Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

Four o'clock in the morning, in the safe house in the north of the city.

Jiang Chen leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

"What are you thinking about?"

The sound of rain came from the side.

"Node. Admin-07. System. Everything is piled up together."

"Are you going tomorrow?"

"I'm going."

"I'll go with you."

"You don't need to go."

"I'm going anyway."

Jiang Chen looked at her and smiled.

Why are you helping me?

"Because you are Jiang Chen. Not a backup, not a number."

Lin Bei peeked out from another room.

"Are you two going to sleep or not?"

"I can't sleep."

"Damn, me too."

Admin-07 walked in, carrying three black boxes.

"One for each person, a signal jammer. Once activated, all data signals within a two-meter radius will be blocked."

"Including rule fragments?"

"Yes. That's why you can't use fragments after startup."

"Then how do we destroy the node?"

"Get close first, turn off the jammer, then attack with the fragments. The node core is very fragile; it can be destroyed with a single hit."

Jiang Chen put the box into his pocket.

At 5:40 a.m., the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The four set off and arrived at an abandoned parking lot in the east of the city.

The parking lot was large, but the ground was riddled with cracks, and weeds grew in the cracks.

There was a tin shed in the center, and several abandoned cars were parked under the shed.

"The node is on the third basement level. Go down through the ventilation shaft."

Admin-07 lifted a sheet of metal, revealing a ventilation opening about one meter in diameter.

Jiang Chen jumped in, his feet landing on the metal with a dull thud.

The passage was long, ending at a metal door with a rusty lock.

He took out the shard, stuffed it into the keyhole, and turned it hard.

Click. The lock is open.

"Although rule fragments have no skill effects in the real world, their material is very special."

They went down the stairs, the air becoming increasingly humid and cold.

There are three underground floors, and behind the door is a huge circular space.

In the center of the space, a deep blue crystal ball, about the size of a fist, floated, with luminous patterns slowly flowing on its surface.

"That's the core of the node."

Jiang Chen approached the platform, the fragments heating up in his pocket.

When he was three meters away from the core of the node, he felt resistance—like an invisible wall.

"Data barrier".

He raised the shards and stabbed them at the barrier.

A burst of blue light blasted out, and he was thrown back two steps, his hand split open and blood seeping out.

"Hold!"

Are you alright?

"It's okay. But the barrier is very strong."

Jiang Chen looked at the fragment in his hand; it was glowing, even brighter than before.

"The barrier is repelling the fragments."

"What should we do then?"

"Try again. This time, give it your all."

He adjusted his breathing, gripped the shard tightly, took a step back, and then thrust out with all his might.

The moment the fragment pierced the barrier, blue light surged, exploding in the air like lightning.

He felt his arm being bounced back by a tremendous force, and his entire arm went numb.

But a small hole appeared in the barrier. It was about the size of a fist, and its edges were slowly widening.

"The barrier has broken!"

"Quick! Now!"

Jiang Chen rushed onto the platform, raised the fragment, and stabbed it towards the node core.

The moment the fragment touched the core, the blue light surged, illuminating the entire underground space.

The core vibrated violently, cracks appeared on the surface, and then it shattered into countless fragments, which scattered across the platform.

The blue light went out. Darkness returned to the space.

"It worked?"

Jiang Chen gasped for breath, looking at the scattered fragments.

"It's a success."

But the ground began to shake violently, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall.

"The node has crashed! The whole building is collapsing! Get out of here!"

The four rushed toward the stairs, but the door was already closed—locked from the outside.

"It's system-controlled!"

"Go through the ventilation opening!"

Lin Bei pushed open the cover of the ventilation vent and climbed up.

"Quickly! One at a time!"

Shigure went first, followed by Admin-07.

Jiang Chen was the last one. As soon as he climbed onto the ventilation shaft, he heard a sound—a low breathing sound coming from deep underground.

"Never mind that! Let's go!"

They crawled out of the ventilation shaft, lay on the concrete floor, and gasped for breath.

It was already daylight.

