The night was deep and quiet, with the full moon hanging high in the sky.

A gentle breeze brushed through the trees, like a mother's soft touch, carrying away every worry and sorrow.

The Williams estate had gone completely silent; even the security guard in the pavilion was dozing off on a bench.

The chirping of cicadas echoed through the night.

In the corner of the backyard garden, the hundred-year-old ginkgo tree stood like a big green umbrella, its fan-shaped leaves dancing lightly in the breeze.

Near the base of the sturdy trunk, by the wall, a faint red glow was flickering.

After five minutes, the glow vanished. Slowly, a pale little arm, soft and smooth like lotus root, stretched out from behind the tree. Soon after, a small head with long, fine blonde hair peeked out.

Dani's muddy hand reached up and touched her cheek, her big watery eyes full of confusion.

"Oh!"

Realizing she had taken on human form, she widened her eyes in amazement, waving her little hands and kicking her short legs around. She even gave her tummy a few pats before losing her balance and landing on her bottom with a thud. "Whoa!" Anne tilted her head up, her eyes sparkling like she'd just stumbled onto a hidden treasure. Her words spilled out with pure delight, "Tree brother, your leaves are so green and lush! They look amazing!"

The ancient ginkgo swayed its branches as if trying to convey something. Its weak spiritual energy couldn't form words, leaving it furiously rustling in frustration.

"You’re acting like you’re saying something, but I don't understand. Are you okay, tree brother?" Anne asked, puzzled, brushing away a flurry of leaves that had settled on her head, her innocent gaze fixed on the agitated branches.

Poor tree brother. He must be sick—it’s like he's trying to say something but can’t get it out.

The ginkgo tree gave up, swaying less dramatically now, resigned to silence in front of the curious little spirit.

"Tree brother, now that I'm in human form, can I go find the little girl who used to visit? It's been ages since she came here," Anne murmured, half to herself. As a tiny spirit formed from a lingzhi mushroom, she’d always stayed rooted to this spot, accompanied only by her staunch but often indifferent tree brother.

Honestly, he ignored her way too much ┌

_Д_┌

。

Everything had changed when a grand house was built nearby, and humans moved in to live here.Among humans, there was once a super adorable little girl who was always so kind to her. That little human girl often brought her water, built tiny houses for her, and even told her stories.

But then, one day, the little girl stopped coming altogether. Anne missed her—a lot.

“Tree brother? Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you miss her, too?”

The ginkgo tree rustled its branches, shaking off a few tender leaves that landed right on Anne’s head. That movement was its way of showing annoyance.

Anne knew he wouldn’t respond anymore. She glanced at the pitch-black surroundings, fear creeping up her spine as she curled into a corner. Hugging her knees close, she tilted her head down low.

Silence fell over the scene. Alone and scared, Anne couldn’t hold back her tears and began sobbing softly.

“*Ding!* Congratulations, host, for successfully activating the Villain System. I am 019, code name: Malice.”

“Rejoice! The bond is formed. 019 will help you become the most extraordinary villain of them all!”

“Please listen carefully to the following instructions and complete system-assigned tasks to earn rewards.”

The sudden, icy voice startled Anne, her sobs catching in her throat. She froze, wide-eyed and baffled, frantically scanning her surroundings.

The indifferent mechanical tone eventually stopped.Anne held her hands nervously, staring into the empty air. "Um, excuse me... Are you, um, one of those legendary immortals?" she asked softly.

"..." 019 remained silent.

That innocent, childlike tone immediately gave it a bad feeling. With a quick probe through its visual system, 019 froze, feeling like it had just been struck by lightning. Despair filled its circuits.

A hundred-year-old spirit like Anne was basically like a two-year-old toddler in the Spirit Realm, barely aware of anything!

Seriously? How? How was it supposed to train this into a grand villain?!

No, no, no.

Villainy must start at an early age—it’s a matter of principle! Absolutely makes sense!

Suddenly inspired, 019 let out a loud, exaggerated laugh, as if envisioning the glorious future where it would stand tall among systems, admired by all.

"Immortal uncle?" Anne blinked innocently, perplexedly peering into the air.

The laugh abruptly cut off. 019 cleared its throat and responded coldly, "Don't call me immortal uncle! I'm a demon, a demon! Do you understand? The type that eats little kids!"