Cannon Fodder Counterattack System (XVI)
Cui Lan seemed to be frozen in ice and could not move.
He met Shang Li's gaze, and the child's previously obsidian eyes had turned into a bright, rich red.
The young face of only six years old, with a slightly smiling expression and strange red eyes, illuminated by the unstable dim light above, looks a bit like a fierce ghost in a horror movie who has been reborn.
The surrounding environment was still the same as the snowy night in a remote town more than 20 years ago. If Cui Lan was not extremely familiar with the person in front of him, he would probably draw his sword on the spot.
After a long while, he raised his eyebrows and asked unsurely, "Thirty-two years old?"
"Thirty-two."
Shang Li saw his unbelievable reaction and couldn't help but curl his eyes and laugh, "Oh, I accidentally gave away my younger self. I'm so sorry."
Despite this, there was no trace of apology in his tone.
"Hmm... it seems the emotion module has been repaired too. How come it happened so quickly?" He tapped his head. "I thought it would last at least ten days. How boring."
Cui Lan's mouth twitched. "If you really like the state of having a piece of your brain missing, I can help you."
Shang Li whistled briskly upon hearing this and changed the subject, "It's really strange that I can possess a living person."
He looked down at his tiny hands.
As a data ghost, it was basically only able to possess electronic products that could store information, and it was impossible for it to possess a flesh and blood body like it does now.
Shang Li raised his head again and looked around the room where he had lived for more than ten years.
The furnishings inside the room are basically old, with large sections of the walls falling off, revealing the dark gray cement underneath.
One of the legs of the bedside desk was shorter and there was a red brick underneath.
This table was replaced on the third day after Cui Lan came home - Grandma Shang took out her savings and bought a new one for them.
His eyes moved around before returning to Cui Lan's face.
If there wasn't an adult man with long hair and silver eyes right in front of him, he might have thought that he was really reborn.
Thinking of this, Shang Li couldn't help but whistled again.
That’s a good thing, I don’t want to continue being “brothers” for nearly ten years.
"Don't do that at such a young age."
Cui Lan was a little speechless, like a naughty child who had not learned his lesson. "
He dropped the quilt and sat down on the edge of the bed.
The single bed sensed the weight pressing down on it and immediately made a protesting creaking sound.
But neither of them cared.
This bed looks like it will soon collapse, but in reality it is just the sound it makes. It is still durable enough to last for another ten years.
"Weren't you unable to influence your own timeline before?"
Cui Lan reached out and ruffled Shang Li's messy short hair, and returned to the topic, "Now not only can you influence, you can even get in on the action."
"Also, I brought Xiao Jiang back successfully."
He pointed to the baby who was wrapped tightly in the bed, with only his little face showing. "At least so far, there is nothing abnormal."
"So I think that the reason you frequently report errors is not because you took Xiao Jiang out of the snow and caused 031 to fail to land, but because of you."
"I need to merge with the descended 031 to complete the time loop."
Shang Li fluently continued Cui Lan's words, "Now I am not awakening in this body as 'Shang Li', but as System 031, so naturally I am no longer in a broken state."
At this point, his mouth clenched, and he suddenly threw himself into the arms of the person in front of him, tears quickly welling up in his eyes, "What should I do? Now even the world doesn't recognize that I am Shang Li!"
Shang Li pretended to whimper, "Xiao Cui, you wouldn't..."
"You're not the one who gets the bargain."
Cui Lan instinctively hugged Shang Li who was bumping into her chest.
He lowered his eyelids and looked at the guy who was wearing a pitiful expression in his childhood body.
Although she knew it was intentional, Cui Lan couldn't help but pinch her soft cheek, but her face remained calm and indifferent, "You should know exactly what I'm thinking."
Shang Li: “Woo——”
[Bah, you bastard, so disgusting! ]
A mechanical sound suddenly rang out of nowhere.
The two people who had finally gotten close to each other froze in unison. Cui Lan looked at 568, who was lying on the table with a red data group on his head.
The dozing 568 was caught by the cold gaze and immediately jumped up, "What, what happened? !"
[You betrayed our system, you are also disgusting! 】
568: [……]
[In such a short time, where did the host get a new system from? ]
It clearly remembers that it is the only remaining offspring of the host.
Without waiting for the voice to reply, 568 was relieved. [Oh, it doesn't matter. It's probably not an important one. It won't threaten my position.]
【……】
[I am Mentor System 018. Every system that descends into this world is born through me! ]
568 shook his head blankly, [Ah, I have no idea. ]
Cui Lan, who was listening: "..."
