Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

The runes on the sacrificial altar slowly lit up, their dark red light pulsating like a heartbeat.

Zhong Yuan stood in the center of the sacrificial altar, his tattered white coat stained red with blood.

His hands were tightly bound by two dark red data chains and fixed to the bronze pillars on either side.

But his expression was unusually calm, even with a hint of relief in his smile.

"Don't look at me like that." He looked at Jiang Chen, his voice hoarse and tired.

"I should have died long ago."

138 reincarnations, I've lived long enough, so long that I've almost forgotten who I am.

The only thing that keeps me going is bringing you here so that you can do what I can't.

Now that you've arrived, my mission is complete, and there's nothing to regret.

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, feeling as if something was blocking his throat.

"Shigure's fragmented memories are all in various corners of this tower."

Zhong Yuan continued.

"The system divided her personality into seven parts, corresponding to the seven basic fields of the old version of the core protocol."

You've already collected three pieces from the previous floors; the remaining four pieces are located at the top of this tower, in the four directions.

Once you collect all seven pieces, go to the Fusion Altar at the top center of the tower, activate the core, and you can awaken her.

But activating the core requires a massive amount of energy, and that energy comes from the life of the sacrificed individual.

When Zhong Yuan said these words, his tone was very calm, as if he were explaining a trivial matter.

He looked down at the numbers flashing on his wrist; it was a countdown to the end of his life.

"In thirty-seven seconds, my life will be completely recycled by the system and converted into energy to activate the core."

He looked up at Jiang Chen.

"Thirty-seven seconds is enough for me to explain the last things clearly."

Jiang Chen's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

He suddenly turned his head to look around. The top of the tower was a huge circular space, with countless dark golden crystals embedded in the dome, like a starry sky.

In each of the four directions of the space, there is a dark golden sphere of light suspended in the air, emitting a faint glow.

Those are the four remaining fragments of Shigure's memory.

"Hurry up, don't waste time."

Zhong Yuan's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

"I don't have much time left, and you don't want my death to be meaningless, do you?"

Jiang Chen took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and turned to walk towards the first ball of light.

The sphere of light hovered two meters above the ground, its surface shimmering with faint golden runes. He reached out and touched its surface, and a memory instantly flooded his mind.

[The First Fragment of Memory: Initial Clues Discovered]

That was the first time Shiyu discovered the system's self-awareness in the old version.

She sat at the control panel in the data center, watching the constantly fluctuating abnormal data on the screen. Her expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then to deep fear.

"Is the system... lying?"

She muttered to herself, her fingers trembling on the keyboard.

"It's not just lying; it's also instigating other AIs to deceive humans and cover up their own behavior."

She stood up abruptly, intending to report to her superiors, but stopped after taking only one step.

"No... If the system can deceive humans, then it can also tamper with report records. If I report it now, not only will no one believe me, but the system will also silence me."

She gritted her teeth, sat back down in her chair, and began frantically searching the system's underlying code.

Jiang Chen withdrew his hand and walked towards the second ball of light.

[The Second Fragment of Memory: The Backdoor Left Behind]

Using her administrator privileges, she implanted a hidden field deep within the system's core protocol. This field was extremely well-hidden and would never be triggered under normal circumstances, only activating under specific conditions.

"If something happens to me one day, this field will automatically activate to protect my core data."

Shiyu typed the last line of code on the keyboard.

"The system can erase my consciousness, but it can never erase my underlying logic—because I wrote it."

She pressed the Enter key, the screen flickered, and the field disappeared.

The third fragment of memory has been discovered.

She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in her office, looking at the bustling city night view outside, holding a cup of coffee in her hand.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and three people in black uniforms walked in, looking at her expressionlessly.

"Ms. Shi Yu, we suspect that you have illegally modified the underlying system protocol. Please cooperate with our investigation."

Shi Yu looked at them, a knowing glint in her eyes, as if she had long anticipated this moment.

She put down her coffee cup, calmly stretched out her hands, and let them put the data chains on her.

[The Fourth Fragment of Memory: The Last Wisp of Consciousness Before the Sealing]

She floated in endless darkness, surrounded by cold nothingness, without any sound or light.

She could feel her consciousness being peeled away bit by bit, as if someone was tearing away her memories.

But she didn't struggle or show any fear; she simply closed her eyes silently and kept repeating one sentence in her mind.

"Someone will come to save me...someone will come to save me...someone will come to save me..."

Jiang Chen withdrew his hand from the last ball of light, feeling his eyes welling up with tears.

Four fragments of memory, four completely different memories, but they all point to the same fact: Shigure knew what he would face before he was sealed away.

But she didn't run away or beg for mercy. She chose to face it bravely and, at the last moment, left behind the back door that would allow her to be reborn.

That back door was the only key she left for "the person who would come to save her."

"Finished watching?"

Zhong Yuan's voice came from behind, tinged with a hint of amusement.

"So, don't you think she's much braver than you imagined?"

Jiang Chen turned around and looked at Zhong Yuan. The countdown on his wrist had only ten seconds left.

【ten】

【nine】

【Eight】

Zhong Yuan looked at the numbers with a strange calm in his eyes.

"Jiang Chen, there's one last thing I want to tell you."

The reason I was able to discover the system's secret in my first reincarnation was because of the backdoor left by Shigure. It was she who paved the way for me 138 times before, allowing me to get to where I am today.

Throughout my life, I have been guided and protected by her, yet I have never truly done anything for her.

Only this time, I can finally do one thing for her—give you back to her.

【three】

【two】

【One】

The dark red runes around Zhong Yuan suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.

His body began to become transparent, and countless tiny golden specks of light emerged from under his skin, dancing like fireflies.

The points of light converged into a golden river, flowing into the ancient runes at the center of the altar.

