Chapter 43: The Hidden “Power”
Qi He curved his lips slightly. “Alright.”
Then he said to the system, “From here on out, I’ll need you to trust me completely with every step.”
The system’s code fluttered anxiously: [What do I need to do?]
“Tell me your source code.”
The source code was the very foundation of the program. For two seconds, the system froze—then a long string of code unfolded directly in Qi He’s mind.
Qi He scanned line after line, analyzing. “Next, I’ll rewrite your program.”
The system trembled: [Won’t that trigger an alarm?]
“As long as the program keeps running, it won’t. Otherwise, the bugs on the panel would’ve been fixed long ago.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi He began altering the code.
The system’s voice broke into fragments: [Wait… why do you… even know how to do this?]
“When I worked as a game tester, I often ran into program bugs.”
While typing changes, Qi He replied calmly, “I’ve seen quite a bit of code. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure you catch the virus in the most efficient way possible.”
His eyes narrowed, light flashing through them. “And I’ll add a few more firewalls. That way, when the main program recalls you for inspection, the firewalls will activate and hit it with a viral counterattack.”
[Then what will happen on your end while I’m being recalled?]
“Do you remember that time I triggered the warning program?”
That time during the apartment dinner—he had tested the system by asking what would happen if he directly told Yan Chuanbai about the plot. The warning program had activated, and the system had vanished.
“If you disappear, chances are the warning program will take over and issue the next round of story tasks.”
Line by line, the code was rewritten.
The system now felt like a dangerous entity itself: […I feel like I’m overflowing with power!]
“That’s exactly how it should be.” Qi He smiled in satisfaction and told it the final step. “Once you’ve completely infected the main system, the warning program will collapse along with it. When that moment comes, I’ll know you’ve succeeded—”
“I’ll bring you back.”
The system seemed to pause for several seconds: […Alright.]
Then it asked: [How can I make myself get recalled?]
If it only triggered a warning, the brief time under supervision wouldn’t be nearly enough for it to infect the main system.
The final line of code fell into place.
Qi He steadied himself, easing the strain from his overworked mind, took a deep breath, and stood up.
Above him, the night sky shimmered with starlight.
A light breeze brushed past, lifting the hem of his coat. “System,” he said softly, “you’ve always wanted to know what ability I gained after my third evolution, haven’t you?”
[……What?]
Qi He raised one hand; the wrist of his other hand—with the Little Genius smartwatch—came into view. Between the space of his interlaced fingers, a glimmer of light gathered deep within his eyes.
There were powers he could never freely unleash in this world—because he couldn’t control the chain reactions they might set off.
But if it wasn’t something of this world—
He smiled faintly. “Fortunately, you have a vessel.”
His entire spiritual energy stirred, converging at his fingertips. Through the icy layer above, it seemed as though moonlight was sheathing the edges of his knuckles.
Under the weak nuclear interaction, the system’s medium—its vessel—began to change, bit by bit…
[????]
[Wait—▇▇▇ He…▇▇▇▇ what!?]
Qi He’s face visibly turned pale.
A bead of sweat slid down his forehead as every ounce of his mental power was poured into controlling that force—one that could only be described as forbidden.
A sharp crack— and then his mind went completely silent.
When a vessel malfunctioned, it would automatically be recalled for inspection.
At the same time, his mental energy was completely drained.
Thud. Qi He collapsed to the ground.
In his final, blurred vision, the starlit sky reflected in the ice above was clear and dazzling—
He smiled. “Go ahead and attack the main program to your heart’s content.”
The red system panel flickered once. Beep!
[System under maintenance. Delegating control to the backup program.]
—
When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a ceiling.
Qi He was lying on the living room sofa.
The last scene before he blacked out surfaced in his mind—he was certain he’d fallen on the rooftop, and he remembered that fleeting flash of the red system panel.
It seemed the warning program really had taken over.
As soon as Qi He sat up, a soldier from the military department entered. “Mr. Qi, you’re awake.”
