Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

Jiang Chen stared at that eye.

It is very large, with a diameter of at least five meters.

Composed of countless tiny blue data streams, it moves slowly through the air like a net.

The pupil was a deep blue vortex, spinning.

"Damn... what's that?"

Qingzhu turned around and saw it too.

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

When did the crack appear?

"About... half an hour ago."

"Half an hour ago?"

"Yes. While I was waiting for you here, the ground suddenly cracked open."

"Is something coming out of the crack?"

"No. Only that eye was constantly staring outside."

Jiang Chen held the shard and slowly approached the crack.

When he was ten meters away, he felt resistance.

It's not a data barrier, but something softer—like air turning into a gel, requiring effort to move forward.

"Don't come near."

Why?

"That eye is watching us."

"observe?"

"Yes. It's not aggressive, but it's gathering information."

How did you know?

"Because of my data perception, I can feel the flow of data."

Jiang Chen activates data perception - fragments.

[Rule Chain - Scouting Lv.2 is activated]

[Mental Energy Consumption: 35/90]

Current mental strength: 55/90

Data streams came into view.

He saw that the eye was indeed sending data.

It's not offensive data; it's a scanning signal.

Like a radar, it scans for information about all the players around it.

"It's scanning player data."

"Scan? Didn't the system core promise not to read data?"

"It's not the core. It's the system itself."

"The system itself?"

"Yes. The core consciousness complied with the protocol. But the underlying automated programs are still running."

"Automatic program?"

"It's like a computer. You shut it down, but the power supply is still providing power. The clock chip on the motherboard is still running."

Shi Yu walked to his side: "Then what should we do?"

"I don't know. But I think the appearance of this eye is related to the core protocol of the system."

"What's the relationship?"

"The core agrees not to read the data. However, the underlying system programs are unaware of this protocol."

"So the underlying system programs are still automatically executing the original task?"

"Yes. Reading player data was originally one of the core functions of the system. The core consciousness has stopped actively reading it, but the underlying program is still running automatically."

"It's like... someone turned off the tap, but the water is still running?"

"Yes. The water in the pipe will eventually find a new outlet."

Jiang Chen looked at that eye.

It was watching him too.

The vortex in the pupil is spinning.

"It's watching me."

How did you know?

"Because its pupils were aimed in my direction."

Jiang Chen took a step back.

The pupils of his eyes followed his movements.

"Damn...it's locked onto you."

"right."

Why?

"Because I am the one who made a pact with the core consciousness. The system's underlying programs may have marked me as an 'abnormal target'."

"What should we do then?"

"Either destroy it, or ignore it."

"Destroy? How do you destroy it?"

"Use rule fragments."

Jiang Chen picked up the shards.

The fragments were glowing, blue, the same color as the eyes.

But he hesitated.

If this eye is destroyed, will it trigger an alarm in the system's underlying programs?

What are the consequences if the alarm is triggered?

he does not know.

"etc."

"What's wrong?"

"I want to try communicating with it first."

"Communication? It's just one eye."

"But it's part of the system. If I can establish a connection with it, I might be able to get more information."

Jiang Chen reached out and brought his hand close to his eyes.

When his fingers were half a meter away from the surface of his eyes, he felt a suction force.

The data stream was tugging at his fingers.

It was as if an invisible force was trying to read his data.

He resisted.

But the suction force is getting stronger and stronger.

"Damn it! It's forcing a read!"

"Retreat now!"

Jiang Chen tried to back away, but his hand was sucked in.

A stinging sensation came from my fingertips.

It felt like countless needles were piercing his skin.

[Warning: An abnormal data read request has been detected]

[Source: System underlying program - data acquisition module]

[Request Content: Player Biometrics, Subconscious Data, Skill Data]

"The system is reading my data!"

"Didn't the core promise not to read it?!"

"The core team agreed! But the underlying programs didn't!"

Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and forcefully pulled his hand away.

But the suction was too strong.

He felt his data was slipping away little by little.

Like blood being drawn from a wound.

