noffsinger Chapter 175 The Black Ledger Becomes the General Ledger
Chapter 175 The Black Ledger Becomes the General Ledger
The moment the words "Xuanzang" appeared, it felt as if someone had struck the Jingqu area hard with a hammer.
Sun Wukong was the first to curse.
"Bullshit."
He rushed to the door in one step, raised his golden cudgel, and smashed it down on the black page.
boom!
The black page wasn't torn.
Instead, it absorbed all the force from the stick.
The flat voice from behind the door rang out again.
"The list of final page custodians is being revised."
"Xuanzang, priority."
"The rest of you, retreat."
The "Tang" character seal on Xuanzang's chest was burning hot, even the edges of his robe were curling from the heat. He looked at his name on the door, without a smile on his face, and only muttered a sentence in a low voice.
"It's getting anxious."
Chen Fan noticed it too.
The first seven sections all seem to be selective about who they are.
By the eighth section, it wasn't just picking, it was snatching.
They rushed to stuff Xuanzang inside.
They rushed to push Sun Wukong away.
This illustrates one thing.
That thing behind the main gate is starting to get chaotic.
"Don't let it finish revising."
As soon as Chen Fan finished speaking, he pressed the eighth failed key into the black ledger in his hand.
The ledger was originally only the size of a palm.
It was as black as charred wood.
The moment the key touched it, the ledger opened up, its spine making two "click" sounds, as if bones were being joined together inside.
Turn to the first page.
The eighth key sank in by itself.
Immediately afterwards, the seven keys in front seemed to hear a command and simultaneously trembled.
Swish!Swish!Swish!
Seven beams of black light emerged from the pages, flipping upwards one after another.
Page 7.
Page 8.
The black text climbed upwards like crazy.
System notifications flashed wildly in front of Chen Fan's eyes.
[Ding! Eight failed key segments returned to their original positions]
[Closed-loop 8-step completion detected]
The black ledger is being closed.
[Please decide within ten breaths whether to take over the temporary general ledger of the Ninth Experimental Field.]
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan's eyelids twitched violently.
take over.
Those two words are ruthless enough.
At first, he was just exploiting loopholes, tearing open gaps, and stealing torn pages.
The system now simply shoved an entire general ledger in front of him.
Sun Wukong also noticed that Chen Fan's expression was off, and turned his head to ask.
"Another big one?"
"Outrageously big."
Chen Fan exhaled and stared intently at the book.
The black ledger is no longer a ledger.
It started to grow.
The edges were pulled apart, and the thickness increased dramatically, like a black brick, reaching half a person's height in the blink of an eye. Fine lines emerged from the outside of the pages, like locks or wounds, all wrapped around the book cover.
In the very center, a line of dark gold text slowly emerged.
—Temporary General Ledger of the Ninth Experimental Field
The moment those seven words were uttered, the entire area around the clean zone changed.
The old annotations, the old door cracks, and the old white light on the ground were all suppressed.
Even the main gate shrank back by half an inch.
It's like admitting it.
It was as if they were afraid.
Xuanzang raised his head, his breath catching in his throat.
"It's settled."
The little white dragon stood behind, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice dry.
"A provisional general ledger? Isn't that only held by headquarters?"
"It used to be."
Chen Fan reached out and pressed his hand against the book cover. As soon as his palm touched it, a chill crept up his arm and into his bones.
It doesn't hurt.
It's more troublesome than pain.
Eight images flashed before his eyes in an instant.
The fourth predecessor stood under the seal of the trial, his mouth opening and closing as if he were crying out for justice.
The fifth predecessor's head was dragged back into the doorway by that large hand, and his face was distorted.
In the sixth section, the Tang characters on Xuanzang's body are burning red.
The seventh incarnation, with black liquid dripping from its mouth, was still staring at Sun Wukong and laughing.
The hands of the eighth predecessor when he changed the accounts had long, slender fingers, and his fingernails were full of black ink.
The eight failures all crashed into his head.
Chen Fan swayed and took a half step back.
Sun Wukong grabbed his shoulder.
"If you can't take it anymore, let go."
"It can't be loosened."
Chen Fan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
"This thing has recognized its owner."
hum-
The general ledger suddenly jolted.
A beam of black light shot up from the spine of the book and crashed directly into the sky above the clean zone. A thin crack appeared in the originally gray-white dome, and what was revealed through the crack was not the sky, but layers upon layers of stacked pages.
Like the whole place, it is like being inside a big book.
At the same time, two notifications sounded simultaneously.
A message from the system.
[Ding! The temporary master account for the Ninth Experiment Field has been bound.]
[The host has been granted the right to compete for the "ninth overriding right" once.]
The other one does not belong to the system.
It felt like it was pressing down from a higher place.
It was so cold it felt inhuman.
"Announcement from the General Headquarters."
"An abnormal operator has been detected."
"Marking complete".
"Recycling is recommended."
"Spin-off is recommended."
"It is recommended to take action in advance."
These words struck Xiaobailong so hard that his skin went numb.
"An aberrant operator?"
Zhu Ganglie grinned, but couldn't manage a proper smile.
"This title doesn't sound like it was meant for the living."
Sun Wukong laughed.
He laughed very fiercely.
"Great. At least they're not hiding anymore."
He slammed his golden cudgel into the ground, staring at the crack in the sky, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Come on. Who will deal with him? I, Old Sun, will deal with him first."
But no one else landed.
That's the most terrifying thing.
The headquarters only provided a mark.
No action was taken.
It's like a hunter putting a noose around the prey's neck and letting it run until it gets tired.
Chen Fan knew very well that this was more troublesome than a direct attack.
This means they are waiting.
Once he has a firm grasp on the general ledger.
Alternatively, wait until the ninth coverage right is granted.
Xuanzang had also figured it out and turned to look at Chen Fan.
"You can still back out now."
"retreat?"
Chen Fan glanced at him.
"They've got a knife to my throat, where do you expect me to retreat to?"
Xuanzang remained silent.
He knew Chen Fan was telling the truth.
Once you turn to the page "Application for Retrial: Chen Fan", there's no turning back.
The black ledger continues to turn the pages.
The first eight pages are all combined.
Page 9, blank.
The entire page was completely blank.
There's only a thin line of blood at the top of the page.
It's like waiting for someone to write their name.
Just as Chen Fan looked over, another line of text popped up from the system.
[Note: The ninth coverage right has not been activated.]
[Activation condition: The last out-of-control signature must be obtained from the general ledger]
[Currently missing: Goalkeeper confirmation]
Gatekeeper.
As soon as those three words were uttered, everyone looked up.
The eye behind the door is still there.
It has never been closed.
It had been like a lifeless object, but now it finally moved. Its eyelids slowly lifted, revealing a sea of black dots in the whites of its eyes, so densely packed that it made one's heart clench.
Then, a person came out from behind the door.
It really is time to leave.
Take your time, at a leisurely pace.
He wore an old blue robe with frayed cuffs and a string of broken wooden plaques hanging from his waist. His face was thin, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years, with sunken eyes, but a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
He was carrying a small lamp in his hand.
There is no fire in the lamp.
It contains black ink.
The little white dragon only glanced at it, and the scales on its back almost burst open.
"This is... the gatekeeper behind the final page custodian?"
The man didn't answer. He first looked at Sun Wukong, then at Xuanzang, and finally fixed his gaze on the general ledger in Chen Fan's hand.
I watched for three breaths.
He sighed.
"It's come to this."
Chen Fan didn't try to reason with him.
"Is the last signature in your hands?"
"exist."
The gatekeeper raised the lamp, and the black ink inside flickered slightly.
"Sign it, and I'll give you the door."
"I won't give you my life."
Sun Wukong sneered on the spot.
"You're good at talking nonsense."
