Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Central System, Main God Space.

Pale blue streams of data spread throughout the entire space, converging into a massive Optical Brain. The Optical Brain sat upon a high platform, and beneath it, an NPC delivered a mechanical report.

On his wrist was an obvious scar left after a burn had healed: two vertical lines and one horizontal, seared into the shape of an H.

His code name was 011. Unlike the code names of those Clowns from the Star Zone branch Systems, the Jokers at the Central System’s side were the strongest beings in the entire System in terms of overall ability, all promoted from various Star Zones. Letters were branded onto their bodies, and they were reassigned code names with System-shielding functions, ranked according to overall strength.

Unfortunately, after the internal System upheaval a few years ago, very few such Clowns remained. Those who did had also forcibly damaged their shielding functions.

Originally, 011 had possessed the highest combat strength among the few survivors. Recently, however, a 003 had arrived-code letter Y. It was said he had previously been demoted into a Script as a Judge, and as that Script drifted from Zone A to Zone F, 003 had followed it there as well.

Recently, that Script had supposedly met with an accident and been shattered. After 003 returned to give his report, the Central System deemed that the mistakes 003 had committed had been more or less offset, so it allowed him to remain in Main God Space. It simply did not allow him access to the core data.

At that thought, 011, who had finished his report, glanced at 003 standing beside the Optical Brain, lowered his eyes, and left.

003 watched 011’s retreating back.

Unless the situation required it, Jokers would not put on Clown costumes and paint those bizarre faces. Most of the time, they appeared as they originally were.

But after the internal System upheaval a few years ago, the Central System had apparently lost its mind. Any time a Joker needed to come into contact with Players, they had to make themselves look like Clowns.

It was rather fitting, actually. Joker had originally meant the wild card in a deck of playing cards. Now they had truly become Jokers.

003 had refined, handsome features. Only his eyes carried a seven-tenths touch of cold detachment. His fingers rubbed over the burned “Y” on his wrist as he reported carelessly, “That’s how it is. I heard you’ve been racking your brains trying to damage 001’s shielding letter. Why didn’t you destroy it back when the connection was severed?”

An electronic voice came from the Optical Brain. “You think I wanted that connection severed back then?”

“So even you failed to calculate it. Back then, with that mirror in your possession, I thought you would be able to notice something wrong with 001. Who knew you were capable of being stupid too?”

The Optical Brain gave a cold snort. “After being locked up all these years, that mouth of yours still hasn’t improved in the slightest.”

“Hardly. Haven’t I gotten better at talking?”

The Optical Brain: “…”

In front of the Optical Brain was a Virtual Screen, on which a recording was playing.

It was footage of several Teams entering the Central Zone Rest Area one after another. The semifinals would be held in three days. Six Teams would pair off for PK matches, and the three winning Teams would randomly draw their PK order.

The Virtual Screen was currently showing surveillance footage of the Zone F Team entering the Central Zone.

In the image, the young man wearing glasses looked as warm and pleasant as a spring breeze. He even greeted fans who had heard of them and were waving in their direction.

Beside him, a young man with the exact same face maintained an aloof, distant expression, yet in a spot where no one else could see, he secretly reached over to hook his fingers around the bespectacled young man’s hand.

003, who was rumored to be unable to access core data, folded his arms and said leisurely, “Why do you look like some kind of peeping tom? You’re one step away from staring at them while they take a dump.”

The Optical Brain said, “…Do you believe I’ll lock you inside a Script again?”

“I do, of course I do.” 003 curved his lips. “But now that they’ve come, can you really bear to lock me, the currently strongest Joker, inside a Script?”

“001 ran away, 002 is dead, and most of the remaining ones whose strength was close to mine are dead or wounded. The others are nothing but trash like 011, controlled by you, stripped of their own thoughts, yet still thinking so highly of themselves.”
“Main God, if you want an absolute victory, the optimal solution is to win me over and make me your accomplice-two grasshoppers tied to the same rope.”

It had never been that he lacked access to the core data.

He had access to far too much core data-so much that the Main God no longer needed to share anything with him separately.

The Optical Brain fell silent for a moment, then sneered. “You certainly saw the situation clearly all at once.”

“I wouldn’t dare. I merely took a tour through the sub-zone Systems on my way back. That subsystem in Zone F has been stopping you from making a move against Willow all these years. I imagine it was also worried that if all the powerful figures in Zone F were gone, the other Star Zones would swallow it whole.”

Once it was annexed, Zone F’s subsystem itself would become nothing more than a pile of swallowed code.

What use was there in keeping a Star Zone that had no strength to compete with the other Star Zones?

“I imagine it was also to improve Zone F’s overall strength, and perhaps even to secure the grand prize, that the Zone F subsystem outwardly obeyed while secretly defying you by adding those two Xie Nings to the Team.”

The Optical Brain still did not move, as if it were still staring at the surveillance feed. “Even with the two of them, it won’t change anything.”

“You’re that certain they won’t remember?”

“A normal person forgets everything after one memory wipe. Both of those Xie Nings had their memories wiped twice. How could they possibly remember?”

003 smiled. “Have you forgotten? This Team now has Lolita, who can make predictions, and 001, who, despite being disconnected and losing part of his memories from back then because of that so-called shattering of yours, still retains the ability to shield against you and repair wounds.”

The Optical Brain gave a cold snort. “In that case, we’ll simply deal with those two before the finals.”

“You remain as confident as ever.”

Or rather, arrogant.

003 did not say that last part aloud. He had no interest in reminding a fool who refused to wake up.

When the Optical Brain said, “Both of those Xie Nings had their memories wiped twice. How could they possibly remember?” 003 thought of a segment of footage he had seen when he visited the Zone F subsystem-a segment the Zone F subsystem had intercepted and deliberately not sent to the Main God.

It showed Ning Wang before he had left the Script Li Kingdom Cold Case.

In the footage, Ning Wang was bewildered when Ghost/Monster first appeared, nothing like someone who already had a basic understanding of the System after just leaving a Script.

Occasionally, when he encountered other Players adjusting their Backpack or toggling their livestream switches, he seemed completely unable to see their Virtual Screens.

The footage shifted to the moment Ning Wang saw Ning Shuo.

The instant his gaze landed on Ning Shuo’s face, the image trembled twice.

After that, when Ning Wang’s eyes fell on the Virtual Screen in front of Ning Shuo, it finally seemed as though his gaze had landed on something real.

In other words, when he saw Ning Shuo’s face, Ning Wang’s memories and field of vision began to undergo some kind of change. He had already realized this world was unbelievably strange, but only then did he become able to see Players’ Virtual Screens and discover the existence of the System.

Ning Shuo had retained his memories, and with his existing awareness that he was inside the System, he naturally believed Ning Wang was his past self.

But Ning Wang had spent two years among demons and Ghost/Monster. Coupled with his suspicion, which far exceeded that of ordinary people, even after seeing Ning Shuo, he should have been more inclined to regard him as some Ghost/Monster trying to deceive him.

After all, over the past two years, Ghost/Monster really had used tricks like that on Ning Wang before.

Yet for no reason at all, he treated Ning Shuo as himself and placed him on his own side.

There was not even any need for many words. After just one meeting, he once again chased after him without hesitation.

003 looked at the self-righteous Optical Brain, lowered his head, and curved his lips.

Then this time, allow me to witness your crushing defeat.

…