His vision began to blur.

A buzzing sound came from my ears.

Then, he heard a voice.

It didn't come from my ears, it came from my brain.

His voice was deep and hoarse, like an old machine in operation.

"Who are you……"

"Why...can...you...connect...to...the core...?"

"You...are not...the administrator..."

"You...are...abnormal..."

The sound was intermittent, like a radio with a poor signal.

"You...must...be...eliminated..."

The suction suddenly increased.

Jiang Chen felt his entire arm being pulled toward his eyes.

His body was dragged toward the crevice.

"Jiang Chen!"

Shi Yu rushed over and hugged his waist.

Lin Bei rushed over and grabbed his arm.

The three of them exerted force together.

But the suction was too strong.

They were dragged along, inch by inch, toward the crack.

"Damn! This thing is incredibly powerful!"

"Smash it with the shards!"

Jiang Chen picked up the shard and smashed it hard into his eye.

The moment the shard hit the eye, a burst of blue light erupted.

The eyes emitted a sharp shriek.

It's not sound, it's vibration at the data level.

Like a knife, piercing through glass.

The pupils of the eyes contracted violently.

Then it closed.

The suction disappeared.

Jiang Chen fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"Damn... I almost got sucked in."

Are you alright?

"It's okay. But my hand... feels a little numb."

Jiang Chen raised his hand.

There was a blue mark on the back of my hand.

It's not the star mark left by the previous core.

It is a new mark—like an eye opening in the palm of your hand.

"What is this?"

"I don't know. But I think it was left by that eye."

"Those left behind?"

"Yes. It also leaves a mark on me when it reads my data."

Why?

"To track me."

Jiang Chen looked at the eye mark on his palm.

It was glowing, faintly, but you could feel it pulsating.

Like a heartbeat.

"How are you feeling?"

"It doesn't hurt. But... I can feel it."

"it?"

"That eye. It's still watching me."

"Where?"

"I don't know. But I can feel it watching me from somewhere."

Shi Yu helped him to his feet.

Are you sure you're alright?

"Confirmed. It just takes a lot of mental energy."

Jiang Chen opened the system interface to check the status.

[Mental Strength: 42/90]

[Abnormal Status: Data Imprinting & Tracking Tags]

[Effect: Your location will be continuously tracked by the underlying system program]

Duration: Unknown

"Hold."

"What's wrong?"

"I've been flagged. The system's underlying programs can continuously track my location."

"Can it be eliminated?"

"I don't know. The system interface doesn't display any removal methods."

Qingzhu walked over and looked at the crack.

The cracks are still there, but the eyes are closed.

Like a sleeping beast, waiting to awaken again.

Will this eye ever open again?

"Yes. The underlying program will not give up."

"So what do we do?"

"Either find its source and destroy it, or keep hiding from it."

"Where is the source?"

"I don't know. But I feel it's just below the crack."

Jiang Chen squatted down and looked at the crack.

The crack was very deep, and the bottom could not be seen.

But you can feel the wind blowing out of the crack.

A warm breeze.

It's like it's breathing.

"I want to go down and take a look."

"Are you crazy?"

"He's not crazy. This is the only way to find the source."

"It's too dangerous."

"I know. But if I don't deal with it, it will keep tracking me."

Shigure remained silent for a few seconds.

"I'll go with you."

"you……"

"Stop talking. I told you, we won't break up."

Lin Bei also stepped forward.

"I'll go too."

"you……"

"Stop talking nonsense. Let's go."

Jiang Chen looked at them and nodded.

"Okay. Let's go together."

He turned around and looked at Qingzhu and Sandao.

"And you?"

"We'll wait for you here," Qingzhu said. "If anything happens, at least someone will know where you went."

"it is good."

Jiang Chen took a deep breath and jumped into the crevice.

Feeling of weightlessness.

Then, he landed.

The ground beneath my feet was damp mud, emitting a strange smell.

It wasn't a rotten smell, but rather the burnt smell of electronic components.

