Chapter 235: System Update Successful

Chapter 235: System Update Successful

Unidentified connection source? What could that be?

And why was Yan Zhen's voice echoing in his mind? Xie Fangcheng was utterly perplexed.

But if there's an unidentified source trying to connect, then...

"Allow it," Xie Fangcheng murmured hesitantly.

Shortly after, another beep resonated in his mind.

​3​

​4​

Almost instantly, and reminiscent of the sci-fi blockbusters Xie Fangcheng had seen, a virtual screen materialized before him.

If this had taken place within "Three Thousand Worlds" or in the previous world he was in, Xie Fangcheng wouldn't have been surprised, for both "Three Thousand Worlds" and that former minor world had achieved the technological capability to create virtual screens.

Yet, now that Xie Fangcheng was back in his own world, a virtual screen still appeared before his eyes.

On the virtual screen in front of him, after countless dazzling lines of code flashed by, a user interface that Xie Fangcheng could understand finally formed.

Before him was a rather rudimentary operating interface, its background an all too familiar landscape — the same one he had just observed.

Only this time, unlike the static landscape he had initially seen, the white planet on the virtual screen was orbited by six smaller planets, all circling the vast white celestial body.

And when Xie Fangcheng focused intently on it, the interface on the virtual screen zoomed in. It was only at this moment that he realized that what he thought was a white planet wasn't a planet at all.

Was this some sort of magic array?

It looked like a delicate orb carved from white jade, covered in numerous intricate lines that formed a massive magical array.

The array faintly emitted a white mist. Though he had never seen anything like it before, Xie Fangcheng's immediate reaction was — this seems like the divine power of the heavenly realm.

Just then, another system prompt sounded throughout the server room.

​1​

Only then did Xie Fangcheng turn his attention to the display screen of the server in the room.

Compared to the virtual screen interface he had just witnessed, the server's interface in the server room appeared even more basic.

At least in terms of background, it fell short — it shockingly had the default desktop of the Windows XP operating system, with the pop-up prompts still being the iconic square blue boxes.

There were only two icons on the desktop, one for the Control Panel and the other for Network Connections.

Unsure of the specific operations, but familiar with computers, Xie Fangcheng decided to click on ​2​.

With his confirmation, the computer screen went black for a moment before lines of code began streaming down, almost as if the system was being reinstalled.

After automatically running for a minute or two, comprehensible Chinese characters finally appeared.

​3​

Should he proceed with the update?

At that moment, Xie Fangcheng hesitated.

His intention to reboot the game "Do Not Answer" was to train the players, enabling them to become guardians of this world.

If he updates the system, who knows what might transpire?

Yet, not updating made Xie Fangcheng feel regretful. From the details like this "original version 1.0" and "administrator backend," it's evident he might have direct access to the core of the game.

Thus, Xie Fangcheng queried, "If I update this system, will I be unable to access 'Do Not Answer'?"

He surmised the terminal in front of him might be voice-activated and could perhaps answer some questions.

However, while the terminal remained silent, a voice, Yan Zhen's, echoed in his mind.

​1​

So it's uncontrollable? In that case, Xie Fangcheng felt there was no room for hesitation. He wished for players to enhance their abilities in the game, not to send them to their doom!

"Sigh, let's go ahead with the update."

Saying this, Xie Fangcheng moved the mouse and clicked on "Confirm."

A flurry of code flashed on the terminal, and the distant hum of machines working overtime echoed throughout the server room, making Xie Fangcheng anxious, fearing these old machines might break down.

He wasn't some IT programmer skilled in fixing computers, after all.

At this moment, Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but muse: Establishing a high-tech department truly is of utmost urgency.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, another beep resounded within.

​2​

Xie Fangcheng was taken aback.

Good heavens... just what did Professor Zhang provide him? Some kind of premium cloud storage membership with download acceleration?

Was there even a reason to hesitate?

"Activate! Activate!"

​3​

"What power source interface?" Xie Fangcheng uttered aloud, then quickly realized its implication.

He looked at the Dream-Return fish nestled in the slot.

In its own realm of thought, the fish seemed lifeless. But here in the slot, originally meant for the Book of Life and Death, the fish swam energetically back and forth in the confined space, visibly elated and joyful.

Xie Fangcheng placed his hand above the energy slot. The white Dream-Return fish swam towards his hand, brushing against it in mid-air.

Ding — Connection successful.

In the next instant, Xie Fangcheng saw the familiar XP operating system on the screen replaced by a white planet. The entire screen even floated, transforming into a holographic display.

In the bottom right corner, a chibi version of Yan Zhen stood with hands in pockets, resembling a desktop pet.

As if sensing Xie Fangcheng's thoughts, the desktop Yan Zhen snapped his fingers. Not only did Xie Fangcheng hear Yan Zhen's voice, but he also saw a line of text appear above the chibi figure's head, reminiscent of helpful subtitles.

"Honored Administrator, we detect this is your first time using the system. Would you like to enter the beginner's tutorial?"

"Professor Zhang! My god, Professor Zhang! This is beyond thoughtful!"

Tears welled up in Xie Fangcheng's eyes. What kind of post-sale service was this?

After swiftly selecting "Yes," the holographic screen multiplied into ten, forming a panoramic display in front of Xie Fangcheng, resembling the immense screen of an IMAX theater — What's even more considerate was the animated operational procedures played on the screen, sparing Xie Fangcheng the need to choose any settings.

In reality, the operating procedure was straightforward, given the advanced technology. The first version of "Three Thousand Worlds" was leagues above the XP system of "Do Not Respond."

