There Must Be Something Wrong With This Game!

Monitors lining the path lit up one by one, and enormous eyes materialized on the screens.

The eyes were magnified to such a degree that Duan Fei could make out fine details within them. He saw an affection for Hyena, like that of a doting grandparent—an emotion impossible to fake.

The hallway’s defensive measures were thorough. Massive lead plates provided physical protection while also isolating the area’s signals from the outside, preventing detection.

At the end of the hallway, Duan Fei saw the Elder of this place: Pops.

It was a massive cultivation tank. Sealed within was a brain several times larger than a normal human’s, with numerous electrodes connected to it.

A turquoise liquid filled the entire tank. Seen through the fluid, the brain inside looked as if it had been corrupted, creating a strong sense of revulsion.

A swarm of drones floated in the air. Each had an LCD screen, and together they formed a single, enormous electronic eye.

"Hyena, it’s been a while. I’m truly glad you’ve come to see me. I’m happy even if you have ulterior motives."

"You already figured it out?" Hyena asked, climbing onto a discarded computer chassis.

"Yes. But I’m also relieved. You’ve finally decided to take me out and usurp my position. Come on, then. The title of Elder is all yours. Now, if you’d be so kind, just smash my cultivation tank."

"...You don’t get it at all!" Hyena roared. "I told you, I’ve forgotten everything from before! I can’t remember what you wanted me to do!"

"But I get the feeling you’re lying to me."

"...Talking to you is exhausting. This is a friend of mine. He’s decided to help me rob the Memory Bank. He doesn’t have a personal terminal, though, so could you please set one up for him? Right, and my own terminal seems to have a problem. The moment I went topside, I got a warrant on me."

The swarm of drones flew in front of Duan Fei and began to observe him from all angles.

The swarm then flew back to its original position, and the Elder’s voice echoed around them. "How interesting. He hasn’t undergone any physical modifications. How has he survived this long? Don’t tell me... you’re a Descender?"

"You wouldn’t happen to know Gale, would you?" Duan Fei asked, probing.

"That’s right. So you really are a Descender."

Duan Fei wasn’t surprised that he knew the term.

After all, in the last event instance, Beist and Winston had encountered Gale. It was only logical that a Descender would appear in this instance as well.

Duan Fei had only mentioned Gale as a probe, but he hadn’t expected Gale to have actually been here. This "Corruption Intrusion" event was starting to get interesting.

’Appearing in one instance could be a coincidence. Appearing in two could only mean the administrator is a narcissist.’

Discovering they had a mutual acquaintance, the Elder became much more talkative.

"Gale was a fascinating fellow. Suave and sophisticated, but utterly despicable. He and I accomplished great things back in the day. I still remember how he’d play along with all those corporations while slowly engineering their downfall. Trapping and killing those CEOs one by one... it was the greatest scheme I’ve ever witnessed. They went to their graves without ever knowing who was responsible."

"Quite the character. Just imagining it is captivating," Duan Fei remarked with a sigh.

"Is there something wrong with you two’s moral compass?" Hyena said, frowning. "And what’s a Descender? Aren’t you going to explain, Pops?"

"My apologies. I got a little sentimental thinking about an old friend. It’s not important who the Descenders are, but you need to be wary of them. If he promises to help you with something, you can trust him, for now. All right, I’m going to make this Descender a personal terminal."

A data cable snaked out from the side, a small chip adhered to its tip. Before Duan Fei could react, the chip attached itself to his shoulder.

"This is your personal terminal. I used the identity of someone who’s been dead for a while to create your profile. Once you’re topside and connect to the Moral Code, this data will hack itself in and inject your profile. You won’t have to worry about the Law Enforcers anymore."

With one problem solved, Duan Fei let out a long sigh of relief. He thanked the Elder, then asked the question that was foremost on his mind.

Why could those movements cleanse the corruption?

"Those movements... It’s a method Gale left behind. I just have a feeling it’s very effective at eliminating certain influences, and that those influences all come from above. Descender, may I ask a favor of you? Can you help me investigate the source of this so-called ’corruption’ of yours?"

"I was going to do that anyway."

"Thank you. I’ll give you a reward, which will include the method Gale left behind. As for you, Hyena, expose your personal terminal."

Hyena pulled open his shirt, revealing his personal terminal.

Unlike Duan Fei’s compact terminal, Hyena’s looked somewhat clunky—clearly a last-generation model.

The mechanical tentacles spent significantly more time working on him.

Dozens of mechanical tentacles made meticulous adjustments. The entire process took nearly an hour before the work on Hyena’s personal terminal was complete.

Once the work was done, the Elder spoke to them. "That’s it. Try to avoid the Law Enforcers. They seem to have updated their algorithms recently. Hyena, I don’t care what you want to do; that’s your freedom. Chang’an City fights for freedom. As long as you don’t violate the freedom of others, I won’t interfere with yours."

"I understand, Pops."

"Trust the person with you. I get the sense he’s someone you can rely on. But don’t bring the flames of war to Chang’an City. This is our last haven."

"Understood, Pops."

After leaving the Elder’s dwelling, Hyena looked at Duan Fei in confusion. "What exactly are you Descenders?"

"Why does an NPC like you need to know so much? Let’s just hurry up and rob the Memory Bank."

"Hold on. Right now, you’re the only member of my squad. We need to go recruit some people first."

Duan Fei turned, grabbed a crowbar, and smacked it hard against Hyena’s leg, leaving a small dent in his cybernetics.

"What was that for?!" Hyena cried, rubbing his cybernetics in dismay.

"So you’re telling me this whole damn team is just me and my bird?"

"Hey, watch your language, will you?"

"Who are you cursing at!" Yan Yuan shouted. "So what if I’m a bird? Is that such a great injustice to you?!"

Hyena scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, actually... Forget it, I can’t keep up the lie. No one else wants to rob the Memory Bank. It’s dangerous with not much payoff. You’re the first person I’ve managed to rope in."

Duan Fei didn’t waste any words. He just gave Hyena a matching dent on the other leg.

Hyena was about to bemoan the damage, but when he saw Duan Fei raise the crowbar again, he hastily said, "Okay, okay, I know you’re angry, but just calm down! Help me out here. I’ll do anything you say."

"Really?"

Duan Fei’s smile sent a powerful sense of dread through Hyena.

But what else could he do? He could only nod reluctantly. "Really."

"In that case, go find your ex-girlfriend. Get her to join, too."

At that moment, the color drained from Hyena’s face.

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