[The place where you fought isn't far from the exit of The Chasm.]
[But for you right now, that distance has become impossibly far.]
[Blood continues to pour from your wounds, and the agony tearing through your abdomen only grows worse.]
[Under the combined toll of pain and massive blood loss, your consciousness begins to blur.]
["Chenxi…"]
[You're still worried about the surveillance device on Chenxi, but your eyelids finally refuse to open again.]
---
"System, is this life simulation over?"
[The host of the life simulation has only lost consciousness. Vital signs are still present. The simulation is ongoing.]
[However, judging by the current condition, it won't last much longer.]
Kael lets out a quiet sigh.
"Switch to Sensory Mode."
"Chenxi is carrying a ticking time bomb. She could be exposed to the Fatui at any moment."
"Even if I die, I have to deal with this first. Otherwise, it'll cause endless trouble later."
[Received. Switching to Sensory Mode.]
"Ugh…"
The moment Kael enters Sensory Mode, a muffled groan escapes his throat.
When he was in Text Mode, it only said, "a sharp pain erupts from the abdomen."
But now that he's experiencing it himself, he finally understands how unbearable it really is.
It feels like his body has been cut in half at the waist.
[Detected that the host's pain value has reached the critical threshold. Automatically deducting five Attribute Points to reduce pain.]
Once the System deducts the Attribute Points, the suffocating agony instantly weakens.
It still hurts, but now it's more like taking a few hard punches.
At least it's within a tolerable range.
Kael plans to imitate his life simulation self and slowly crawl back toward the exit of The Chasm.
But after barely crawling a few meters, dizziness washes over him. His breathing turns labored.
The sense of collapse is overwhelming.
[The host's vital signs have dropped to the lowest level. Organ functions are rapidly failing.]
[Estimated time remaining until complete loss of vital signs: three minutes.]
Three minutes?!
In his current state, three minutes is nowhere near enough.
No matter how he looks at it, it would take at least thirty minutes to crawl back to Yelan.
No wonder his life simulation self closed his eyes.
This is already a near-death state.
Then what was the point of switching to Sensory Mode?
"…"
Kael is so weak now that he doesn't even have the strength left to curse the System.
With only three minutes to live, time is precious. He needs to focus on what matters.
Kael activates his Elemental Skill, condensing a small dagger made of solid ice in his hand.
Using every ounce of strength he has left, he begins carving words into the ground beside him.
"Chenxi… has a Fatui… device…"
"Yelan, after returning to Liyue… remember to find Hu Tao…"
Just two short lines.
Even so, writing them is agonizingly difficult.
His hand trembles nonstop, and every stroke drains him completely.
At last, just before the three minutes run out, he finishes carving everything he needs to say.
Kael exhales in relief, and then a drifting sensation washes over him.
It feels as if his body is sinking into deep water, his awareness fading away.
He's felt this sensation before.
He knows what it means.
Kael slowly closes his eyes, waiting to leave this life simulation.
[The host has died. Automatically triggering the Talent "Possession".]
The moment the System speaks, Kael's consciousness is yanked back.
He snaps his eyes open and finds himself floating in midair.
Looking down, he sees his own corpse below, soaked in blood.
This life simulation has dragged on for far too long, and too much has happened.
Kael almost forgot that he still has a Gold-tier Talent he never used.
It seems this life simulation isn't truly over yet.
"How does this Possession Talent work? What state am I in right now?"
[The host is currently in a spirit form. If the Possession Talent is not used, the spirit will fully dissipate in ten minutes.]
[Possession allows the host's spirit to remain in this world for a longer period of time.]
[After death, the Possession Talent grants the host five opportunities to possess another person's soul.]
[Currently available possession targets are: Yelan, Hu Tao, Katarina, Chenxi.]
"Hm?"
Kael immediately catches on.
The candidates aren't random.
"These should be the people with the highest Affection toward me in Teyvat, right?"
"So this Talent only lets me possess people who have feelings for me?"
[Yes.]