Chapter 80

Chapter 80

The Optical Brain still sounded irritable as ever. “Who knows what they did!”

Ever since the upheaval within the System two years ago, the Optical Brain-which had once based everything purely on data-had seemed as if some internal data cable had been wired wrong. More and more, there were human emotions in the way it handled things.

Back then, 001 had defected. Of the two Xie Nings, one had been sent into a Script, where they had tried to force the idea that “he was an NPC” into his head, while the other had been sent out of the System. Rao Lin’s fate had been unknown, and everyone else was either dead or wounded. Even the Main God itself had no idea who else could have caused the malfunction that made it emotional.

As for 003, before the battle had even fully wrapped up, he had been thrown into solitary confinement for pleading on 002’s behalf. After finally being released, he was met with the devastated remains of the System.

After a long while, the flow of data seemed to be forcibly suppressed and returned to normal. The Optical Brain’s voice sounded stiff. “It’s fine. In the Star Zone Arena, not a single one of them will make it back alive.”

003 lowered his eyes and was just about to leave when the Optical Brain’s sinister voice rang out behind him. “003, do you miss your old friends too?”

003 curled his lips. “How could I? You know anyone who has any connection with me never ends up well, let alone someone I call a friend.”

The Optical Brain gave a cold snort, clearly still holding a grudge over his smart mouth. “Since you have so much free time, go be the Judge in that Script.”

“Sure.”

He left. As he smeared the rotten-smelling paint across his face, his expression remained completely indifferent.

But only he knew that he was in an absolutely wonderful mood.

The Main God’s stupid face when it lost control of its emotions-no matter when he saw it, it always filled him with indescribable joy.

Who else could have tampered with the System itself?

003 put on the wig, lowered his head, and smiled eerily.

After a war, someone had to clean up the battlefield.

Even if the System at the time could no longer be completely destroyed, a few little tricks were, of course, something the System would never notice.

003 knew that after pleading for 002, even if he wasn’t locked up in solitary later, he would still be sent to some Script and imprisoned there for a year or two. Since that was the case, while he had the chance to clean up after the battle, he might as well plant a time bomb in the System.

That group of people from back then would return sooner or later. Consider this a small gift from him to them.

An emotional System was much easier to deal with than a calm data analyzer.

Even though he had already all but confessed to being responsible for its “emotional disorder,” the System was now stupid enough not to realize that he was the culprit.

003 walked into the Script Login Tunnel with light, jaunty steps.

Time to go play with 001.

—

In the middle of the night, Ning Wang woke with a start.

His sleep quality had always been good. Even inside a Script, he would sleep straight through until he woke naturally.

Ning Wang looked at the person beside him.

Ning Shuo’s breathing was long and even. Though his brows were furrowed, he was sleeping soundly enough.

But Ning Wang still felt something was off. He really had heard a rustling sound just now.

It was like fingernails scraping across wood, the kind of prickling, skin-crawling sensation that instantly raised goosebumps.

He lay quietly on the bed for a while. Sure enough, he heard that rustling again.

It was coming from beneath the bed boards under where he slept.

Realizing this, Ning Wang shifted aside as if still dreaming, and the sound disappeared again.

After a long while, as though confirming that Ning Wang had fallen asleep, the sound of fingernails scraping started up once more. It continued until a hole was pierced through the bed board, and even the mattress above it was punctured along with it.

Because he was so close, Ning Wang clearly saw a long fingernail poke out from that hole and prod around to the side.

That nail was hard and sharp-obvious enough from the fact that it had managed to punch a hole through the bed board.

This thing could pass for an electric drill, couldn’t it? Ning Wang thought.
Horror movies had never lied to him. A ghost’s fingernails really could kill.

Maybe because it hadn’t managed to stab anyone, the nail retracted after a short while.

But Ning Wang didn’t let his guard down.

His breathing stayed calm and even, as if he had already fallen asleep.

Only after a long time did the sound of fabric scraping come from beneath the bed.

The thing under the bed was finally gone.

Ning Wang let out a quiet breath of relief, took Ning Shuo’s hand, and went back to sleep. Half awake and half dreaming, he heard the door open.

He looked outside. Dawn had broken.

Ning Shuo woke up when the door opened too. Rao Lin had returned. “Only the three of us and Lolita logged in at the Sun Family… Honestly, Lolita’s room is in really terrible shape. Even the bed I made for her was damp as hell…”

Ning Wang recounted what had happened the night before. Ning Shuo’s hand paused mid-wash, and Rao Lin frowned. “Ghost Bride?”

“Most likely here for you, the groom.”

Rao Lin frowned and told them about the noises he’d heard last night while making do on the couch in Luo Li’s room. “There was a woman crying outside yesterday. I didn’t go out to look.”

That was perfectly normal. Who knew whether the thing outside the door would be human or ghost?

Rao Lin continued, “But that crying didn’t sound like the one from when Half-Immortal and I were acting last night. The crying during the performance sounded more hollow, and there was wind mixed in. Just listening to it felt creepy.”

“The crying outside Lolita’s room sounded much more solid, like it was real. Not sure if it was an NPC related to the plot.”

After Ning Shuo finished washing up, he put on his glasses. “If we’re not sure, we’ll know once we go take a look.”

“On the second day after a wedding, the bride is supposed to serve tea to her parents-in-law, right?”

Ning Shuo looked at Ning Wang and smiled faintly. “Let’s go together, little brother-in-law.”

—

The System update caused by the Hospital Script’s threshold overload had not only forbidden Players from destroying Scripts, but had also installed another Patch: no Player was allowed to use mysterious techniques such as Disguise. It might as well have named Ning Shuo and Ning Wang directly.

But a Patch like that actually conflicted with the character settings in certain Scripts, which later caused the System to glitch again. In the end, the System had no choice but to compromise: makeup was allowed.

With that, the Disguise Patch was basically as good as never having existed. Makeup had plenty of room for maneuver too.

Aside from the Disguise Patch, Ning Shuo and the others also discovered a hidden Patch the System had quietly fixed: when he and Ning Wang were present at the same time, NPCs could now tell them apart directly.

Even if their hairstyles were the same and their expressions were similar, the System had done something to the NPCs. Faced with those two identical faces, the NPCs could still recognize exactly who was who.

Because of that, when the two of them were training in Zone F, they had nearly overplayed their hand and died inside a Script.

So after waking up and recovering, they turned around and gifted the System two Scripts that needed to be pulverized-because the logic of those two Scripts had been completely wrecked by the two Big Shots, the System couldn’t even find a way to Patch them.

But leaving all that aside, Ning Shuo stared at the dress in front of him and fell silent.

He had almost forgotten that he was currently a man dressed as a bride.

Rao Lin muttered that the room was stuffy as he headed outside, while Ning Wang watched the show from the side. “Come on, ge, hurry up and change. I won’t laugh at you.”

Ning Shuo said woodenly, “You’re lying. If you wore women’s clothes, I would definitely laugh at you.”

Still, it was just a dress. It wasn’t a big deal. Ning Shuo changed, looked at the Adam’s apple reflected in the bronze mirror, and reached for a strip of silk to hide it.

After thinking for a moment, he was just about to pinch a few marks into the parts of his neck that might show and pass them off as hickeys when Ning Wang lifted the silk ribbon aside and lightly pressed his lips to the side of Ning Shuo’s neck. “I’ll help you.”