But Jiang Chen's phone rang—not a ringtone, but a synthesized electronic tone.

No, it's not a phone. It's fragments.

The fragments were glowing, red, and a hoarse male voice came from within.

"Jiang Chen".

"Who are you?"

"Admin-07 is lying to you. He doesn't want to destroy the system. He wants to reboot the system and use your body as the new core."

Jiang Chen was stunned and looked at Admin-07.

Admin-07 stood a few steps away, his expression calm.

"What did you hear?"

He said you were lying to me. He said you wanted to restart the system.

Admin-07 was silent for a few seconds, then laughed.

"It seems I underestimated the system's vigilance."

Jiang Chen took a step back and gripped the shard tightly.

"Is everything you just said true?"

"Part of it is true. It's true that I want to destroy the system. But it's also true that I want to use your body."

Why?

"Because my body has aged. I was 35 when I pressed the stop button 47 years ago, and now I am 82."

"What are your biometric features?"

"I'm locked onto by the system. The system will immediately activate its defense mechanisms once I get close to the core."

Shigure drew his bow, but it was empty—it had no skills, just an ordinary bow.

"Don't act impulsively."

Admin-07 raised his hands.

"I know you're angry. But let me finish."

"What else is there to say?"

"The fragment in your hand is the key to the system's core. Only by using your biometrics can you enter the core."

"My body?"

"Yes. My body has aged. 47 years is enough for a young person to become an old person. Only your biometrics can pass the core authentication."

"Then why not just say it directly?"

"Because if you knew the truth, you wouldn't have come with me."

Jiang Chen stared at him.

"You've been lying to me from the very beginning?"

"Yes. But I lied to you so I could save you."

"Help me?"

"The system is looking for you. If I tell you the whole truth, you will hesitate and waste your time. And time is what we lack most."

Jiang Chen remained silent for a few seconds.

"What else are you hiding from me?"

"Yes. But I'll tell you after I destroy all the nodes."

"Why don't you say so now?"

"Because if you say it now, you'll get distracted and hesitate."

Jiang Chen stared at him, remaining silent for a few seconds.

"Okay. I'll trust you this once."

"Jiang Chen!" Shi Yu shouted, "Are you crazy?"

"I'm not crazy. He did want to destroy the system, but the method was different from what I expected."

How do you know he's telling the truth?

"I don't know. But it's the only option."

Shiyu bit her lip and remained silent.

Lin Bei walked over and patted Jiang Chen on the shoulder.

Are you sure?

"I'm not sure. But it's better than doing nothing."

"Okay. I'll go with you."

Admin-07 took a USB flash drive out of his pocket. The casing was metal and the surface showed signs of wear.

"This is the core deletion program, which I spent twenty years writing. It requires your biometrics to activate."

Jiang Chen took the USB drive and weighed it in his hand.

"Let's go. The system should have already dispatched a search team."

"A search team?"

"Data Hounds, and others. The things the system can summon in the real world are beyond my comprehension."

The four left the parking lot and walked south along the street.

After walking for about ten minutes, Jiang Chen noticed something was wrong—the people on the street had suddenly disappeared.

There were a few early risers just a moment ago, but now there's none left.

The streets were deserted; there wasn't even a car in sight.

"The system has activated purification mode. It will clear the data of all irrelevant personnel around the node, temporarily rendering them unconscious."

"So we're... now within the system's search range?"

"Yes. It knows we destroyed the node and is locating our position."

Just as Admin-07 finished speaking, the sound of an engine came from afar.

Three black vans stopped in the middle of the street, the doors opened, and more than a dozen people got out.

They were wearing black uniforms and black helmets, obscuring their faces.

But their movements were perfectly synchronized—they turned their heads at the same time, took steps at the same time, and raised their equipment at the same time.

Their movements were so synchronized, as if they were being pulled together by the same thread.

"That's a data puppet, a player's body that's remotely controlled by the system."

Are they still alive?

"They're alive. But their consciousness is suppressed by the system. They don't know what they're doing."