He asked, “Why am I lying here?”
The soldier replied, “You collapsed on the rooftop last night. It seems Colonel Yan carried you back. He even stayed to watch over you this morning, but then had to leave because of a battle situation.”
Qi He: “?”
He tilted his head, looking to the side. “…Yan Chuanbai went out? How did he go out?”
The soldier blinked, confused. “Uh… by walking out?”
Qi He: “……”
The soldier, unsure how to explain, continued, “There was a small-scale attack this morning. The other S-ranks have all gone out of the city. The Colonel said that since you fought a thousand enemies alone yesterday and used up too much energy, he’d go instead today.”
…A thousand?
Qi He shook his head. “At most, three.”
The soldier blinked. “Huh?”
Qi He stood up and gestured with his hands. “Chuan—as in the horizontal strokes.”
“????”
Qi He sighed inwardly. ‘System, people these days really don’t understand writing…’
[No storyline access detected.]
He paused at that response, momentarily silent.
The air in the room grew still.
Just then, the sound of a door opening broke the quiet. A familiar figure stepped inside, and the soldier turned toward the entrance, letting out a breath of relief.
“Colonel!”
Qi He lifted his eyes—and met Yan Chuanbai’s gaze.
His heart gave an involuntary thump.
Yan Chuanbai wore a black mask that covered the lower half of his face, stretching from the neck up to his collar. The sharp lines of his jaw made his features seem even colder, more striking. Strands of hair fell over his brows, revealing eyes filled with quiet intensity.
After a few seconds of eye contact, Yan Chuanbai said to the soldier, “You can go.”
The door closed behind him.
Yan Chuanbai walked forward and stopped about a meter away.
His gaze swept over Qi He’s still slightly pale face. After a short silence, he asked, “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit of mental exhaustion.”
Some tension seemed to ease from Yan Chuanbai’s shoulders.
Neither of them mentioned the antibody injection.
Qi He glanced at Yan Chuanbai’s tightly wrapped appearance. “How did you manage to go out?”
Yan Chuanbai’s tone was as calm as before the infection. “When I woke up today, the fever was gone. My mind’s completely clear. I can’t just hole up in that room forever—better to go outside and burn off some energy.”
He gave a faint smile. “Don’t worry. The moment there’s even the slightest sign of losing control—”
His hand patted the gun at his waist. “—I’ll take care of it.”
Qi He’s eyes flicked toward the weapon, his thoughts stirring for a moment before he quietly looked away. “There’s no one else here. You can take off the mask.”
There was a short pause, then Yan Chuanbai reached up and pulled the mask away.
The purplish-blue lines were even more pronounced than the night before.
They spread from the side of his neck up to his cheek. Beneath a faint sheen of frost, the markings didn’t look grotesque—instead, they carried a strange, dangerous beauty.
Qi He studied him for a couple of seconds. Yan Chuanbai asked, “Scary?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I’ve seen this kind of skin plenty of times. Costs 88 yuan a set in games.”
“……”
Yan Chuanbai lowered his lashes suddenly, a brief smile flickering at his lips.
—
With no emergencies for the moment, the two rested in the defense room.
Qi He leaned back on the sofa, staring absently at the line where the wall met the floor.
After a while, he called out, “System.”
[No storyline access detected.]
The same mechanical response from the warning program. Understandable—it had only been one night, not enough time for optimization to complete.
Qi He was silent for a bit, then turned his head toward Yan Chuanbai. “Do you remember the exact time the collapse happened yesterday?”
“I couldn’t check the time on the battlefield,” Yan Chuanbai said after pressing his lips together and thinking for a moment. “But… it was about thirty seconds before you arrived.”
Qi He spoke silently in his mind: System, pull up the previous script.
This time, the command went through.
[Beep!]
『F City came under siege by a swarm of mutated creatures…』
…『You turned your head toward Yan Chuanbai after facing the encircling horde of zombies and ▇▇▇▇』
Qi He skipped over the rest of the text entirely and went straight to the time where the plot had frozen.
