143: Chapter 143 Lin Feng's System

Lin Feng hadn't heard the system's voice for a long time. The last time it sounded was when he completed the renovation mission for Xinfeng Town. The system said: "Happy Sample Room activated. Volume Four mission initiated." Later, he entered that door, took the left path, ate a rainbow mushroom, but the system never urged him again. It seemed to have fallen asleep, or perhaps it had been watching all along.

That night, Lin Feng was squatting under the Old Locust Tree. The moon was huge, casting the tree's shadow onto the ground like an ink wash painting. He held a straw in his mouth, looking toward the direction of the big tree. The canopy was pitch black, and he couldn't see the leaves, but he knew they were still there. Suddenly, a sound echoed in his mind—not a "ding," but that rusty, creaking sound he hadn't heard in ages, like Old Zhou's chain when it hadn't been oiled.

"Ding—Host. Long time no see."

Lin Feng didn't move; he just kept the straw in his mouth and watched the moon.

"System detected: You have not actively used any system skills for three hundred and sixty-two consecutive days."

Lin Feng thought about it; it seemed to be true. Emotional Perception, Happy Smell, Emotional Resonance—he hadn't activated these skills in a long time. It wasn't that he had forgotten; he just didn't want to use them. Once used, he would know who was sad, who was pretending to smile, and who was holding back. Once he knew, he would have to intervene. And once he intervened, he wouldn't be able to stop.

"System suggestion: Would you like to view the current mission progress?"

Lin Feng said: "No."

"...System does not understand."

Lin Feng said: "You don't need to understand."

The system fell silent. After a long time, it sounded again.

"Host, you have changed."

Lin Feng chewed on the straw. "I haven't changed. I'm still squatting."

"System records show that you have not claimed any mission rewards for three hundred and sixty-two consecutive days. Accumulated unclaimed amount: 12.4 million USD."

Lin Feng didn't speak.

"System suggests again: Would you like to claim them?"

Lin Feng said: "Keep them."

"Keep them for what?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "For those who need them."

"System cannot determine who are the 'people who need them.'"

Lin Feng said: "You don't need to determine. I will determine."

The system fell silent again. The moon climbed from the tree branches to the treetop, and the shadow moved from the left to the right. Lin Feng stood up, patted his pants, and walked toward the restaurant. After two steps, the system sounded again.

"Host, do you still remember the system's ultimate goal?"

Lin Feng stopped. "I remember."

"What is it?"

Lin Feng said: "To make the world happy."

"Have you achieved it?"

Lin Feng looked at the big tree in the distance, at the light still shining at the entrance of the Coffee Shop, and at the silhouette of the cat squatting on the church steeple. He smiled. "I don't know. But they are smiling now."

The system didn't speak again. Lin Feng walked into the restaurant; Margaret was wiping a table. She didn't even look up. "Chatting with the system again?"

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment. "How did you know?"

Margaret put down the rag and looked at him. "Every time you chat with the system, you stand up and walk a few steps. You don't usually stand up."

Lin Feng thought about it; it seemed to be true. He sat down, and Margaret placed a plate of mushrooms in front of him. He picked one up, put it in his mouth, and chewed. "It asked me if I still remembered the ultimate goal."

Margaret sat down opposite him. "What did you say?"

Lin Feng swallowed. "I said, they are smiling now."

Margaret looked at him for a long time. "You did it."

Lin Feng shook his head. "It wasn't me. It was them. The walls, the doors, the trees, the pits, the cats, the letters, the fruits, the stones, the notes. It was all them. I was just squatting and watching."

Margaret smiled. "Squatting and watching is also doing something."

The next morning, Lin Feng was earlier than Old Zhou. He squatted at the church entrance, waiting for Old Zhou to arrive. Old Zhou rode his bicycle in from the alley, the chain jingling. He saw Lin Feng squatting on the steps and was stunned for a moment. "So early?" Lin Feng stood up, walked to him, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to him. On the paper were a few lines written in crooked handwriting: "Help me deliver a letter. To the system." Old Zhou took the paper and looked it over. "Who is the system? Where does it live?" Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I don't know. But it will receive it." Old Zhou folded the paper and put it in his pocket. "Alright. I'll deliver it for you." He got on his bike, the chain jingling, and rode off. Lin Feng squatted on the steps, watching his back disappear into the alley.

