Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 150 seconds]

The light from the heart began to flicker erratically.

It was no longer pale blue, but a mixture of white, purple and dark red light, like a collapsing star.

Jiang Chen suddenly thought of something.

"Shigure. You said you've been in this game for a long time."

"right."

Where is the old version of the management office?

Shi Yu was stunned for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"S-07 Management Room"

Jiang Chen asked, "Do you think the new version of the S-07 management room is the same place as the old version?"

Shigure's eyes gradually grew bigger.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Chen pressed.

"map."

The sound of the rain was a little ethereal.

"I just said the maps don't match, but they're not just mismatched, they're completely different."

The new version of the S-07 control room is in the east wing, but I remember the old version was in the west wing.

The directions in both places are opposite.

"In the opposite direction."

Jiang Chen grasped the essence of that word.

"It's like a mirror image."

"right."

Shi Yu's expression changed.

"It's like two completely different areas being pieced together. Or rather—"

"Or rather, a certain area from the old version has been retained, only its location has changed."

Jiang Chen said, "If we could get into the old version of the management room—"

"That diary might still be there."

Shi Yu chimed in, "And it's the complete version, not just the fragments Zhong Yuan left behind."

The light from the heart flickered intensely once more.

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 120 seconds.]

120 seconds, two minutes.

Jiang Chen glanced at the heart, then at the system panel.

The countdown continues, and the light from the heart still flickers erratically.

It was using its last strength to tell them: time is running out.

"Walk."

He made a decision.

"Let's go back to the management office."

"Which way?"

Shi Yu asked, "New version or old version?"

This question surprised Jiang Chen.

They've been to the new version of the management office, but they might have missed something.

Or, that address points to another location.

The old version's management office was in the "West Wing," but the new version's map doesn't show the West Wing at all.

If the two versions were indeed superimposed, then the older version of the West Wing might be hidden somewhere they haven't discovered.

or--

"crack."

Jiang Chen said, "A crack in the rules."

Shi Yu looked at him.

"What?"

"The safe zone marked on the map is not actually located in the same place as described; that's the crack."

Jiang Chen said, "If we can find this crack, we can enter the old version of the management room."

But they ran out of time.

The countdown continues.

Just then, the light emanating from the heart suddenly stabilized for a moment.

Then a line of words appeared on the surface of my heart, clearer than ever before:

[West Wing, Third Floor, Behind the Mirror]

Jiang Chen and Shi Yu were both stunned.

It's telling them how to get there.

The heartbeat became extremely weak, as if it had exhausted its last strength. The words lingered for only three seconds, then disappeared.

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 90 seconds]

90 seconds.

Jiang Chen looked at the line of words that had disappeared, and then glanced at the countdown.

West wing, third floor, behind the mirror.

It gave them the answer.

But how do I get there?

"Shigure".

His voice was urgent: "The new S-07 control room is in the east wing. What's on the third floor?"

Shigure quickly recalled.

"There is a full-length mirror, and the reward notice board for clearing the level is right next to the mirror."

"Floor-length mirror".

Jiang Chen grasped the essence of that word.

What's on the other side of the full-length mirror?

Shi Yu's expression changed.

"The other side of the reward notice board is a wall."

She said, "But what if this mirror connects to another space—"

"That's the crack."

Jiang Chen said, "Shi Yu, you can see things that others can't. What have you seen in that mirror?"

Shigure remained silent for three seconds.

Those three seconds felt like three years.

Then she spoke, her voice soft but firm:

"A door."

Jiang Chen's blood rushed to his head.

"A silver-gray metal door."

Shi Yu said, looking directly at him, "It's exactly the same as what you see now."

She pointed behind them.

It points to that collapsing heart.

Pointing to the door that reads "System Core - Unauthorized Entry Prohibited".

"This door."

She said, "It was in the old version. I thought I was seeing things, but it turns out it wasn't."

Jiang Chen suddenly turned around and looked at the door.

It's still there. The silvery-gray metallic surface reflects the light of a collapsing heart.

If Shiyu had seen this door in the older version—

If this door existed in the older version—

What does that mean?

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 60 seconds.]

60 seconds.

Jiang Chen looked at the door, then at Shi Yu, and then at the heart that was about to be forcibly restarted.

He has to make a choice.

Staying here, watching the consciousness restart, I wonder what it will become after the restart.

Let's go back to that mirror and see if we can get into the old version of the management room and find that complete document.

or--

He has a third option.

He looked at the silver-gray door.

【System Core】

[Unauthorized entry prohibited]

But what if he inputs a wake-up command?

What if he awakens it before forcibly restarting the consciousness?

The light emanating from the heart grew increasingly unstable, as it used its last strength to maintain its existence and resist the command to force a restart.

It is waiting.

Waiting for a wake-up command.

It's waiting for someone to come and save it.

"Shigure".

Jiang Chen's voice was very steady, so steady that even he himself was a little surprised.

"Do you think this thing will help us or kill us after it wakes up?"

Shigure was silent for a second.

"have no idea."

She said, "But it just saved us."

Yes, it is saving them.

With your last bit of strength, tell them the filename, tell them how to get there, tell them about the existence of that door.

It is trying to save itself.

Or, they're gambling. Gambling that they'll save it.

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 30 seconds]

Jiang Chen took a deep breath.

Then he walked toward the door.

"Jiang Chen!" Shi Yu called from behind.

"I have a gut feeling."

His voice was deep and resolute.

"This thing won't kill us."

His hand rested on the doorknob, feeling the cold metallic touch.

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 20 seconds.]

Enter the wake-up command.

He opened the system panel and hovered his finger over the input box.

Just then, the indicator light on the door lit up.

It's not a red stop light, it's green.

A faint sound came from behind the door, like an echo from a very, very far place:

"……Who are you?"

Jiang Chen stopped breathing.

The voice was faint and indistinct, but it was clearly a woman's voice.

It wasn't a mechanical sound.

It is a human voice.

"...Did you see me?"

The voice continued to ask, with a strange sense of confusion.

"You're the first...person to see me..."

[System Warning: The core consciousness is about to be forcibly restarted]

[Countdown: 10 seconds]

【9】

【8】

【7】

Jiang Chen's fingers were trembling, but he did not hesitate.

He typed a line in the input box:

"I'm here to save you."

send.

Then the world went quiet.

The light from the heart has completely disappeared.

The platform was plunged into absolute darkness.

The system prompt will no longer appear.

The countdown has stopped.

Everything stopped.

Five seconds later, a new voice rang out.

This is not a system prompt.

It's that woman's voice.

It's clear now.

"……Thank you."

Then--

[System notification: Unauthorized biometrics detected. Core area lockdown initiated.]

The door slammed shut behind them.

Jiang Chen and Shi Yu were trapped in the core area.