ATPnovel Chapter 164, Chapter 0: Harbor Recapture
Chapter 164, Chapter 0: Harbor Recapture
The boat jolted.
It wasn't a collision.
It is the port that is recognizing the boat.
On the hull of the fake transport ship, the numbers engraved on the Seventh Tower all floated up.
The numbers seem to come alive.
Climb up the hull towards the bow.
Climb into the light of the harbor.
The light swallowed the number.
He uttered a line of words.
[Zero Recycling Port - Outer Ring Seventh Parking Area]
The words are black.
It's etched into the air.
It was engraved very deeply.
It seems someone has been waiting for a long time.
We waited specifically for this ship.
Sun Wukong stood at the bow of the boat.
The golden cudgel was held horizontally in his hand.
The rod was still hot.
He stared at the line of text.
"Old Chen."
"This place is not right."
"The light is wrong."
Chen Fan saw it too.
The light in the harbor doesn't shine down from above.
It's from below.
From deep within the port.
From beneath those recycling boats.
The light was very white.
It was as white as bone.
It was as white as the four-line verse on those black rings.
Yang Jian turned to a page of the incomplete text.
He didn't look up.
"Port Zero".
"One of the entrances to the outer ring of the main hall."
"The first stop in the old numbering system."
"Everything that was recycled."
"Everyone enters from here."
He finished speaking.
My finger rests on the page.
There is a picture on the page of the book.
The painting depicts this port.
The port is suspended in the void.
There were no stars around.
There are no clouds.
There are no reference points.
There are only countless recycling boats.
Like ants.
Densely packed.
Arrival at port. Departure from port.
The boat was filled with black boxes.
The boxes are of different sizes.
Some are only the size of a fist.
Some are even larger than the entire boat.
The boxes all had labels or stamps on them.
The signature is black.
The shape is the same as the fragment Chen Fan is holding.
The same.
Pigsy (Zhu Bajie) leaned over the gunwale and looked down.
I looked at it for three seconds.
He took three steps back.
"Oh shit."
"What's in those boxes."
"It can't be—"
The scroll in Tang Sanzang's arms.
Suddenly, there was a tremor.
The tremor was very slight.
But the rhythm is distinct.
It's like taking attendance.
One of the recitation sticks vibrated.
One of the boxes lit up briefly.
Deep in the harbor.
Countless boxes.
It flashes.
It's like a response.
It's like they're waiting.
Wait for the recitation strips to be returned to their places.
Si Mo raised his hand.
A drop of water condenses on my fingertip.
Water hangs in the palm of your hand.
It keeps spinning.
"These boxes."
"They all came after the Ninth Experimental Field."
"It was recovered by the headquarters."
"Every single box."
"They all failed to overturn the verdict."
The water droplets stopped.
Pointing to the depths of the port.
"The deepest box."
"They are fruit feeders."
Chen Fan remained silent.
He stared at the high point of the harbor.
A notice was hanging there.
The notice was very large.
It was laid from one end of the port to the other.
It was covered with writing.
Words are alive.
It's been continuously updated.
It kept jumping.
The row that jumps the fastest.
At the very top.
[Priority Recycling: Sample of Fruit Feeding Corrector by Chen Fan]
[Source: Seventh Tower Dark Channel]
[Status: Entered Port Zero for Recovery]
[Recommendation: Immediately return to warehouse]
Sun Wukong saw it.
The golden cudgel is held horizontally.
The clouds beneath our feet exploded.
"Return to storage?"
"I'll smash your words first."
Chen Fan pressed down on his shoulder.
"monkey."
"etc."
Below the list.
Another line of text popped up.
[Items to bring: Several recitation scrolls]
[Personnel accompanying: Sun Wukong (original sample from the first experimental field)]
[Personnel accompanying: Yang Jian (former inspector of the Ninth Experimental Field)]
[Personnel accompanying: Zhu Bajie (original escaped sample from the second experimental field)]
[Passenger: Si Mo (unregistered)]
[Personnel accompanying: Tang Sanzang (original reincarnation from the Third Experimental Site)]
A line of words.
