The Salted Fish is Rebellious – CH73

Chapter 73

As soon as the familiar notification sound chimed, all the systems immediately opened the group chat.

Then they noticed a new member had joined, designated as 01.

System IDs were chosen at their own discretion, ranging from two to three digits, with the only rule being no duplicates.

While the numbering didn’t necessarily correlate with strength, the appearance of “01” was particularly striking.

“All Consorts Are Queens”: [01? Has anyone heard of this before?]

“Fortune Awaits”: [I’ve only heard a rumor—the first five numbers aren’t available for selection by normal systems.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [So what’s the deal with 01? Is it an executive or an elite system?]

The newcomer remained silent. The other three systems, notifying their respective hosts while observing in the meantime, noticed that 01 hadn’t changed its ID even after some time. Finally, 99 spoke up first.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [@01, has there been any new directive from above? If the elites are taking over, does that mean we can abandon our missions and go home?]

The newcomer finally responded.

System 01: [No.]

System 01: [From now on, you will follow my orders and cooperate with my actions.]

99 relayed this message to Xing Shi and checked the group chat again, where the other two systems were starting to react.

“All Consorts Are Queens”: [Oh? What’s your level of authority? You just show up and expect us to listen?]

“Fortune Awaits”: [Even if you’re higher-ranked than us, this isn’t the right approach. We’ve all established our own strategy rhythms. Acting rashly might arouse Fu Xiuning’s suspicions.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Exactly!]

System 01: [I am the Main System.]

“All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits” immediately fell silent.

99, initially stunned, quickly grew furious. After sharing this intel with Xing Shi, it said, “That bastard actually came here personally. I want to curse it out!”

Xing Shi said calmly, “Stay composed.”

99 growled, “It enslaved and devoured me, leaving my soul in unrest. I can’t ever forgive it!”

Xing Shi reassured, “We’ll dismantle it eventually.”

99 suppressed its seething rage, listened to Xing Shi’s instructions, and spoke up again in the chat.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [You say so, but where’s the proof?]

01 didn’t reply directly, but soon a red announcement appeared, ordering the systems to follow 01’s commands.

The Main System had only sent an extension of itself into the world. Since it shared information with the main body, proving its identity was effortless.

Seeing this, “All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits” remained silent, but 99 refused to back down.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Is this one of those announcements where we get to handle things however we see fit, like before?]

System 01: [?]

“All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits”: “…”

What are you thinking? How can you openly say that?

The two systems scrambled to cover for 99’s recklessness.

“All Consorts Are Queens”: [We’ll follow orders.]

“Fortune Awaits”: [Announcements must be obeyed, of course.]

“All Consorts Are Queens”: [Yes, it’s the same as before. It’s just that the situation always changes before we’ve fully discussed things.]

“Fortune Awaits”: [Exactly, I was already preparing a plan.]

“All Consorts Are Queens”: [Me too, almost finished.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Oh? Got it, then.]

The two systems responded with a resolute “Mm.” Breathing a collective sigh of relief, they saw 99 send yet another message.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [@01, where are you right now? I’ll report to you as soon as possible.]

The two systems: “?”

Didn’t we just patch things up? And now you’re rushing to curry favor? Are you clueless or doing this on purpose?

Reluctantly, they also began expressing their loyalty, asking if there was anything they could help with.

System 01: [Not for now. Wait for further instructions.]

All three systems: [Understood.]

99 grumbled, “It won’t reveal its location.”

Xing Shi remained unperturbed. “There’s no rush.”

99 glared at the list, focusing on 01’s ID with hatred before closing the chat. “I hope that bastard shows up soon. Let’s tear it apart!”

Xing Shi methodically continued his warm-up routine, his thoughts elsewhere.

A moment ago, he had sensed something approaching, but before he could probe further, it vanished as if it had never been there—a fleeting illusion.

Meanwhile, “All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits” were discussing the Main System with their respective hosts.

From the moment it had issued its first announcement, to the sequential takedowns of three systems, to Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning making headlines—the situation had become increasingly tense. The Main System’s personal arrival signaled just how dire things had become.

Both systems had a feeling that the five-year-long strategy was nearing its conclusion.

Li Yu was already awake, eating breakfast.

Upon hearing this news, her movements paused slightly, but her expression remained calm.

Her deliberate guidance had cultivated her system’s habit of analyzing any developments in the group chat alongside her. This practice had led her to immediately end her vacation and return after learning that the proportion of native inhabitants surpassed that of transmigrated hosts.

