Chapter 104: System, Are You Still There?

Chapter 104: System, Are You Still There?

As the old saying goes, "Learn your enemy's tricks to defeat them!"

What's wrong with learning how to beat systems from a system?

Hell no!

Nobody knows systems better than another system.

They're all systems - gotta have something in common.

However, when the Divine Child Cultivation System heard Sheng Qingquan’s request, it acted like he'd just heard the craziest thing ever.

"You’re asking me how to deal with a system?" the Divine Child Cultivation System muttered, completely thrown off.

Suddenly, the system orbited Sheng Qingquan suspiciously, scrutinizing him up and down. "You’re not trying to trick me into revealing a method so you can use it against me, are you?"

No wonder the host has been so quiet all this time, never bothering me. Letting me do whatever I want—even though there are people watching, they’re not the host, so they can only observe and can’t actually do anything to me. They’re just fancy alarm clocks.

So this is what you’ve been waiting for!

All this time, you’ve been stringing me along, lurking in the grass like a rattlesnake, ready to strike at any moment?!

The Divine Child Cultivation System immediately got its guard up.

But soon, it realized something was off.

If the host really had bad intentions, why would he come right out and ask?

Wouldn't that just tip me off? All his previous efforts would be wasted.

If he truly wanted to deal with it, he should have had the people monitoring it secretly observe and identify its weaknesses. Not ask outright like this.

Only someone who's got nothing to hide would dare to be so direct. Because he has no intention of acting against it, he’s confident and unafraid of suspicion or investigation.

Thinking this, the Divine Child Cultivation System figured it might've misread the host.

"How could you think that?" Before Sheng Qingquan could respond, a nearby staff member blurted out, shocked. "You’re the Divine Child Cultivation System! If things proceed step by step, you can cultivate a real-deal god. Who would be foolish enough to destroy you? You'd have to be stupid to!"

Right. The Divine Child Cultivation System ate up the compliments.

It was the real deal - a ticket to godhood, capable of turning its host into a god. Especially since the host had an entire nation backing him, with professional warriors assisting in missions and dungeons—he could just kick back.

The host could literally coast to victory!

Zero effort needed, yet he could become a god. Who would give up such an opportunity?

Didn’t it know how humans worked by now?

There were no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. In the face of such enormous benefits, what did some bumpy start matter?

Besides, they’d been working together just fine lately. The players had already gained tons of good stuff from the game. Even without the goal of godhood, it was a mutually beneficial relationship.

The more the Divine Child Cultivation System thought about it, the more reassured it became. It no longer doubted Sheng Qingquan’s intentions.

"So you want to deal with another system? One that’s trying to strip-mine the planet from Tianlanxing?" the Divine Child Cultivation System asked again.

It had been too busy worrying about itself to pay much attention to the host's words, assuming it was just an excuse. It hadn’t realized there was any truth to it.

"Exactly," Sheng Qingquan affirmed with a nod, then recounted the situation of that system from the plot. As he spoke, he sighed again. "The resources of Tianlan Star are the fuel for my future godhood. No way I’m letting someone else profit off them."

"Besides, Tianlan Star already has you, a system. If that system dares to meddle, it’s not just disrespecting me—it’s disrespecting you!"

The Divine Child Cultivation System knew full well that the host’s words were meant to provoke. According to him, that system was just a low-grade system, its only redeeming feature being cross-dimensional item transfer. Otherwise, it had nothing remarkable about it.

A junk system like that probably couldn’t even detect it. If it didn’t even know Tianlan Star had a system like it, how could it be disrespecting you?

But the host was right about one thing.

Tianlan Star was the host’s territory, the foundation for his path to godhood.

How could they allow another system to snatch food from their plate?

No matter what, their goals were aligned—both working toward the host’s godhood. So any factor attempting to disrupt that shouldn’t be allowed to exist.

Thinking this, the Divine Child Cultivation System already felt inclined to act.

It just wasn’t fully decided yet.

Seeing this, the staff jumped in: "We’re not after a way to handle you—just a way to deal with that system."

"Exactly, that system can’t even compare to you. It’s probably full of glitches—just exposing one would do the trick."

Amid the flattery, the Divine Child Cultivation System suddenly asked, "What if I don’t tell you the method and just take care of that system myself?"

Compared to giving humans its weak points, of course, staying silent and handling it alone was safer. Even if those vulnerabilities belonged to another system, not itself.

"Perfect!"

"Of course, best-case scenario."

"Couldn't be better."

"You’re willing to step in? That’s truly wonderful."

...

The staff eagerly agreed, and even Sheng Qingquan showed no objections, appearing fully supportive. Some staff even let out visible sighs of relief, clearly pleased.

The system carefully observed them and, detecting no deceit, finally let go of its last shred of wariness.

It seems they really aren’t targeting me.

In that case, stepping in once couldn’t hurt.

"But the energy consumed during the operation can’t come from me," the Divine Child Cultivation System stated, refusing to work for free, much less at a loss.

