novelden Chapter 180: The system is back? Like a homecoming!
Chapter 180: The system is back? Like a homecoming!
[ps]: In this chapter, I originally wanted to portray Crimson Vader as both an enemy and a friend, but the result was a little strange. Please forgive me!
Su Ze was in the midst of deep and boundless darkness, surrounded by an indescribable sense of nothingness and ethereality, as if even the air had lost its weight, becoming light and unreal.
This feeling of unreality came like a tide, hitting his fragile nerves wave after wave, causing him to frown.
When he slowly opened his heavy eyes, the scene before him was even more shocking - in the boundless darkness, a huge figure was tightly bound by countless chains that flashed with cold light, unable to move.
The deep red light emanating from that figure was particularly dazzling in the darkness, like a rising sun, illuminating everything around it, yet it also carried a sense of majesty and oppression that could not be ignored.
"hiss--"
A sudden sharp pain erupted from the depths of his mind, like a sharp blade cutting his nerves, causing Su Ze to cry out in pain.
He put his head in his hands, trying to block out the sudden pain, but to no avail.
At the same time, long-forgotten memories flooded into his mind like a tide, and those blurry and distant images gradually became clear.
"Become a Wallfacer and announce the summoning of a containment object!"
A firm and powerful voice echoed in his heart. That was his former mission and the driving force that kept him moving forward.
Then, a series of familiar numbers flashed through his mind - "096, 173, 343..."
Each number represents the existence of a special object. They were once the objects of his battles and also his companions.
As his memory gradually became clearer, Su Ze's eyes gradually regained focus, from being scattered at first to becoming solid and deep.
His heart went through a process of confusion, shock, and eventual calm, as if he had experienced a baptism of the soul.
At this moment, he is no longer the confused and helpless traveler, but a warrior with firm beliefs and mission.
And at the same time.
In that alien space shrouded in deep darkness, Crimson Wade's consciousness seemed to be gently touched by an invisible force. Then, a cold and mechanical prompt sound rang out in his mind, like an ancient bell, penetrating the dust of time.
[Host detected nearby, transplantation begins now! ]
This sudden information did not cause any panic to Crimson Wade. Instead, it caused a faint smile to appear on the corner of his mouth.
He knew very well that this so-called "transplant" was nothing more than a futile attempt by the foreign system in his body to find a new host.
During this time, this existence that did not belong to him depended on him like a parasite.
Now that he finally has the opportunity to escape, how can he not feel relaxed and relieved?
[Transplantation in progress... 1%... 2%...]
As the numbers continued to climb, Crimson Vader felt even calmer.
He closed his eyes and let the power surge in his body without any resistance.
As the incarnation of the supreme divinity, he had long transcended the constraints of the mortal world and naturally disdained such trivial matters.
The instigator of all this was Su Ze, whom he had just helped.
The relationship between the two can be traced back to the distant Blue Star, which was once their battlefield and also the starting point of their common growth.
Over two years, countless clashes and confrontations have made their relationship complicated. They are both rivals and old friends.
At this moment, when their eyes met again, an indescribable tension filled the air.
In that look, there was a faint hostility towards past grudges, as well as a deep remembrance of that shared experience.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment, turning all grudges and hatreds into silent gazes.
Crimson Vader knew clearly that although he had suffered a lot during the time he was imprisoned by the plunderer civilization, he had also been liberated to some extent.
Those plunderers, like an endless war machine, constantly provided him with "nutrients", allowing him to find a certain balance in his painful emotions.
His hatred for Su Ze had long faded with the passage of time, and he even began to feel a little grateful.
After all, it was Su Ze's appearance that allowed him to break free from the constraints of the system and regain his freedom.
Su Ze also had mixed feelings.
He remembered that he had given up control of his body at a critical moment, but Crimson Vader did not show mercy and was still determined to destroy the Three-Body Civilization.
But this time, it was Crimson Vader who came to the rescue again, allowing him to cross the barriers of time and space, come to this mysterious place, and retrieve his lost memories and systems.
This complex emotion made him feel both indescribable gratitude and a trace of guilt that was hard to let go when facing Crimson Vader.
So, in this strange space full of unknowns and mysteries, the two former enemies were now speechless, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward.
However, it was this embarrassment that caused subtle changes in their relationship.
Suddenly, Crimson Wade's deep and magnetic voice blew through the quiet air like a spring breeze, gently breaking the oppressive silence.