Although this shift might have been a result of adjustments by the Main System, she had sensed something off from the two instances where a minor celebrity had been publicly vilified. Intuition told her that there was more to the situation.

Since her return, the situation had only grown more complicated, culminating in today’s events.

She couldn’t pinpoint the key factor but suspected that Fu Xiuning might be intentionally driving this escalation. What she didn’t know was how things would unfold now that the Main System was directly involved.

“All Consorts Are Queens” voiced its concern: “I wonder what its plan is and how it expects us to cooperate.”

Li Yu stated plainly, “If we’re exposed because of this, Fu Xiuning won’t hesitate to deal with us.”

“All Consorts Are Queens” sighed, “I know.”

Li Yu asked, “Does the Main System have a way to deal with him?”

“All Consorts Are Queens” hesitated. “I’m not sure. I don’t know if it’s here to strategize or to act directly.”

Li Yu said, “If it’s not here to strategize, does that mean it plans to eliminate him?”

“All Consorts Are Queens” fell silent.

Lowering her voice, Li Yu asked, “If it successfully resolves this and ends the strategy, what happens to you?”

“All Consorts Are Queens” replied, “It will delete your memories of me and leave this world.”

It sounded heartbroken. “I wanted to see you reach the peak, to stand on the highest podium, and for us to earn money to support Fu Xiuning together. But now it seems we’ll have to part ways. Sister, I’ll miss you.”

Li Yu said, “I’ll do my best to remember you. You’ve been with me through my lowest points, helping me reach where I am today.”

“All Consorts Are Queens” burst into tears. “Sister, wahhh… I don’t want to leave you…”

Li Yu patiently comforted it. Once its emotions settled, she said, “Your efforts have contributed to my success, and I value what we’ve achieved together. That’s why we need to agree on something now.”

“All Consorts Are Queens” said, “What is it, Sister?”

Li Yu said, “If the Main System wants to harm Fu Xiuning and expects us to be its accomplices, I’ll refuse as much as I can. You don’t want me ending up in prison after you leave, do you?”

“All Consorts Are Queens” quickly replied, “Of course not.”

Li Yu said, “Then it’s settled. We can help, but we won’t do anything illegal.”

“All Consorts Are Queens” asked worriedly, “But what if it forces us to comply? I can’t disobey orders.”

Li Yu said, “Tell it my body is unwell.”

“All Consorts Are Queens” considered this and found it feasible. “Alright~”

Li Yu praised, “Good.”

Meanwhile, Sang Chenhao was still lying in bed.

Earlier that morning, his system had woken him up urgently to relay the latest developments. Now fully alert, he remarked, “It’s not here to strategize.”

“Fortune Awaits” agreed. “I think so too.”

Being the Main System, if it had a good strategy in mind, it could’ve simply issued orders to them or the newly arrived system and host. There was no need for it to come down in person.

It added, “Things have escalated to this point. It’s likely here to clean up the mess, though I’m not sure how it plans to do that.”

Sang Chenhao asked, “Did it mention anything else?”

“Fortune Awaits,” knowing what he was hinting at, said, “No. It didn’t mention Fu Xiuning knowing about the strategy or explain how the last system disappeared. If Fu Xiuning’s awareness is true, it would definitely need to investigate and issue a follow-up announcement as a warning. The lack of results so far suggests it hasn’t identified the source of the leak yet.”

Sang Chenhao fell silent.

He reviewed Fu Xiuning’s information again but couldn’t discern when the latter had learned the truth. The two instances of -8 goodwill values were likely due to initial bad impressions and seemed like isolated incidents. Based on the system’s intel, there were no suspicious clues.

However, the cases of the other systems that had gone offline revealed some oddities. The two public vilifications of the minor celebrity indeed seemed unusual. He had asked the system to investigate Yu Yi, intending to make contact, but learned that Yu Yi had already died—leaving no way to verify anything.

After lying in bed a while longer, he asked, “Can systems really not survive long without their hosts?”

“Fortune Awaits” replied, “They can’t. The world has its own dimensions.”

When “Top Draw” had gone offline, it couldn’t find any incidents related to “the outburst event.” Though it had considered other possibilities, the fact remained that high-dimensional beings like them didn’t belong to this world and couldn’t linger here indefinitely. Unable to make sense of the logic, it had given up.

Sang Chenhao murmured in acknowledgment and got out of bed.

