Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

Jiang Chen looked at the words that kept appearing on his arm and felt his consciousness being pulled away by some force.

The words seemed to come alive, starting from his fingertips and spreading upwards along his arm.

Lines of tiny, glowing words are constantly writing his story.

But he knew that it wasn't him writing it, it was the library writing it.

He forced himself to calm down, reactivated his reconnaissance skills, and his pale golden vision swept across every corner of the library.

He needs to find that book, the one that's being written about him.

But the library is so big, with millions of books, that finding a single one is almost impossible.

But the feedback from his reconnaissance skills gave him a clue.

In the very center of the library, there was an area he hadn't noticed before.

It was a small, circular square with a stone pedestal in the center, on which sat a book.

The book was glowing, not from light, but from its own light, like a faint heart beating.

Jiang Chen ran in that direction.

He ran through rows of bookshelves, around piles of scattered books, and sprinted toward the central square.

The words on his arm had spread to his shoulder, and he could feel his memories being read, transcribed, and solidified onto the pages of the book.

He ran to the central square and saw the book.

The book was closed, with no title on the cover, only a line of text written in the old prophetic script—

[Jiang Chen: The Last Page of Test Subject No. 074]

The cover is made of a special material; it's neither paper nor leather, but a semi-transparent silver material, like solidified liquid.

Through the cover, you can see the words on the pages inside glowing, dancing, and constantly growing.

Jiang Chen reached for the book, but just as his fingers were about to touch the cover, a golden barrier suddenly appeared around the book, repelling him.

He took a few steps back, steadied himself, and stared at the barrier.

The barrier was made up of countless tiny golden runes, which spun rapidly like a never-ending vortex.

He recognized the runes—the same runes on Shigure's body, the same runes on the crystal pillar.

This is the power of the old version of the core protocol.

He needs to break through this barrier to get the book.

He drew his dagger and slashed at the barrier with all his might.

The blade struck the barrier with a sharp metallic clang, and the impact sent numbness through his arm, nearly causing him to drop the dagger.

The barrier remained completely still.

He needs another way.

He closed his eyes and recalled the code in Appendix S.

That piece of old code he couldn't understand. He couldn't understand it, but he could sense that it contained some kind of power.

He took out the silver chip, placed it on his forehead, and the chip emitted a warm sensation. Then, a message flooded into his mind.

It's not words, it's not images, it's a kind of "understanding".

He understood the meaning of that code.

That piece of code was the last line of defense in the old version of the core protocol; it was a "backdoor".

When the system determines that an object is "uncontrollable data", it will initiate a "formatting" process to completely delete the object from the system.

However, there is a vulnerability in the formatting process.

There will be a brief "confirmation period" before formatting begins.

During the verification period, formatting will be canceled as long as the object can prove that it is "not internal system data".

The method to prove this is to add an "external signature" at the end of this code.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes.

He understood that he didn't need to break down the barrier; he needed to make the barrier think that he "didn't belong here."

He bit his finger and used his blood to draw the symbol at the end of Appendix S—an inverted hourglass—on the blade of the dagger.

Then he raised his dagger again and slashed at the barrier.

This time, the blade encountered no resistance.

The golden runes on the barrier seemed to dissolve and split to the sides the moment they came into contact with the inverted hourglass symbol.

Jiang Chen's dagger pierced through the barrier, then his hand, and then his body.

He stood in front of the pedestal.

The book was right in front of him, emitting a soft glow.

He reached out and picked up the book. The book was very light, as if it had no weight.

But he could sense that the book contained all of his own memories and consciousness.

He turned to the last page—on that page, there was only one line of text, constantly flashing:

[...and then, Test Subject No. 074 became part of the library.]

That's how it ended for him—if he hadn't stopped it.

Jiang Chen grabbed that page with his fingers and tore it off forcefully.

stab-

A page was torn from the book.

The light in the book went out instantly, and the words that were spreading across his arm stopped growing.

Then it begins to recede, like the tide going out.

He looked down at the last page in his hand.

The words on that page are fading and disappearing.

Finally, the entire page became blank, like a new sheet of paper that had never been written on.

He won.

[Third stop - Endless Library, completed]

[Clearance Rating: S]

[Rewards Received: Old Version Core Protocol Appendix S (Read), Old Version Decoder (Used), Old Version Memory Fragment Zero x1]

[Reward Description: You have gained the "External Signature" ability. In future versions, you can use this signature to bypass any defense barriers based on older versions of the core protocol.]

Jiang Chen folded the blank pages and put them in his pocket.

Then he turned around, walked out of the central square, and followed the path he had come from back to the archway.

He glanced back at the vast library, millions of books, millions of deleted worlds.

They were once real, created, explored, and then forgotten.

But now, at least in someone's memory, they have come back to life.

He stepped through the archway and walked back to the train along the path of glowing pages.

The train was still there, its doors open, as if waiting for him.

He boarded the train, and the doors closed behind him.

Inside the carriage, the passengers remained seated, their expressions blank.

But Jiang Chen noticed a subtle change in their expressions.

It was no longer complete numbness, but rather a faint, lingering expectation.

He sat in his seat, looking out the window.

The train slowly started moving and disappeared into the darkness.

He had three things in his pocket:

Two flowers—one a wildflower, the other a gardenia;

A blank page—once his last page.

Four more trials awaited him, but he was no longer anxious.

Because he knew that Appendix S and the decoder had given him a weapon against the system.

He only needs to collect the remaining four keys, and then—he can go back, face the core of the system, and fulfill the promise he made to Shigure when he entered the Gate of Choice.

A faint light appeared in the darkness outside the window. The next stop was approaching.

[The fourth stop is approaching]

Site ID: OBS-07-DEL-04

Reason for deletion: Unknown

[Danger Level: Unknown]

[Hint: Unknown]

Jiang Chen looked at the lights getting closer and closer outside the window, gripped Appendix S in his pocket, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

No matter what the next stop is—he's ready.

Jiang Chen sat down and held the two flowers in his hands again.

The wildflowers were already somewhat wilted, but the gardenias were still fresh, emitting a faint fragrance.

He took out Appendix S, turned to the second page, and looked at the code again.

Now, with the help of the decoder, he has a deeper understanding of this code.

This is not a piece of code that can be "executed", but a piece of code that can be "referenced".

It doesn't do anything on its own, but when you reference it under certain conditions, it triggers a hidden protocol.

That agreement was Zero's final gift to those who came after him—an "undo button".

He closed the booklet and looked out the window.

The train was accelerating, and the darkness outside the window began to distort, as if countless hands were tearing space apart in the darkness.

He knew this was because the trials on the next level were far more dangerous than those on the previous levels.

The situation was so dangerous that the system had to reinforce the boundaries of the entire copy to prevent anything inside from leaking out.

He didn't know what the next level was.

But he knew he had come this far.

Having passed two trials, found Appendix S, and obtained the external signature, he will not stop here.

He gripped the three items in his pocket, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

He needs to rest before reaching the next stop.

Even if it's just for a few minutes.