“Yan Ning, who’s here?”
Qi Heng walked over and naturally inserted himself into their subdued conversation.
He shifted the bundles of perilla to one side and swept his gaze over the gray-clad young man, his expression turning thoughtful.
“Brother Qi, you’re back. Um, let me introduce you.”
Yan Ning pointed to the gray-clad young man.
“This officer is from the patrol. He came here looking for you.”
A faint smile hovered at the corners of Qi Heng’s lips, as though he already knew why the man had come.
“You’re looking for me to verify my identity?”
Ever since Qi Heng appeared, the gray-clad young man’s gaze had remained fixed on him, seemingly examining him while also trying to discern something.
“Outsider,” the young man said. “Which district did you come from?”
The person before him was so unusually tall that the gray-clad young man had to lift his head to see his face clearly.
Even he had to admit that it was an exceptionally handsome and refined face.
The plain black, long-sleeved crew-neck shirt and matching trousers would have looked unremarkable on most people, yet they appeared particularly attractive when worn by Qi Heng.
The gray-clad young man was one of the few people in the slums who could read a little. Yet when faced with Qi Heng’s appearance, he found himself unsure how to describe him.
His eyebrows, his eyes, everything seemed exactly as it should be.
He was someone no Zerg would easily forget after seeing him.
Qi Heng openly allowed the young man to examine him. Even the curve of the smile on his lips did not change in the slightest.
“Qi Heng. I came from District 27.”
His voice was pleasant too, the gray-clad young man thought.
Then he saw Qi Heng extend a hand toward him.
“I enjoy traveling between the different districts. I’ve only just arrived here, so I hope I can count on your consideration.”
As Qi Heng moved, the sleeve around his wrist pulled back slightly, revealing the metal tag fastened with a black cord.
Naturally, Qi Heng had exposed it deliberately.
District 27 was also something he had invented.
However, after subtly questioning Yan Ning and gathering information from the conversations he had overheard while walking around that morning, constructing a convincing lie was not particularly difficult.
As far as Qi Heng understood, although the Northern Slums were divided into forty-nine districts, the districts had little contact with one another. Zerg from one district also rarely crossed into another.
“If you intend to live here, you must obey District 49’s rules.”
The gray-clad young man spoke coldly. His gaze moved down from Qi Heng’s face and finally settled on the tag around his wrist.
“Of course. I’m a very peaceful and law-abiding person.”
Qi Heng’s smile remained unchanged.
Words that should have sounded meek and submissive somehow came out of his mouth with an obedient, almost well-behaved quality.
Combined with his good-tempered appearance and his slender frame of more than 1.8 meters, it did not seem incongruous in the slightest.
Qi Heng could tell that the patrol officer did not appear interested in causing trouble.
In that case, he did not mind making himself appear harmless.
The gray-clad young man withdrew his gaze and looked at Yan Ning. His tone carried an unmistakable warning.
“Don’t let it happen again.”
“I understand.”
Yan Ning seemed somewhat afraid of him and hurriedly nodded.
After saying that, the gray-clad young man turned and left.
Qi Heng watched his departing figure, then spoke to Yan Ning, who looked visibly relieved.
“Did you know him before?”
Yan Ning shook his head. After hesitating for a moment, he said:
“I once saw him speaking with my brother. Maybe he knew him.”
“That explains it. He probably chose not to investigate me too closely out of consideration for your brother.”
Qi Heng touched the knot around his right wrist with his left hand and spoke without hesitation.
Yan Ning tried to remember whether his brother had truly possessed that much influence.
“So that’s why…?”
“When did he arrive?” Qi Heng asked.
“He’s been here for a while.”
“I honestly didn’t expect him to come so quickly. He didn’t even accept what I offered him… I was worried it wouldn’t be enough.”
Qi Heng merely smiled, unconcerned by Yan Ning’s worry.
After learning how the patrol operated in District 49, he had already formed a general idea of what was happening.
The patrol’s so-called identity inspection consisted of checking whether someone possessed a metal tag.
And what did the tag represent?
It was something that could not be reproduced within the slums.
Although it appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary metal plate, producing it required technology far beyond the abilities of a Zerg civilization that had regressed to an ancient level.
Its material was referred to as iron, but it was actually closer to steel.
The district chief issued these tags after the birth of every new Zerg.
Merely possessing one was enough to lend credibility to the identity Qi Heng had fabricated.
Still, something about it continued to bother him.
Qi Heng repeatedly examined the information he had collected.
From the division of the slums into districts to the strange identification tags, every sign suggested that an unseen hand was controlling the Zerg from behind the scenes.
But was such an elaborate system truly necessary?
Now that the Zerg civilization had regressed to something resembling the Stone Age, what did the Zerg possess that was worth exploiting through so much effort?
Qi Heng frowned as he considered it.
He vaguely felt that he had overlooked something crucial.
“Brother Qi, are these the perilla leaves?”
Hearing Yan Ning’s voice, Qi Heng looked over.
Yan Ning was crouching beside the bundles of perilla.
“Mm. We only need the leaves.”
“Should I remove them from the stems first?” Yan Ning asked eagerly.
Yan Ning’s interruption scattered Qi Heng’s thoughts, so he temporarily set them aside.
