Weird Game: I brought an old version bug

Breathing sounds came from the darkness.

It wasn't human breathing; it sounded more like some kind of mechanical device in operation.

Rhythmic, low-pitched, like an old bellows opening and closing repeatedly.

Jiang Chen stopped and placed his hand on his waist.

"Don't move."

Shi Yu and Lin Bei also stopped.

The three of them held their breath.

Jiang Chen activated the Data Perception Fragment—this was the first time he had used this fragment.

[Data Awareness - Fragmented Documents Take Effect]

[Sensing range expanded to 50 meters, lasting for 30 seconds]

[Mental Energy Consumption: 20/45]

[Cooldown: 240 seconds]

In my field of vision, subtle ripples appeared in the darkness.

Thirty meters ahead was a huge energy body, irregularly shaped like a crumpled piece of paper, with a large amount of chaotic data flowing across its surface.

The data streams did not flow at a constant speed, but rather beat rhythmically like a pulse—three slow beats followed by one fast beat, like the heartbeat of some kind of creature.

"It's breathing," Jiang Chen said softly. "This thing is alive."

"Do data aggregates have a life of their own?" Shi Yu asked.

"It's not exactly a living thing, but it's not entirely data either," Lin Bei said. "It's somewhere in between—it has self-healing abilities, an aggressive instinct, and might even have simple emotional reactions. I saw one in a data graveyard; it would chase after people until its target was torn to pieces."

"There's something up ahead, about the size of a truck."

"A data aggregator." Lin Bei gripped his short sword tightly. "A monster forcibly fused together from old version data fragments. I saw one once in the data graveyard, and I almost couldn't escape."

"Where is the weakness?"

"Find the core—a central fragment. Destroy it, and the entire aggregate will disintegrate."

Jiang Chen nodded.

[Data Awareness: Fragmented Data Continues to Take Effect]

[Time Remaining: 22 seconds]

He scanned a faint red dot in the chaotic data stream, like a heart beating regularly.

"Found it. The core is in the very center, slightly to the left."

"Can you see what kind of protection it has around it?" Shigure asked.

"Yes. There are six layers of data membranes surrounding the core, like a cocoon. Each layer is slowly rotating in a different direction."

"Six layers...that's three more layers than a normal aggregate."

"Can it be penetrated?"

Shi Yu flexed her fingers: "Within three layers, no problem. Beyond three layers, you need to shoot continuously at the same position."

"Then let's break through the protective layer first, and then attack the core."

"clear."

Shiyu drew back the bowstring.

[Precision Shooting Lv.2 Activated]

Hit rate +30%, Critical hit rate +20%

[Mental Energy Consumption: 25/55]

The arrow shot through the air and hit its target precisely.

The aggregate let out a roar—the sound came from all over the space at the same time, shaking the ground.

"Hit!"

"But it didn't break!"

The arrow was embedded in the surface, but the dark red data stream around the core began to envelop the arrow, swallowing it up.

"It's repairing the core!"

"Continuous attack!"

Shiyu fired three arrows in quick succession, each hitting the same spot. When the third arrow struck, cracks appeared on the core's surface, and dark red light leaked out from the cracks.

"It's cracked!"

"One more time!"

Shiyu drew the bow for the fourth time, his arm trembling.

The aggregate let out a low growl, its body beginning to contort. It sensed danger, and six tentacles extended from its sides, lashing out towards Shigure.

"Be careful!"

Lin Bei swung his sword and severed two tentacles. Dark red data streams spurted from the severed ends, splattering onto the wall like blood and making a sizzling, corrosive sound.

"These tentacles are corrosive!"

"Don't get touched!"

Shigure dodged the third tentacle by flipping over, and as he rolled, he drew his bow and released an arrow.

[Quick Reload Lv.4 Start]

[Trigger: Reduces mental energy consumption by half, lasts for 3 attacks]

The fourth arrow flew out, leaving afterimages. The fifth followed closely behind.

The core shattered.

The aggregate let out a desperate roar, its body began to disintegrate, and dark red data streams scattered and dissipated into grayish-white fragments.

[Defeat Data Aggregator Lv.13]

Experience points gained: 800

[Drops: Rule Fragment x1, Old Version Data Fragment x3]

Jiang Chen picked up the broken pieces.

[Rule Fragments: Data Interference - Incomplete]

[Effect: Briefly interferes with all data streams within a 15-meter radius, disabling the target's skills/interrupting data connections for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 300 seconds. Costs 35 Spirit Points per use.]

"nice one."

Shi Yu put away her short bow: "Let's go."

"etc."

Jiang Chen picked up three grayish-white data fragments and held them up to his eyes.