The goalkeeper wasn't angry; he just kept staring at Chen Fan.
"Are you really going to take it?"
"take."
"Do you know that once the temporary general ledger is officially registered, the first thing the central government looks at is not how many accounts you can change?"
"Then what are you looking at?"
The smile on the goalkeeper's lips slowly faded.
"Do you look like the starting point for the tenth time?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the air in the clean zone seemed to tighten.
Xuanzang's pupils contracted.
"The tenth time?"
Chen Fan grasped the key point.
"There have only been nine test sites so far?"
"right."
The gatekeeper nodded.
"The first eight times, he died. The ninth time, he's in your hands now."
"Whoever takes the lead is no longer the patcher, no longer the page thief, and no longer the outsider."
"The headquarters will treat you as the new leader."
"They won't just kill you."
"They'll use you as the starting point for their tenth offense, first keeping track of the debt, then settling it."
The little white dragon felt a chill in his heart.
"Does that mean... if Chen Fan really secures power, the General Headquarters will put all the pressure on him for the entire Ninth Round?"
"It's not pressure."
The gatekeeper looked at Chen Fan and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"It's a determination."
"Being convinced of your identity is the root of the next disaster."
There was a brief silence.
Pigsy couldn't help but curse.
"These guys really know how to label people."
Sun Wukong took a step forward and stood beside Chen Fan.
"Deduct it if you want."
"The hat is so big, I'll just cover the whole sky."
Xuanzang pressed down on the Tang character seal on his chest and looked up at the gatekeeper.
"Enough with the nonsense, hand over the signature."
The goalkeeper didn't move.
"I can give it."
"One last warning."
"Those who seize power will not only be targeted by the General Headquarters."
"The general ledger will also be watching you."
As he spoke, he raised the small ink lamp and gently shone it on the general ledger.
On the blank page of the ninth page, a line of extremely faint text slowly emerged.
—A temporary general ledger may only hold one principal account.
There's another half-sentence below.
It seems like it was just written, yet it also seems like it was hidden away for a long time.
—If it has two names, it shall first swallow the one that is closer.
Just as Chen Fan saw those words clearly, the general ledger in his hand suddenly felt heavy.
It looked like something had flipped over at the bottom of the page.
next moment.
The bloodline at the top of the page suddenly shot downwards, splitting into two lines.
A force rushed towards Chen Fan.
Another path rushed towards Xuanzang, who was standing closest!
Sun Wukong glared and swung his golden cudgel.
The goalkeeper's expression changed for the first time, and he blurted out.
"Get out of the way! It's trying to take over the second spot!"
The "Tang" character seal on Xuanzang's chest suddenly shone brightly.
Chen Fan flipped the ledger in his hand to the ninth page, the very bottom.
A new name slowly emerges on the blank page.
It's not Xuanzang.
It wasn't Chen Fan either.
The moment those two words appeared, even the gatekeeper froze.
—The Tathagata.
Chapter 590 Chen Fan wrote his name into the operator column
The moment the words "Tathagata" appeared.
No one spoke in the clean area.
The goalkeeper took a half step back first.
He stared at the blank page, his throat bobbing as if he'd seen a ghost.
"The general ledger has been claimed by its owner..."
"They still recognize people from the headquarters."
He had just finished speaking.
The two lines of blood in mid-air were already close to Chen Fan and Xuanzang.
Sun Wukong swept his staff across the room.
boom!
The health bar was bent, but it didn't break.
Instead, they climbed up the golden cudgel.
Like two thin snakes.
Xuanzang raised his hand and pressed it against the "Tang" character seal on his chest. His face turned pale, and he slid three feet away from his feet.
"This is not about recognizing a master."
"This is a takeover."
Chen Fan did not respond.
His eyes were fixed on page nine.
The page was still being turned.
Below the two characters "如来" (Rulai), a line of even smaller black characters slowly appeared.
— Operator candidate field, to be filled.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted.
This is it.
This is the opening he's been waiting for.
The first eight paragraphs weren't taken for nothing.
The fifth section is for the approval and printing; the sixth section is for the Tang Dynasty seal; the seventh section is for the final page safekeeping; the eighth section is for the failure key; plus this black ledger in my hand.
They're all keys.
Now, the key is finally inserted into the lock.
The gatekeeper saw it too.
His face changed instantly.
"Don't touch it!"
"That's not a field you can write in!"
"If you misspell a single word, you'll be dragged into the whole mess!"
Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at him.
Are you scared?
The goalkeeper squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.
"I'm saving you."
"Who do you think you are, daring to compete with Buddha for the operator's position?"
As soon as he said that...
Several former officials from the clean area nearby also came to their senses.
They all looked at Chen Fan as if he were a madman.
"He wants to write his own name?"
"He's really daring."
"That's the last page of the main gate; you can't even touch it."
"There are so many people ahead of us trying to mend things, and we've never even seen where the waiting list is!"
"What right does an outsider have to compete?"
Sun Wukong grinned.
"Can't we fight with sticks?"
The former officials turned pale and immediately shut their mouths.
The goalkeeper tried to stop them again.
Chen Fan has already made his move.
He stepped into the main tent.
The black ledger turned up an inch on its own.
It was as if they were welcoming him.
The two lines of blood rushed up, trying to entangle his wrists.
Chen Fan flipped his hand and first struck out the fifth section of the imperial seal.
Snapped!
The word "审" was pressed down.
The bloodline suddenly stopped.
Immediately afterwards, Xuanzang raised his hand and pressed the "Tang" character seal on his chest into the edge of the paper.
hum!
A golden line illuminates around the edges of page nine.
Sun Wukong is more direct.
He slammed the golden cudgel into the ground.
The entire final page shook violently.
The oppressive feeling of "entering the tent alone" in the seventh paragraph was actually forced open by him, creating a crack.
Three forces press down together.
The waiting list has finally been fully revealed.
blank.
It's truly blank.
Chen Fan raised his hand.
There is no pen at my fingertips.
A stream of black ink flowed from the general ledger.
It fell into his hands.
It's so cold it hurts.
The gatekeeper panicked; his voice changed.
"stop!"
"You don't know the price!"
"Once you write it in, you'll have to accept the ninth overwrite right!"
"The clean zone is in such a mess, the source warehouse is leaking, and the Seventh District has a ton of old cases. Can you handle it? If you take it, you'll be making everyone else take the blame!"
Chen Fan smiled after hearing this.
To put it bluntly...
"Whoever writes it down gets to grab the knife first."
The gatekeeper was panting heavily.
"right."
"So you absolutely cannot write it."
"You will die."
Chen Fan raised his head.
"The day I crawled out from under the Five Finger Mountain, I never intended to live an honest life."
The words were spoken.
He pressed his finger on the ninth page.
Black ink drags along.
I wrote "Chen" first.
The paper suddenly jolted.
A piercing tearing sound echoed throughout the clean zone.
It's like someone scratching an iron plate with their fingernail from a high place.
Those former officials immediately knelt down with their hands in their hands.
The goalkeeper's eyes widened, and his legs went weak.
"It's formed a character..."
"The first character actually came together!"
Chen Fan's hands didn't stop.
The second stroke is faster.
"Ordinary".
Drag the last horizontal line.
The two characters were placed neatly and squarely in the waiting list.
—Chen Fan.
Dead silence.
next moment.
The master ledger was brightly lit.
Page 9 seemed to come alive, suddenly sucking onto Chen Fan's palm.
A stream of black liquid rushed up his arm.
It rushed to my shoulders, to my throat, to my brow.
Chen Fan's temples bulged with veins, his vision went black, and all he could hear was a jumble of noise.