They revealed all their secrets.
In the port.
Those recycling boats coming and going.
It suddenly stopped.
All.
Stop at the same time.
then.
All the prows.
They all turned to them.
The lights on the boat.
One by one, they were extinguished.
in the dark.
Only the signature on the black box was glowing.
And those black rings.
Those who wear black rings.
Standing on the port platform.
Row upon row.
Like the people at the foot of the Seventh Tower.
A ring on the wrist.
It was as white as bone.
His face was expressionless.
The lips are moving.
It wasn't a four-line verse that was recited.
It's a single sentence.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
The sound was very soft.
But the entire port was shaking.
In Chen Fan's mind.
The system alert sounded.
[Host detected has entered the outer ring of the main hall]
[The zeroth port of return has been identified]
Current Status: Pending Recycling
[Recommendation: Proceed to the storage location immediately]
then.
Another hint.
It's not a system issue.
It's deep inside the harbor.
It's very light.
It felt like someone was whispering in his ear.
"A lost carrier has been detected."
Welcome back to the warehouse.
Chen Fan pressed his head down.
My palms were sweaty.
He recognized that voice.
In the seventh tower.
In the reading room.
When he first touched the recitation strip.
"Who are you--"
"The predecessor of the Ninth".
in the dark.
A figure emerged.
The figures were very faint.
So faint as to be almost invisible.
Only the outline can be seen.
His profile is very similar to Chen Fan's.
It's not about appearance.
It's a posture.
It's a standing posture.
It's a gesture of raising your hand.
It's a posture of staring into the depths of the harbor.
"You are a fruit feeder too."
Chen Fan said.
The figure did not answer.
He simply raised his hand.
Pointing to the port side.
There is a road there.
The road is very narrow.
It's so narrow that only one person can walk through at a time.
The roadside was piled high with abandoned boxes.
The seals on the box were all broken.
The end of the road.
It was an even greater darkness.
in the dark.
A building can be vaguely seen.
The building is very large.
It's bigger than anything in the port.
It is shaped like a tower.
However, there are no numbers on the tower.
There is only one line of text.
【Calibrator Storage Area - Source Storage】
"Abandoned maintenance road".
Yang Jian looked up.
Stare at that road.
On the fragment.
The same line of text appeared.
[Outer Ring Road Maintenance Lane - Now Abandoned]
[Direct access to the warehouse area]
[Only known to survivors of the former Ninth Experimental Site]
Chen Fan looked at the figure.
"Will you lead the way?"
The figure did not answer.
Just keep moving forward.
I took three steps.
Disappeared into the darkness.
The road is still there.
Fragments of signatures on the road.
Suddenly it lit up.
Like lamps.
From the edge of the port.
The light remained on all the way to the warehouse entrance.
Sun Wukong gripped his golden cudgel tightly.
"Are you coming or not?"
Chen Fan glanced back at the port.
The words on the notice were still jumping.
[Priority Recycling] That line of text.
getting bigger.
It's getting more and more popular.
The surrounding black ring.
They started moving this way.
very slow.
But it's very neat.
It looks like a program.
It looks like a system.
"Walk."
Chen Fan turned around.
Embarking on the abandoned maintenance road.
Step on it.
Fragments of signatures on the road.
It's all broken.
It broke very lightly.
It looked like paper burned to ashes.
Deep in the harbor.
The voice rang out again.
Welcome back to the warehouse.
"Fruit feeder".
"Your recitation."
"Your poem."
"Your reversal of the verdict."
"They're all in the warehouse."
"Wait for you."
Chen Fan did not turn around.
He stared ahead.
Staring at the building that was even bigger than the tower.
Staring into the building.
The light slowly came on.
The light is warm.
It was warmer than the light of a recycling port.
