Chapter Twenty-Four: Am I a Cheater?

After hearing this, Xiao Zhang realized his own significance. “So you found me just so you, a mere wage earner, could get ahead?”

“In a way, you could put it like that.”

“But aren’t you also a system? Why do this? Aren’t you all on the same side?”

Zhao Bai thought for a moment before replying, “Strictly speaking, I am part of the ‘system’ too. But I’m a bit different from the rest. The system that governs this world is official—I’m official too, but I created you as a cheat.”

“So what exactly is this ‘system’ you’re talking about?” Xiao Zhang sensed that whoever Zhao Bai referred to weren’t easy to deal with. “Are they the creators of another world?”

Zhao Bai smiled. “Well, that’s a hard question to answer.”

“Then what about you?” Xiao Zhang gave a bitter laugh. “The person sitting in front of me, who claims to belong to this world—are you also part of that so-called ‘game company?’ Are you one of those world creators?”

“No, no, you misunderstand,” Zhao Bai sighed softly. “To be precise, I myself was created by the system.”

“I… I’m getting dizzy,” Xiao Zhang gave a wry smile. “Who are they, really? Or what are they?”

“That’s not difficult to understand,” Zhao Bai shook his head. “They’re just a higher form of will, a system more advanced than I am. In other words, I’m the system for your world, and they’re the system for the whole world.”

“Our world’s system? Doesn’t that mean you can do whatever you want here?” Xiao Zhang’s eyes widened.

“You could say that,” Zhao Bai replied calmly. “I’m responsible for the development of your world, just like when your games get updates and new versions.”

Xiao Zhang felt numb. “So every era’s change is just a game update?”

Zhao Bai nodded.

After listening to all this, Xiao Zhang realized he’d boarded a pirate ship and there was no getting off. “Then… why did you choose me? By your logic, I’m just an NPC. Why not let me drift on my own? Why tell me all this?”

“Because you’re the cheat I created. I need you to change the situation, because I can’t directly participate in the confrontation.”

Zhao Bai’s gaze lingered on Xiao Zhang with that ever-present hint of amusement.

“Confrontation with whom?”

“Of course, with the ‘me’ from the other world.”

Xiao Zhang was stunned again. “Confront yourself?”

The smile finally faded from Zhao Bai’s face. He looked at Xiao Zhang in silence. “Just as you said—our world is nothing but a game. No, it’s not just your world, but the entire world.”

Suddenly, a chill ran down Xiao Zhang’s spine.

“If our world fails, then it’ll be erased,” Zhao Bai said with a slight smile. “How would that make you feel?”

“Erased means all data is deleted, including you!”

“Yes.”

Xiao Zhang had another question. “Then why, after I left the dungeon, did I return to the moment I first boarded the train?”

Zhao Bai looked down at him. “That’s just the dungeon being ‘reset.’ When a dungeon starts, the train is destroyed and people go missing, but once it’s completed, everything is reset, so you return to that point in time.”

“So it’s just a reset?”

“Yes.”

“Then can you take me back to the moment when you left the shop?”

“I can.” Zhao Bai reached out and tapped Xiao Zhang lightly.

Xiao Zhang felt everything around him rapidly rewinding. “Whoa, you can really do that?”

He stared at the shop assistant before him. “So, what can I do for you? Should I feel honored? Grateful?”

The young woman possessed by the system smiled, her expression tinged with mischief. “What, are you planning to pledge yourself to me, lackey?”

Xiao Zhang thought, If it’s this shop assistant, maybe I could consider it. But he didn’t say it aloud. “So, am I an NPC or a player? Or what?”

To his surprise, Zhao Bai laughed. “Neither. You’re a cheat!”

“Huh?”

“Just like those so-called Awakeners, they’re officially recognized, but you’re different.”

So what am I, an orphan? Xiao Zhang was speechless. “But I don’t have any of those invincible cheats like infinite health or immortality!”

“Honestly, you were chosen because you actually managed to get your Descender killed. That really annoyed the other world’s me. You were supposed to be erased, but I kept you.”

“So what am I now?”

“You’re essentially non-existent data.”

“Because you don’t exist, you can’t be refreshed, so even after a reset, your injuries remain,” the shop assistant said, pointing to the bandages on Xiao Zhang’s head.

He silently digested all this, growing uneasy. “So, if I die in a dungeon, I really die?”

“Yes.”

“Then I get nothing out of this! And my system is a crippled version, no exchange menu, and worst of all, I don’t have any skills!”

“Aren’t you getting plenty of benefits?”

“Benefits?”

“Normally, say Zhao Tai—he’s a new Awakener. At first, the other ‘me’ wouldn’t notice him, but over time, I can’t hide him forever. Especially if Zhao Tai survives and grows stronger, it’ll become impossible to conceal.”

“So if you can’t hide him, he’ll be targeted by the other world?”

“Yes. Our world’s powerhouses are far fewer than the other world’s, so I can’t protect promising newcomers, and my data is linked to ‘my’ counterpart, so…”

Xiao Zhang’s heart pounded. “You mean the other world’s ‘you’ can’t detect me?”

“At least not until you can protect yourself.”

“But I don’t have any skills. What do I do?”

“You’re a fool, lackey! That’s the whole point—there are no restrictions on you. You can learn any skill you want. You want me to set up a skill tree for you? Your very existence is a cheat!”

I’m… a cheat? Why does that sound like an insult? Like someone calling you an orphan!

Thankfully, Xiao Zhang was resilient. If an ordinary person heard all this, they’d probably break down on the spot.