B U G Arc
Exam God 20
The atmosphere in the base was incredibly eerie at this moment.
Who would have thought that the few people who entered were so skilled in combat, and they used such peculiar things.
One of them had a rare energy gun, but the others were like strange creatures.
Fire, wind – they made everyone else tremble in fear.
In the face of this surreal power, they had almost no resistance.
Even the bullets fired at them couldn’t harm them at all.
Wan Yan looked at these NPCs and knew that her guess was correct.
“Why are they so weak?”
Ah Cheng muttered softly.
Indeed, these NPCs were all very weak.
Compared to the NPCs in the worlds they had encountered before, these were the ones they could easily crush.
Wan Yan thought, this is probably the flaw in the rules.
After all, the rules were designed for people to deliver their research findings to the base for victory. Who would have expected someone to directly attack the people in the base?
It was precisely because this aspect was overlooked that the rules, or rather that “BUG,” never considered strengthening the NPCs.
Under the overwhelming force, those NPCs naturally agreed to Wan Yan’s proposal for merging.
Guns were already raised to their heads; how could they not agree?
With things settled on this end, Wan Yan instructed someone to stay here and keep an eye on things.
The one left behind was Lion, and his mission was this base.
The others followed Wan Yan as they walked outside.
Xin Lan saw them come out and honked the horn.
“The same?”
Xin Lan asked without preamble.
“The same.”
“That’s good then.”
Xin Lan nodded. Since it was as they had envisioned, it would be easy to handle.
They drove to the next base.
There were three ways to merge two bases:
The first way was for the “Hope” base to move to the “White Deer” base.
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The second way was for the “White Deer” base to move to the “Hope” base.
The third way was to find a new location and establish a new base where both groups could relocate.
The third method was cumbersome and time-consuming, so Xin Lan and her team favored the first two.
Afterward, they attempted it.
Xin Lan, along with a few teammates, entered the base.
Just like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, they subdued the people inside and had them relocate.
The NPCs were quite surprised but obediently followed the instructions.
Xin Lan released the hand she had been holding tightly in silence. If these NPCs remained steadfast in their settings and refused to leave their homes, then they would have to make a choice.
Xin Lan believed that if a decision had to be made, compromising was the best option, but she knew that Wan Yan must be thinking the same.
The plan was proceeding relatively smoothly. They waited for a long time as the night approached, and a line of trucks appeared before and behind Xin Lan’s group, forming a long procession.
Xin Lan and Wan Yan, in this manner, forcefully brought the people from the two bases together.
They also had the leaders of both bases jointly announce the birth of the new base and the name after the merger.
Xin Lan didn’t change the name of the base; it remained “White Deer Hope Base,” merging the names of the two original bases.
Xin Lan didn’t bring the password box with her when entering the gates of that base. Instead, she had the original leaders and high-ranking members of both bases stand outside while she introduced them to what she had in her possession.
Other colleagues stood by the side.
“Will this work?”
Ah Cheng expressed some concern. She exchanged a glance with Lion, and they both shared the same apprehension.
“You’ll know just by looking.”
Yuanyuan’s expression was unusually calm, just like the nearby Huo Xu.
Chen Bai’s face showed a hint of casualness, but his gaze remained fixed on the scene.
For them, this wasn’t just an exam; it was a game of life and death.
In reality, they were all prepared for the possibility of failure. Each person was secretly nervous, watching the person opening the password box.
Xin Lan was also waiting.
At the moment the password box was opened, she suddenly saw something resembling ripples in water appear within her line of sight.
It was as if the space had become unstable, as though it were about to waver and shake.
Time suddenly froze.
It seemed like even the wind had come to a halt.
But it was just that brief moment.
In the next instant, Xin Lan felt a tremendous shock.
She glanced to the side and saw Wan Yan furrowing her brows, as if she too had sensed this force.
The others appeared to be completely unaware.
A peculiar, sharp sound suddenly echoed in their minds.
“Students suspected of violating exam regulations will face consequences. We hope all students can abide by the rules and take the exam seriously. The two students who led the violation will be expelled from the exam room. Other violators will receive a warning, but if they repeat the offense, they will be disqualified.”
The rules, as if proclaimed from on high, echoed in everyone’s minds, declaring the world’s laws they had established.
Yuanyuan and the others heard this voice, and they unconsciously looked towards Xin Lan and Wan Yan. However, at their original positions, there were no longer any traces of Xin Lan and Wan Yan.
In the next moment, they found themselves in a white space, facing each other.
“Did something happen to them?”
Yuanyuan asked quietly.
The others moved their lips, their faces bearing a hint of indifference.
Yuanyuan fell silent, sitting in his chair, waiting for the break time to pass before entering the next round of the exam.
In reality, it had nothing to do with him. In such a perilous situation, who had the luxury to care about others?
The moment Wan Yan fell into the darkness, she contacted Zero Nine.
She heard the judgment of the rules but didn’t take it seriously.
She only cared about where Xin Lan was at this moment.
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She attempted to establish a mental link but found nothing.
How could this be?