[Ding! Successful registration detected in the waitlist]
[Ninth Coverage Rights, Temporarily Granted]
[Time Limit: One incense stick's time]
[Operator Status: Unstable]
[Currently available deflection areas: Clean Zone, Source Warehouse, Seventh Zone]
[Rule Direction: Awaiting Reconsideration]
Chen Fan suddenly opened his eyes.
A glint of black light flashed in his eyes.
The world seemed to have changed its appearance.
He glanced out and saw that all the cracks in the clean zone had turned into red lines.
Who is secretly altering the accounts, who is hiding old cases, and who is pretending to mend things—it's all crystal clear.
Not just the clean area.
Further away.
A sealed-off black warehouse suddenly lit up in his field of vision.
That's the source warehouse.
Inside, rows and rows of old books were piled up to the point of obscurity, each one chained.
At this moment, the chains began to loosen.
Once again.
District Seven is like a piece of iron that has been scorched by fire.
The top was covered with old orders and execution notices.
Now, those strips are being flipped over one after another.
The front line is killing.
Turn the page, and only three words remain.
The verdict needs to be overturned.
Everyone in the clean zone was stunned.
A former official lay sprawled on the ground, repeating only one sentence to himself.
"It flipped...it really flipped..."
"The rules have changed..."
The gatekeeper looked at Chen Fan as if he were seeing him for the first time.
"You...you really wrote your name in."
"They also secured the ninth coverage right."
Chen Fan shook his numb hands.
"Is it difficult?"
The goalkeeper's lips twitched.
"Disaster?"
"This is the first time since the temple opened that someone has inserted something under the name of the Buddha!"
"You're not a substitute."
"This is outright robbery."
This sentence was uttered.
Sun Wukong laughed loudly, his laughter shaking the roof tiles.
"good!"
"Good job!"
"Those bald guys up there are the best at using their titles to intimidate people."
"Finally, someone's dared to take his job to his face!"
Xuanzang also looked up at page nine.
His face was still pale, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Chen Fan".
"The time limit is only one incense stick's time."
"Don't waste it."
Chen Fan nodded.
He raised his hand and placed it on the general ledger.
All those red lines and black words in my head were jumping around.
Without hesitation, he issued three orders.
"The first course."
"Clean areas are suspended from liquidation; all items have been cut off and sealed."
"The second one."
"Open the outer layer of the source warehouse and interrogate all old cases before the eighth section."
"The third one."
"The arrest warrants in District Seven are frozen; all those not yet tried are to be temporarily suspended pending appeal."
Each sentence spoken.
The general ledger just gave a jolt.
Wait until the third sentence is finished.
boom!
The ground in the entire clean area shook.
In the distance, rows of black doors closed simultaneously.
The originally scarlet "斩" character above cracked open and turned into a grayish-white "审".
Those former officials who had been so arrogant just moments before were now ashen-faced.
"My case file has been dug up too..."
"How could it be so fast!"
"The outer layer of the source warehouse has really opened!"
"Who dragged out the replacement orders that I had sealed in the bottom register?!"
In an instant, cries, curses, and pleas for mercy erupted.
Those who were putting on airs just a moment ago were kneeling down faster than anyone else.
The goalkeeper's hands trembled slightly as he watched this scene.
He has guarded the gate for so many years.
This is the first time I've seen a clean zone turn on itself.
Chen Fan didn't look at them.
He was staring at the sky.
Because page nine is not stable.
The two characters "Tathagata" are still there.
Moreover, the color is getting darker and darker.
It's like someone on the other end is holding down a pen, writing and grabbing at the same time.
The system alerted that another explosion had occurred.
[WARNING! Original operator privileges are being pushed back]
Temporary coverage rights remaining: half an incense stick's worth
Dual system lock areas detected
Chen Fan frowned.
"Dual system?"
The voice just fell.
Suddenly, a circle of white light rose from the outer wall of the clean zone.
The dull thuds of heavy hammers hitting the ground echoed from all directions.
a bit.
Two times.
Three times.
It was as if a colossal entity had surrounded the entire clean area.
The goalkeeper's face turned deathly pale instantly, and he looked up abruptly.
"It's over."
"The Hong Kong authorities' set of regulations for closing Hong Kong has been locked down."
Xuanzang's expression also changed.
"more than."
"The main system has arrived as well."
boom!
A crack appeared in the ceiling.
A white chain hangs down from one side.
Press down the black ledger pages.
The two forces intersected above the clean zone, like a giant pair of scissors, effectively locking up the entire area.
All exits simultaneously lit up in red.
—Clean area sealed off.
—Only in, no out.
Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel and struck the sky with it.
clang!
This blow felt like it hit the entire sky.
Sparks flew everywhere from the shock.
The chain swayed, but didn't break.
Sun Wukong grinned, his eyes flashing with ferocity.
"That's interesting."
The gatekeeper, no longer caring about appearances, rushed to Chen Fan in a few steps, his voice strained.
"The port owner personally locked down the area."
"The main system of the central hall is simultaneously pressed down."
"They're not planning to conduct the trial."
"They're going to completely clear out the designated area, including you, the temporary operator!"
Chen Fan looked up.
The black and white layers of the sky were pressing down lower and lower.
On page nine, a faint mark has appeared after the words "Tathagata".
It looks like a hand.
It was about to emerge from the page.
At the same time.
At the very bottom of the ledger, a new line of text slowly appeared.
—The final processing order has been submitted.
—Executors: Port Owner, Chief Executive Officer.
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
"You've come at the perfect time."
He grabbed the general ledger and turned to look at Sun Wukong and Xuanzang.
"One of them hits the sky."
"One guards the ninth page."
"I'll go and confirm the operator field."
He had barely finished speaking.
The hand that reached out from behind the name "Buddha" had already torn open the paper and was grabbing at his neck.
Chapter 591 Projection of the True Administrator of the Main Hall
The hand on the paper had only extended halfway out.
His five fingers were long and black, like rotten wooden sticks. With a flick of his knuckles, he gripped Chen Fan's throat.
Chen Fan did not back down.
He grabbed the general ledger and slammed the ninth page forward with his other hand.
Snapped!
The moment the hand touched the corner of the page, a burst of black flames erupted from its palm, as if a layer of skin had been burned through, and it abruptly withdrew.
A low groan came from inside the paper.
It is not the voice of the Buddha.
It's even colder.
It's flatter.
It was as if someone was looking through a long-forgotten, dead account across the entire main hall.
"You are all mirror images."
As soon as those words were spoken...
The entire room fell silent.
Even Sun Wukong, who was about to rush out, stopped half a step, his golden cudgel held horizontally on his shoulder, and the fire in his eyes suddenly tightened.
Chen Fan looked up.
Above the main gate, the layers of black pages that had been pressed down were turned over one by one.
With each new floor, the surroundings become a little darker.
Finally, the entire top of the door seemed to have been forcibly ripped off.
A huge human face emerged from the shadows behind the door.
No meat.
There are no bones.
There is only a semi-transparent outline.
Her facial features were very faint, like ink spreading in water, with the edges constantly trembling.
The most glaring thing was his forehead.
A tiny tent mark was hanging on it.
The inscription contains only two characters.
General Office.
The moment the gatekeeper saw the seal, his Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his voice changed.
"Real administrator projection..."
His face lowered, sweeping over everyone present.
His eyes were indifferent.
It doesn't look like looking at a person.
It's like looking at a pile of waste paper waiting to be recycled.
"Abnormal clustering confirmed."
"Confirmation of the leakage of the ninth coverage right."
"Confirming the role of the experimental port, collectively bypassing the checkpoint."
"I have taken over this cleanup in my capacity as the custodian of the outer ring general ledger."
The voice just fell.
Four black nails lit up simultaneously at the four corners of the main gate.
The moment the nail was driven out, the entire port area trembled.
In the distance, the dilapidated buildings, broken bridges, and old walls all have a layer of fine writing on their surfaces.