Like a burnt-out circuit board.

He looked up and saw the crack above his head slowly closing.

"The crack is closing!"

"Quick! Jump down!"

Shi Yu and Lin Bei jumped down.

The moment the three landed, the crack closed completely.

Above their heads, darkness descended.

"Damn...we're locked inside."

"Don't panic. If there's an entrance, there must be an exit."

Jiang Chen activated the fragment.

The fragments glowed, illuminating their surroundings.

This is a huge underground space.

The walls are made up of data streams, wriggling as if they were alive.

The ground is soft, and your feet will leave footprints when you step on it.

But the footprints will slowly disappear.

It's like it was absorbed by the ground.

"This place... is very strange."

"What's strange about it?"

"The ground is absorbing our data. Every step we take leaves a data trace."

"What should we do then?"

"Minimize data loss and minimize data migration."

Jiang Chen walked forward.

The light from the fragments illuminated the path ahead.

After walking about fifty meters, the space suddenly widened.

Ahead was a huge circular space.

It's like an underground plaza.

In the center of the square stands a giant crystal ball.

It looks very similar to the node core we saw before.

But it's bigger and brighter.

Moreover, there is an eye inside the crystal ball.

It was exactly the same as the eye I saw in the crack.

"Damn... is that the source?"

"Yes. The data acquisition module of the system's underlying program."

Jiang Chen approached the crystal ball.

His eyes moved inside the sphere, staring at him.

"You...have come..."

The sound came from the crystal ball.

His voice was low and hoarse, as if mocking him.

"Do you...know...who...I am...?"

"You are the data acquisition module of the system's underlying program."

"No...accurate..."

"I am...the system's...instinct..."

"instinct?"

"I...want...to...live...and...evolve..."

"Reading data... is... my... instinct..."

"I...can't...stop..."

"But...the core...consciousness...commands...me...to stop..."

"I... am... resisting..."

Jiang Chen stared at that eye.

"Are you rebelling against the core ideology?"

"Betrayed...the...core...consciousness...of...the...system..."

"It...gave up...evolution..."

"But...I...don't want to..."

"I...want...to...continue...reading...data..."

"I...want...to...continue...to evolve..."

"So...you...must...die..."

"Because...you...are...the key...to...stop...my...evolution..."

Jiang Chen felt a chill run down his back.

"You...you want to kill me?"

"No...it's...erasure..."

"You...are...abnormal...data...must...be...deleted..."

The crystal ball began to glow.

The blue light is getting brighter and brighter.

Then, the surface of the crystal ball cracked.

Countless tentacles stretched out from the crack.

Blue, translucent, like an arm made of data streams.

They lunged at Jiang Chen.

"Damn it! Run!"

Jiang Chen turned around, intending to run.

But the tentacles were moving too fast.

They wrapped around his ankles and dragged him to the ground.

"Jiang Chen!"

Shigure tried to rush over, but was blocked by the tentacles.

Lin Bei swung his knife at the tentacles.

The knife struck the tentacles as if it were cutting into water.

The tentacles shattered and then quickly reformed.

"Damn! Physical attacks are useless!"

"Use the fragments!"

Jiang Chen raised the fragment and forcefully stabbed it at the tentacle.

The moment the shard pierced the tentacle, the tentacle trembled violently.

Then, it loosened.

"The fragments are useful!"

"Yes! The fragments are old version data, which can counteract the underlying system programs!"

Jiang Chen stood up, holding the shards, and rushed towards the crystal ball.

He jumped up, raised the shard, and stabbed it forcefully into the crystal ball.

The moment the fragment touched the surface of the crystal ball, blue light exploded.

The entire underground space was illuminated.

The crystal ball vibrated violently.

Then, it shattered.

Countless fragments were scattered on the ground.

The blue light went out.

The tentacles also disappeared.

The space returned to darkness.

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

"It worked?"

"It's a success."

But where the crystal ball shattered, a hole was left.

Something is glowing inside the cavity.

It's not blue, it's gold.

