Chapter 101: Truth Behind The System
Chapter 101: Truth Behind The System
<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>
<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>
<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>
<Congratulations, you've leveled up!>
<...>
No wonder... no wonder I got a lot of level-up notifications. The headcount of every rabid human and people who died in an instant probably amounted to seven hundred thousand people more or less. Compared to the forests I emptied, and the horde I wiped out due to the Automatic Qi Condensation Skill, the aftermath of the Rush Hour was just madness. I wasn't thinking about this because I wasn't able to annihilate everyone. In fact, everything worked out so splendidly that I was genuinely surprised I held such beasty power within me.
Just like that.
In one snap of a finger or one bat of an eyelid, everything was gone. ]
There was no drop of Qi Energy in the vicinity and every single living being in the Ziyou Shelter, as well as all the rabid humans that existed in the midst of the Qi Current, was gone. They're all gone.
And all that because I couldn't control a single skill in my possession.
"System, what on earth is up with this skill? Isn't this a little too much? No, I take that back. Isn't this too much?" I exclaimed as soon as I regained my consciousness back. "I, Tang Yongrui, esteemed Shelter of the Tang Sect, never wished for something like this. I wanted to eliminate this shelter but not this way. I wanted to reform it. I wanted to rule over them in place of that twisted Kurszt guy. And yet, why would you allow me to do something like this? Why would you grant me this power?"
Silence.
"Yongrui, calm down." Hui-ying softly spoke up as she attempted to help me regain my composure.
There was some boiling, seething anger within me and I couldn't contain it. It must've been the pent-up stress I experienced upon seeing the dead children in the roots of the Forsaken Tree, or it must've been the amount of Qi Energy I absorbed within a small time frame. Regardless of the reason, I was seething with wrath. I want to kill, I want to destroy the world. It's like the berserker mode had become a part of me.
<Would you like to learn more about the System?>
<Notice: This decision can never be reverted>
<Would you like to know about the System?>
<Would you like to know... the System?>
<... know the System?>
<System?>
<?????>
Countless panels suddenly appeared in front of me, all asking the same questions I've always asked ever since I first encountered the System. I was taken aback, at first, but after observing the nature of the panels for a few seconds, I realized that something was happening within the system.
It was glitching out.
The panels, which appeared in front of me, started flashing. Monochromatic colors glitched here and there as the panels continued to multiply like a crashing monitor. The sight of it not only gave me the creeps, but it also made me feel oddly weirded out as if something was wrong with me deep inside.
I gulped as I put my hands on my head. With my Qi Energy, I tried to sense if there was something wrong with my brain. If the System was malfunctioning, then my mind has the risk of malfunctioning as well. I've never thought about it until now, I was once again reminded that my life is hanging by a thread and if I don't do anything about the System, then worst-case scenario, I will die along with it.
"Yongrui, calm down," Hui-ying repeated herself. "You can't panic right now."
"Sounds to me like you're the one panicking, Hui-ying. Relax, I won't panic over this." I reassured her but that didn't stop my body from trembling in panic.
Before, I would've accepted my fate if I were to die at some point in time but now, I have a lot of things I haven't done yet, and I have a lot of goals in my mind that I didn't want to die just yet. Until I kill whoever or whichever started this outbreak and in the process destroyed my Sect, I will not rest in peace.
"Do you know anything about this glitching, Hui-ying? If so, please tell me." I continued.
"No, but I can sense that there's something wrong with the System. That or it's in the process of awakening or evolution." Hui-ying continued.
'Yeah, why didn't I think of that?' I asked myself as I examined my head once again. "I hope it's the latter. If not, then we have to do something about this. Do you have any ideas? We can't die right now, not after we massacred the entire horde and the entire Ziyou Shelter."
"Yongrui, throw that guilt away from you. We are not the ones who massacred anyone. It's the mindless rabid human that exists when you lose your consciousness."
"So what you're trying to say is... I killed close to seven hundred thousand rabid humans and people in my sleep? That's worse than a criminal or any psychopaths I've ever known." I said with seriousness in my voice. However, I do found it very amusing that someone as merciful and kindhearted as I am would have the capability to do that. "But thank you for consoling me. I know you meant well, Hui-ying."
"For now, let's try to figure out what the System meant when it was glitching. I will try to do all I can on my end to figure it out as well."
"Thanks, Hui-ying."
Due to the amounts of energy I absorbed. I sat down in my cultivation position and thought about everything that happened in the past few days. Wait, it all happened in just two days? Somehow I thought everything happened in the course of the week.
Sigh~ but what is the System up to this time?
Even with my eyes closed. I could still see the panels glitching out in front of me.
"You know what, sure. Why not? You asked for it." I impulsively said as I clicked on the 'Yes' that flashed here and there. "I'll worry about the consequences later."
"I just hope you won't kill me, though." I told myself as the surroundings went dark once again.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
It wasn't the same kind of dark when you lose consciousness, but rather the same type of dark when someone turned off the lights in your room. I knew I was still in Ziyou Shelter, surrounded by empty human shells from rabid humans and humans alike. I could still smell the horrid stench coming from the mucky, sticky black rotten blood that oozed out of the rabid humans. And also, I could still perceive the grassy ground where I stood.
That was probably the main reason why I didn't panic although everything went dark around me. If worse comes to worst, I might be able to hear it if someone were to attack me. And if that worst-case scenario takes on another level of worse, then I'll just run away in a single direction and hopefully get away from the danger. Even if I can't see anything, that doesn't mean I'm that vulnerable.
A scenery instantaneously appeared in front of me like some sort of panoramic image that was always there. The scenery then changed into one of utter chaos and despair. Trees and mountains seemed to emit some form of ominous aura as figures passed through them. The figures, as a whole, resembled a great shadow that seemed to cover the entire landscape. And everything that they set foot on turned to dust and rubble.
There was great power within the foot of the figures and just as I imagined myself watching the events unfold from up close, my vision got a little bit closer and I could finally recognize the figures in front of me.
Those figures... they were rabid humans... and what's more, there were millions of them!
I never thought I'd be seeing a generous amount of rabid humans in front of me and more so, they are all actually Stage-Eight High-Leveled? All of them are on par with Transcendent Realm Cultivators, and there were at least millions of them.
"Is this actually happening?" I asked myself as I continued observing everything. It was something straight out of a literal outbreak, and if you compare the Rush Hour to this, the Rush Hour Event is merely child's play.
In short, it was a disastrous occurrence.
The rabid humans continued to tirelessly march across the valley and they weren't getting any weaker. In fact, in every step they took, they became stronger and stronger.
And that's when I realized it. They were actually on top of a Qi Current!
So this is a Rush Hour Event but on a massive scale!
I continued watching because clearly, the System meant something about this. If not, then why would it even show me this in the first place?
As I expected the next thing to happen, the massive rabid human horde suddenly stopped moving. Then those at the front completely tightened their defense as they roared, filling the cold, empty lands with their undead voices.
At first, I thought they were just showing off their power, but then, a figure cloaked in black appeared on the other end of the horde. There was only one of him against a million hordes and yet, he took a stand like a regular last boss of a game. He was holding two daggers in hand, and his eyes glowed a nice blue color.
"Even if I were to die, I'm bringing you all down with me." The figure spoke, but to my surprise... what came out of his mouth wasn't a voice of a guy, but rather
A voice of a lady.