It's like an account book written into the ground.
The "Tang" character seal on Xuanzang's chest immediately burst out with white light and pushed outward by an inch.
He grunted and took a half step back.
Sun Wukong cursed.
"You pretentious charlatan, how dare you talk to me, Old Sun?"
He took a step into the air, and he had already rushed forward.
He swung the golden cudgel in a wide arc, aiming to smash it down on the top of that person's head.
That blow was both fierce and direct.
The air itself was blasted into a white streak.
The projection didn't even try to dodge.
The stick fell.
boom!
The face dissipated into a cloud of black mist.
Just as Sun Wukong was about to sneer, the black mist regrouped behind him, and a hand patted his back.
boom!
The monkey was slapped so hard that it lunged forward and slid for more than ten feet, leaving two deep ruts in its wake.
When he turned around, his eyes narrowed to pinpoints.
The remaining figures of the gatekeepers surrounding the area were completely dumbfounded.
"Did you hit it?"
"You're not hurt?"
"This isn't a clone technique, it's a projection outside the tent!"
"He's not on this floor!"
The projection raised its hand and gently dusted off its sleeves.
The movements were very casual.
The tone was even harsher.
"The seventh failed entity, its combat module is still acceptable."
"The sixth patching body has serious permission corruption."
"The ninth operator's actions clearly show signs of forgery."
At this point, his gaze fell on Chen Fan.
The first time, I paused for an extra half-breath.
"It's you."
"A handyman who feeds fruit."
"After picking up a few failed keys, he dared to put his own name in the operator field."
Do you know what you're touching?
Chen Fan glanced down at the general ledger in his hand and chuckled.
"I know."
"I also know you're anxious."
"If I hadn't actually written it in, someone like you wouldn't have shown your face."
These words were spoken.
The projection's eye twitched slightly.
Very small.
Chen Fan still saw it.
Bet right.
This guy isn't just here to put on a show.
He came to steal it.
The projector of the main hall administrator said calmly, "People on your level always mistake the struggle before death for resistance."
Say it again.
"You are all mirror images."
"Including the past you remember, the names you were given, and the choices you thought you made."
"All of them are test layers that were [net] cast."
"Your existence does not mean you are the subject."
"Just because you can change the accounts doesn't mean the accounts belong to you."
Xuanzang raised his head, a hint of coldness appearing in his eyes for the first time.
"Are you saying we're not human?"
The projector looked at him.
"You don't even have a complete serial number."
"You are just a temporary loose-leaf page created after the sixth section was patched up."
"Does a loose-leaf notebook even have the right to talk about people?"
The veins on the back of Xuanzang's hand bulged out.
The "Tang" character seal on his chest began to turn red.
The gatekeeper, his scalp tingling, quickly whispered, "Don't let him lead you! He's pressuring you to accept your claim; once you do, he can easily change the accounts!"
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
No wonder this thing started by cursing.
It's not for show.
It's to strip them of their qualifications.
Without saying a word, he raised his hand and flipped through the general ledger.
Page 9 lights up.
He pressed the still-wet, bloody fingerprint hard onto the operator's panel.
"Don't give me that nonsense."
"I can turn pages, I can change words, and I can obtain the key."
That's enough.
You said we are reflections in a mirror.
"Then I'll smash your face with my shadow today."
hum!
The entire ninth page is burning.
The name "Chen Fan" in the operator column became instantly clearer.
The projected face fell for the first time.
The surrounding black nails all trembled.
Countless semi-transparent figures appeared in the sky above the entire port area.
Old man, child, monster, monk, gatekeeper, patrolman.
Densely packed.
They all kept their heads down.
It felt like being suspended in mid-air.
Sun Wukong raised his eyes and clenched his teeth.
"Those little monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain..."
He saw it.
Among the figures were the old monkeys from Flower Fruit Mountain who had died in battle.
There are also remnants left by the old shell of the White Dragon Horse.
There's even half of the Soul Tent that the Bull Demon King tore apart back then.
Everyone looked as if they had been put through the same ordeal again, hanging motionless on the black line.
Projection opening.
"All characters in the Experimental Port have been backed up and retrieved."
"If the Ninth Coverage Right is not returned, I will first clear out the port area, and then reclaim your remaining pages."
"For every breath you resist, another layer is removed."
After he finished speaking, he pressed down with his finger.
The afterimage of an old monkey in mid-air instantly split apart, shattering into pieces of black paper.
Sun Wukong's eyes instantly turned red.
"You dare!"
He swung his staff skyward.
This time it's not a slap in the face.
Instead, they went straight for the four black nails.
boom! boom! boom!
After three blows, the first nail bent.
The entire port area suddenly shook.
The hanging figures all trembled.
The projectionist frowned and raised his hand to press down.
A black curtain-like mark crashed down from the sky, heading straight for the monkey's back.
"Stay on page nine!"
Chen Fan roared and lunged forward.
He did not stop the tent seal.
He grabbed the general ledger and slammed it down on Xuanzang's feet.
"Press your Tang characters into the page margins!"
Without much hesitation, Xuanzang slammed one knee into the ground, and the mark on his chest slammed into the edge of the ninth page.
A white border suddenly appeared around the entire page.
The black tent imprint that was about to strike Sun Wukong was bounced off the edge of the page and deflected by half a foot.
Taking advantage of the situation, Sun Wukong turned around and smashed the second black nail in two with his staff.
The projection's expression finally changed.
"Who taught you to use overriding rights like that?"
Chen Fan grinned.
"Your father."
Before the words had even finished, the words were spoken.
The ledger in his hand suddenly started flipping by itself.
It's not page nine.
It's the back cover.
On the inside of the back cover, a line of even older text slowly seeped out.
The words weren't black.
It's grayish-white, like someone has smeared it with ashes.
—Detection indicates that the outer ring general agency has taken over the site.
—Whether to apply for subject review.
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
Main body review?
As soon as those four words were uttered, even the projector suddenly lowered its head.
That usually expressionless face finally revealed a hint of barely suppressed coldness.
Don't order it.
"You're not qualified to order this."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan felt even more at ease.
They won't let you order.
That means it could really be fatal.
He raised his hand to press it.
The projected palm opened, and the entire ceiling suddenly lowered.
The remaining force from the four black nails was poured down.
The ground cracked inch by inch.
The hanging figures began to crumble into pieces.
The goalkeeper rushed over, his face turning pale.
"We can't delay any longer! He really wants to clear Hong Kong!"
The projector stared at Chen Fan and spoke, word by word.
"Final notification."
"Return the Ninth Coverage Right".
"Cancel operator field pseudo-writing".
"Otherwise, the entire Hong Kong area will be cleared."
His voice trailed off.
A muffled thud suddenly came from afar.
It's like there's a door that's never been opened in the deepest part of the port area, and something bumped into it from the inside.
Everyone instinctively turned around.
Only the projection didn't turn around.
But a thin crack appeared on the seal of the General Office on his forehead.
Chen Fan saw it.
Sun Wukong saw it too.
next second.
A second impact came from the door deep inside.
Heavier.
Closer.
Below the line of small gray text on the back cover of the general ledger, a new button has slowly emerged.
Only two words.
--pass.
Chapter 592 You said we're all fake
The instant those two words appeared.
The whole of Hong Kong fell silent for a moment.
--pass.
The back cover of the general ledger seemed to come alive, with a gentle thud.
It felt like someone was pressing down on his back, trying to push the entire ledger out of Chen Fan's hands.
Chen Fan did not let go.
He stared at the button without even blinking.
They banged on the door deep inside for the third time.
This was even more ruthless than the previous two times.
The wall trembled.
The old signal lights hanging in the sky above the port area were also in disarray.
Each one flickers uncertainly.
Like a group of people who can't stand still.