Mental connections between systems should take priority. Even if that BUG could block the system’s detection functions, it shouldn’t be able to block the mental connections between systems.
Wan Yan tried again, but it was still a failure.
She furrowed her brow, looking at the surrounding darkness.
“I didn’t plan for it to be this soon.”
Wan Yan murmured.
After all, she had hoped for more time to be tender with Xin Lan.
“But since you’ve done this…”
Faint blue light emanated from Wan Yan’s fingertips, like strings of code, merging into the darkness.
On the other side, Zero Nine was extremely agitated.
She was separated by an inexplicable force.
This force came from the BUG in this world, and Zero Nine was powerless to resist it.
She couldn’t awaken the host who was in a deep slumber, nor could she establish a mental connection with the commander.
It was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen.
“Host, wake up quickly!”
She called out anxiously, but the person floating in the darkness didn’t respond to her.
When Xin Lan opened her eyes, her mind felt somewhat blank.
“Lan Lan, you’re awake. Hurry up and get dressed. We’re reporting to the military academy today. Don’t waste any time.”
Her mother’s voice was gentle, and the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her made Xin Lan feel somewhat disoriented.
She felt like something was off, but at the same time, it seemed like it should be this way.
She stood in front of the mirror. The tall figure of the girl in the mirror had an overly gorgeous face with a hint of coldness and a touch of innocence.
Xin Lan couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss with her own face.
It seemed like she shouldn’t look like this anymore.
“What’s wrong? Why are you standing there in a daze? You’re not reluctant to leave, are you?”
Her mother joked, but Xin Lan’s heart remained strangely unaffected.
It shouldn’t be like this.
Xin Lan thought.
It was as if she had forgotten something.
Facing her mother, Xin Lan had always respected and loved her, never feeling like this, as if the person in front of her was just a stranger with little connection.
While the voice in her ears continued to speak gently, Xin Lan’s eyes remained fixed on the mirror without blinking.
As a result, the mirror cracked upon impact and slowly expanded, breaking the indifferent face into fragments.
Her body suddenly felt lighter, followed by a deafening roar.
Xin Lan saw dazzling fireworks light up in front of her, carrying an irresistible, scorching sensation. They spread across her field of vision at an incredibly fast pace. Xin Lan couldn’t feel herself anymore.
This explosion triggered her memories, and Xin Lan watched as the blinding light approached, but she didn’t flinch.
It was something she had experienced in her memories.
She disappeared in that explosion, her body turned to powder, drifting through the cosmos.
Nowhere to call home.
Xin Lan gazed at the universe before her, and in this comparison, she felt as small as a speck of dust.
Where is she now?
This immense void left her in a state of numbness, to the point where she couldn’t even feel her own existence.
In the utmost silence, it seemed like even time had stopped flowing.
Her past memories flashed before her like a fleeting panorama. She had been to many places and become different people.
At times, she was amidst battles and her feet trampled over mountains of corpses.
At times, she was in a human hell, with ghostly figures trailing behind her.
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She seemed to have always been a villain.
Yet she didn’t feel like one.
Emotions faded away time and time again, and in the end, she didn’t know what could stir up a storm in her heart anymore.
All emotions were surface-level, and even life and death had become trivial.
Repeated deaths and resurrections can make one indifferent to life and death.
For a while, Xin Lan even felt a bit restless.
She didn’t mind getting hurt, she didn’t mind the pain. It made her feel like she was still alive.
People only saw her unstoppable drive but couldn’t see the pain she had endured.
Xin Lan didn’t know if her colleagues felt the same way, but at least she did.
Living a life without a sense of anticipation is quite terrifying because, in the end, she didn’t know what she wanted.
Fragments of memories led her to the time when she transferred to another department.
The red and black-and-white scenes faded, and everything seemed to come to life in some way.
Strangely, Xin Lan felt a sense of delight in her heart.
She didn’t know what memories were about to surface, but they must be something good.
Indeed, it was something good.
Xin Lan witnessed Wan Yan’s hurried confession, despite her attempts to remain composed, the nervousness was palpable. In her icy blue eyes, there was a profound and persistent affection.
That gaze seemed to ignite her, reaching from the surface to her soul.
Xin Lan had once thought that she could never attain such feelings of affection.
Because she had never experienced such emotions before.
It was as though everyone was merely a two-dimensional presence in her life, passing by quietly and leaving no trace.
Each mission felt like a solitary journey. The system accompanied her, but fundamentally, she was alone.
Her memories froze in the final moment, and she saw the panic in Wan Yan’s eyes, as well as the subconscious reach of her hand.
【Host, you’re awake. Can you hear me talking?】
Zero Nine’s voice rang out with excitement.
Yes.
Before her was a vast expanse of darkness, impenetrable, and nothing was visible.
Xin Lan attempted to move, but she found that an invisible barrier seemed to imprison her, making her unable to budge an inch.
Xin Lan remained calm and waited quietly.
【Host, what should we do? We can’t contact the commander. Should we log out first?】
No need.
I’ll wait here for her.