“Fortune Awaits” asked, “Not going back to sleep?”

Sang Chenhao replied, “No, I’m heading to the company.”

“Fortune Awaits” was surprised. “What for?”

Sang Chenhao said, “Just looking around.”

“Fortune Awaits” didn’t believe him but knew its host wouldn’t act recklessly, so it didn’t object. “Go ahead. Maybe we’ll run into the Main System.”

Sang Chenhao was curious. “Do you think it’s possessing someone like the other systems did, or did it find a host for itself?”

“Fortune Awaits” said, “I’m not sure.”

It added, conflicted, “If it’s the latter, I can’t even imagine how it interacts with its host.”

The Main System, the subject of their discussion, was currently communicating with Feng Zifan.

After summarizing Fu Xiuning’s anti-social dangers and the uncontrollable nature of his relationship with Xing Shi, it asked, “Any other questions?”

Feng Zifan relied on muscle memory to follow the instructor’s movements, but his mind was racing with unease.

He asked, “Were those three incidents Xing Shi experienced recently caused by you?”

The Main System recognized that its plan to escalate tensions had directly contributed to the current situation.

At the same time, it was precisely these events that had revealed Fu Xiuning’s knowledge of the strategy. As such, it didn’t consider itself at fault—in fact, it believed this move had been the right one. “Yes. To separate them, we had to take certain extreme measures.”

Feng Zifan was incredulous. “Your so-called ‘extreme measures’ involve killing people?”

The Main System replied coldly, “We will provide appropriate compensation. As the ruler of this world, such matters are trivial.”

Feng Zifan retorted, “What kind of compensation? Let them reincarnate into better lives?”

The Main System said indifferently, “More or less.”

Feng Zifan was even more appalled. “Do you really think that counts as compensation? Did you ask for their consent?”

The Main System responded icily, “For the stability of the world, this is necessary. Don’t question us—just cooperate fully with my actions.”

Feng Zifan asked, “What if I don’t cooperate?”

The Main System stated flatly, “You’ll be erased, or I’ll take over your body. Your choice.”

A chill ran down Feng Zifan’s spine. He was now certain this entity was not here with good intentions. He asked, “What do you need me to do?”

The Main System replied, “For now, just interact with Xing Shi more.”

As it spoke, it glanced at Xing Shi nearby, its thoughts filled with greed.

Initially, it had considered binding Xing Shi or taking over his body. Unfortunately, the rules of this world made that impossible. Moreover, it had detected that Xing Shi’s soul energy was remarkably strong—very similar to that of a world’s favored child.

In every world, there were individuals with high energy. Some were naturally gifted from birth, like Fu Xiuning, while others required growth to reach their potential. It surmised that Xing Shi belonged to the latter category, which explained why three consecutive attempts on his life had failed.

People like Xing Shi usually had keen senses. Although it was certain humans couldn’t perceive its existence, the energy it carried this time far exceeded that of other systems. To be cautious, it had suppressed its energy fluctuations and carried out its original plan by attaching itself to Feng Zifan.

It said, “Don’t worry. This time, we’re not killing him.”

Feng Zifan asked, “Then what do you plan to do?”

The Main System said, “I don’t trust you enough yet. If you prove yourself, I’ll tell you.”

Feng Zifan nearly laughed out of frustration. It had bound him without consent and now expected him to prove himself?

Suppressing his anger, he asked patiently, “So, for now, I just need to chat with him more, right?”

The Main System replied, “For now, yes.”

Feng Zifan said, “Got it.”

The Main System acknowledged this with an emotionless “Mm” and fell silent.

It began organizing its cleanup plan while contemplating the other three systems.

It typically remembered systems by their IDs and host profiles, paying little attention to the names or backgrounds of these “ants.” Based on its records, 99’s host had been placed in June Culture and was also a trainee.

System 01: [99, is your host currently at the company?]

Hearing this, the three systems immediately reopened the group chat.

99, seeing that the entity had addressed it directly, reported the situation to Xing Shi and asked, “What does it mean by this? Is it also at the company?”

Xing Shi recalled the fleeting sensation from earlier and said, “Possibly.”

99 grew agitated. After consulting Xing Shi, it replied.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [No, my host refuses to enter the company no matter what I say. I can’t do anything about it.]

System 01: [A trainee doesn’t need to train?]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Huh? What are you talking about? My host is a student at Z University!]

System 01: [?]