The projector of the main administrator finally moved.
He didn't guard the door.
He looked down at the general ledger in Chen Fan's hand.
The thin line on his forehead was still splitting outwards, like a thread slowly being pulled out of the mark.
But his tone remained flat.
It was so flat it sent chills down my spine.
"Just because you have page nine doesn't mean you're qualified to touch the final page."
Chen Fan did not respond.
Sun Wukong took a step forward, carrying his staff.
"Stop talking nonsense. Your forehead is cracked, what are you pretending to be calm for?"
The projector glanced at the monkey.
"Sample number seven exhibits stable emotional fluctuations."
"This indicates that the old process is still usable."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of many long-established businesses in the port changed.
Sample number seven.
He was referring to Sun Wukong.
It's not the Monkey King.
He is not the master of Flower Fruit Mountain.
It's just a sample.
With a bite of its teeth, the monkey's tail smashed a hole in the ground.
"Say it again."
I didn't hear the projected image.
He raised his hand, and a gray-white curtain immediately unfolded above the entire port area.
Page after page.
It covered the entire ceiling.
Each page contains a name, a number, and a record of deletions and modifications.
Someone spotted him immediately.
"This...this is the account from the day I arrived in port?"
"Why are there three of me?"
"Wait, why does it say 'substitute' at the end of my document?"
The commotion erupted immediately.
Especially those old number samples.
They had followed Chen Fan all the way up, and their hearts had wavered. Now, seeing that they actually had backup accounts, restart accounts, and substitute accounts, they felt as if their feet had sank into emptiness.
The projection has an opening.
"Since you all want to know the truth."
"Then I'll show you clearly."
He swiped his finger downwards.
The first page is enlarged.
The document above reads: "Mirror process of Huaguo Mountain, number one to ninety-three."
There is a line of small print below.
Despite different activation times and staffing levels, the results were similar.
Someone in the port area gasped.
Even the Bull Demon King suddenly looked up, his fierce expression freezing in his eyes.
The projector continued.
"Huaguo Mountain is the process."
"The journey to the West is a process."
"The seventh tower is the process."
"Feeding fruit is also a process."
"You think you've lived. In reality, you've just been put into different pages and walked through them over and over again."
Each of these sentences is harsher than the last.
It's like slapping someone's face with a knife.
But he still wouldn't accept it.
He even smiled.
That smile was faint, yet it was more hurtful than no smile at all.
"Chen Fan, you should understand this best."
"You fed the fruit at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain for a hundred years."
"You think that was an experience?"
"Wrong."
"That's just a feeding interface."
"Anyone sitting there will be fed."
"Whoever sits there will encounter Sun Wukong."
"Whoever sits there will activate another system."
"You're not an exception. You're just a replacement that survives a little longer in this mirror process."
The port was in an uproar.
"Bullshit!"
Zhu Ganglie was the first to curse, and he even picked up his nine-toothed rake.
"My senior brother is a replacement? Who do you think you are!"
Xuanzang didn't scold him.
He simply looked up at the account pages, the Buddha seal in his hand slowly turning black.
The breathing of the old monks around him was already disordered.
What they feared most was that after all the effort they had put in, the path they had taken was actually a lie.
Now, that statement has been delivered by the actual administrator.
Its effect is more powerful than any attack.
An old man staggered back two steps, his mouth dry.
"Then...then I died once in Eagle's Sorrow Gorge and came back to life, was that also a substitute?"
"Does my mother remember me?"
"Could I also delete my past lives?"
The other old account holder turned pale.
"I lost an arm in Pansiling, was that pain fake too?"
The projection said calmly, "The pain is real. The debt is real too. You are not important."
One sentence, like a slap in the face.
The old man's lips trembled, and he remained silent for a long time.
The people surrounding them also fell silent.
Some people started looking down at their hands.
Someone looked up at the tent, their eyes vacant.
Some people even subconsciously moved two steps away from Chen Fan and his group.
It's as if they're afraid of standing on the wrong side and being crossed out the next moment.
The line suddenly broke off.
The tension that had been building up had dissipated.
The projection is clearly designed for this purpose.
He stared at Chen Fan, his voice even lower.
"You lead a group of replaceable samples and storm the main hall."
"Do you think it's exciting?"
"In my opinion, it's just old pages that are stained."
"Each of you has a past debt and a future debt."
"If we scrap this batch, we can replace it with the next one."
He paused for a moment.
It's as if they felt what came before wasn't enough.
Then he delivered another blow.
"Including Flower and Fruit Mountain."
"Including that monkey."
"Including the hundred years you most love to use as your root."
"It's all fake."
These words had barely left his lips.
Sun Wukong swung his staff directly out.
A flash of golden light, and half of the tent exploded on the spot.
But that was just a projection.
The grayish-white light flickered, and then closed again.
The projection didn't even shake.
He looked at the monkey, his eyes revealing a blatant contempt for the first time.
"What are you angry about?"
"Every time you cause trouble, it's documented."
"Every time you are suppressed, it is replicated."
"Do you know how many times Flower Fruit Mountain has been destroyed?"
"You think your bunch of monkeys and their offspring are the only ones?"
"no."
"They're fake too."
The last three words fell.
The sound of monkeys grinding their teeth could be heard throughout the entire port area.
The Bull Demon King's eyes turned red.
The white dragon horse's four hooves pounded the ground, its breathing heavy.
Even Xuanzang, who was usually quiet, had veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Needless to say, people flocked to watch those old accounts.
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
Some people's faces were full of surprise.
Some people felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of ice water, chilled to the bone.
Some people who had been wavering earlier are now frozen in place.
They watched the projection, feeling a chill run down their spines.
This person is ruthless.
It wasn't murder.
It's like taking a life that's been shattered.
They'll call everything you've built up to this point a lie.
If you believe this, you'll be half ruined.
But just then...
Chen Fan suddenly smiled.
Not big.
He just twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
This smile, ironically, drew everyone's attention back to the person around them.
The projector looked at him.
"You can still laugh."
Chen Fan weighed the general ledger in his hand.
"Are you done talking?"
The projection said calmly, "You want to argue?"
"What do you have to say in your rebuttal?"
Have you seen the end page of the general ledger?
"Do you know what's recorded on the last page?"
"You don't even know if this is your first time standing here—"
"Alright."
Chen Fan interrupted him directly.
He didn't say a single unnecessary word.
"Didn't you say we're all processes, mirror images, and replacement parts?"
"Then don't just put up a middle account."
"Open the last page of the general ledger."
The port area suddenly became quiet.
The projection's gaze darkened by half an inch for the first time.
Chen Fan could see it very clearly.
He took a step forward, holding the general ledger horizontally in his hand.
"You keep saying that Flower Fruit Mountain is fake."
"The story of the pilgrimage to the West is a lie."
"The claim that the Seventh Tower is fake."
"Saying it's about the fruit feeder is also an excuse."
"OK."
"Then show me the last page."
"Let everyone see who's replacing whom."
"Check who was the last to write after each page was cleared."
He took a step forward with each sentence he spoke.
The voice was not loud.
Yet every single sentence landed perfectly.
"You dare to fill the entire middle page?"
"Why don't you dare turn to the last page?"
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm afraid everyone will see that this isn't a natural reopening."
"I'm afraid everyone will see that the mirror image didn't grow on its own; it was created stroke by stroke by someone."
"To avoid everyone seeing, the so-called real administrator is nothing more than the accountant on the last page who cleans up other people's messes."
This sentence was uttered.
Pigsy was the first to burst out laughing.
"Yes! The accountant! He looks just like a bookkeeper to me!"
The Bull Demon King also grinned.
The breath I had been holding in suddenly found an outlet.
Those old sample numbers were already messed up.
Hearing this now, they all suddenly realized what it meant.
