CHAPTER 366: CHAPTER 366: PURSUIT OF THE SYSTEM’S INCARNATION_1

"GULP." Wang Linchi swallowed all the Erroneous Sins from the entire large-scale replica. The quantity was so vast and the volume so immense that the Book of Records simply couldn’t digest it all at once; consequently, it was stretched to the point of nearly splitting open.

It didn’t matter much if it split open, as it could be repaired anyway.

Wang Linchi could also feel his spiritual power constantly increasing.

This is the joy of charging money and using plug-ins, Wang Linchi thought. Now that I’ve adapted, I’ll be able to handle it next time I do this.

The patterns on the Saint Master gradually faded. He had also strengthened his own Protection Seal. This was because he didn’t need to digest anything; he merely needed to reference its structure and modify it.

What a pity, the strengthening only takes effect once, Wang Linchi thought with some regret. For this so-called strengthening, the material isn’t the crucial part. What’s important is imparting the seal with the hard and tenacious structure of the replica barrier. So, unless I obtain an even more advanced structure, I won’t be able to replace this one.

However, the increase in strength is very significant. If combined with the data rules of the Destiny Soul Kind, the resulting Protection Seal could withstand an attack from the Game System, Wang Linchi estimated.

Conventional seals naturally couldn’t combat the Game System. However, rule-based seals could, because the Game System itself is also a manifestation of rules.

Oh, I need to get out of here, Wang Linchi thought, looking at the crumbling replica barrier and planning an immediate escape. Now that I’ve consumed the Erroneous Sins, that layer of rule entanglement that acted as a buffer is gone. The Protection Seal can withstand an attack from the Game System, but doing so consumes my spiritual power. I could be drained to death.

So, he planned to flee immediately.

Just then, he heard a cry for help from the Shadow of Gluttony.

This thing wasn’t eaten? Wang Linchi was surprised. Logically, being so close to my positioning device, it should have been the first Erroneous Sin to be lured and marked. Yet, it somehow managed to tough it out.

As for the hospital, I don’t necessarily need the Shadow of Gluttony to lead me there. I could also just try my luck, Wang Linchi mused.

It seems this hospital is truly extraordinary. At least in its research on the human psyche, it far surpasses the Game System, Wang Linchi decided, preparing to take the Shadow of Gluttony with him.

The main thing is, if it could endure this, it means it has value. At least those self-aware Erroneous Sins created by the Game System couldn’t withstand the bewitchment. Technologically, they are inherently a step behind.

Soon enough, Wang Linchi found the Shadow of Gluttony cowering in a corner, trembling.

Its emotions were exceptionally developed, seemingly peaking at this moment to a level even higher than a human’s.

That Stone Heart is truly something else, Wang Linchi remarked to himself, then swooped down and grabbed the Shadow of Gluttony.

The Shadow of Gluttony instinctively tried to resist, but upon seeing it was Wang Linchi, it immediately complied to avoid another beating.

Even though Wang Linchi often tormented it, he genuinely came to its rescue at critical moments.

"I didn’t expect your willpower to be so strong. I thought you’d already ended up in my stomach," Wang Linchi teased.

"How could I, Boss? Without your orders, I wouldn’t dare make a move!" the Shadow of Gluttony hurriedly exclaimed.

"Hah, you’re just afraid the Game System would make a snack out of you, aren’t you?" Wang Linchi sneered, then looked up at the sky.

The entire sky was collapsing, and an invisible ripple emerged.

"The Game System is coming! Hold on tight. If you fall off here, I’m not coming back for you." After Wang Linchi finished speaking, he felt the Shadow of Gluttony clinging desperately to his hand.

Say what you will, but when it comes to life-or-death situations, the Shadow of Gluttony is not only timid but also obedient. I like that. It makes it easier to control, Wang Linchi thought.

The invisible ripple dissolved all the replica’s barriers. Players and NPCs alike were instantly teleported away from this large-scale replica.

In that instant, a terrifying pressure erupted. The Game System had descended directly.

Wang Linchi, however, paid it no mind. That kind of pressure was completely ineffective against him.

Pressure is actually quite overrated, Wang Linchi mused. It’s highly effective against those weaker than oneself. But if they’re already weaker, what’s the point of posturing and showing off your strength? Just finish them off directly. Against those stronger, they wouldn’t care in the slightest. And those of equal strength might even be able to resist it.