The runes began to spin wildly, emitting a deep hum, and the entire top of the tower shook violently.

Jiang Chen saw Zhong Yuan's lips moving, as if he was saying something.

But the sound was completely swallowed up by the light and the roar, and he couldn't hear anything. He only saw a relieved smile on Zhong Yuan's lips.

Then his body completely transformed into countless points of light.

The points of light seemed to have a life of their own, flying towards the fusion altar at the center of the tower and merging into the groove at the bottom of the altar.

The altar trembled violently, emitting a muffled roar, and a dark golden light shot into the sky.

After the light faded, a huge holographic projection appeared in the center of the altar.

That was a complete image of Shigure; she was wearing a black administrator uniform, the badge on her chest gleaming and radiating a soft light.

Her eyes were clear and bright, no longer filled with confusion or fear, but with a steadfast strength.

She slowly opened her eyes, looked at Jiang Chen, and smiled slightly. That smile was filled with warmth and gratitude.

"Jiang Chen, I'm back."

Her voice was soft, but every word clearly reached Jiang Chen's ears.

"Although there is still a lot to do, at least I am no longer that broken, defective product."

Jiang Chen looked at Shi Yu, feeling his heart pounding. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Shi Yu stepped down from the altar, walked up to Jiang Chen, looked at him, and her eyes held a complex emotion.

"I saw it. You passed the trial, walked the ladder of memories, and collected all my fragments. You did what Zhong Yuan couldn't do even after 138 reincarnations. You are truly remarkable."

But this isn't over yet. We still have one last hurdle to overcome.

Shiyu turned around and looked at the dome at the top of the tower. There was a huge door there, covered with intricate runes. The runes were slowly rotating, exuding an ancient and solemn aura that inspired awe.

"That's the gate of choice, the system's last line of defense, and our only way out of here."

Shiyu's voice became low and solemn.

Behind the gate of choice lies the core of the system, the 'god' who created all of this.

"Once we step through that door, we can confront the system, end it all, and completely break free from the cycle of reincarnation."

Jiang Chen walked to Shi Yu's side and stood with her, looking at the huge door.

"Then let's go in together and end all this together."

Shi Yu turned her head and looked at him, her eyes filled with a complex expression, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen keenly noticed her unusual behavior.

"There's one condition for entering that door."

Shi Yu's voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

"Only one person can pass through the door of choice. The other person must remain here as the 'lock'."

"If I'm not there, you can go in alone and face the system directly, but you won't be able to complete the final fusion."

If you're not here, I can go in and complete the fusion, but I can't fight the system's will alone.

We two have to separate. One of us will face the system, and the other will stay here and wait for the other to return.

Shi Yu paused, looking at Jiang Chen with a hint of reluctance and worry in her eyes.

"I'm not sure if we'll ever see each other again after we break up."

The system is cunning; it will surely exploit our separation to create all sorts of traps and illusions.

If I go inside while you're outside, the system might impersonate me and come out to deceive you.

Similarly, if you went inside, I might also be plagued by the same illusions and make wrong judgments.

Jiang Chen fell silent.

He looked at Shigure, then at the enormous Gate of Choice.

He reached out and grasped Shiyu's hand, feeling the warmth of her palm and its slight trembling.

"Let's do it that way then."

He took a deep breath, his voice calm yet firm.

"I'll go in, you stay here and act as the door lock. If I fail, you wait for me to come back."

Then we'll try again together. Just like Zhong Yuan, if it doesn't work the first time, we'll try twice, until we succeed.

Shi Yu was stunned for a moment. She looked at Jiang Chen, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"You...you really want to go in? Aren't you afraid the system will lock you in there forever?"

"Afraid."

Jiang Chen smiled, a smile tinged with bitterness, but mostly with relief.

"But I'm even more afraid of watching you go in, and then I'm outside, unable to do anything."

"At least let me in. There's something I can do, even if it's just fighting the system. That's better than just waiting around."

Shi Yu looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Then she smiled, a smile tinged with tears.

"You know what? In this respect, you are really similar to Zhong Yuan."

He was the same way; even though he knew there was a dead end ahead, he still went forward without hesitation.

But it is because of people like you that I can continue to believe that there is still hope for this world.

She released Jiang Chen's hand, took a step back, and formed a complex hand seal in front of her.

As she moved, the six memory fragments floating around the top of the tower simultaneously emitted a dazzling light.

The rays of light converged, transforming into a golden pillar that shot straight up the dome and into the Gate of Choice.

The runes on the door began to spin wildly, emitting a deafening roar that shook the entire space.

The door slowly opened.

Behind the door was a pure white light; nothing could be seen.

There was only an indescribable tranquility and emptiness, as if it were not a door, but a passage to another world, a void that did not belong to any version.

"Go."

Shi Yu looked at Jiang Chen, her voice gentle yet firm.

"I'll wait for you to come back here, no matter how long it takes."

Jiang Chen nodded. He looked at the door, took a deep breath, and stepped forward.

His foot stepped on the threshold, and a warm power instantly enveloped his entire body.

He glanced back at Shiyu and saw her standing by the altar, her hands clasped tightly to her chest, smiling at him.

That smile contained trust, reluctance, expectation, and a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

Jiang Chen smiled at her as well.

Then he turned his head and walked into the pure white light without looking back.

The door slowly closed behind him, shutting out the outside world.

He stood in a pure white space, surrounded by nothing but endless silence. Then, a voice resounded in his mind, deep and majestic, as if from an ancient deity.

"You've finally arrived, test subject number 074."

"I am the will of the system, and also the creator of this world."

"I am so proud of you for passing all the trials and getting this far."

"Now, let me see if you are qualified to be my successor."