3: The Unextinguished Flame, the Eternal and Unique System

A ten-square-meter single room in the shanty area was like a forgotten, warm cocoon in the Universe.

The roar of the giant factory outside the window was filtered by the thin walls, turning into a dull background noise that instead made the room feel exceptionally quiet.

Under the dim yellow light, Lin Wei had just finished washing up and was combing her hair in front of a blurry little mirror in the corner.

Chen Jun leaned against the head of the bed, his gaze falling softly upon her.

She seemed to feel his gaze; the tips of her ears quietly flushed crimson, and her movements slowed down.

"...Stop looking."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, carrying a hint of imperceptible shyness as she subconsciously turned her body to avoid that burning gaze.

"You're beautiful."

Chen Jun's voice was somewhat low and husky, carrying the exhaustion of a day's labor, yet it also contained a unique tenderness.

He got up and walked over, gently wrapping his arms around her slender waist from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, which emitted a faint, fresh scent of soapberry.

Lin Wei's body trembled slightly, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned back gently into his embrace, as if she had found the most reassuring harbor.

The temperature of her cheeks quietly rose, and her voice was soft and sweet:

"You've been tired all day, why aren't you resting early..."

"I'm resting now."

He responded in a low voice, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive earlobe.

That breath made her shrink back slightly as if from an electric shock, her neck flushing pink. She subconsciously nudged him with her elbow, her voice thin as a thread, almost carrying a hint of pleading:

"The... the light isn't off yet..."

Chen Jun let out a low chuckle and reached out to press the switch as requested.

Darkness instantly enveloped the cramped space, but other senses became exceptionally sharp because of it.

Their breathing was clearly audible, gradually intertwining and becoming somewhat hurried.

In the darkness, one could feel the other's body temperature rising, the thumping of heartbeats transmitting through thin clothing... (Content omitted for compliance)... In that moment of union between soul and body, as consciousness seemed to achieve Ascension to the clouds and was about to reach the Peak!

[Warning! High concentration of Life Essence convergence detected! Core protocol activation conditions met!]

[Linking to High-Dimensional Laws... Link successful!]

[Kindling Never Dies, Eternal Unique System — Startup complete!]

[Beginning to load Host Adaptation Interface...]

A series of cold, precise, and emotionless prompts, like the Laws of the Universe itself, were not delivered through sound but directly transformed into an absolutely clear stream of information, boldly flooding into Chen Jun's boiling sea of consciousness!

The contrast between that extreme warmth and pleasure and this absolutely cold infusion of information was incredibly bizarre and intense, making him feel as if he had been struck by lightning, his thoughts nearly coming to a halt!

[System Interface]

[Rank]: Level 1

[Host]: Chen Jun

[Race]: Human

[Age]: 21 years old

[Aptitude]: Mortal Body (Universe Energy Affinity: F-Rank)

[Remaining Lifespan]: 61.1 years (Estimated Total Lifespan: 82.1 years)

[Core Functions]:

1. [One Shot, One Soul]: Reproducing with the opposite sex will definitely result in conception and will definitely trigger the Absolute Guarantee.

2. [Absolute Pity]: Must consume 10 years of lifespan to ensure the offspring's Aptitude is consistently raised by 1 major Rank above the spouse's Aptitude. For every additional 10 times the lifespan consumed, the Aptitude can be raised by an extra major Realm. Function trigger requires confirmation during Life Essence convergence.

[Current Mandatory Operation]: Activate [Absolute Pity] on Mortal Body spouse Lin Wei.

1. Consume 10 years of lifespan; offspring Aptitude raised to Martial Body (Tier 1) [Confirm / Cancel]

2. Consume 100 years of lifespan; offspring Aptitude raised to Astral Body (Tier 2) [Confirm / Cancel]

3. Consume 1000 years of lifespan; offspring Aptitude raised to Moon Body (Tier 3) [Confirm / Cancel]

...In this moment when both consciousness and body were at their most intense and defenseless state, these cold transaction terms were like ice spears of absolute zero, piercing through all his senses!

"Ugh..."

An unconscious, suppressed groan escaped his throat, the sudden stiffness of his body completely out of place with the reaction he should have had.

"...Brother Jun?"

Lin Wei, beneath him, seemed to feel his sudden abnormality. Awakening slightly from her blurred passion, her faint call, filled with a hint of confusion and concern, came through the darkness:

"What's wrong...?"

Her voice was delicate and weak, still carrying the lingering heat of passion, like a kitten's claws gently scratching at Chen Jun's heart.

This call instantly pulled Chen Jun from the cold System interface back into the warmth of reality.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the stormy waves in his heart, and used all his willpower to steady his voice, making it even lower and gentler:

"It's nothing... Weiwei..."

He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss onto her lips, blocking her remaining questions and masking the intense fluctuations in his eyes.

This kiss seemed to soothe her.

Lin Wei didn't ask further, only responding submissively, her arms softly wrapping around his neck as she indulged once more, though her body seemed even more sensitive and soft than before.

Just as she was lost in passion again and about to reach the Peak.

After checking his lifespan, Chen Jun's consciousness locked onto that cold first [Confirm] option, preventing himself from accidentally picking the second one and dying instantly, as he roared silently in his heart:

"Confirm! Execute immediately! This is killing me!"

[Command Received]

[Rules in effect! Guiding Life Essence... Genetic sequence optimization complete!]

[Operation finished! Offspring expected to be born in 275 days and 7 hours.]

[Offspring Aptitude fixed: Martial Body (Tier 1)]

An indescribable sense of weakness quietly swept over him. It wasn't pain, but a feeling of emptiness as if the weight of life had been suddenly drained away, forming a ridiculous and intense contrast with the ultimate pleasure his body finally released.

"...Ah..."

Lin Wei also seemed to have finally reached the end, letting out an extremely long and satisfied sigh. Her body went completely limp, pressing against him as if melted. Tiny teardrops clung to her eyelashes, and her eyes were completely out of focus, leaving only total dependence and trust.

"...Hold me..."

She murmured unconsciously, her voice blurred as if she had exhausted all her strength.

Chen Jun held her tightly, feeling the warm, soft body in his arms and the new life quietly gestating, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

The excitement of the System Awakening, hope, and a deep pity for the person in his arms intertwined.

He gently stroked her back and soothed her in a low voice:

"Go to sleep, Weiwei, I'm here."

"Mhm..."

Lin Wei gave a vague response and almost instantly sank into an extremely relaxed sleep, a sweet, cloudless curve still lingering at the corner of her mouth, as if everything they had just experienced was but a beautiful dream.

Chen Jun, however, could not fall asleep for a long time.

He called for the System all night, but unfortunately, the System gave no response at all, other than deducting ten years of life... He gazed at Lin Wei's peaceful sleeping face, his palm gently covering her still flat and smooth lower abdomen...