Yes.
You say we're fake.
Then take out the last page.
You dare to talk about the process, but you don't dare to talk about the conclusion?
The old account was the first to shout it out.
"Opening page!"
The other one followed suit.
"Yes, start with the last page!"
"If you want us to believe, then open the last page!"
The shouts immediately followed.
One sound after another.
The breath that had just been cut off was actually pulled back by Chen Fan's words.
The projection stands still.
His face remained expressionless.
The crack in the seal on his forehead had grown even longer.
Chen Fan stared at the crack, feeling more at ease.
The fact that this guy can talk for so long shows that what he fears most right now is the last page.
That thing is more than just the truth.
It's probably still his Achilles' heel.
The projection remained silent for two breaths, then suddenly laughed.
"You're good at picking up on words."
"Unfortunately, the last page is not for you to see."
Chen Fan nodded.
"Understood."
"That means it exists."
The projector's gaze turned cold.
Chen Fan didn't give him a chance to reply, and pointed to the tents in the sky.
"You just said it yourself."
"Huaguo Mountain is also fake."
"Come on, say it again in front of them."
"Speak louder."
"Make sure the general ledger hears clearly too."
Sun Wukong suddenly turned his head and looked at the projection.
The fire in his eyes was no longer the simple anger he had felt before.
It's like something's been pressed down, about to explode.
Everyone in the entire port area was glued to the projection.
Wait for him to speak.
The projection looked at Chen Fan as if it had seen through something.
But he still said it.
One word at a time.
Clearly and distinctly.
"Huaguo Mountain is also fake."
The voice just fell.
The ledger in Chen Fan's hand suddenly opened by itself.
It's not page nine.
It's the black paper behind the back cover that's never been shown.
A tear appeared in the black paper.
What's sticking out from inside isn't a hand.
It is a pen.
The pen tip is scarlet.
Point straight up into the air.
next moment.
All the tents in the sky shook at the same time.
A line of blood-red characters, never before seen, slowly appeared at the very top.
—The request to call the last page has been triggered.
—Trigger condition: Verbal confirmation from a genuine administrator.
—Confirmed: Huaguo Mountain is fake.
The projected expression changed for the first time.
Chapter 593 Hong Kong-wide shutdown
The moment the blood-red words were hung up, the entire port area fell silent for a moment.
The projector stared at the sky, and the crack on his forehead widened a little more.
He seemed to want to say something, but before he could even open his mouth, Chen Fan had already moved.
The red pen that emerged from the black paper was still suspended in mid-air.
Chen Fan grabbed it.
The penholder was so cold it felt prickly to the touch, as if it had just been pulled from a dead person's bones.
The general ledger trembled in his palm.
The black paper on the back cover was flipped open in a flash.
Not a single page.
It was an entire wall of densely packed operator lines.
There are only two empty seats in the top row.
Hong Kong owner.
Provisional general ledger.
Chen Fan glanced down and a smile immediately appeared on his lips.
"So this is where you were waiting for me."
The projection's expression darkened, and it raised its hand to press down.
"Stop him!"
The black-armored guards from all sides rushed forward at the same time.
Sun Wukong had been holding back his anger for a long time, and swept his golden cudgel horizontally.
boom!
The dozen or so men in black armor in the front row were sent flying on the spot, smashing over the two layers of tent ladders behind them.
"Anyone who dares to touch him, Old Sun will smash their skull first!"
Xuanzang was also busy.
He raised his hand and pressed it on the edge of the ninth page. The "Tang" seal on his chest shone brightly, pressing back the black hand that had crawled out from the page.
"Chen Fan, hurry!"
Chen Fan didn't even look to the side.
He picked up his pen and wrote.
The moment the first stroke was made, the entire main hall trembled violently.
It's like someone hit the heart of the harbor with a hammer.
As the second stroke fell, thousands upon thousands of notices in the distant port area flipped up simultaneously, creating a jarring rustling sound.
The third stroke is made.
In the operator column, a name slowly appears below the words "Temporary General Ledger".
—Chen Fan.
The instant the word was formed.
The ledger seemed to come alive, burrowing into his palm.
A series of prompts exploded in my mind.
[Ding! Temporary general ledger access granted]
[A Level 1 port order can be executed once]
[Time Limit: Three Breaths]
[Recommendation: Prioritize market control]
Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
To control the atmosphere?
This is his favorite.
The projector also saw the words, and the composure on his face finally crumbled.
"Put the pen away! Put the pen away immediately!"
He raised his hand and grabbed, and a huge black hand immediately appeared in mid-air, directly grabbing down on Chen Fan's head.
Before the black hand could land, Sun Wukong slammed it down with his staff.
boom!
The two forces collided, causing the entire main hall to shake.
Sun Wukong was so shocked that he took half a step back and grinned.
"Come on, push harder."
The projector ignored him and stared intently at Chen Fan.
His eyes looked like he wanted to devour you.
"You don't understand what this order means."
Chen Fan didn't even look up, his finger quickly scribbling across the general ledger.
"Of course I understand."
"Shutting down the machine is worse than blowing it up."
The projection pupil contracted.
"You dare!"
Chen Fan laughed, a very direct laugh.
"If I get power and don't make a decisive move, wouldn't I have just taken it for nothing?"
After he finished speaking, he slammed the red pen into the center of the black page.
A line of blood suddenly appeared.
At the very top of the ledger, a line of large text immediately popped up.
—Level 1 Port Order, please enter.
Chen Fan read it aloud, word by word.
"Port Zero".
"Stop for three breaths."
The last four words were uttered.
The entire main hall was initially silent.
Immediately following was a muffled thunderclap that seemed to come from the bottom of the harbor.
Boom!
The group staggered.
The scrolling words on the wall of notices all stopped.
It's not about slowing down.
It was a complete and utter suffocation.
The fleet of boats that had been moving in the distance, trailing a string of black tails as they passed through the harbor, suddenly came to a complete stop, as if pressed to the spot by an invisible hand.
The next instant.
The black rings in the sky above the port area all went out at once.
Round and round.
From the outer harbor to the inner harbor.
It's as if someone has gradually darkened the entire sky, layer by layer.
The onlookers were stunned at first, then they exploded.
"It's stopped?"
"It's really stopped!"
"It's not just a lockdown, it's a complete shutdown!"
"Are you crazy? That's Port Zero!"
On both sides of the harbor, countless people who were trading, settling accounts, and pledging goods were completely dumbfounded.
Someone had just handed out the sign when it fell to the ground with a thud, completely still.
Someone was sitting on the black boat, receiving orders from the mother ship, when the blue pattern on the surface of the mother ship suddenly went dark, even jamming the hatch.
Someone was jumping down from the high list, using its momentum to cushion the fall. As soon as the list stopped, the person screamed in fright and crashed into the pile of goods below, unable to climb out for a long time.
The most ruthless is the mother box.
The four mother boxes at the four corners of the port area originally resembled four black hearts pressing down on the port's lifeline.
At the same time, a buzzing sound was emitted.
The surface lock patterns are all closed.
All the supply chains in the entire port area were cut off instantly.
The large projection above the main hall is even more direct.
Get out of here first.
It cracked again.
Finally, his entire face, like crumpled paper, crumbled into countless gray fragments.
Disconnected.
The entire room fell silent.
Even the black hand that was fighting Sun Wukong froze in mid-air, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Sun Wukong reacted first and swung his staff to deliver another blow.
boom!
The black hand shattered on the spot.
"Haha, I never knew you could play like this!"
He turned to look at Chen Fan, his eyes shining.
"That was a pretty ruthless move, kid!"
Xuanzang stood in front of the ninth page, his lips twitching slightly.
He glanced at the lifeless tents around him, then at the general ledger in Chen Fan's hand, and whispered, "This isn't about putting on a show; this is about choking the port."
