Absolute darkness and silence.
This was the last sensation Ling Zhao registered before his consciousness plummeted. It wasn't emptiness, but the complete void left after some existence had been thoroughly crushed and stripped away. He had once been the Empire's bulwark, the "Warlord" revered by a thousand stars. Now, he was mere residue, like the dust remaining after a starship explosion, drifting beyond the boundaries of cognition.
Then, a voice abruptly pierced this deadly stillness.
[Detecting a robust mental entity with 99.9% compatibility... Status: Severely damaged... Meets binding requirements... Binding in progress... 10%... 50%... 100%. Binding successful. Welcome to the 'Villain Redemption System,' Host Ling Zhao.]
The voice was cold, devoid of any life-like fluctuation, like a pre-set program.
A light, gentle yet undeniable, banished the darkness. Ling Zhao "opened" his eyes, finding himself in a boundless, pure white space—void both above and below. Floating before him was a fluffy, fist-sized white orb of light, emitting a faint glow.
"Explain."
Ling Zhao's voice echoed in the space, steady and calm, showing no hint of the turmoil he had just experienced. He even spared a fraction of his mind to evaluate the space—structurally weak, with primitive energy flow; in his prime, a single thought would have been enough to collapse it.
[Waaah! Host, you are so cold!] The light orb anthropomorphized, quivering slightly, emitting a hint of electronic grievance. [I saved your life, you know! Your original body and mental core were on the brink of collapse due to that explosion. The System captured your scattered mental energy and dragged you back, okay!]
"System?" Ling Zhao caught the word, his gaze settling on the light orb with an air of scrutiny. "Your purpose."
[Simply put,] the light orb, or System, circled Ling Zhao cheerily, [you need to traverse different subsidiary minor worlds and complete the core missions released by the System—saving the villains whose destinies are tragically predetermined. For every mission completed, you gain 'Redemption Points,' which can be used to slowly repair your shattered mental body!]
"Villains?" Ling Zhao's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. In his understanding, a "villain" was a destroyer of order, a threat to Imperial interests, usually categorized as an "obstacle to be eliminated." Salvation?
[Yes! Our slogan is: Melt with love, redeem with heart, and guide every lost soul back to the right path!] The System proclaimed in a reciting tone.
Ling Zhao was silent for a moment. Melt with love? He recalled his last command, annihilating a rebel star system's core fortress with the main cannon. Redemption was not his specialty. Elimination was.
"What if the mission fails?" he asked, his tone as flat as if inquiring about the weather.
[Uh...] The System's halo seemed to dim for a second. [If the mission fails, Redemption Points will be negative, and the Host's mental body will completely dissipate without repair. So, please treat every mission with the utmost seriousness!]
Without waiting for Ling Zhao to ask again, the System quickly sped up its speech: [Energy stable, preparing for the first world transfer! Target World: Code T-734, Modern Civilization, Information Age. Mission Goal: Prevent the world's villain, 'Gu Ying,' from detonating a bomb at the 'Golden Melody Awards' ceremony in 72 hours, resulting in a mutual demise with his rival, 'Lin Zhe,' who plagiarized his work and caused his ruin.]
Modern civilization? Information Age? A bomb? The corner of Ling Zhao's mouth curved into an extremely faint, almost cold arc. Compared to the weapons on the Imperial front line that could tear dimensions and annihilate stars, this low-level chemically driven explosive sounded like a child's toy.
[Mission Difficulty Assessment: C-Level (Simple). Host's Initial Identity: 'Ling Zhao,' a washed-up film star, invited to serve as a performance guest and presenter at the Golden Melody Awards. He is also a mentor on a popular music talent show, The Battle of the Heavenly Voice, which establishes a possible connection with the target. Transfer commencing—]
Pure white light instantly drowned Ling Zhao's senses. A slight tearing sensation came, but for him, who had experienced space jumps, this level of discomfort was negligible.
The light receded, and a rush of noise, mixed smells, and a sense of heavy constraint instantly flooded his senses.
He was sitting in a comfortable leather armchair, located in a brightly lit, bustling venue backstage area. A massive mirror reflected an unfamiliar face. Black hair, pale complexion, handsome features, but with an inescapable sense o