It's so warm it feels like—
It looks like someone is in the warehouse.
wait for him.
waited for so long.
Chapter 521 Yuancang First Recognizes People
The abandoned maintenance road is very narrow.
The blackboard underfoot was cracked.
It has rust on the edges and makes a sound when you step on it.
Chen Fan walked at the very front.
Sun Wukong carried his staff, his eyes fixed on the warehouse door in front of him.
Tang Sanzang remained silent.
He lifted the hem of his robe and walked very quickly.
The young man, who had transformed from the white dragon horse, followed behind, still clutching the old reins in his hand.
The Bull Demon King walked the slowest.
He took each step with heavy weight, as if he were about to turn around and start a fierce fight at any moment.
The black rings on both sides of the road are still spinning.
But this road seemed to be blocked by something.
The black ring didn't lunge this way.
It just tightens in circles from a distance.
"Someone is blocking the way," the Bull Demon King said in a low voice.
Chen Fan did not respond.
He stared ahead.
The door was getting closer and closer.
There were no patterns on the door, just a single old metal sheet.
A row of dim lights is embedded in the panel.
The light is off.
He looked like he was dead.
But as Chen Fan stepped onto the last step, a "click" sounded from the crack in the door.
One by one, the dim lights came on.
The light by the door didn't turn on first.
It's the eye-shaped recognition port in the middle.
It was facing directly at Chen Fan.
Before the people next to them could even stand still, the scanning light from the doorway swept over them.
The light flickered when it swept across Sun Wukong.
The light paused briefly when it swept across Tang Sanzang.
When the light reached the Bull Demon King, it turned red.
"foreign."
"Non-carrier".
"Non-warehousing sequence."
A string of cold, hard words jumped out from the small screen on the side of the door.
The Bull Demon King immediately raised his fist.
"What do you mean?"
"Am I not a human being?"
Chen Fan raised his hand and pressed him down.
"Let's see what the door says first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the identification port on the door suddenly tilted to one side.
It didn't look at anyone else.
It fixed the light firmly on Chen Fan's face.
The next moment, a very soft mechanical sound came from inside the door.
It felt like an old radio had a snag.
"Identifying"
"Fruit Feeding Corrector, Ninth Delivery Unit".
"Calibration complete."
"Permissions confirmed".
"Entry permitted."
Sun Wukong was stunned for a moment.
Even the Bull Demon King was stunned.
Tang Sanzang looked up at the door, his lips moved as if he wanted to recite a passage of scripture, but in the end he didn't.
Chen Fan stood there, the old scar on the back of his hand burning.
It doesn't hurt.
It's that kind of heat you get when something touches you.
Before he could speak, an even larger line of text appeared from inside the door.
The lost carrier has arrived at the source warehouse.
The moment those words appeared, the port erupted in chaos.
The notice in the distance looked as if it had been violently tugged.
The text, which had been scrolling slowly line by line, suddenly sped up.
[Priority Recycling]
The lost carrier has been identified.
[Recycling boat rerouted]
[Outer Ring Road Closed]
The black ring started to move.
This time it's not a slow movement.
They're pressing in this direction in large swathes.
Like a herd of iron beasts set free.
Sun Wukong's eyes darkened, and he picked up his staff and glanced behind him.
"They've caught up."
Chen Fan looked back.
On the port platform, several white recovery boats had already turned around.
A cold light emanated from beneath the hull of the boat.
The route was rewritten directly in mid-air.
The net that was originally encircling the port is now cutting towards Yuancang.
"They recognize you," the white dragon horse whispered.
"It's not about recognizing."
Chen Fan stared at the words on the door.
"It was Cang who acknowledged me first."
The Bull Demon King grinned.
"Identify the person first, then arrest them."
"This place knows how to get things done."
The hidden lock on the door clicked again.
A thin red line emerged from under the door and stopped half an inch in front of Chen Fan's feet.