"I’ll allocate 3,000 energy points to you. As long as it doesn’t affect your system functions, eliminate that system’s consciousness. Use as much of the 3,000 points as you need—any leftovers are yours. On top of that, I’ll pay an extra 500 points as compensation for your efforts," Sheng Qingquan said decisively.

After all, the energy points allocated to him had been sitting untouched. Spending 3,500 now was no issue.

These energy points had originally been saved for emergencies—reserved for players who might die in dungeons without enough to revive, to lend them a hand. But so far, the players had never needed them, and the stockpile had only grown.

Now, putting some to use finally gave them purpose.

The system originally wanted to haggle, but on second thought, the offered energy points were already quite substantial. Moreover, it still aimed for the host to become a deity, where the real payoff would be. So even if these were the host's energy points, they had to be conserved. Otherwise, the day of ascension would be delayed further.

Besides, based on the host's earlier description, dealing with such a low-tier system would likely consume only around 500–600 energy points tops. Even if preserving the system's functionality made the process more complex and energy-intensive, 1,000 points max would suffice.

With the additional reward from the host, it stood to pocket a neat profit of 2,500 points—pretty damn good.

This was no small sum, and getting greedy would be stupid. There was no need to risk major losses for small wins.

"Deal!" The Godchild Cultivation System agreed without hesitation. "During this period, I’ll be on the lookout. The moment another system’s presence is detected, I’ll track it down and wipe it out entirely. When eliminating it, I’ll ensure the system’s functionality remains intact."

True to its word, the Godchild Cultivation System acted swiftly.

The next day, while Sheng Qingquan was still asleep, the system flew over and bumped into him: "It's here!"

What was here?

No way, already?!

Still groggy, Sheng Qingquan sat up abruptly, wide awake. The surrounding staff had long noticed the system’s movements and, though aware their involvement might be unnecessary, remained on high alert.

What if the Godchild Cultivation System failed against the intruder?

Tianlanxing needed a backup plan. If shit hit the fan, they’d step in. The worst-case scenario would be scrapping the original plan entirely—forget interdimensional resources—and focusing solely on destroying the system.

Priority one was safeguarding Tianlanxing’s resources. Only by preserving themselves could they aim for more.

To this end, Tianlanxing had mobilized its top-tier forces. They’d also negotiated with the Godchild Cultivation System: if things went south, the system only needed to expose the intruder. The energy points would still be its to keep, and Tianlanxing would handle the rest.

Of course, this intent couldn’t be phrased so bluntly to the system. It had to be spun the right way—encouraging the system to go all out without provoking it into abandoning the task.

Tianlanxing had sent their smoothest talkers to seal the agreement.

"Done!" Under everyone’s watchful eyes, within just two minutes, the Godchild Cultivation System’s glowing orb flicked through the air like a cat tossing a fish to its owner, dropping something into Sheng Qingquan’s hands.

The intruder system’s main control unit.

Already?!

The crowd was stunned. As if sensing their surprise, the system remarked casually, "Just a low-tier system. The two minutes were only because of your demands—don’t break this, don’t mess up that. All those restrictions slowed me down. If outright destruction were the goal, I could’ve blinked it out of existence."

"Let me remind you, not just anything deserves to be called a 'system.'"

"There are hierarchies among systems." Even they had their own pecking order. And a system like it certainly had the right to look down on those dollar-store knockoffs.

Feigning nonchalance, the Godchild Cultivation System basked in the staff’s timely flattery: "Of course, such a knockoff system can’t compare to you!"

They swiftly followed up with a barrage of ass-kissing, steering the system aside.

The system wasn’t oblivious to their motives, but who didn’t enjoy compliments?

Besides, the task was complete, the energy points secured. As for what the host wanted with that defunct system—since it posed no threat—the Godchild Cultivation System couldn’t give a damn, happily going along.

Holding the main control unit, Sheng Qingquan confirmed the system’s functions were indeed fully preserved. The 3,500 energy points hadn’t been wasted.

Money talks—truer words were never spoken.

Beyond its intact functionality, the system was already bound to a host.

The host was none other than Li Yueguang from the plot.

At that moment, in the chat box, Li Yueguang anxiously asked, "System, are you still there?"

"I just heard a voice in my head saying the Domineering Villain System has linked to me. Is it true?"

"Strange, why is there no response now? Did I just hallucinate?"

"Not every isekai trip hands you cheats. I should have realized that earlier."

Sheng Qingquan handed the main controller to the staff member beside him.

Following the earlier plan, this staff member had been selected as the most suitable candidate to take over the system after standing out from the crowd following a tough selection process. Apart from meeting the comprehensive requirements, one aspect of his resume gave him a major edge.

After taking the main controller, this outstanding employee—who had once roleplayed as an NPC while working part-time, served as a game customer service representative, and worked as an online store customer service agent, racking up compliments—smiled and typed a few lines into the chat box.

Once the dialogue was entered, the text converted to a system voice that echoed in Li Yueguang's mind.

"Host, I’m here!"

"The Domineering Villain System is ready to serve you!"