Chen Fan did not respond.
He was staring at the countdown line above the main ledger.
Three breaths.
has already started.
First breath.
The entire city of Hong Kong has come to a standstill.
Before the second breath had even passed, the port area, which had been in complete chaos, suddenly seemed to wake up.
Those accountants, stewards, and black-ringed deacons who had been so arrogant just moments before all turned pale.
They are not afraid of being hit.
They're afraid the rules will be stopped.
Once the rules are lifted, all the privileges that usually hold people hostage, such as identity, access, quotas, and the right to reclaim them, will be nullified.
Some people just start cursing as soon as they open their mouths.
"Who gave the order?!"
"You're insane! You're asking for death!"
"Quickly activate the backup chain at headquarters! Hurry!"
Some people were even faster; they didn't even bother to curse and just turned around and rushed towards the general ledger.
Because they all know it.
The person who can issue such a first-level port order is currently at the general ledger.
If we capture him, Hong Kong can still be saved.
If you can't hold on, who knows what will fall down in three breaths?
In the distance, a fat-faced accountant was running so fast that one of his shoes flew off, and he screamed as he ran.
"Make way! Make way, everyone!"
"The temporary general ledger has made its move! Someone is trying to seize Hong Kong's rights!"
His shout was like pouring water into a pot of boiling oil.
Everyone in the entire harbor has gone mad.
Guards rushed forward.
One of the caravan leaders turned and ran, wanting to leave port first.
More people followed and pressed their way to the main accounting desk.
They all want to see it.
They all wanted to grab it.
Inside the main hall, the few black-armored guards who hadn't been destroyed yet were about to go forward again when their armor plates cracked and broke apart.
With the shutdown order in place, they couldn't even muster the most basic chain force.
Sun Wukong kicked them one by one, sending them rolling on the ground.
"roll."
"Weren't you making quite a racket just now?"
Those men in black armor could barely crawl, their faces showing expressions of utter disbelief.
One person stared intently at Chen Fan, his voice trembling.
"How could you possibly touch a first-level port order... that's a power reserved for the port chief and the head of the headquarters!"
Chen Fan looked up at him.
"Now, I have it."
The man's lips trembled twice, and then he fell completely silent.
Everyone watching was stunned by those four words.
"Now, I have it."
That's too blunt.
It's too heavy.
In a place like Port Zero, anyone who dares to say such a thing is essentially stepping on the face of all the old rules.
Although the projection was scattered, the sound suddenly came from all parts of the main hall at the same time.
It was so cold it felt like it was being squeezed out of the cracks in the iron.
"Chen Fan".
"You think you can subdue the entire Hong Kong with just three breaths?"
You're wrong.
"You're handing yourself over to the head office."
Chen Fan squinted and looked around.
"right."
"I want them all to come."
He flipped his hand and slammed the general ledger onto the black table in front of him.
The moment the main ledger and the black platform made contact, the entire main ledger platform suddenly rose three feet.
Eight passageways were split around the countertop.
It's like deliberately making way for everyone.
Sun Wukong understood and burst out laughing.
"it is good."
"It saves Old Sun the trouble of searching for them one by one."
Xuanzang also turned to look into the distance.
At the end of the harbor road, a crowd was already rushing in.
More than one batch.
The accountant from the outer harbor, the steward from the inner harbor, the chain guards protecting the mother ship, and the leader of the fleet that had just lost contact all arrived.
The footsteps grew louder and louder.
Like a tide crashing against the city.
The second breath has arrived.
Outside the main hall, countless frozen notices suddenly turned around at the same time.
Each notice points directly to the head office.
It's like everyone in the port is giving directions.
"Go there."
"Rob that person."
"Take back the rights."
An old deacon with a white beard rushed to the front, shouting as he ran.
"Whoever takes control of the provisional main headquarters first will be the next deputy port chief!"
Upon hearing this, those who had initially held back became red-eyed with envy.
Deputy Port Chief.
This bait is too big.
In an instant, even the high-ranking officers who had just retreated stopped pretending and all sped up.
Someone stepped on a black chain.
Some people tore off spare pages and slapped them on themselves.
Some people even took out their most treasured amulets.
The scene suddenly became ten times more ferocious.
Sun Wukong slung the golden cudgel over his shoulder and cracked his neck.
"Chen Fan, is three breaths enough?"
Chen Fan stared at the general ledger and tapped the table lightly twice with his fingers.
"not enough."
Sun Wukong was taken aback.
The next moment, Chen Fan suddenly looked up and grinned at him.
"So I'm going to start a new page on the third breath."
Xuanzang's expression changed.
Which page?
Chen Fan did not answer.
He simply pressed the red pen slowly against the newly emerging seam behind the back cover of the ledger.
Through that crack, a corner of a gray page, never seen before, was slowly being turned outwards.
At the very top of the gray page, half a line of text was already visible.
—After the shutdown is completed, the first priority for forced recovery will be implemented...
At this moment, the white-bearded old deacon who was at the forefront had already pounced on the main table, his hand grabbing Chen Fan's throat.
At the same time, the door at the deepest part of the port area, which had been rammed twice, opened by itself with a loud bang.
Chapter 594 Wukong Interrupts the Return-to-Warehouse Bus
As soon as the door opened, the entire front desk shook.
The white-bearded old deacon, who was rushing forward, stumbled and his hand hadn't even touched Chen Fan's neck when Xuanzang had already rammed into him.
boom.
The old man was thrown half a meter away by the impact, and a string of black cards flew out from his sleeve, revealing themselves as soon as they landed.
"Order to return to warehouse! Order to return to warehouse activated!"
He yelled at the top of his lungs, his face twitching.
One by one, the tents in mid-air lit up with red characters.
—Three breaths remaining before shutdown.
—The zeroth port of call, forced return to storage in preparation.
Welcome back to Hong Kong!
The last sentence echoed throughout the port area.
It's not a single sound.
It's thousands upon thousands of voices stacked together.
There are men and women, old and young.
It's like someone is whispering in your ear, repeating it over and over again.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Those old sample numbers that were still in a daze immediately lost their focus.
Someone covered their head and knelt down.
Some people turned and walked towards the tower complex.
Some people even raised their palms and pressed them against the marks on their chests.
The gatekeeper cursed and turned pale.
"This isn't a normal recycling sound; the bus is trying to steal people!"
Chen Fan looked up and immediately understood.
The nine black towers at the highest point of the port area were only glowing red a moment ago. Now, the middle one is fully lit, with streaks of blood shooting upwards along its body, eventually merging with the topmost crossbeam.
The crossbeam is like a spine hanging in the sky.
The entire Zeroth Recovery Port relies on it to issue commands.
Chen Fan grabbed the main account book and roared at Sun Wukong.
"Monkey, stop hitting me! Remove the stitches!"
Sun Wukong was already thoroughly fed up with that lousy voice.
He swept aside two gray-clad deacons who lunged at him with his staff, grinning from ear to ear.
"It should have been my turn long ago."
The white-bearded old deacon got up from the ground, his mouth full of blood, but he was still laughing.
"Remove the stitches? You try it!"
"That's the warehouse retrieval bus, which connects to the main warehouse's tail warehouse. If you break one section, it will immediately replace it."
"Even if you're fast, you little monkey, can you outrun the general ledger's replenishment?"
"After three breaths, not a single person in the harbor will escape!"
The deacons surrounding the area also joined in the shouting.
"Take him down!"
"Don't let him up the tower!"
"We win if we drag it out until the shutdown ends!"
In an instant, dozens of black chains were simultaneously pulled into the air.
A burst of golden light erupted beneath Sun Wukong's feet, and he shot forward.
The first black chain has been removed.
The second one grazed past his ear.