It was as if they were waiting for him to step in on his own.
Tang Sanzang suddenly spoke.
"Benefactor, something awaits you inside the door."
His voice was not loud.
But Chen Fan could hear it clearly.
That's not the tone you use when chanting scriptures.
It's like a reminder.
It also seems like a confirmation.
Chen Fan didn't ask him how he knew.
He simply lifted his foot and took one step forward.
The door immediately opened.
There was no warehouse smell inside as I had imagined.
There was no dampness either.
The first thing to come out was a very clean, cold wind.
The wind carried the scent of oil, ash, and a hint of old wood.
It's like a place that hasn't been touched in a long time, and today a window has suddenly been opened.
The light inside the door gradually brightened.
Rows of elevated roads extend inward along the passageway.
An old sign hangs on the shelf.
The sign is very thin, and the edges are curled up.
The above is not a number.
It is a person's name.
Chen Fan glanced at it and stopped in his tracks.
The first sign had three characters written on it.
Chen Fan
There is another line of smaller text below.
Fruit feeder
Sun Wukong took a step forward and reached out to grab it.
"How dare they put your name on this warehouse?"
The moment his knuckles touched the sign, it flipped over by itself.
The back features a string of old records.
[Ninth Project]
[Duration of fruit offering: 107 years]
[Correction deviation: zero]
[Recycling failed once]
[Case successfully overturned: pending]
Sun Wukong's hand stopped in mid-air.
He stared at the line of text, his expression strange.
The Bull Demon King also came over, and after reading it, he cursed.
"This warehouse really treats you like one of their own."
"One of our own?" Chen Fan sneered.
"Pressuring people to the point of exhaustion first, then talking about your own people?"
From deep within the door, a soft sound suddenly came again.
Like a lock coming loose.
Then, the second door slowly lifted up.
Inside stood a row of old machines.
The machine was not lit up.
Only the one in the middle lit up briefly.
A face appeared on the screen.
That face was very pale, like a projector that had just been plugged in.
But Chen Fan saw it clearly at a glance.
That face bears a striking resemblance to his.
Not the current him.
It's the kind that's a bit thinner and a bit older.
There was also a small crease at the corner of her eye.
It looks like it's been blown out by the wind all year round.
Sun Wukong immediately held his staff horizontally.
"Another one like you?"
The white dragon horse also frowned.
"How come I see your shadow in this warehouse?"
Tang Sanzang remained silent.
He just looked ahead, his eyes deep and serious.
The figure on the screen did not move.
It only uttered one sentence.
"The ninth item has been delivered and returned to its storage."
"Please verify my identity first."
"Fruit feeder, please state your order."
Chen Fan stood at the door, not answering immediately.
Alarms have already sounded at the port.
Several recovery boats lowered their altitude and were scanning this area.
The outer black ring has also tightened.
The outermost circle has already circled to the end of the maintenance road.
If we are any slower, the exit will be blocked.
The Bull Demon King glanced back and muttered a curse under his breath.
"They recognize you from the front, and surround you from behind."
"This wretched place is ruthless."
Chen Fan looked up and stared at the face on the screen.
"You'll let me go after I give you the order?"
The screen paused for half a second.
That face was expressionless.
"Put it in the warehouse first."
"Let's talk about leaving later."
Sun Wukong just laughed.
Did you hear that?
"This warehouse is just like those bald guys."
"First, lure people in."
Chen Fan smiled as well.
He raised his hand and pressed down on the identification panel by the door.
The surface of the board was so cold it was prickly to the touch.
A string of old characters slowly lit up from under his fingers.
It felt like we had been waiting for a long time.
[Fruit Feeding Corrector]
[Ninth Project]
Chen Fan
[Confirmed]
[Open Internal Warehouse]
The door opened completely.
But at that very moment, the port notice outside suddenly turned a page.
A line of large, blood-red characters completely overshadowed all other prompts.