His eyes were full of curiosity and inquiry, as if he could see into the deepest secrets of people's hearts. He stared at Su Ze and asked, "It's really puzzling, why do you still keep my face?"
Su Ze couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart when he heard this.
He seemed to wake up from a long dream, and his fingers gently slid across his cheek.
The rough touch made him suddenly realize that the body he was occupying at the moment was actually a replica of Crimson Vader.
Every inch of skin and every contour is identical to the other.
He frowned slightly, trying to use the power of his mind to restore this body to its original appearance.
But no matter how hard he tried, his body seemed to be bound by invisible shackles and did not move at all. Instead, it gradually became transparent and illusory, as if it would disappear into thin air at any time.
This sudden change left Su Ze stunned.
His heart was filled with doubts and confusion.
He looked around, trying to find the answer, but all he saw was emptiness. There was nothing else except him and Crimson Vader.
At this moment, Crimson Wade's voice sounded again, his eyes became sharp, as if he could penetrate all illusions, and pointed directly behind Su Ze: "It seems that what you came here is not your real body."
Su Ze was shocked when he heard this.
He turned around suddenly following the other person's gaze, and saw an illusory and smooth oval door suddenly appear in his sight.
The door emitted a faint glow, like a portal to another world.
At the other end of the door is a huge red halo, which slowly rotates and emits dazzling light, shrouding everything in mystery and solemnity.
Within the circle of light, Su Ze was surprised to find that he was also standing there with his eyes closed, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.
And around him stood several other genetic warriors, they were also motionless, as if time had frozen at this moment.
The scene was so bizarre that Su Ze couldn't help but wonder if he was experiencing a dream or the legendary out-of-body experience.
"This...what on earth is going on?"
There was a slight tremor in Su Ze's voice. He tried to calm himself down and tried to find the answer from the scene before him.
However, he was not a physicist, and he felt confused and ignorant about this phenomenon beyond common sense.
Crimson Vader stared at Suze quietly.
He seemed to know something, but he didn't say it directly. He just said lightly: "Maybe this is the legendary soul leaving the body?"
Su Ze: “…”
The corners of Crimson Wade's mouth curled up into a cold smile, which looked particularly cold in the dim light, as if it could freeze the air around it. "By the way, your current appearance is really depressing.
Su Ze, now that you have fallen into such a state, can you still hope to return to that distant blue planet?"
His voice was low and magnetic, and every word was like a hammer, hitting Su Ze's heart.
Su Ze lowered his eyes when he heard this. After a moment of silence, he slowly raised his head and scanned the dark surroundings, finally landing on the complex chains that bound Crimson Wade.
The chains flashed with a strange light, as if containing an ancient and powerful power.
He chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm: "It seems that you are quite satisfied with your situation. This single room is not only spacious, but also allows you to draw strength in the darkness. It is really a 'natural advantage'."
Crimson Vader shook his head slightly, with a trace of disdain in his eyes: "To me, the environment is nothing but an external thing. Even in this dark place, I can find a way to make myself stronger. After all, I am nourished by war and negative emotions."
His words revealed an almost crazy confidence, as if the whole world was just dust under his feet.
"So what?" Su Ze retorted, "Don't think I'm giving up."
As long as my containment is still on Blue Planet and as long as the system can be restored, I will have a way to reestablish contact and find my way home!
His words revealed a firm belief, and even though he did not say the second half of the sentence, his determination was evident.
However, at this moment, a sudden change broke the confrontation between the two.
Crimson Wade's expression suddenly became solemn. He turned his head abruptly and looked in a certain direction. There was originally deep darkness there, but at this moment there was a faint light flickering.
"White beams of light..."
Su Ze also noticed this abnormality. He followed Crimson Wade's gaze and saw a dazzling light gradually appearing in the darkness.
Then, a team of tall raiders in combat uniforms slowly walked into the area.
Their appearance was like an announcement that Su Ze's whereabouts were exposed.
"It seems that your intrusion has attracted their attention." Crimson Wade's voice became cold. He turned back to look at Su Ze, with a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "You should leave. This is not a place for you to stay for long."
Su Ze's heart sank suddenly.
He was well aware that his current situation was extremely bad. The system transplant had not yet been completed, and the enemy had already arrived.
But he couldn't just give up like that.
Blue Star, his friends, and the lives waiting for him to save...all of this made it impossible for him to escape.
