The Salted Fish is Rebellious – CH74

Chapter 74

“All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits” silently observed, choosing not to comment.

They had long deduced that “Face-Lover Forever’s” host was a student at Z University, but judging by the Main System’s response, something didn’t seem right.

The Main System, despite its indifference to these so-called “ants,” never made mistakes in its memory.

It replied: [Your host is a trainee.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [!]
“All Consorts Are Queens”: [?]
“Fortune Awaits”: [?]

The Main System, noting their reactions, accessed the company’s network to search for trainee profiles. It quickly locked onto its target, only to find that the information field didn’t list any class details.

It asked Feng Zifan, “Is Yu Yi still in the company?”

Feng Zifan’s heart skipped a beat. “He was one of yours?”

The Main System said, “Yes. Is he still here?”

Feng Zifan replied, “He’s dead.”

The Main System paused. “…What?”

Feng Zifan explained how Yu Yi had tried to use Xing Shi to get close to Fu Xiuning, how his ploy was exposed and his reputation collapsed. Yu Yi eventually went mad, was admitted to a sanatorium, and later escaped in the dead of night, falling to his death.

The Main System was silent for a long moment.

This did sound like something a host might do.

At the same time, new messages appeared in the group chat.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [So, I actually bound the wrong person?!]
“All Consorts Are Queens”: [?!]
“Fortune Awaits”: [What?]

System 01: [Your host is a transmigrator. How could you have bound the wrong person?]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Well, I landed at Z University, and I couldn’t locate my target. So, I just bound the person closest to me. His background was similar to my host’s. I asked him if he didn’t remember who he was, and he said yes. So, I always thought he was my host. But he was lying to me?! Why would he even do that? He’s insane! What’s the point of lying to me?!]

The Main System: “…”

The other two systems: “…”

Actually, they could understand it.

They thought to themselves: Knowing too much can be fatal. That person probably panicked when confronted with something outside his understanding. Fearing that telling the truth would get him killed, he decided to play dumb.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [What do I do now? Does this count as a violation? I swear it wasn’t intentional—it’s his fault for tricking me!]

It tried to explain: [When I first met him, I thought something was off. I even suspected my program was faulty. I submitted a malfunction report on the first day of the binding. Do you remember that, @01?]

The Main System couldn’t forget if it tried.

But as the self-proclaimed ruler of this world, how could it admit to any limitations? At the time, it had verified that the system had joined the chat group and concluded that the binding was successful. It had dismissed the issue with a perfunctory reply.

The Main System clearly remembered 99’s data. It had once been the favored child of a minor world, easily subdued back then. Seeing its decent luck, it decided to make it a system—only for it to turn out this incompetent.

Once this matter was resolved, it planned to replace this soul fragment.

System 01: [You were asking about the program, not the person.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Yes, I asked the wrong question. That’s why I misunderstood for so long! [crying]]

System 01: [Hmm.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [I swear it wasn’t on purpose! I’ll fix it right away! I’ll yell at him, erase his memory, and bind my real host!]

The Main System didn’t reply.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Thank goodness you’re here! I don’t have to put up with him anymore! My real host is a trainee, right? That’s great—I’ll finally be able to get into Fu Xiuning’s company! @01, who’s my host?]

Immediately, it added: [Wait, this is serious. I’ll message you privately!]

As it said this, it submitted a report. Since the Main System had proven its identity earlier through an announcement, it reasoned they could use the same method to chat privately.

It asked: [What’s his name? I’ll go right now!]

The Main System quickly replied: [Hold on.]

99, watching this exchange, told Xing Shi, “It must have discovered that Yu Yi is dead.”

Xing Shi said, “Mm. Proceed as I instructed.”

99 complied and sent another message.

“Face-Lover Forever”: [I can’t wait any longer! You have no idea how difficult my current host is!]

System 01: [You can’t float over from Z University.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Oh, right. I’ll trick him into going near the company first, then ditch him.]

