“I am the central intelligence core of the Super Medical Soldier Assistance System. You can call me… hmm… Little Knife. That’s what Tao Jun liked to call me!” The intelligent system imitated Xu Ze’s mannerisms, raising its left eyebrow in a comical and exaggerated way.
“Little Knife?” Xu Ze looked at the towering, dark-skinned figure standing at nearly two meters tall and couldn’t help but break into a sweat. How could something so massive be called “little”?
“Does it sound strange? Hmm… I think so too! Tao Jun never had any taste. He was always buried in his studies and training. He named me after the shape of the weapon I first transformed into, and I’ve been stuck with it ever since. It’s quite frustrating,” the system said, raising its eyebrow again in a peculiar manner and smiling at Xu Ze. “But I’ve gotten used to it. Of course, you’re the new host now. If you think it’s not suitable, I can change the name!”
Seeing Xu Ze’s odd expression every time it raised its eyebrow, the system sighed in defeat. “What, you don’t like me raising my eyebrow like this? I was imitating you! You seem to do it a lot, so I thought you’d like it!”
“Uh… you were imitating me?” Xu Ze covered his face with his hand and sighed, finally calming down. It seemed like this system was trying to please him. He chuckled wryly and said, “But don’t you think the effect is different when a 1.7-meter-tall handsome guy like me does it compared to a 2-meter-tall dark-skinned giant like you?”
“Handsome guy? Are you a handsome guy? Tao Jun always thought being dark, muscular, and cool was what made someone handsome. I think you look more like a pretty boy. But Tao Jun always said he hated pretty boys, so it must not be a good thing, right?” The system stroked its chin thoughtfully, eyeing Xu Ze with a hint of suspicion.
Xu Ze felt a shiver run down his spine as the system scrutinized him. Finally, the system seemed to have an epiphany. “Ah, I see now! You are indeed paler than Tao Jun, and you do look more pleasing to the eye. Plus, you seem to attract girls more easily than he did. I forgot, his taste was always terrible. He must have been jealous!”
With that, the system shook its head and concluded, “Even though ‘pretty boy’ might not be a compliment, I think being able to charm girls is what really matters. Men and women have different standards of beauty, after all.”
“I am not a pretty boy!” Xu Ze gritted his teeth, glaring at the system. “Look closely, my skin is a healthy wheat color, not pale!”
“Hmm…” The system blinked, a mischievous smile forming on its face. After staring at Xu Ze for a while, it suddenly waved its hand, and a round mirror appeared in front of Xu Ze. “I just performed a primary genetic optimization on you, so your skin isn’t wheat-colored anymore. I think this new tone suits you quite well. Very… pretty boy.”
“Pretty boy?” Xu Ze stared at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes widening in shock. His jaw dropped as he took in his now pale, almost porcelain-like complexion.
“Why is it so pale? How did it get so pale?” Xu Ze lamented, feeling like crying. He had worked so hard over the past few months, biking through wind, rain, and sun to achieve that healthy tan. And now it was all gone!