I am indeed weaker than the Game System, but considering the vast spiritual power I started with, this meager pressure can’t even bypass the immunity granted by my Soul Kind.

Wang Linchi immediately bolted from the large-scale replica, not caring about the direction, just needing to escape. He had no desire to get thrashed by the Game System.

The moment he burst out of the large-scale replica’s range, an invisible force slammed into him, creating the illusion of sinking into a quagmire.

The Saint Master appeared instantly, using brute force to violently carve open a passage for Wang Linchi.

BOOM!

The next instant, a large hole was blasted through the Saint Master’s chest. A shadowy figure had struck; though it was a sneak attack, its power was formidable.

An avatar of the Game System? Wang Linchi immediately changed direction and fled.

He was certain the direction he was fleeing in was different from his arrival path. However, given the enemy’s speed, it was inevitable they would find him in an instant.

I really pushed the Game System too far this time. It actually came down to fight me personally, Wang Linchi grumbled.

Previously, whether it was hurling meteorites or causing earthquakes and torrential rain, those were all indirect interventions. This blurry figure, however, was different. It was as if the Game System had created a GM account for itself to personally confront Wang Linchi.

Not long after Wang Linchi started fleeing, the Saint Master was destroyed by their pursuer.

The two were not in the same league at all. If the original "God-given World" had a maximum level of one thousand, then this GM account was like a fully geared, max-level character at level one hundred thousand.

Except for the initial Level 200 Abyss Difficulty Demon Suppression Alliance dungeon, this GM account could probably sweep through all other dungeons.

As for why it hadn’t done so before, the reason was naturally that it wasn’t worth it.

Back then, the Abyss Invasion hadn’t yet become life-threatening. Its difficulty was comparable to acute appendicitis—something that could be resolved with surgery at a hospital. Failure would, at worst, be considered a medical accident. There was no need to send someone straight to the crematorium over a case of appendicitis.

However, after its corruption, the Game System had transformed into a parasite, indifferent to the world’s survival, and began to exploit and plunder it relentlessly.

"FUCK!"

Wang Linchi saw the System’s avatar, moving with incredible speed, cut off his path. An unremarkable-looking fist shot towards his head.

He naturally dodged it instantly. Would I be foolish enough to take that head-on? Even the Saint Master, with a stronger Physique than mine, couldn’t withstand two blows, let alone me!

His method of evasion, of course, was to flee in yet another direction.

As if I’d stop!

"Where’s the nearest large-scale replica?" Wang Linchi asked.

The Shadow of Gluttony, which had shrunk into a frightened ball, finally swelled up a little upon hearing Wang Linchi’s question. It looked like a lump of black dough.

It swelled up, of course, to try and determine the direction.

"Straight ahead! There’s one 1,300 kilometers away!" the Shadow of Gluttony replied hurriedly.

"What?" Wang Linchi was taken aback. That far? I’m not even sure I can survive that long with the System’s avatar chasing me.

"Isn’t there anything closer? At that distance, the Game System will have scattered your ashes long before we get there!" Wang Linchi retorted.

"There are no others closer. But... I think the Game System can’t catch up to us anymore," the Shadow of Gluttony said, looking at the blurry figure trailing behind them.

Wang Linchi glanced back. Indeed, its overall aura seemed to have diminished.

It’s like it only had a few good moves; once those were used up, it was spent, he thought.

That’s good news! Wang Linchi expended some spiritual power and summoned the Saint Master once again, directing it to take him to the location 1,300 kilometers away.

Whether I fly or run, it would consume a lot of energy, and I wouldn’t be as fast as the Saint Master anyway.

Better to let a professional handle it.

More importantly, the Saint Master can also shield me, preventing the System’s avatar from landing a blow to my head if it recovers.

In the blink of an eye, the Saint Master streaked into the sky with Wang Linchi, disappearing like a flash of light. The System’s avatar didn’t follow. It seemed it could only manage that one burst of power; after all, directly intervening like that conflicted with the Game System’s own rules. Its earlier dominance must have been fueled by some kind of overdrawn power.

Once this power was depleted, it would naturally revert to its normal state—which was equivalent to the strength of a maxed-out level-one-thousand player account.

Realizing it truly couldn’t catch up, the System’s avatar stopped its pursuit and slowly faded away, apparently recalled by the Game System.