The recycling boat has been located at the source warehouse.
[Priority: Highest]
[Target: Chen Fan]
[Handling: Take him back to headquarters]
Sun Wukong glanced back, gritted his teeth, and slammed his staff on the ground.
"You've come at the perfect time."
"I'll dismantle one of them first to show you."
Chen Fan was about to speak.
Deep inside the cabin, the face that resembled his suddenly raised its eyes.
A new line of text appeared on the screen.
[Same sequence vector detected]
[The second delivery unit has been revived]
Chen Fan's hand stopped on the door frame.
Sun Wukong was also stunned.
"A second delivery vehicle?"
"Who?"
The face on the screen slowly turned into the depths.
The voice rang out again, low and chilling.
"Chen Fan".
"You're finally back."
Deep inside the door, a lamp suddenly lit up.
A person is standing under the lamp.
She is very thin.
He had his back to them.
He slowly raised one hand, as if waiting for Chen Fan to come over.
But on that hand, there was a button made of old fruit pits.
Chapter 522 The "Chen Fan" in the Warehouse
The light inside the door turned on.
Sun Wukong took a step forward first.
Chen Fan raised his hand to stop him.
"etc."
The monkey tilted its head to look at him, its eyes full of wariness.
"This godforsaken place recognizes you first and calls you by name. If I, Old Sun, go in, I'm afraid I'll just cause trouble."
"It's not that I'm afraid of causing trouble."
Chen Fan stared at the figure inside.
"It's waiting for me."
The man still had his back to them, his hand suspended in mid-air, as if he had known all along that the door would open at this moment.
Chen Fan recognized the string of old fruit pits on his wrist at a glance.
That's not like it.
That's something he painstakingly made from wild fruit pits when he was bored out of his mind at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
The fracture, the hole location, and even the crooked core on the far side are exactly the same.
Sun Wukong saw it too, and his face immediately darkened.
"I've seen this kind of string before."
"I've seen you wear it for a hundred years."
Chen Fan remained silent.
He pushed the door open completely and went inside.
"You stay outside and keep watch."
"If you don't come out within half an incense stick's time, I'll go and smash this warehouse too."
"OK."
Chen Fan answered decisively.
He had just stepped across the threshold when the door behind him shook violently.
A pale white light curtain descended, effectively keeping Sun Wukong outside.
The monkey's eyes flashed with fierce light, and he raised his golden cudgel.
Chen Fan glanced back.
"Don't smash it."
"Let's see what it's trying to do first."
Sun Wukong gritted his teeth and slammed his staff down heavily.
"Half an incense stick's worth."
Not even a breath less.
Chen Fan nodded and turned to walk inside.
The first floor of the warehouse was very empty.
It's not empty space, but rather a deliberately left-out emptiness.
On both sides were rows of upright black boxes, resembling memorial tablets or coffins. Each box had a sign hanging in front of it, with no words on it, only a red line running from top to bottom.
As soon as Chen Fan walked over, the red lines swayed gently.
It feels like there's wind.
But there's no wind here.
The figure stood motionless under the lamp at the far end, neither moving nor turning around.
As Chen Fan drew closer, his pace slowed.
When he was only ten steps away, he saw it clearly.
That's not a living person.
Or rather, they don't seem like normal living people.
The man stood exactly like him, even down to the habit of his left shoulder being slightly lower. His clothes were worn and tattered, the cuffs frayed, and a broken rope hung from his waist. The most jarring thing was his face.
That face was Chen Fan's own.
Not a single point off.
Even the old scar on his chin is still there.
Chen Fan stopped.
The person opposite him slowly raised their head, looked at him, and their lips twitched slightly.
"Chen Fan".
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
"You've finally come in."
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
"Who are you?"
The man smiled, but it was a strange smile, as if he were looking at someone who was way too late.
"You asked this first?"
"It seems you've lost even more this time than before."
Chen Fan kept a close eye on him.
