“For my fallen brothers!”
Determined, the scout lunged forward, thrusting his dagger toward Wang Hao’s back.
Wang Hao sensed the danger and managed to twist his body. The blade missed his heart but sank deep into his lung.
Pain and toxins forced a raspy, monstrous cry from his throat. He swung a palm back against the scout’s chest. Though his energy was fading, it was still enough to shatter the scout’s sternum.
The scout spat blood but used his remaining strength to lock Wang Hao in a death grip, shouting into his communicator, “Do it!”
*Boom!*
The final anti-tank rocket, fired personally by Director Qian and the last one available on-site, struck the two entangled figures with pinpoint accuracy.
After the explosion, only a charred crater remained, surrounded by scattered limbs.
Wang Hao, the host of the “System” who had caused over 100,000 deaths, was finally killed.
An eerie silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the crackle of flames and the groans of the wounded.
The few remaining Containment Personnel supported each other, stumbling as they gathered around the site. Every face was covered in blood and dust, etched with exhaustion and grief.
To take down this host, they had paid a devastating price; almost the entire tactical squad had been wiped out.
A Kun-rank operator, dragging an injured leg, struggled to operate a portable energy detector, aiming it at Wang Hao’s barely recognizable remains.
The data on the screen flickered rapidly.
Suddenly, the operator’s pupils shrank, and he cried out in shock, “Something’s wrong! High-energy reaction! It’s not a residue from the host… it’s… it’s the Strange Object itself! It’s transferring!”
The detector clearly recorded that within 0.3 seconds of Wang Hao’s life signs vanishing —
An incredibly subtle yet powerful energy fluctuation broke through the containment field in an incomprehensible way. It fled toward the southeast at a speed that exceeded the device’s tracking limit.
“Reporting to Director Qian! Strange Object ‘System’… has transferred! I repeat, the System has transferred! Heading southeast, speed… uncalculable!” The operator’s voice carried a mix of disbelief and despair.
They had sacrificed so much to kill the host, yet they couldn’t even delay the Strange Object for a moment. It was like a truly formless ghost, finding new prey the instant its old vessel was destroyed.
Director Qian looked at the wreckage and the scarred, sorrowful faces of his subordinates. He took a deep breath of the hot, metallic air, suppressing the weight in his heart. He spoke hoarsely into his communicator:
“Record: Host Wang Hao, confirmed killed. Strange Object ‘System’… successfully transferred within 0.3 seconds of host death. Direction: Southeast. Alert all perimeter units, increase vigilance… prepare… to face a new threat.”
Just then, He Jiulu, Sui Luowen, and Luba — having received the message from Red Crow Rabbit in the group chat — flew in from different directions. At this moment, they looked as if they were on the verge of death.
He Jiulu’s jaw had been torn away by some anomaly, leaving her upper teeth exposed. Her body was riddled with holes, making it possible to see right through her.
Sui Luowen’s body had been mysteriously sliced in half vertically; her remaining organs dangled loosely, with a few flies clinging to them.
Luba appeared to have the lightest injuries in comparison, though all the bones in her body had been shattered by some immense external force, making her movements extremely difficult.
“The Strange Object? Did you guys take care of it again… Good, we can finally rest…”
He Jiulu’s voice struggled out from her jawless mouth, sounding like a raspy wheeze filled with undeniable fatigue.
The Director, wearing a “Qian” hexagram brassard, stepped forward. His voice trembled with urgency and pain.
“No… Host Wang Hao has been killed! But the Strange Object ‘System’… it transferred the moment he died! 0.3 seconds! Only 0.3 seconds! Our instruments tracked it fleeing southeast at an uncalculable speed!”
He shared the incomplete emergency intelligence received on his portable terminal, almost shouting:
“Strange Object Number: Gongjishi-119, the ‘System’! It is formless and immaterial, specifically binding to hosts with low moral standards. It issues tasks, grants rewards, and creates chaos!”
“It is extremely dangerous. The previous host caused over 100,000 casualties! We must find the new host and implement containment immediately!” The situation was too dire to allow for a moment’s breath.
Despite everyone being covered in wounds, Director Qian immediately organized the survivors. Combining the fragmented information just received, he quickly formulated a skeletal response plan:
“First, immediately issue a maximum priority alert to all surveillance networks and Gongjishi sensor nodes in the southeast region. Search for any abnormal energy fluctuations or sudden, drastic behavioral changes in individuals!”
“Second, notify all field units in that area. They are to carry portable consciousness interference devices. If a suspicious target is found, prioritize isolation. Do not approach or attack recklessly!”
“Third, contact headquarters. Request the immediate dispatch of a Containment Personnel reserve team. They must bring Type-B consciousness shielding units to the southeast region and stand by! Fourth, the three Eshu…”
He looked at the mangled forms of He Jiulu, Sui Luowen, and Luba, his voice raspy. “Please… you must hold on. Track the Strange Object’s movements. It has likely already bound itself to a new host!”
The orders were given in a hurried, desperate manner. Everyone understood they were in a race against a terrifying entity that could transfer instantly and rapidly catalyze a host’s destructive potential.
—
At almost the same moment the “System” transferred, about 5 kilometers to the southeast, inside an old office building.
“Wang Xiaoqiang! Is your brain stuck in a door?! How could you make such a rookie mistake?!”
A middle-aged man in a cheap suit with greasy hair was screaming, spit flying, as he pointed at a young employee’s nose.
His name was Zhao Dezhu, and he was the sales manager for this small trading company.
“I… I didn’t mean to, Manager Li. There was just so much data, I might have missed a line…”
The young man, Wang Xiaoqiang, lowered his head, his voice as quiet as a mosquito’s hum.
“Missed a line? Do you have any idea how much money that one line of data almost cost the company?! Huh?!”
Zhao Dezhu’s voice rose another octave, his face full of disdain and impatience. “You young people nowadays are all talk and no action! No talent, but plenty of excuses! You’re nothing but trash!”
He was so caught up in his tirade that he didn’t notice a blue, translucent, high-tech interface suddenly appearing in his vision — something only he could see — the moment he finished speaking.
**[Strong sense of superiority and desire for dominance detected. Flexible moral baseline confirmed. Binding requirements met.]**
**[“Strongest Life Winner System” binding in progress… 10%… 50%… 100%. Binding successful!]**