Seized by the System

In outer space, where it was desolate and dark, there lay a planet 600 light years away from Earth.

It was different from outer space. On the planet the sun shone brightly, the weather was hot, and pieces of land floated on vast oceans like pearls on a jade platter.

It had to be said that the environment was extremely similar to the planet Earth, except for one thing: there weren’t any signs of life that were seen on Earth. The land was a dreary ochre, and the seas did not have anything in it save for its own waves.

The reason was simple. The atmosphere was suffused with huge amounts of carbon dioxide, which made the planet unsuited for the living.

Atop the ground there suddenly appeared a light gate.

From it emerged a young man. He glanced at all directions, chose one and headed on.

He flew for a while before noticing a few stone houses in a valley.

There were large patches of vegetation near the houses. In this no man’s land, they symbolized the impressive resilience of life. Half the valley was already blanketed by plantation.

The air nearby held a hint of freshness that even the air on Earth did not have.

“Seems like Monk Zhi Nan really wasn’t fooling around. This place was developed really fast. These laid-back players too shouldn’t be underestimated…” Fang Ning exclaimed while he took in his surroundings. “The other man left Earth from what that seemed like less than a month ago.”

“Of course. Do you think that everyone would be as lazy as you?” Sir System scorned.

“Don’t put me down every now and then. I advise you, be a kind system. Do you understand?” Fang Ning retorted angrily.

“I don’t.” Sir System said with finality.

That moment, the stone door of one of the houses suddenly opened, and from it walked out two monks.

They walked one after the another. One was clad in white, the other black.

“Venerable One, you’ve come from afar. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen, how are you?” Zhi Nan greeted him. His eyes were much clearer than before.

It seemed like living in solitude, far from other people, really did help cleanse the body and soul.

“Master, one never visits unless they need something. I come here bearing a question…” Vigilante A relayed his reason for the visit.

“I see. The devils were privy to everything regarding the Devil Invasion, from top to bottom. This is actually a conspiracy, one that the Ten Devil Lords and even the entire Upper Realm were involved in…” Zhi Nan’s eyes suddenly turned as black as ink as he spoke, and he couldn’t help cradling his head in his arms. “This is bad. I can’t continue speaking of this, or else the devil in me will awaken.”

“Master, are you well?” The black-robed monk at the back hurried to the rescue. He put his palms together and chanted continuously.

Rays of white light emanated from him and surged into Zhi Nan’s bald head.

With the help of those white rays of light, Monk Zhi Nan regained his composure after his abrupt pause and resumed his stoic appearance.

“I apologize. It seems like my spirit is weaker than that of the devil’s,” Zhi Nan mustered the words with difficulty, feeling apologetic. “As long as I speak of his core secrets, he shows signs of awakening. In a human’s soul there lies his innate Buddha, but devils haunt his soul too. These two factions are irrevocable; they ebb and flow, one occasionally overpowering the other. It does seem like I have no way to reveal the big secret to you.”

Fang Ning was gearing up to hear the big secret, without expecting this to happen just before the last step. And so he sighed with regret.

“If that’s so, I won’t make it harder on you. Master, just relax and let me finish this off.” Vigilante A reassured him.

“Sigh, those devils aren’t all beyond saving, and I hope to convert them. Venerable One, what if you release those devils into this planet? The outer space doesn’t have an ounce of vitality in it, and so it can be a natural barricade between them and the planet Earth.” Zhi Nan said apologetically, wanting to do something to compensate for the previous exchange.

“This is feasible. This lies in your hands then, Master.” Vigilante A nodded.

The black-robed monk piped up at that. “Master, this planet also doesn’t have any vitality in it. Those devils would probably find it hard to survive here. The number of devils is endless. Also, it is possible that uncontrollable mutations will happen under natural selection, transforming those devils into half-mystical, half-physical abominations that we’ll find difficult to rein in. What should we do if this happens?”

Zhi Nan furrowed his brow and only spoke after a long pause. “I remembered something that may be of use. That devil asked you to conduct an experiment — commissioned scientists from Earth to study the conversion of natural resources into vitality — which I now realize as premature preparation. You should return to Earth and escort the relevant personnel here to further the experiment and strive to produce vitality on this planet too.”