Stop beating around the bush.
"I'll ask you one more time, who are you?"
The man didn't answer; instead, he looked down at the string of fruit pits in his hand.
"You taught me how to make this."
"You said it's too boring down the mountain, you have to find something to do, otherwise you'll go crazy."
Chen Fan's fingers slowly tightened.
He said that.
I only told it to one person.
I once told that monkey at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
Sun Wukong outside obviously heard it too, and slammed his staff down through the light barrier.
"boom!"
The entire warehouse area trembled.
The person opposite looked up at the doorway, a hint of mockery flashing in their eyes.
"This one is still alive."
"One?"
Chen Fan understood the implication.
The face opposite him, which looked exactly like his, finally showed a hint of seriousness.
"You are the ninth."
"Not the first."
The air suddenly felt heavy.
Chen Fan stared at him, not moving for a long time.
Sun Wukong outside the door was the first to explode.
"Bullshit!"
There can only be one Chen Fan!
"You sly fool, you dare to copy him? I'll tear you apart too!"
The man completely ignored Sun Wukong and only looked at Chen Fan.
"You already know what's going on, don't you?"
"From the moment Yuancang recognized you, you should have guessed that this wasn't your first time here."
Chen Fan felt as if he had been hit in the chest with a hammer.
This isn't my first time here.
These seven words struck right where he least wanted to touch.
From the moment he entered the warehouse, there was always an inexplicable sense of familiarity between them.
That corridor, that old lamp, those corners.
Like walking past.
More than once.
He suppressed the chaotic thoughts that were rising within him and took three more steps forward.
"The ninth one, what does that mean?"
"What about the first eight?"
"And what are you? A projection? A fragment? A clone?"
The man's smile faded.
"I am nothing."
"My name is Chen Fan."
The moment those words were spoken, even the area outside the door fell silent for a moment.
Chen Fan was so angry he laughed.
"Your name is Chen Fan, what's mine?"
"Your name is also Chen Fan."
The man spoke in a flat tone.
There are nine Chen Fans in the warehouse.
"You're ninth in the rankings."
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Fan grasped the God-Slaying Spear directly in his hand.
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll stab you first."
With a flick of the spear tip, a black light pierced straight ahead.
The shot was swift and ruthless, without the slightest probing.
Just as the spear tip reached the man, a black box next to him suddenly lit up, and the red line on the box snapped straight, lashing down like a whip.
"Bang!"
The spear's edge was instantly dispersed.
Chen Fan's arm went numb, and he took half a step back.
The man looked at him, his expression surprisingly helpless.
"Still the same temper."
"If you don't believe me, you take action first."
"This isn't your first time here."
He repeated the sentence again.
Each word was struck heavily.
Chen Fan did not fire his gun again.
His mind works incredibly fast.
every time.
This word is the most deadly.
The fact that the other person can say "every time" means they've seen it more than once.
The problem is, he has no memory of that.
What about the system?
The moment the thought crossed Chen Fan's mind, a piercing noise rang in his head.
【warning】
[There is a conflict of orders in the primary storage area of the source warehouse]
[We recommend that the host exit immediately.]
Chen Fan's eyes turned cold.
The system usually spouts a lot of nonsense.
Today, all that came out was "quit".
That's enough to explain things.
The person opposite, "Chen Fan," seemed to have heard something and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Is it still playing dead?"
"That's true. It's the best at that."
Chen Fan looked up.
"Do you know the system?"
"More than just knowing each other."
Just as the man was about to speak again, the entire warehouse area suddenly trembled.
The black boxes all around suddenly lit up.
The red lines seemed to come alive, intertwining in mid-air and instantly forming a net that enveloped both of them.
A cold sound fell from above.
Unauthorized contact detected
[Same-order carrier eye contact detected]
[Leaked archived information detected]
The next instant, a crimson-gold seal shot out from the void, as tall as a person, and landed directly between the two.