System 01: [Wait for my instructions.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Okay~]

The Main System was currently short on usable personnel. Since 99 had bound the wrong person, it had no choice but to make the best of the situation.

It asked: [What’s your current host’s situation?]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Stubborn and hard to manage.]

System 01: [Punishment doesn’t work?]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [It works sometimes, but I can’t punish him all the time—it’d be against the rules.]

The Main System considered this sufficient. At least the host was somewhat usable. [Don’t act on your own. Wait for instructions.]

“Face-Lover Forever”: [Got it~]

While they were chatting privately, the group chat went quiet again.

“All Consorts Are Queens” and “Fortune Awaits” hadn’t expected such an absurd situation, but with the Main System present, they didn’t dare comment. Instead, they turned to their respective hosts to share the gossip.

Sang Chenhao, munching on a donut, briefly paused before continuing to chew.

A subtle thought crossed his mind. He asked, “Do you think Xing Shi could be bound by a system?”

“Fortune Awaits” replied without hesitation: “With his background? Definitely not.”

Then it hesitated: “But if it’s the Main System, maybe it could? What if it’s already bound to Xing Shi? That would explain why it asked if 99’s host was at the company.”

Sang Chenhao quickly finished his donut, gulped down a glass of milk, and got ready to head out.

At that moment, Xing Shi was still in training.

Having toyed with the Main System, 99 was both exhilarated and anxious. “We’ve fooled it for now, but how long can this last?”

Xing Shi said, “As long as it doesn’t call for a meeting and those two hosts don’t ask questions, we’re fine.”

99 said, “But that’s doomed. It already told us to team up before, and now that it’s here in person, it’ll definitely call a meeting.”

Xing Shi calmly replied, “That’s fine.”

He finished his lesson as usual and slumped into a corner to rest.

99 asked, “Aren’t you going to see Fu Xiuning?”

Xing Shi said, “No.”

99 realized he probably didn’t want to arouse suspicion by going upstairs during breaks, so it didn’t press further.

Xing Shi sipped water, noticing Feng Zifan sitting beside him.

Feng Zifan sighed with a smile. “A few days off from training, and now I’m exhausted.”

Xing Shi said, “You’ll get used to it.”

Feng Zifan replied, “Then I’ll head out for gigs and lose the progress again.”

He massaged his arm. “Feels like my muscles are turning to jelly. Yours must be different.”

As he spoke, he reached out to squeeze Xing Shi’s upper arm, commenting, “Yep, way different.”

The Main System suddenly asked, “Your heart rate spiked. Why?”

Feng Zifan, about to casually rest his hand on Xing Shi’s shoulder, froze and withdrew it. Calmly, he replied, “You’re just noticing? My heart’s been racing since I sat down. I used to talk to him without a second thought, but now I’m approaching him with ulterior motives, and nothing feels right.”

The Main System said, “Chatting normally doesn’t count as ulterior motives. Control your expressions, don’t give yourself away, and don’t even think about sending him any signals.”

With a lofty air, it lectured, “Fu Xiuning’s case concerns the stability of the entire world. If your actions cause this plan to fail, think about the consequences.”

Feng Zifan, exasperated, replied, “Do I even need to warn him? Did you see the recent trending topics? He and Fu Xiuning already know they’re being targeted by a mysterious organization.”

The Main System said, “We’ll handle that. You just do what I tell you. If you perform well, I might grant you a wish afterward. Whether it’s becoming a household name or a billionaire, I’ll make it happen.”

Feng Zifan agreed with a mild tone, not believing a word of it.

He wasn’t an idiot.

Its promises were unverifiable, but its past actions left clear traces.

He had read through Fu Xiuning’s trending topics from start to finish. Over five years of harrowing incidents—these couldn’t possibly align with the word “salvation.” Then there were Xing Shi’s three consecutive accidents and its arrogant threat of “erasure.” This thing was no savior.

With such evident malice, any promises it made were worthless.

He lowered his head and massaged his legs.