[Old Version Data Fragments - Broken]

【ID:07-09-Administrator-Log】

"This is the old version of the administrator's operation log."

Lin Bei took out the decoder and connected it.

[Decoding in progress...]

[Data fragment integrity: 23%]

Several lines of text appeared on the screen.

[Old Version System Administrator Operation Log, Volume 47]

【记录时间：旧曆47年·霜降·第22日·22:47:13】

Operator: Admin-07

[Operation Description: Perform a core system data integrity check]

【22:51:08——发现模块07-02数据异常，正在尝试修复】

[22:53:41——Repair failed, requesting advanced permissions]

[22:55:19 - Advanced privileges request approved]

[Approver: No record - Approver field is empty]

"The approver field is empty?" Lin Bei frowned. "Did the system approve it automatically?"

"Impossible. The system doesn't approve automatically; it requires manual confirmation from an administrator."

"There's only one explanation—the person who approved it isn't recorded in the system."

"So, there's a 'ghost administrator' in the system?" Shi Yu asked.

"You can understand it that way. Someone who exists in the system, but has no identity record."

"How did he get administrator privileges?"

"I didn't get it," Jiang Chen said.

"It was given to him by the system."

When older versions of the system start up, they will by default grant the first batch of administrators the highest privileges.

If any of the administrators deletes their identity record before the system starts, the system will not record their information, but their permissions will still exist.

Lin Bei understood: "So, this 'ghost administrator' has existed from the beginning—the system granted him permissions, but no one knows his identity."

"Yes. He's the 'invisible man' in the system," Jiang Chen said. "Admin-07 probably got his high-level privileges with his help too."

"What if that person was deleted before the system started?"

Shi Yu was stunned: "Deleted?"

"Yes. When the old version of the system starts up, it records the identity information of all administrators. But if someone deletes their identity record before the system starts up, they are 'non-existent' in the system, with no identity, no permissions, and no record."

"But how did he manage to apply for it with advanced privileges?"

"He doesn't need to go through the approval process. He can directly modify the approval result before the system approves it," Jiang Chen said. "He's outside the system and not bound by its rules."

Lin Bei was silent for a few seconds: "So, the system crash was caused by a 'non-existent' person?"

"right."

"Then how can we investigate?"

"Check operation traces - the system logs will record IP address, physical location, and operating devices."

"Only 23% of the fragments are intact, which is not enough."

"Then let's find more fragments."

The three continued on their way.

The points of light floated in the darkness like fireflies, guiding the way. Jiang Chen kept a close eye on those points of light, not daring to relax for a moment.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they encountered the second data aggregation.

Smaller than the first, but more active. Like a raging beast, it roams back and forth in the darkness, data fragments constantly peeling off its body surface, only to be replaced by new ones.

"This thing is feeding," Lin Bei said. "It's absorbing fragments of older data from the surrounding area to strengthen itself."

"Can I interrupt?"

"Yes. But you must attack the instant it absorbs a new fragment—that's when its defense is at its lowest."

Jiang Chen stared at the aggregate, searching for patterns.

The aggregate pauses every ten seconds, and dark red spots of light appear on its surface—that is when its defense is at its lowest, the moment it absorbs the fragments.

"A cycle lasts ten seconds. During the pause, the core will be exposed for three seconds."

"This time, we'll finish this quickly."

Shigure struck first, his precise shot hitting the core. The aggregate, in pain, turned around, and eight data tentacles simultaneously lashed out at Shigure.

"Wait for it to stop!"

Jiang Chen started timing. One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The aggregate raged wildly, its tentacles leaving deep scratches on the walls.

"Seven seconds, eight seconds, nine seconds—"

The tenth second.

The polymer stopped.

"Now!"

Shiyu drew his bow, and the arrow drew an arc in the darkness, hitting the core precisely.

The aggregate let out a piercing roar, its body trembling violently. But its pause lasted only three seconds—after three seconds, it went into a berserk state again, and all eight tentacles lashed out at Shigure simultaneously.

"Get out of the way!"

Lin Bei slashed from the side, severing two tentacles with his short sword. Dark red data streams gushed from the severed ends of the tentacles, spurting out like blood.

Jiang Chen activated the rule chain and used reconnaissance to lock onto the core coordinates.

"The core is located slightly to the left of the abdomen, about two meters from the ground!"

Shigure dodged the tentacle attack by flipping over, and then drew his bow and released an arrow in mid-air.

Three arrows struck the same spot in quick succession. The core cracked, and dark red light surged from the cracks.

The aggregate emitted a piercing roar, and its body began to disintegrate.

The battle ended in three minutes.

