A black script fell from the sky. In the center glowed a line of crimson text:
> [Fate Script · No. 001]
Title: The Girl Who Took the Fall for Her Father
Subject ID: #X-13
Original Fate: "Inherits her father's crime, sentenced to life imprisonment."
Intervention Access Level: Grade C
Editing Objective: Rewrite her fate to grant her a just path to "freedom."
The moment Shen Yan took the script, the space around him violently trembled.
The world within the script tore open like a forced rupture in reality—swallowing both him and Lin Lan whole.
When he blinked again, he found himself standing in the somber setting of a prison courtroom.
The judge struck the gavel. A cold, emotionless voice pronounced the verdict:
"Subject X-13, sentenced to life imprisonment. Transfer to high-security isolation immediately."
In the defendant's seat sat a girl—no more than fourteen. Her face still bore traces of childishness, yet she sat as silent and motionless as a stone sculpture.
Lin Lan whispered beside him, "This is a memory simulation generated by the Bureau. We can intervene, or simply observe—but every action we take will leave a mark."
Shen Yan's eyes darkened. "Why would she take the blame for her father?"
A system prompt popped up instantly:
> [X-13 Background Summary]
Her father was involved in organized crime and charged with murder. To preserve his reputation and protect his younger son, he orchestrated a plan for his eldest daughter to take the fall.
The girl willingly confessed and insisted she was the killer.
Current Fate Status: Public opinion has solidified. The system has classified her as a "sacrificial victim."
In that moment, Shen Yan noticed a detail.
Within the cold courtroom, everyone wore a dead expression—except one.
Standing behind the judge was an auxiliary fate observer. On his face, barely perceptible, was a faint smile.
—Yi Nan.
"He's here too?" Shen Yan murmured.
Lin Lan's brow tensed. "He's one of the core Fate Designers. He can modify the script's ending at any time—or inject a new 'unalterable' fate."
"In other words, we're not the only editors of this script."
"Exactly."
Just then, the script world quaked again. Overhead, a new line of vivid red text appeared:
> [Fate Script Revision]
"If editors fail to propose a valid solution for justified release within 48 hours, the system will forcibly lock the subject's fate as 'life imprisonment'—permanently."
The countdown began.
47:59:59…
Shen Yan looked up at the girl.
She kept her head down. There was no resistance in her posture—not from fear, but a kind of numb submission.
In that moment, he understood something.
"She doesn't even believe she has a choice."
And his reason for entering this instance...
Was to tell her:
—Fate should never be something written by someone else.