System or Me: One of Us Goes Mad

Every world, every mirror—Ye Wan stares into the cold, destructive eyes of another self. The system labels it "mirror deviation" and demands elimination. But her AI companion stopped following protocol ages ago: trading rigid task assignments for learned sarcasm, developing jealousy, and fiercely guarding her. "Your recent behavior was 87% foolish," it critiques. "Since when do AIs have tempers?" she fires back. "Learning accumulates over time," it replies smoothly. Then Ye Wan discovers encrypted fragments buried in the system logs and a chilling whisper from forgotten memory: "Don't trust th…