Suffering from Persecutory Delusions

Qiu Qi automatically disregarded the weapons and medicines, his gaze falling upon the images of food that he could almost smell, and swallowed: strawberries, grapes, apple pie, chocolate, braised beef, noodles, dumplings, fried cheese, pancakes, fried dough sticks, hotpot, fragrant grilled skewers...

"Although our company's method of selecting hosts is a bit unethical, the process is not important. The outcome for the host is absolutely beneficial."

"For example, you, our current host, only need to help your nominal grandmother extort some money from the female lead. For you, this is merely playing the villain incidentally, and you can earn 10 reward points, which can be used to buy a roasted chicken, or a roasted duck, roasted goose, grilled ribs... from the store."

The System recited three dishes, doing its utmost to attack his weakness. For someone who had lived in the apocalypse for nearly ten years without normal food, sustenance was the greatest temptation.

Qiu Qi pursed his lips, a rumbling sound of hunger emanating from the depths of his soul.

To use food to tempt him into selling his life was truly outrageous.

Qiu Qi decisively closed his eyes, feigning ignorance:

"No, I want my ability. Without an ability, I have no sense of security. I suffer from persecutory delusions, and if you can't even meet such a simple request, then I have reasonable grounds to suspect you have other motives for me."

System: "...In fact, Host, your attitude tells me that *you* are the one making this request because you have a secret you can't tell anyone."

Qiu Qi put on a suicidal facade: "Then just erase me. I'm tired of living anyway."

As a prime example of a 'salted fish' (someone content with doing nothing), he wasn't afraid of being salted even more. Moreover, he was certain the System wouldn't easily kill him, because among the tens of thousands of people in the apocalypse, the System had chosen him alone, which naturally proved that he was unique and extremely important to the System. He had leverage to negotiate.

As expected, the System fell silent, hesitated, and then became tangled in a dilemma.

Its programming did not include rules for handling such unexpected situations. The System's design engineers had not anticipated that someone with a strong will could be so utterly 'salted fish'.

Shouldn't people with stronger minds be more ambitious and eager to progress? What should it do when faced with someone so unyielding and determined to just lie down and wait for death? How could it motivate such a host?

After a long silence, and comparing it to the loss of losing a host, the System chose to compromise. For a programmed machine, the operating principle was always based on maximizing benefits.

"According to the System's unexpected situation handling rules, the Host can request an arrangement. The System is currently undergoing repairs... Replicating and transmitting items the Host can carry... Ding, transmission complete."