What was written in that letter? Lin Feng didn't tell anyone. When Margaret asked him, he said: "It's written for the system. It will know when it reads it." Margaret didn't ask again.

In the afternoon, Lin Feng went to the farm. George was cutting rainbow mushrooms; seeing him enter, he cut a slice and handed it to him. Lin Feng took it and put it in his mouth. As he chewed, he remembered the day he first saw George. George was squatting in front of the mushroom rack, holding a white mushroom in his hands, staring at it as if looking at a newborn child. He walked over and squatted beside him. George glanced at him and said: "Are you here to grow mushrooms too?" Lin Feng said: "No. I'm here to watch." George smiled. "Watching is fine too." He swallowed and opened his eyes. "Delicious." George cut another slice and handed it to him. "Eat another piece." Lin Feng took it, didn't eat it, and put it in his pocket.

He walked to that rainbow mushroom, squatted down, and looked at it. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, in circles, with brown in the very center. He reached out and touched the cap lightly; it was cool and soft. He remembered the first task the system gave him— "Within 24 hours, make at least 10 strangers smile sincerely because of your actions." He had done it. Now, this mushroom made many people smile sincerely. It wasn't him who did it; it was the mushroom. He smiled.

In the evening, Lin Feng went to the Coffee Shop. Molly was brewing coffee, Chen Xiaoyuan was wiping cups, and the cat was squatting on the counter, its tail tip swaying gently. Lin Feng walked to the counter and squatted down—not sitting on a bar stool, but squatting on the floor. The cat jumped down from the counter and squatted beside him. Molly placed a cup of Americano on the counter; he couldn't reach it, so he stood up to take it, then squatted back down to drink. Chen Xiaoyuan looked at him and smiled. "Aren't you tired from squatting while drinking?" Lin Feng said: "Not tired. I'm used to it." The cat poked his shoelace with its paw; the lace loosened, so he put down the cup and tied it. The cat poked the other one, and it loosened too, so he tied it again. When the cat poked it a third time, he tied his shoelaces into double knots so the cat couldn't move them anymore. The cat sat beside him, tilting its head to look at him. Lin Feng petted the cat's head. "You're even more annoying than the system." The cat narrowed its eyes, and a purring sound came from its throat.

Molly asked: "Does the system still talk lately?"

Lin Feng took a sip of coffee. "It did. It asked me if I still remembered the ultimate goal."

Molly wiped a cup. "What did you say?"

Lin Feng put down the cup. "I said, they are smiling now."

Molly stopped wiping the cup and looked at him. "Who is smiling?"

Lin Feng pointed at her, pointed at Chen Xiaoyuan, pointed at the cat, and pointed at the big tree outside the window. "You guys." Molly smiled. "And what about you? Are you smiling?" Lin Feng didn't answer, but the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. The cat saw it, poked his shoelace with its paw; the shoelace was tied in double knots and didn't loosen. It poked it again, but it still didn't loosen. It gave up, squatted beside him, its tail tip swaying gently.

At night, Lin Feng returned to the Old Locust Tree. Margaret brought a plate of mushrooms over and squatted beside him.

"Lin Feng, will the system receive the letter you wrote today?"

Lin Feng took the mushrooms and ate one. "It will."

Margaret looked at him. "How do you know?"

Lin Feng chewed the mushrooms. "Because it has been watching all along. It watched the walls, the doors, the trees, the pits, the letters, the fruits, the stones, the cats. It saw them all."

Margaret didn't speak; she placed the plate on the ground and squatted down too. The two of them squatted under the Old Locust Tree, looking at that big tree. The moon rose from behind the canopy, casting the tree's shadow onto the ground, long, like a road.

Lin Feng said: "I want to turn off the system."

Margaret was stunned for a moment. "Can you turn it off?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I don't know. But it has already stopped talking. It finished issuing the missions, gave out the rewards, and did everything it needed to do. If it doesn't speak, that means it's turned off."

Margaret looked at him. "Don't you miss it?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "No. When it was here, I always felt like someone was urging me. Now that it's gone, I just squat. Squatting is quite nice."

Margaret smiled. "Then what will you do in the future?"

Lin Feng looked at that tree, at the light at the entrance of the Coffee Shop, at the cat squatting on the church steeple. "The future? In the future, I'll just keep squatting." He paused. "Squatting until I can't squat anymore."

[Chapter 143: End]