snapped to attention.
Splitting into squads to carry out their orders, they couldn't help murmuring as they went:
"So many... and they're all Japanese. Damn, what did they do to offend Miss Su? This is going to make waves."
"Who knows. The sky will fall eventually, but the tall ones catch it first. We just do our jobs."
"Bad luck for them."
Before long.
Beiping City was anything but quiet. Screams, shouts of rage, gunfire—nonstop. The common folk huddled in their homes, afraid and curious in equal measure.
"Baga! What do you think you're doing!"
"Let me go!"
"I'm Japanese! You're damaging the friendship between China and Japan—OW!"
Clearly, that earned him a beating.
A moment later, a neighbor peeked out through a crack in the door and saw a line of soldiers dragging people out like dead dogs—faces swollen, bruised, black and blue. A pitiful sight.
Enough to stir sympathy.