The third obstacle had barely appeared in front of him when the golden cudgel pierced straight through, snapping through the chain with a crack.
"Fast my ass."
"Who are you trying to scare with your pathetic lane-clearing skills?"
He stepped onto the side tower and rushed straight up.
The recycling patterns on the tower wall all lit up.
A row of black characters then appeared.
— Old number identification in progress.
—Abnormal target: Monkey King.
—Priority recycling.
Suddenly, six iron arms stretched out from the tower and grabbed at Sun Wukong's limbs.
Sun Wukong didn't even turn his head, and swung his staff backhand.
boom! boom! boom!
All six iron arms shattered, and iron fragments rained down.
Before anyone could fill in, Zhu Ganglie charged forward with his rake and slammed it hard against the edge of the main table.
"What are you looking at? Everyone, get down on your knees!"
With one swipe, the three deacons and their companions were thrown overboard.
The white dragon horse was even more decisive, crashing directly into the crowd from the side, sending the tent signs flying everywhere.
Xuanzang stood in front of Chen Fan, holding the red pen in one hand and flipping the ledger with the other, preventing the last page from closing.
"I'll guard this spot. You quickly find a way to block their retreat."
Chen Fan stared intently at the crossbeam.
"The replenishment is not automatic; the central ledger is responsible for covering it up."
He suddenly looked down at the gray page behind the general ledger.
More gray pages are now visible.
The words above are also clearer.
—After the shutdown is completed, the first priority will be forcibly reclaimed: the last signatory in the operator column.
Chen Fan's lips twitched.
"You want to take me with you?"
"You don't deserve it."
He raised his hand and poked the red pen into the corner of the gray page, pinning it in place.
With a hissing sound.
A plume of black smoke rose from the bottom of the gray page.
The four corners of the main desk then darkened.
The white-bearded old deacon's eyes nearly bulged out when he saw this.
"You dare to pin the last page?"
"Are you crazy? That's something only the port owner can touch!"
Chen Fan didn't even look up.
"Your master isn't here, so I'll use it for him first."
This really worked.
The brightness of the high beam paused for a moment, and the bloodline rising from the tower slowed down by half a beat.
Taking advantage of this opening, Sun Wukong jumped over three towers and directly reached the middle of the main tower.
The higher you go, the more severe the interception becomes.
The tower cracked open, spewing out plumes of black mist. What emerged from the mist weren't chains, but hands.
A dense mass of hands.
They were all holding onto the old license plates.
They called out as they climbed.
"return."
"Return to the granary."
"return."
The sound was closer than before, like it was swirling inside my brain.
One of the samples below had just looked up when his eyes blurred, and he turned around and walked into the recycling ditch.
In desperation, the gatekeeper drew his sword and slashed through the railing along the ditch.
"Stop them! Don't let them jump in!"
The scene was completely chaotic.
Someone is stopping people.
Someone is killing the deacon.
Some people even rolled on the ground with their heads in their hands, stubbornly refusing to listen to the "Welcome back to the warehouse" greeting.
Sun Wukong was furious when he heard this.
This is what he hates most.
Back in heaven, they'd seal off this person today and take away that person tomorrow, their mouths full of rules and arrangements.
Suppressing him for five hundred years wasn't enough.
Now they want to put all those old names from Huaguoshan back into the cage.
"Call me your mother."
He pushed off with his foot, and the whole tower shook.
Just as a black hand grabbed his calf, he pulled it away and slammed it into the tower wall.
boom.
The tower wall cracked.
Inside, a terrifyingly thick black vein, like a tendon, was visible, connecting the nine towers together.
That's the bus.
All the deacons below changed their expressions.
"We can't let him touch the bus!"
"Quickly, issue a second welcome order!"
"Upgrade! Drag away the old account owner's sample first!"
The white-bearded old deacon bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the tent platform.
The words "Welcome back to the granary" that were hanging in mid-air immediately turned into large, blood-red characters.
The roar rose even higher.
This time, even Zhu Bajie frowned and slowed down his movements.
Xuanzang's "Tang" character seal on his chest suddenly lit up, shielding everyone for a moment.
He gritted his teeth and hissed.
"Monkey! He only has one breath left!"
Sun Wukong stood in front of the crack in the tower, staring at the black vein, and suddenly grinned.
That's enough.
With a flick of his wrists, the golden cudgel suddenly grew thicker.
One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).
Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).
Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).
The shadow of the stick pressed down, making the surrounding tower spires resound.
Several deacons looked up and their legs went weak.
"Is he trying to forcibly dismantle the main storyline?"
"Insane! That's the backbone of Port Zero!"
"If it really breaks, all the welcome messages from Hong Kong will be rendered useless!"
Before Sun Wukong swung his staff, he looked down at the ground.
Chen Fan was pressing his hand firmly against the general ledger, and he also looked up at him.
The man and the monkey understood each other with just a glance.
No need for further explanation.
Smash.
next moment.
The golden cudgel, radiating golden light, slammed down hard onto the dark vein.
This sound was even louder than when the door was smashed open earlier.
It wasn't a crisp sound.
It's like a section of the harbor's bones has broken off.
Boom!
The black veins first bulged, then sank, and finally exploded from the middle.
All nine towers lost their light at the same time.
The horizontal beam in the sky bent completely.
The blood vessels flowing above surged wildly backward, as if someone had choked him, and he had only managed to shout halfway before he stopped breathing.
The echoes that filled the harbor came to an abrupt end.
"Welcome back—"
Only half a sentence remains.
Then everything was gone.
Quiet.
It's so quiet.
It was so quiet that you could hear the sound of a piece of metal hitting the ground in the distance.
Those old sample numbers that were just covering their heads looked up one by one, their expressions blank.
Someone was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter while crying.
"That's it?"
"That sound...it's gone?"
"It's not calling me anymore!"
An old man who was walking towards the recycling ditch stopped at the edge of the ditch, his whole body trembling.
He slowly turned his head to look at Sun Wukong on the tower, and his eyes immediately reddened.
"I haven't heard my own mind quiet for three hundred years..."
Pigsy was the first to react, and he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha, Monkey King, well done!"
The white dragon horse kicked the steward in front of it away with one hoof, and roared in response.
"The entire port order has been lifted!"
"They can't take any more people!"
The gatekeeper stood there, forgetting to sheathe his knife, muttering something under his breath.
"It's broken...it's really broken..."
"The warehousing bus of the zeroth recovery port was interrupted by a single blow."
The white-bearded old deacon looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
He looked up at the crooked beam, his face growing ashen.
"impossible."
"That's impossible."
"The bus is down, how come the old number has broken away from the unified reception sound..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Fan had already stepped onto the main platform.
Snapped.
I stepped on his face.
"Look carefully."
"It's not about breaking away."
"It's your portfolio that's gone bankrupt; starting today, there's no going back in."
The white-bearded old deacon struggled desperately, his eyes filled with terror.
The remaining deacons around them were also thrown into chaos.
Some people stepped back.
Some people turned and ran away.
Some people stared at the darkened curtain in the sky, their lips trembling as if the sky had collapsed.
Then, another unexpected event occurred.
The main desk beneath Chen Fan's feet suddenly shook on its own.
It's not sinking.
It's like something is turning over under the stage.
next moment.
The general ledger that he had been holding down suddenly flipped to the next page on its own.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
Skip over the black pages, gray pages, and blood pages that came before.
Finally, it stops at the very last page.
No, it's not the last one.
It's at the end of the last page.
That place was supposed to be sealed off.
But at this moment, it lifted a corner of itself.
Only a small part was visible.
Half a seal was pressed on top.
There are words on the edge of the print.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted as he tried to see clearly.
Suddenly, a very light footstep came from deep within the main office.
It was as if someone had walked up from under the stage.