In simple terms, there were only two steps the manager needed to perform in this game.

First, choose a mini-world for the dungeon. Once selected, the system will automatically generate the dungeon within.

Upon completion, simply choose to open it for the players.

Even with just these two steps, there's an "Auto-manage" button on the side, emphasizing technology serving humanity.

Moreover, the chibi Yan Zhen advised Xie Fangcheng, "We recommend using the Auto-manage feature. The system will analyze the required number of dungeons, average player strength, and other data."

In essence, it's better for the manager not to intervene. Trusting the system is more reliable than relying on humans.

Only when Xie Fangcheng accessed the deployable worlds did he realize that the current system only had one world available for dungeon deployment.

"Starter realm?"

Xie Fangcheng wasn't naive. With a bit of thought, he could surmise that the "initial realm" probably referred to the mini-world he resided in.

He began to sift through the information he'd gathered from the beginning.

Xie Fangcheng had always assumed this was a cruel game, with the dungeons potentially existing to break through the constraints of the mini-worlds.

But as it stands now, while the current "Three Thousand Worlds" may indeed aim to plunder resources from various mini-worlds, it could've originally been created to salvage crumbling ones.

If that's the case, then the story about the chairman of the six major guilds defeating the evil dragon, as told by Zhan Xiaoming, warrants reevaluation.

An idea grew clearer in Xie Fangcheng's mind — perhaps that dragon was the original creator of this game.

So, where did that dragon come from?

If his mini-world is the initial realm, does it imply... the dragon might have ventured out from his own world?

If so, then everything seems to fall into place.

For instance, the most evident question: why could the white Dream-Return fish serve as a power source?

Because at the inception of the underworld, an ancient dragon deity granted it vitality, and the Dream-Return fish drew its strength from this dragon deity.

So, was this dragon deity the creator of the "Three Thousand Worlds"?

If that's the case, Xie Fangcheng still had another nagging question.

— Who is Zhang Dao'an?

Xie Fangcheng didn't believe he could activate the primary version of the "Three Thousand Worlds" as its administrator. He was acutely aware that, even after thousands of reincarnations, he wouldn't have the intellect to manage such a vast undertaking.

All his innate talents leaned towards physical prowess. Even before his cognitive realm was compromised, his intelligence was just slightly above average.

Moreover, considering the distinct attitudes the Dream-Return fish exhibited towards him and Professor Zhang, and pondering over the fish's sudden appearance...

Could Professor Zhang... be that dragon?

At this thought, Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but scratch his head again.

It just seemed too far-fetched. Offendingly put, Professor Zhang straddled both righteousness and wickedness, his methods hardly indicative of an upstanding individual.

Yet, the rumored dragon deity was renowned for its benevolence and kindness.

But that's not necessarily true. Setting aside the reliability of such rumors, one could infer from the previous world that as a guardian, Professor Zhang is indeed exemplary.

The answers to all these questions might only unravel once Xie Fangcheng has the opportunity to meet the real "Zhang Dao'an."

For now...

While Xie Fangcheng might be unsure of how to operate the system in front of him, he isn't alone!

After all, he has the desktop pet, Professor Zhang, by his side!

"Here's the thing: I'd like to allow a group of players to enter the dungeon to hone their combat skills and also reward them. Mmm... The rewards should preferably be items and abilities composed of yin energy, meaning they should remain usable even outside the game. While I wish for them to be challenged inside the dungeon, I don't want actual fatalities. I merely desire their strength to be enhanced. At the same time, this dungeon shouldn't adversely affect my world." Xie Fangcheng had many requirements and, voicing them out, even he was slightly unsure, "Can these conditions be met?"

The desktop pet, Yan Zhen, wouldn't haggle with him but would only nod gracefully in response.

"Are you referring to the 'Simulation Dungeon' mode?"

How considerate!!

Xie Fangcheng nodded enthusiastically: "Yes!"

"Activating 'Simulation Dungeon' mode for you. Constructing a new 'Simulation Dungeon' — Construction successful."

"You can now access the Simulation Dungeon 'Mountain Spirit'. Would you like to proceed?"

Xie Fangcheng had never entered such a dungeon before. Eagerly, he clicked on 'Enter', but a system notification popped up shortly after.

Ding — "You are the system administrator and cannot access the 'Simulation Dungeon'."

Good grief, it's that sophisticated? Should he then invite a few players to check it out? Any issues could be addressed on the spot.

Just as Xie Fangcheng was contemplating this, the door to the control room opened.

Cui Jue, who had left earlier in search of the activation code, returned with a gloomy expression.

"I've scoured through all the documents, and there's no activation code to be found!"

The pile of documents was massive. Cui Jue, not only searching tirelessly himself but also having his subordinates assist, still found nothing.

Their eyes nearly went blind from scanning so much, yet they couldn't spot anything resembling an activation code.

After speaking, Cui Jue looked up, and his gaze met Xie Fangcheng's. A moment of hesitation passed, followed by an unsettling premonition.

"…What's going on?" Cui Jue's voice quivered slightly, "Don't do anything reckless..."

"I was too narrow-minded before," Xie Fangcheng murmured, looking at him. "I've always thought about enhancing the players' abilities... but the underworld isn't solely occupied by players!"

With so many ghostly envoys, wouldn't they benefit more from training in a virtual dungeon than the players? Mix the envoys with the players, and the line between the two would blur. What a fantastic team-building opportunity!

Moreover, it wasn't just about the ghostly envoys. Audaciously, even defiantly, Xie Fangcheng imagined four towering, familiar figures.

Cui Jue: "…"

Cui Jue: "?"