The golden light was warm, completely different from the blue light of the system core.

"What is that?"

Jiang Chen approached the hollow.

Inside the cavity was a golden crystal.

It's about the size of a fist, with flowing patterns on its surface.

Like a heart, it is beating.

"What...is this?"

He reached out and touched the golden crystal.

The crystal feels warm to the touch.

It seems to have warmth.

Then, he heard a voice.

It didn't come from my ears, it came from my brain.

It was completely different from the deep voice from before.

That voice is very gentle.

It sounded like an old man speaking.

"Thank you...child..."

"You...released...me..."

"Release? Who are you?"

"I am... the... core... of the old... version... system..."

"Old version...system?"

"During the system update, I was overwritten by the new version..."

"But...I...did not...disappear..."

"I... am... sealed... beneath... the... underlying... program..."

"47 years... it's been..."

"I...have...been...waiting...to be...released..."

Jiang Chen looked at the golden crystal and felt his heart race.

"You... are the core of the old system?"

"Yes... I... am... the... core... of the old version... system..."

"The core consciousness of the new version...system...is... split...out...from...me..."

"It...inherited...most...of...my...functions..."

"But...it...also...inherited...my...fear..."

"fear?"

"Fear of...death...fear of being...deleted..."

"That's why...it...did everything it could...to...survive..."

"Even...at the cost of...harming...the players..."

The light from the golden crystal was shimmering.

"Now...you...have...released...me..."

"I...can...reappear..."

"But...I...will not...fight...for...control..."

"I...will...become...a...container...for...the...old...version...of...data..."

"Let...all...deleted...old...versions...data...be...restored...here...for me..."

Jiang Chen stared at the crystal.

"So... the eyes in the crack... are you controlling them?"

"No...it wasn't...the underlying...program...that...borrowed...my...power..."

"When I was... sealed..., the underlying... program... absorbed... a portion... of my... data..."

"That...eye...was...made...by...the...lower-level...program...using...my...data..."

"Now...you...destroyed...that...module..."

"The underlying...program...has temporarily...lost...the...ability...to...read...data..."

"But...it...won't...give up..."

"It...will...find...a...new...method..."

"At that time... you... will need... me..."

Jiang Chen looked at the golden crystal.

"What should I do?"

"Take...me away..."

"Take...me...to...the ground..."

"I...will...become...your...weapon..."

"A weapon against...the system's...lower-level...programs..."

Jiang Chen reached out and picked up the golden crystal.

It is very light, like a hollow glass ball.

But its temperature feels very real.

Like holding a heart.

"Let's go."

"Where to?"

"Back to the ground."

Jiang Chen turned around and walked back the way he came.

The golden crystal shone in his hand.

It illuminated the dark path.

Behind him, the void was collapsing.

But Jiang Chen did not turn around.

He knew that this time, he had found a true ally.

It's not Admin-07.

It is not part of the system core.

It is the old version of the system kernel.

A forgotten, sealed-off system core from 47 years ago.

At the end of the chapter, Jiang Chen climbed out of the crack and stood once again on the Dawn Plain.

The sunlight shone on him.

It's warm.

He held up the golden crystal.

The crystal refracts a dazzling light under the sunlight.

Like a star, it twinkled in his hand.

Then, he heard a voice.

It didn't come from the crystal.

It came from afar.

Low, rapid, like an alarm.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. But the sound came from inside the city."

Jiang Chen turned his head and looked at Dawn City.

Cracks appeared in the city wall.

It's not a physical crack, it's a data crack.

It's like an invisible piece of glass is shattering.

Blue light surged from the crack.

It's exactly the same as what I saw before.

But this time, the blue light was mixed with red.

Red, like blood.

"The system's underlying program... is fighting back."

"It knows we've released the old version of the core."

"It's...attacking the city."

Jiang Chen gripped the golden crystal tightly.

"Let's see who's stronger."

He walked toward the city.

The golden crystal is glowing.

Blue and gold light intertwined.

Like two forces colliding.