Jiang Chen looked at those expressionless people and felt a wave of nausea wash over him.

A data puppet raised its hand and pointed at them.

"Target spotted."

"Run!"

The four of them rushed into the alley and ran wildly, with a flurry of footsteps behind them.

The data puppets are very fast, much faster than ordinary people.

Jiang Chen took out the shards and smashed them hard against the ground.

A burst of blue light erupted, and the shockwave knocked down all the data puppets.

But only three seconds later, they stood up.

"Damn! It only lasts three seconds!"

"Three seconds is enough! Run!"

They climbed over a low wall, jumped into an abandoned courtyard, and hid behind a tin shed.

The footsteps stopped at the alley entrance. The data puppet searched for a while but couldn't find them, and the footsteps slowly faded away.

Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're safe for now. But the data puppets won't give up the search."

"They will call for backup," Admin-07 said. "It won't be long before more data bots arrive."

"What should we do then?"

"Go to the western node. Destroy the next one before they find us."

"Where is the West City Node?"

"The old hospital in the west of the city, with two underground floors. It's about six kilometers from here."

"Six kilometers? That takes an hour to walk?"

"We have no other choice. We don't have a car, so we have to walk."

Jiang Chen stood up and dusted himself off.

"Let's go. Before they find this place."

Shiyu tore off a piece of her clothes and wrapped it around his bleeding hand.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Lin Bei peeked out from behind the shed.

"There's no one outside, let's go."

They came out of the courtyard and walked west along the street.

The sunlight was getting brighter; it was almost morning.

But the streets remained deserted. It was like an abandoned city.

They walked for about half an hour without encountering anyone along the way.

It's too quiet. The quiet is unsettling.

How much further?

"About three kilometers left."

"Keep going."

Jiang Chen quickened his pace.

"We need to get there before the data golem finds the western node."

"What if they arrive first?"

"Then we'll have no choice but to force our way in."

"Okay." Shiyu gripped the bow tightly. "I'll stay with you. No matter what lies ahead, we won't separate."

"Thank you." Jiang Chen nodded and continued walking forward.

The light from the fragment had dimmed, making it look like an ordinary stone.

But the blue mark on the back of his hand was still faintly glowing.

"What is this?"

Shi Yu leaned over to take a look.

"It's like a marker."

"A mark from the core," Admin-07 said. "The system core has left its mark on you."

Why?

"Because you've had contact with the core. The system remembers everyone who has had contact with it."

"Is this mark dangerous?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this kind of mark before."

Jiang Chen looked at the blue light on the back of his hand and felt that it was like a star twinkling under his skin.

They walked for another ten minutes.

Jiang Chen suddenly stopped.

"Wait. Did you hear that?"

A low, rumbling sound came from afar, like an engine, but deeper and more muffled.

Admin-07's expression changed.

"That's a data storm. An energy storm generated by the system in the real world."

"What can it destroy?"

"All data signals. Including the fragments of rules within us."

"And what about our bodies?"

"My body is fine. But the fragments will become ineffective, and the connection with the system will be severed."

The buzzing sound grew louder and louder, like ten thousand engines roaring at the same time.

The streetlights began to flicker, then went out one by one.

The sky darkened. It was as if someone had turned off the sun.

In the distance, a blue beam of light descended from the sky and crashed onto the ground.

The ground began to crack, and blue light surged out from the cracks, flowing like magma.

The air was filled with the pungent, scorching smell of ozone.

Within the pillar of light, something was coalescing—a gigantic hand, its five fingers spread wide, rose from the ground.

That hand wasn't made of flesh and blood, but rather of pure blue light, translucent, like a giant crystal.

"Damn... what's that?"

"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's gathering energy; that hand is at the center of the data storm."

"We have to get out of there!"

"There's no way to avoid it. Its area is too large; it covers at least the entire street."

The hand slowly opened, its five fingers pointing upwards.

Then, it gripped it tightly.

The world fell silent—the buzzing stopped, the wind stopped, even breathing stopped.

The ground began to tremble.

Then, that hand slapped them down.