“I’ll teach you how to prepare them.”
“First, remove the leaves and pound them into a pulp. Put them into a pot, add half a pot of cold water, and boil them until the liquid is drawn out. Once it cools, place the Zerg egg inside and let him soak.”
“Take him out when the liquid changes from deep black to pale gray. The entire process needs to continue for three days…”
“Leave this part to me,” Yan Ning said.
He already felt that making Qi Heng gather the leaves had been troublesome enough.
“You were outside for so long, Brother Qi. You must be hungry. I left food for you in the pot. Go eat first.”
Seeing Yan Ning’s insistent expression, Qi Heng agreed.
Besides, when it came down to it, all his knowledge was still theoretical. If he actually tried to prepare everything himself, he might make a complete mess of it.
Night fell quickly on Tianyun Star.
By the time Qi Heng had eaten and reviewed some of the system’s information, it was already so dark that almost nothing could be seen.
The crushed and pounded perilla leaves were boiling in the pot.
Aside from the firelight emerging from beneath the stove, the entire house was pitch-black. The entrance had been firmly blocked with a stone slab, leaving only a narrow gap for ventilation.
Qi Heng lay fully clothed on the bed made from dried stalks.
Yan Ning sat not far away on the opposite side of the room. Even without looking, Qi Heng knew he must be staring at the pot.
Although the temperature indoors was only barely above freezing, it was already far better than the previous night.
With his current physical condition, Qi Heng could just about endure it, though he could still feel the cold.
Closing his eyes did not prevent him from viewing the system interface.
It was projected directly into his mind. Not only did closing his eyes have no effect, even running would not cause the display to blur or shake.
[A1, bring A0 out. I have questions for it.]
【As you command, Overlord.】
【Switching main control program.】
【Overlord, A0 offers you its sincerest greetings.】
The transition from A1 to A0 proceeded smoothly.
Although both used synthesized voices, A0’s voice sounded livelier than A1’s.
If A1 resembled a steady young man, then A0 resembled an energetic boy.
A0 and A1 possessed equal authority. Anything A1 knew, A0 knew as well.
Therefore, the moment A0 took control of the main system, it became aware of everything Qi Heng had done during the intervening period.
Unlike A1, which had originally served as an auxiliary program within the game, A0’s primary objective was based on the premise of “saving the civilization.” As a result, it possessed a greater degree of autonomy.
【A change in your current environment has been detected: [Northern Slums, District 49]. This environment contains numerous safety hazards and dangerous factors. It is recommended that you activate Safety Mode.】
[No.]
Qi Heng rejected A0’s suggestion without hesitation.
Safety Mode could prevent the player from encountering unexpected danger. It was extremely secure, but it also consumed an enormous amount of energy.
With his current lack of resources, how could he possibly afford to activate it?
Even if he eventually used it, he would have to wait until the system possessed more energy.
As he was thinking, A0 spoke again.
【Overlord, the previous time, you forcibly transferred control of the main system to A1. This time, however, you awakened me of your own accord.】
【May I interpret this to mean that you have decided to join me in accomplishing our ultimate objective and completing the great plan to revive our civilization?】
【Together, we will save the Tianjia Civilization, which you personally created and raised to the pinnacle of the sea of stars, only for it to fall into the dust.】
【Oh, you have already saved this civilization from extinction on numerous occasions. You are the Overlord of the civilization, the god of the Tianjia Zerg…】
A0 launched into an impassioned speech.
To accomplish its objective, its internal programming allowed it to continue speaking without interruption for three days and three nights.
Shameless flattery formed only one part of its strategy.
Ideally, it would praise the Overlord so thoroughly that he became delighted and immediately agreed.
A vein throbbed on Qi Heng’s forehead.
He had known this would happen.
It had been the same the previous night.
After informing Qi Heng that he had transmigrated, A0 had immediately begun delivering one speech after another. It had even mixed in promises of the power, status, wealth, and other rewards he could obtain after completing the mission and becoming a winner in life.
Playing a game was one thing.
Reality was something entirely different.
Qi Heng could stand above the world and direct the course of nations inside a game. Whether developing infrastructure or destroying an entire civilization, everything was simple.
Doing it in reality?
No, thank you.
A0 continued chattering incessantly.
Just as Qi Heng reached the limit of his patience and prepared to order it to be quiet, the system interface suddenly began flashing red.
It was a warning that the system’s internal processing load had exceeded its limit.
Qi Heng was not using the system for anything.
That meant A0 could only be responsible.
Qi Heng drew a deep breath internally and quickly interrupted it.
[No. You’re thinking too much.]
[I have no interest in your “great civilization revival plan.”]
[Right now, immediately, disable every unnecessary processing module and retain only the dialogue function.]
[I ask. You answer.]
As A0’s owner, Qi Heng’s commands exercised absolute authority over it.
He had not originally intended to take such a forceful attitude.
A0 was simply far too noisy.
The instant his order ended, A0’s voice disappeared.
The red light faded from the system interface.
Silence returned.
[Now, we’re going to discuss what we didn’t finish talking about last night. Is there a problem?]
Like a chicken with its wings tied down and no way to flap, A0 obediently answered:
【No, Overlord.】
Qi Heng was very satisfied with A0’s cooperation.
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