Xing Shi noticed Feng Zifan’s earlier actions and glanced at him.

Feng Zifan was usually perceptive and had long realized that Xing Shi disliked physical contact. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have suddenly grabbed Xing Shi’s arm, let alone tried to put a hand on his shoulder.

Leaning in slightly, Xing Shi whispered, “About what I said earlier regarding Yu Yi—don’t bring it up to anyone else.”

Feng Zifan’s heart skipped two beats. “Got it.”

The Main System asked, “What about Yu Yi?”

Feng Zifan replied, “I suspected he might be part of that mysterious organization. Your answer confirmed it.”

The Main System immediately ordered, “Ask him what else he knows.”

Feng Zifan asked, “Won’t that make him suspicious?”

The Main System said, “Don’t interrogate him. Be subtle.”

Feng Zifan said, “I’ll give it a try.”

Xing Shi studied him closely before continuing, “Actually, it’s not just him. There are a few others who might be involved too.”

Feng Zifan looked up sharply, locking eyes with Xing Shi.

Feigning surprise, he asked, “Really?”

Xing Shi held his gaze, lowering his voice further. “Yes. Remember Senior Lin? He schemed against my brother to get into his company.”

Feng Zifan nodded. “I remember. Yu Yi even took advantage of his plan to try and harm you—almost pushed you down the stairs.”

Xing Shi said, “Exactly. But strangely enough, after Lin was imprisoned, he never revealed anything about that organization. Why do you think that is?”

Feng Zifan, echoing the Main System’s words, guessed, “Maybe he wasn’t actually part of it?”

Xing Shi countered, “No, my brother said he fits the profile of their people: ruthless and willing to do anything to achieve their goals. There’s more my brother didn’t mention in interviews. We suspect this organization has advanced technology because they seem to know my brother’s location at all times, enabling them to orchestrate ‘coincidences.’”

Feng Zifan froze.

The Main System interjected, “Tell him a hacker could do that. It doesn’t require advanced technology.”

Feng Zifan relayed the message verbatim.

Xing Shi calmly responded, “I’m not finished. My brother has encountered several of these people over the years. They start off determined but later seem to ‘wake up,’ apologizing profusely while refusing to admit they were brainwashed.”

He sighed softly. “And then there are those who’ve died—people who suddenly changed personalities without warning. Some were even my brother’s classmates. These transformations happened without them ever taking leave, so they didn’t have time to be abducted and brainwashed.”

Fixing his gaze on Feng Zifan, Xing Shi said, “Hacking doesn’t explain that. If it’s not the supernatural, it might involve even more advanced technology. Following that logic, we think Senior Lin didn’t refuse to talk—he was made to forget.”

Feng Zifan: “!”

The Main System: “…”

Unlocking his phone, Xing Shi said, “By the way, this theory was inspired by Yu Yi.”

He pulled up a novel and handed Feng Zifan his phone. “Yu Yi loved reading these types of stories. He read several in a row. I think it might be connected to him. Look at this concept: a system in someone’s mind. Doesn’t that explain things like tracking and memory erasure?”

Feng Zifan: “!!”

The Main System: “…”

Xing Shi watched as Feng Zifan’s expression subtly changed, indicating his growing interest. Xing Shi gestured for him to read a few more pages. “It’ll broaden your horizons.”

Feng Zifan knew Xing Shi well. He rarely opened up to others, so this was probably his way of signaling that he had noticed something was off.

Suppressing a laugh, Feng Zifan relayed the Main System’s words: “It’s all fiction. It couldn’t be real, right?”

Xing Shi replied, “But the things happening to my brother and me can’t be explained by science. When even lunatics and fools can manipulate events, is anything really impossible?”

He added, “My brother’s next interview will steer public opinion in this direction. Let’s see if anyone comes up with ideas.”

The Main System: “…”

A system and host combination where the system bound the wrong person, and the host gave the enemy inspiration.

Useless. Absolutely useless. Complete failures!