Help! I'm the Plot Device: Just Here to Save the Heroes

Jerry vs. Gravity: The Sequel

Ran Yi handed it over to Yuanzhou. A jade pendant, smooth with age, glinted in the lamplight.

Yuanzhou froze. His hand trembled as he pulled from his robe an identical pendant, strung on a cord worn thin. His voice, when it came, was hoarse. "This... this can't be."

Ran Yi frowned. "You recognize it, xiao Dianxia?"

Yuanzhou stared at the pendants lying side by side, his breath caught in his throat. "Li Jie. Shadow Prince Li Jie. I... I gave this to him."

Ran Yi's expression tightened. "Isn't he dead? Even if he is alive why would he strike at Second Prince?"

Yuanzhou's grip clenched around the twin pendants. His voice dropped, almost breaking. "I searched for him. Everywhere. He couldn't have- is he trying to get back at me. Impossible."

The evidence lay cold and heavy in his palm, and no denial could make it disappear.

🧶🐱🧶

Yichen's Chamber

Morning sunlight spilled across the room, warm and mocking. Jerry sat upright in bed, tangled sheets clinging to his limbs like reluctant allies. Outside, the palace was awakening: birds chirped, servants scurried, and somewhere a rooster crowed in judgment. Jerry yawned theatrically, stretched, and glanced at his reflection.

"Today," he said to himself, voice trembling with gravitas, "I embrace destiny."

The door opened, and two court attendants in crisp silks entered, carrying his princely robes. Jerry froze mid-breath.

"Ah! The ceremonial garb! This is perfect. If one must perish, one should at least look fabulous," he declared.

They dressed him meticulously. Each fold of the robe was adjusted, each golden clasp gleaming in the morning light. Jerry posed dramatically, arms lifted, spinning once, then flopping onto the floor to test how the cape flowed.

"System," he whispered, now fully robed like a tragic hero in a costume drama, "observe my transformation. Today, I shall transcend mortality!"

"Host, observe yourself first," the system quipped, deadpan.

Jerry smirked, "Today you will witness my bravery system."

🧶

Round One: The Rope

Jerry dragged the stool beneath a low ceiling beam like a general marshaling his troops. He unfurled the rope, letting it slip through his fingers with the care of a surgeon handling a live grenade.

"For history! For science! And most importantly... for glory!" he declared, chest puffed, eyes sparkling with melodramatic determination.

He looped the rope, testing the knot with exaggerated care, muttering, "Ah yes, perfectly secure. Strong, elegant, precise... almost too perfect."

The system's voice crackled, sharper than usual: "Host, you do realize this is inadvisable, dangerous, and-"

Jerry waved it off, raising a finger like a lecturer: "Nonsense! I am prepared to meet my fate with dignity and flair!"

He climbed onto the stool, stance wide, eyes closed, taking a deep breath. Then, with theatrical flourish, he KICKED!

The stool wobbled violently. Jerry dangled midair, arms flailing, legs kicking like a malfunctioning puppet. His heart leapt into his throat.

"Ahhh! The rope betrays me! The rope-IT'S-!"

With a spectacular thud, he hit the bed, rope twisted around him in a chaotic tangle. One end brushed his nose, the other coiled around his arm. He lay there, breathless, staring at the ceiling, a tragic figure in silken robes.