5:20.
When he’d arrived, the countdown still had thirty seconds left—so, counting backward, that meant 5:19.
Qi He said to Yan Chuanbai, “The fireworks went off at 5:20. Let’s say your infection time was around 5:19.”
Yan Chuanbai raised an eyebrow. “520?”
“…What?” Qi He blinked, meeting his eyes. “You’re sensitive to numbers like that?”
Yan Chuanbai’s gaze lingered on him, silent.
If one day he really did reach that point—
Then 5:20 wouldn’t be his darkest moment.
At least, in the instant when he faced death, his heartbeat would still thunder in his chest.
After a moment, he turned his head slightly and said, “Numbers only have meaning because of certain people.”
Qi He’s heart gave a faint tremor.
He couldn’t tell whether Yan Chuanbai was making a detached observation—or hinting at something else. There’d been too much information crowding his mind these past few days; he was just about to sort through it when a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock!
Outside, someone called, “Colonel, the other S-ranks have returned to the city. We’re to meet in the central rest room now.”
Yan Chuanbai put his mask back on. “Let’s go.”
Qi He gathered his thoughts, and the two of them stood and left the room.
…
When they entered the rest room, everyone was already there.
A few adjutants from the military were also present.
Seeing Yan Chuanbai enter wearing his mask, the others were momentarily taken aback.
Le Yunyu looked over and asked, “What happened?”
Yan Chuanbai’s expression was composed, his mind clear, but he still kept a measured distance from the group. “The collapse in the eastern sector was too severe. Just a precaution.”
The antibody’s effect wasn’t a hundred percent—so, hearing that, no one pressed further.
“The reason I called everyone here,” Le Yunyu said as he sat down, “is to summarize the battle situation and relay new orders from Headquarters.”
“After three consecutive days of defense,” he continued, “the mutated creatures within a hundred-kilometer radius have basically been wiped out. There likely won’t be any more large-scale attacks after this.”
Qi He took a seat off to the side.
If the purpose of the plot had been for Yan Chuanbai to be infected in F City, then that objective had already been met. Things should quiet down afterward.
Le Yunyu went on, “But just to be safe, we’ll hold the line for one more day. Tomorrow, the ground forces from Headquarters will arrive to take over Base III, and we’ll pull back.”
At that, Qi He and Yan Chuanbai both looked up.
Yan Chuanbai stood behind Qi He, hands in his pockets.
Qi He didn’t turn around, but an unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them—once they met with the people from Headquarters, Yan Chuanbai would have to remove his mask.
When that happened, the infection could no longer be hidden.
Either Yan Chuanbai would be taken back for isolation and supervision, or he would have to leave the human base before then.
And knowing Yan Chuanbai’s personality, he would undoubtedly choose the latter—
If it became known that an over-3S-rank soldier had turned into an infected, it would shake the entire military to its core. That was why neither of them had chosen to reveal it before this battle ended.
Besides, rather than dying powerless in confinement, it was better to make the most of his worth until the very last moment.
Qi He pressed his lips together.
Whichever way things went, the deadline would come tonight.
—
The military meeting ended right around noon.
Base III’s canteen had prepared lunch.
A table of dishes was set out, and personnel from the other bases sat down as usual, ready to eat.
Yan Chuanbai stood against the wall, unmoving.
The adjutant called out, “Colonel, please take a seat.”
Yan Chuanbai paused for a moment. Qi He, calm as ever, sat down first. “When we got back, I gave him two nutrient solutions. He’s already full.”
Everyone froze. “……”
The adjutant cautiously asked, “You’re… full, sir?”
Yan Chuanbai nodded. “Full. You all eat.”
The others withdrew their gazes and started eating on their own.
Yan Chuanbai didn’t leave, just leaned there quietly, as if waiting for Qi He to finish eating so they could return to the garrison office together.
The table was well-stocked—eight dishes, one soup, and a main course.
Maybe it was because the battle was finally coming to an end, but people were speaking a little more freely than usual.
