C8 Tracking

Time passed, and darkness fell.

Zhou Ming gasped as a sharp intake of cold air jolted him awake. He slowly sat up, the aches throughout his body bringing him to full alertness. He hadn't anticipated the severe side effects of overclocking his brain; a whole day had passed in a daze, and his mind was still reeling. Indeed, overclocking was a brain burner.

He flicked on the lights and made his way to his room, settling in front of his computer. In his past life, Zhou Ming might have been just another office worker, but when it came to computers, he was a wizard. Now, the quickest way to locate Lin Xiaowu was through the internet.

His fingers danced across the keyboard, swiftly breaching the area's surveillance system. He retrieved the footage from the street they had visited that morning, playing back the scenes on his screen.

In the midst of Zhou Ming's scuffle with the group of burly men, a black van pulled up. Two young men in black uniforms and masks emerged. One of them struck Xiaowu with the edge of his hand, knocking her out cold before stuffing her into the vehicle.

By the time Zhou Ming had dealt with the men, the van had long since sped away.

It appeared the elderly woman hadn't deceived him. Zhou Ming saved a copy of the surveillance footage onto his computer. He was tempted to erase the video from the system; if the wrong person stumbled upon it, it would surely lead to complications.

After some deliberation, he decided against deletion. He realized this was merely a local subnet, and the footage was likely already uploaded to the primary network. Erasing it would only draw more scrutiny.

Zhou Ming scrutinized the footage again, extracting the clearest image of the vehicle's license plate.

Armed with the plate number, he delved into Getrall's traffic network. The network's defenses were intricate, demanding considerable time to navigate.

Once he had set up a decoy IP address, Zhou Ming entered the plate number and unearthed the car's traffic history.

He transferred the traffic log to his phone, promptly shut down his computer, and disconnected his home network. Donning his black hoodie, he stepped briskly out of his house.

The world of Getrall was divided into four vast regions: Heaven, Mystery, No, and Extreme. Each region was expansive, and together they formed a unified whole. With well-developed transportation by sea, land, and air, one could reach almost any destination with the right mode of transit.

Zhou Ming was riding in a taxi through Brohebis, his gaze fixed on the neon lights streaking past the window. Anxiety gnawed at him. If Xiaowu died, he knew his own life would be forfeit. The system seemed hell-bent on killing its master, like a ticking time bomb he was powerless to defuse.

"Red, come out," Zhou Ming called out with his mind, resolved to negotiate with the system.

"My master, Red is here," came the response.

Red, still clad in her gothic lolita attire, sat with a grin, legs elegantly crossed.

"Red, how is the system's punishment set up? Why is it that every time I fail a mission, the system tries to erase me?" Zhou Ming asked, his mood somber. The stakes were his life, and this was no game of endless terror.

"Perhaps the previous hosts were simply too weak!" Red suggested with a pout and a light laugh.

"Previous hosts? You mean there were others before me?" Zhou Ming asked, trembling at the thought.

"It's possible, or maybe not. Red is just a visible record created by my master. You'll have to figure these things out on your own," Red replied, smoothing her skirt before standing and stretching languidly.

Was it because the former hosts were so incompetent that the system had to toughen its penalties? Zhou Ming fumed internally. Couldn't they have put up a fight, completed their missions properly? He was convinced their failures were the reason his life was now on the line.

With a clearer understanding, Zhou Ming continued, "Red, you mentioned my genetic sequence was altered and the system has achieved autonomous energy circulation. Since the system is inside me and it needs to absorb external energy, then..."

"Doesn't that mean, Master, you could use this energy to enhance your physical condition? You can check the attribute panel for details," Red interjected.

Zhou Ming accessed his attribute panel:

Host Name: Zhou Ming

Physical Condition: Normal

Health Status: Normal

Psychokinesis: Unknown

Learned Skills: Exploding Fist

Dream Value: 200

Current World Energy: Primal Essence

Current World Difficulty: Level A

Red pointed at Zhou Ming's attribute panel, "Master, you can see your physical condition has improved from 'weak' to 'normal', all thanks to the system's work."

"Does this mean the system can help me absorb Primal Essence?"

Zhou Ming was quite surprised; it seemed the system did have a bit of a conscience after all.

"No, because when the system absorbs external energy, you, the Master, merely serve as a conduit. Red speculates that during the energy absorption, some of the energy remains in the Master's body. The residual energy came into play after you had a fight earlier, enhancing your physical abilities."

Red provided a logical explanation.

"I knew it."

Zhou Ming struggled to find the words to express his feelings. He had been deceived time and again, only to end up as a mere pawn! All he could say was that the system was merciless!

"Red, if I want to become an Essence Weaver, can the system assist me in any way?"

Zhou Ming rubbed his hands together, his eyes brimming with hope.

"The system has constructed the optimal energy circulation diagram for you."

Zhou Ming's external expression was invisible to Red. With a snap of her fingers, a three-dimensional transparent human figure materialized, with golden lines weaving through it in a mesmerizing dance.

"Nice! Is it free, though?"

"100 dream values, firm price, thank you."

Red smiled professionally.

Once Zhou Ming was charged 100 dream values, the human figure burst apart, transforming into an energy circulation diagram that was etched deeply into his mind.

"We've arrived."

The taxi driver looked at him oddly. After a two-hour drive, he had finally reached Zhou Ming's destination.

"Thank you, sir."

Zhou Ming paid and exited the taxi.

"Young man, I don't know what you're here for, but I feel compelled to warn you, the areas beyond the city are far from safe."

With those parting words, the driver sped off, eager to leave.

Zhou Ming found himself in a desolate area on the city's outskirts. The darkness was oppressive, occasionally pierced by a foul, fishy wind that made one's skin crawl.

Using his phone's flashlight, Zhou Ming scanned the area, finding nothing but barren wasteland, devoid of streetlights or signs of life.

The driver's caution made sense now. In this desolate place, one could disappear without a trace.

A subtle scent of blood wafted through the air. Zhou Ming cautiously traced the source of the blood scent, following it closely.