Initiate World Destruction

The System’s frantic warnings kept ringing in my ears like funeral bells, but even more terrifying than the mechanical warnings was Dean Parker’s cold response.

“No! I’m not leaving right now! Claire’s terrified from what happened earlier. She’s been crying nonstop, and the stress is causing signs of miscarriage. She needs me now more than ever!”

System: [But the Female Protagonist clearly needs you more! She’s suffered so much, and she’s six months pregnant. You deliberately redirected enemies who were supposed to target the Supporting Character, leading them to kidnap her instead. Have you even thought about what they might do to her–]

Before the System could finish, Dean cut it off impatiently. “Of course I know! That’s exactly why I can’t let Claire go through this! Besides, things have gotten this far. Sophia has endured all suffering. Once the baby they cut out of her is completely dead, the disaster that was supposed to fall on Claire will finally be over. I can save Sophia afterward. Sophia’s taken so many disasters for Claire before, and nothing ever happened to her. Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”

[This time is different! The disasters you transferred in the past were never fatal. But according to the original storyline, Claire was supposed to die today! You’re making Sophia die in her place!]

“Enough!”

Dean’s voice suddenly turned icy, as if the System had touched a nerve.

“You don’t need to scare me with this nonsense. Sophia is the Female Protagonist. Fate itself protects her. There’s no way she’ll die that easily. I know I’ve done her wrong this time, but I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to her. Once Claire gives birth to my child, I’ll keep my distance from her and return to my family. Then, I’ll live the rest of my life with Sophia and make it up to her.”

[Host, do you need me to remind you? That’s exactly what you said last time and the time before that.]

The System sounded bitter with resentment, but I couldn’t even cry anymore. In the freezing cold of December, I lay naked on the ground. My right eye was nothing but a bloody hole. My arms and legs had been severed, and there wasn’t a single patch of uninjured skin left on my body.

The kidnappers dressed themselves after violating me, then spat on me in disgust.

“You people from the Bennett family have done nothing but evil. This is karma. Don’t blame anyone when you get to hell.”

Even now, they believed the woman they had tortured was Claire Bennett. Blood and tears covered my face. My cracked lips trembled weakly like a dying fish gasping for water, but not a single sound came out.

Before I was taken away, Dean had tricked me into drinking a medicine for the baby, but it was actually something that stole my voice. He wanted to make sure that after I was kidnapped, I would never be able to explain that I wasn’t Claire Bennett. That way, I could take every bit of suffering meant for her without any risk of failure.

The cold blade dragged across my body again and again, but there was barely any intact flesh left to cut.

“She’s tough. She’s still not dead yet.”

“She won’t last much longer. She’s almost out of blood. Let’s get out of here.”

While rustling footsteps sounded around me, a weak and tiny cry suddenly broke through the silence. Like the cry of a newborn kitten, the sound clawed at my heart, forcing my fading consciousness awake.

It was my baby, and they had cut him out, but he was still alive. Before I could savor that moment of joy for a second, the next instant brought the squelching sound of the blade cutting through flesh, and a spurt of warm blood splattered onto my freezing body. Then, the crying stopped abruptly.