He returned his gaze to the child in his arms.
Shang Li tilted his head back, his red lips moving constantly, [Damn it, 031 just landed, and we haven't done anything yet, and you guys are already attacking it so quickly?!]
The tone was completely different from the previous state, as if there was another consciousness in the body fighting for the dominance of the body, [How cruel, eating it alive, not even leaving the whole body! ]
Green Dumpling, who had overheard the entire conversation between the two, spoke angrily, taking advantage of Shang Li's anger.
"It's a pity. You could go and keep him company."
After he finished speaking, Shang Li quickly took back control, "By the way, I forgot to thank you for telling me so much information."
"As a reward, I will now return the favor and not hide it from you."
He said happily, "All those 'predecessors' who came here have entered my stomach. I will swallow you up soon and reunite with them."
[You, you! ]
Green Dumpling was so angry that he couldn't speak.
It could never have imagined that in this crisis-ridden world of 009, there actually existed a being that could eat and digest small fish like a big fish eating small ones.
They can even disguise themselves as the same species and follow the clues to enter their base camp!
Damn it, even if the natives of the ordinary world found any clues, shouldn't they target the time travelers? !
The green ball, who was imprisoned by Shang Li with supernatural powers, was alarmed.
It has to bring this message to the main system!
"Humph, do you think you can do anything to me?!"
Green Dumpling sneered.
Its core data, which had not yet been fully integrated, suddenly emitted a strong energy fluctuation.
That energy was far beyond any system that Convenience Store had ever seen. It broke free from the shackles of supernatural powers and squeezed out from between his forehead.
Without any hesitation, the green ball immediately flew through the closed window and into the sky.
[After all, I have been with the main system for so many years, so I have some savings. ]
“Bang!!”
In the air, a palm-sized ball emitted white light.
Under the reflection of the white snow, the whole house was as bright as day.
Immediately afterwards, a vertical beam of light emerged from it, and a stream of information rushed straight into the night sky at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
It will consume all the energy and connect to the main system!
The green ball flew upwards and gradually breathed a sigh of relief as it saw itself getting farther and farther away from the ground.
However, at the moment when its top reached the troposphere, an invisible copper and iron wall suddenly appeared in the night sky.
Looking from the side from a distance, the beam of light that had just been extending rapidly was suddenly compressed at that length and could not move forward any further.
【？ 】
Before the green ball could figure out what was going on, a crescent-shaped silver light had already arrived and passed cleanly through the middle of the connecting passage.
“Shua——”
In an instant, the beam of light shattered into star-like fragments that slowly fell back to the ground.
In the bedroom of the old house, Cui Lan faced the wide-open window and sheathed his sword.
"We've been prepared."
He said without any surprise.
568 flew out very cooperatively, caught the green ball that was trapped again by Cui Lan and Shang Li's superpowers, brought it back and placed it on the table.
The green ball couldn't believe that he was captured so easily. He shrank into the isolated space and struggled uselessly.
It noticed that two shadows, one big and one small, were gradually looming over it, and it finally couldn't help but shivering twice.
[In short, I can't admit that you are 031. ]
Even though he knew he couldn't escape, Green Dumpling still aggressively attacked Shang Li.
"You don't need to admit it."
Shang Li rested his elbows on the table, propped his face with his palms and said, "After all, no one thought of me as 031, right~"
Cui Lan and 568 nodded silently.
"568, since it is so eager to have a child, let's fulfill its wish."
Shang Li looked kindhearted, turned his head, and poked the blue dumpling next to him, "Here, help me get 031."
【OK!】
568 followed the instructions obediently and pushed the unconscious red data ball in front of the green ball.
"Look, 031 is right here."
Shang Li raised his hand and pointed at the little red ball and said to the green ball.
【You farted. 】
Green Dumpling decisively retorted, "It doesn't even have the core code, it can't be called 031 at all, it's just a bunch of data that anyone can use!"
"Why?"
Shang Li was slightly stunned for a moment, then immediately understood, "That's right, after all, for you, personality is a downloaded template."
"However, according to your logic, I, who possess the core code, should be 031 anyway, but you are unwilling to admit it. What's going on?"
He leaned on Cui Lan and said, "Xiao Cui, I feel dizzy and don't want to think."
When the green ball heard this, it couldn't think of any effective rebuttal for a moment, so it immediately directed its firepower at the helper 568.
[As a member of the system, why would you help them harm their own kind? ]
568 tilted his head and answered bluntly: [Because I am the plot correction system. ]
[I want to save this world that may collapse in the future. This is my core code.]