"I can't leave." Su Ze gritted his teeth and looked ahead firmly, "The system hasn't been transplanted yet, I can't give up halfway.
Besides, I may not be able to defeat these predators."
Crimson Wade was slightly stunned, then a playful smile appeared on his lips: "Oh? It seems that you are more persistent than I thought. However, this does not mean that you can succeed.
The power of the predator civilization is far beyond your imagination."
However, Su Ze had no time to care about Crimson Vader's ridicule.
He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the upcoming battle.
At this moment, against the background of the deep universe, Crimson Vader's voice was like a sharp blade in the ice, piercing the silent air without any emotion. "You'd better leave, Suze. Your system transplant plan is doomed to fail."
There was a subtle hint of complex emotions in his words, but it was fleeting and then tightly wrapped by that layer of indifference.
Su Ze's body trembled slightly when he heard this, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes that were full of unwillingness and determination.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, as if he wanted to condense all his resentment and anger into this small space.
"Why...is it like this?" Su Ze's voice was low and hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying with it endless bitterness and unwillingness.
He looked up at Crimson Vader, his scarlet eyes looking even more eerie in the dim light, as if they could see into the deepest secrets of people's hearts.
Crimson Vader tilted his head slightly, and his eyes seemed to soften a little at this moment, but it was only for a moment.
"Your system said that due to your absence, the core data of the system cannot be fully connected.
It's like a puzzle that's missing a crucial piece, and no matter how hard you try, it won't be complete."
There was a hint of helplessness in his words, but more of it was respect and obedience to the rules.
When Su Ze heard this, he felt an indescribable sense of loss and despair in his heart.
He knew very well how much effort he had put into this mission and how much time and energy he had sacrificed, but in the end it was all in vain.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his emotions.
But when he opened his eyes again, they were filled with determination and resoluteness.
"I won't give up!" Although Su Ze's voice was soft, it revealed unquestionable strength.
He turned around and stepped into the flickering light of the wormhole passage without hesitation.
Just when Su Ze's figure was about to completely disappear in the wormhole passage, a team of predator soldiers suddenly emerged from the white light.
They were dressed in black armor, holding energy weapons, and exuded a cold and murderous aura.
The captain in the lead had a sharp gaze and instantly locked onto the location where Su Ze had just disappeared.
He could feel the residual spatial fluctuations and energy traces there. It was obvious that a fierce battle or some special event had just taken place here.
"Search this area!" the captain gave the order, his voice full of unquestionable majesty.
The raider soldiers quickly dispersed and began to carefully search every inch of space.
Their movements were agile and orderly, and they were obviously elite warriors who had undergone rigorous training.
However, when they arrived at the scene, the spatial fluctuation had gradually dissipated.
All that was left was emptiness and silence, as if everything that had just happened was just an illusion.
The raider soldiers looked at each other, confusion and puzzlement in their eyes.
They know they are missing out on something important.
The captain frowned, his eyes falling on Crimson Vader again.
He could sense the powerful aura and dangerous atmosphere emanating from this mysterious figure.
But what surprised him was that Crimson Vader looked at him fearlessly, and those scarlet eyes seemed to contain endless wisdom and power.
"Who were you talking to just now?" the captain asked in a deep voice, with a hint of vigilance and alertness in his voice.
He could feel that Crimson Vader was no ordinary man and he had to be careful in dealing with him.
Crimson Vader smiled slightly, and that smile seemed to hide countless secrets and conspiracies.
"I was just talking to myself." He said lightly, as if he didn't care about the other party's identity and purpose.
The captain became even more confused after hearing this.
But he also understood that now was not the time to ask these questions.
He threw out a detection ball for real-time monitoring. After the ball spun several times in the air, it turned into a ray of light and shot into the depths of the surrounding space.
That is one of the unique technological means of the predators, which can detect any abnormalities or dangers hidden in the dark.
"Let's go!" The captain gave the order to retreat.
He knew that there was no point in staying here, so he could only give up the area temporarily and wait for a better time to explore again.
The plunderer soldiers quickly gathered together, followed the captain's steps, stepped back into the white light, and disappeared at the other end of the wormhole.
Crimson Vader watched their backs disappear again in the white light, the red light in his eyes flickering.
A mysterious smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, as if everything was under his control.
"A few more puppets..." he whispered to himself, his voice full of confidence and expectation.
He knew that these raider soldiers would be an important part of his plan, adding strength to his achievement of that grand goal.