[Defeat Data Aggregator Lv.11]

Experience points gained: 600

[Drop: 2 old version data fragments]

[Decoding in progress...]

Data fragment integrity: +15%

Current overall completeness: 38%

[New content loaded:]

【22:57:02——Admin-07尝试进入模块07-02核心区域，被拒绝】

Reason for rejection: Insufficient permissions - Abnormal operator identity detected.

[22:58:34——Admin-07 has bypassed permission checks and is injecting data]

[Injected Data: Version Termination Agreement - Core Code Snippet]

[22:59:17 - Data injection successful, awaiting system response]

[23:00:00——The system detected unauthorized data writing and is performing emergency repairs]

[Repair Result: Failed - Abnormal data has spread to the system core]

"See? Admin-07 bypassed the permission check and injected the version termination agreement."

"In other words, Admin-07 not only knows the system's underlying architecture, but also possesses tools to bypass permission checks," Lin Bei said. "This is not something an ordinary administrator could do."

"He is indeed a member of Project Morning Star," Jiang Chen said. "Only the designers know how to bypass the rules they set."

Shi Yu stared at the screen: "But there's still one question—why did he choose 11 PM sharp for the injection? Is there any special significance to this time?"

"System core data backup time," Jiang Chen said. "The old version of the system automatically backed up the core data every day at 23:00. If he injected abnormal data one second before the backup was completed, the system would back up the abnormal data as well."

"So, even the backup data was contaminated?"

"Yes. That's why older system versions can't be restored from backups after a crash, because the backups themselves are faulty," Jiang Chen said. "Admin-07's calculations are very precise; it calculated every single step."

"How did he get around it?"

"It's not mentioned in the log. But he used some kind of external tool."

Lin Bei frowned: "So, Admin-07 is backed by some kind of organization?"

"possible."

Jiang Chen stood up and looked ahead. The points of light were denser than before, like a road paved with starlight.

"We're almost there. Control room 07-01 is just ahead."

"What's in the control room?" Shigure asked.

"I don't know. But since it's the heart of Project Morningstar, it should contain the most critical data," Jiang Chen said. "The original version design documents, system architecture diagrams, administrator lists—everything is in there."

"What if Admin-07 is in there?"

"He's not here," Jiang Chen said. "He's been gone for 47 years. But what he left behind may be more valuable than anything else."

The three quickened their pace. After walking about five hundred meters, real light appeared ahead, a warm yellow. It shone through a crack in a door, the color of the setting sun.

The door was half open, with a gap just wide enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

Jiang Chen pushed open the door and went inside.

Behind the door was a huge room, about half the size of a basketball court, and at least five meters high.

The room was filled with a dense array of consoles and screens, with data streaming at an extremely high speed, like waterfalls of data cascading down the walls, emitting a low hum.

The control consoles are arranged in a ring and divided into three layers. The outermost layer is the data monitoring console, which displays the operating status of each module of the system. Most of them are marked in red and show the words "offline" or "damaged".

The middle layer is the control panel, with buttons, knobs, a keyboard, and some interfaces he doesn't understand.

The innermost layer is a separate elevated platform, connected only by a narrow passage.

In the center of the room, there was a huge circular platform, about three meters in diameter, with golden data flowing across its surface, like some kind of ancient totem slowly rotating.

"Is this the 07-01 control room?"

"Yes. The core of the Seventh Administrative District, the heart of Project Morning Star." Lin Bei lowered his voice. "I've heard of this place through the Data Hunters' intelligence network, but I never thought I could actually get in."

Jiang Chen walked to the platform. A line of words was engraved on the platform.

"This is the starting point of Project Morning Star."

"It's also the end."

"Welcome home, administrator."

He reached out and touched the surface of the platform.

The golden data stream instantly enveloped his palm, warm and gentle, like an invisible hand holding him.

Then, he heard a voice, resounding from the depths of his brain.

"You've finally arrived, Admin-07."

His voice was deep, with a metallic echo, as if it came from a very far place, or as if it came from his own body.

Jiang Chen was stunned.

"Wait... what did the system call me?"

Shi Yu and Lin Bei looked at him at the same time, their expressions changing.

"Admin-07?" Shigure repeated, "The account that triggered the system crash?"

"right."

Why is the system calling you Admin-07?

Jiang Chen stared at the golden stream of data flowing across the platform's surface, his heart pounding.

The person who caused the old version of the system to crash—the Admin-07 he had been tracking—was referred to by that name in the system.

That's impossible.

Unless... he is part of Admin-07 himself.

Or, something even more terrifying—he was never an ordinary player; his very existence is related to Admin-07.