“Venerable One, what do you think?” The black-robed monk looked at Vigilante A and asked with all seriousness.

“This is easy. Everything’ll be as all you say.” Vigilante A agreed without a second thought.

“Multi-millionaire, you were correct back then. They’re conducting this resource-converting study again. We can use the results of the study when it’s complete.” Sir System was ecstatic.

“Don’t be so overjoyed first. My gut tells me that there’s something fishy,” Fang Ning said with caution. “You agreed to this way too soon. I didn’t even get to stop you.”

“What do you know?” Sir System was peeved after being reprimanded. “I don’t gain experience points when I farm those devils now. After they absorb their fill of vitality, they’ll become similar to those on Earth, and they’ll definitely give me experience points when I kill them. Why won’t I agree to that?”

“Uhh, I wasn’t wrong before; you’re immoral in the face of tiny profits!” Fang Ning expected better from him.

“This is not a tiny profit, but an enormous one, a gigantic one! I didn’t become immoral too. If those devils don’t listen to the monk’s teachings, I will have to exert myself physically and mentally to vanquish them, so that they don’t harm other people. This is an act of immense morality.” Sir System said righteously.

“If the monk fails in converting them, won’t this planet become your training pool? You’re really a sneaky system. Just wait and see; you’ll soon have a taste of your own medicine if you don’t listen to your host.” Fang Ning seethed.

“I fend for myself. Do I need you to care?” Sir System replied nonchalantly.

…

At the same time, in the headquarters of the Chinese Truth Department back on Earth, the group had just finished watching the live feed of Vigilante A vanquishing a realm of demons and were in high spirits. They were also made aware of the difference between them and the man. After that, they scattered to work on their assigned missions.

Qiao Zijiang too brought a team to patrol outside, lest devils materialize from other places.

Not long after, they arrived on an island. The team started to argue because of a little ink-black snake.

“This snake monster brims full of devilish energy. We must vanquish it immediately.” Xu Rui on the team said coldly.

But then the team doctor, that young woman named Xu Qing, shook her head and disagreed. “It has still not committed the sin of murder; how could we just kill it without reason? I think that we should let it go.”

“What are you talking about? You’re stupidly benevolent!” Xu Rui snorted. “This devil is obviously one that slunk away from that space tunnel earlier. It must possess extraordinary strength, being able to escape from under the Venerable One’s sword. It’s weakened now, but we’ll be doing a disservice to the people if we let it go.”

Xu Qing was speechless for a while. She gazed downwards at the snake coiling into itself, feeling sympathy.

Suddenly, she said to Qiao Zijiang, “Zijiang, you have a black snake as a pet too, and it has not committed sin before. You of all people should understand that we shouldn’t kill without trying to convert it.”

“Long Fan is different. It is a domesticated demon soul that is still intrinsically human, thus it is not a demon or devil. This devilish snake looks pitiful, but its insides are filled with evil intent. As Vice Leader Xu said, this thing will surely bring upon calamity when it recovers.” Qiao Zijiang said with seriousness.

“Why are you explaining so much to her? Let me kill it!” Xu Rui was annoyed by the conversation. He pointed his finger, and a fireball hurtled towards the devil.

The snake only trembled, and it did not retaliate.

“Don’t.” Xu Qing held out her hand in a blocking gesture. “You’re worried about future catastrophes, so let’s lock it up first and observe it for a while before making a decision.”

Xu Rui paused after her words. The other was as stubborn and old-fashioned as Tripitaka, but she possessed extremely high skill in support.

She was exceptionally proficient in defense formations and healing magic, a talent in support that other teams competed for, so he did not want to clash overtly with the woman.

He was confused, though. This Xu Qing was not in any way famous before, and also not as much as a martyr.

The Era of Mystery was christened four years ago, after all, and cultivators with blunt minds and overly tender hearts were all eliminated from the Truth Department. The ones left all understood the extent of the power these otherworldly creatures held. They weren’t necessarily decisive, but they were all efficient and swift in their actions.

Could it be that the other, as it was with him, had received revelations from God, but the message she received was different from his?

When Xu Rui thought of this, he was so confused that his eyes betrayed it.