Qi He didn’t join in; he was quietly picking at his food.
Then, suddenly—beep!—a sound rang in his mind. His chopsticks halted midair, and his heartbeat quickened. “System?”
『—Program under proxy control—』
『Critical plot sequence initiated. Host, execute immediately. 』
Qi He: “……”
He drew a deep breath, eyes sharp.
That really was sudden!
The script had already been issued:
『After Yan Chuanbai confirms he’s in the late stages of infection, he isolates himself.
When you pushed him, he flung you aside with such force that you narrowly escaped the zombie horde and made it back to F City.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one yet knows what you did, you scramble to win over the people of F City.
Through your efforts, you soon come into contact with the high-ranking officials of F City ▇▇▇▇.』
Qi He’s gaze landed on the panel—the system might have gone offline, but the bug it left behind was still there.
His pause drew attention. “Qi He?”
Qi He withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes quickly over the table.
To hell with A City, B City, or F City—
He balanced his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl, and several large white steamed buns snapped into motion, flying neatly into everyone’s bowls—one per person.
Qi He worked fast, seizing the chance to “win them over”:
“Eat more. You’ve all worked hard.”
Everyone: “……”
Then he stood up and ladled a bowl of rich F City broth for himself.
“I’m fine with just soup,” he said.
Everyone: “!”
Behind him, Yan Chuanbai’s gaze sank, dark and searching.
Qi He finished ladling and sat back down.
Under a tableful of eyes—some uncertain, some faintly moved—he took a small sip of soup and turned to the next page of the script.
『From the upper ranks, you learn that the zombie tide around F City has finally receded.
Now, teams are being organized to conduct external patrols—missions that promise high pay.
You’re tempted. It sounds like a rare opportunity: high reward, minimal risk.
Besides, you’re planning to start over here, so you immediately join one of the squads.
Once outside the city, sure enough, there are no more mutated creatures.
You let out a small breath of relief—then your face turns pale as a wave of weakness and dizziness crashes over you. 』
Just as Qi He reached the end, a surge of real weakness and vertigo hit him too.
His hand trembled slightly; he set the bowl down.
『It turns out that when you pushed Yan Chuanbai into the zombie horde, you were infected as well. 』
He wasn’t infected.
Qi He knew his condition with absolute clarity. He recalled that thin layer of “skin” that had been repaired when he first arrived in this world—
That must have been the system fine-tuning his sensory feedback to match the unfolding plot.
『Overwhelming fear sweeps through you—
Obviously, you were just about to start a new life—so why did the infection have to hit now?
Your whole body trembles, drawing the attention of your teammates.
They ask with concern, “Are you okay?”
You look at their faces—and a sudden vicious thought flashes through your mind:
Even if you die, you’ll drag your teammates to ▇▇▇▇』
The script ends there.
Across from him, Le Yunyu had already noticed. “Qi He, why do you look so pale?”
Qi He steadied his breath and rose to his feet.
The instant he stood, the world spun violently.
He stumbled backward, almost collapsing. The whole table burst into alarm—
“Qi He!”
“Qi He—!”
Yan Chuanbai moved in an instant—
—but his outstretched hand suddenly froze midair before curling back into a fist at his side.
The adjutant reacted fastest, catching Qi He just in time.
Qi He, sharp even through the dizziness, clenched his own hand mid-fall and used a burst of force to slow his descent.
Then he slumped against the back of the sofa and slid down.
Everyone crowded around him, anxious faces filling his vision.
“Qi He, are you okay?”
“Where are you feeling unwell? You look awful!”
[5 seconds left until the end of the plot.]
Qi He suddenly shot upright!
Without even looking, he grabbed the nearest person—
and caught Le Yunyu.
The room went dead silent.
Le Yunyu: “?”
Qi He locked eyes with him, his voice weak but solemn: “Although this might not be the right time… I want to sing a song.”
“……”
—————————————————————
Author’s note:
Le Yunyu: Don’t drag me into this.