The eight large characters on the seal were as glaring as blood.
Unauthorized unpacking will result in immediate return to storage.
"Return to storage?"
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong outside the door exploded and raised his staff to smash it.
The light screen was smashed repeatedly with loud cracking sounds, but it still didn't break.
"You belong to your ancestors!"
"Open the door!"
For the first time, the expression on the face of "Chen Fan" in the warehouse changed.
He suddenly raised his hand and grabbed the corner of the crimson gold seal.
White smoke immediately rose from his palm.
It felt like pressing a hand into a red-hot iron plate.
He gritted his teeth and growled at Chen Fan.
Listen up!
"Time is running out."
"The first eight, either died or were recycled."
"You got this far because you're tougher and dirtier than them all."
"This warehouse isn't for storing things."
"This warehouse—"
As he finished speaking, a burst of golden light suddenly erupted from the seal.
He was knocked back two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) by the blow, and a gash appeared on his chest.
Nine lights simultaneously illuminated at the end of the train.
One lamp after another.
With each lamp lit, Chen Fan felt as if he were being stabbed in the head with a needle.
The fragmented images were frantically popping up.
At the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
Huaguoshan.
Lingxiao Palace.
There is another door.
Eight figures stood with their backs to the door.
Every single one of them is like him.
Chen Fan's breathing became heavy, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
The man steadied himself against the box, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he still stared at him, uttering the last sentence slowly and deliberately.
Don't believe me when I'm the first one to wake up.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted sharply.
"What do you mean?"
The person did not answer.
He seemed to have suddenly seen something, his expression completely changed, and he roared behind Chen Fan.
"Lower your head!"
Without a second thought, Chen Fan's body sank.
next moment.
A black hook grazed past his head, embedded itself in the ground in front of him, and left a trail of sparks.
Immediately afterwards, all the black boxes simultaneously developed a crack.
From the crack, a hand suddenly emerged.
Chapter 523 The first box was labeled Chen Fan
A hand peeked out from the crack.
Not just one.
It's a whole row.
The black box cracked open piece by piece, revealing hands in the gaps. They were thin and blistered, with blue knuckles, and several wrists were adorned with the same old strings of fruit pits as Chen Fan's.
Sun Wukong's eyelids twitched, and his golden cudgel was already held horizontally.
"Damn it, is this place used to raise poisonous insects?"
Yang Jian stepped forward, his three-pointed double-edged sword pressed diagonally to the ground, the blade sparking a string of bright flames.
"Don't touch it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the first box popped open half a foot with a "click".
There is a black tag on the lid of the box.
Chen Fan was staring at that hand, but his gaze shifted, and he felt as if he had been nailed to the spot.
There were only five words on the black card.
[Fruit Feeder - Chen Fan]
The air suddenly tensed up.
Sun Wukong turned to look at him, his eyes wide open.
"Write your name?"
Zhu Ganglie also came over, first looking at the sign, then at Chen Fan, and after opening his mouth for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.
"This dilapidated warehouse, you've been completely packed away?"
Chen Fan did not respond.
His throat was dry and his palms were sweaty.
Fruit feeder.
He hadn't heard anyone mention those three words in a long time.
For a hundred years under the Five Finger Mountain, besides monkeys, who else would call him that?
But the box in front of us has it written on very clearly.
The next instant, a system notification exploded.
[Ding! Homologous vector detected]
Similarity: 99%
Target ID: Second Archive
Chen Fan's mind went blank for a moment.
Before he could speak, a cold, mechanical voice came from the top of the warehouse.
[General Office Notice: Duplicate Samples Found]
[It is recommended to destroy one of them]
[It is recommended to destroy one of them]
[It is recommended to destroy one of them]
The sound rang out three times.
It's like saying it on purpose for everyone to hear.
The crowd erupted.
"Whom should be destroyed?"
Sun Wukong suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with anger, "You dare to call out names and see what happens."
Yang Jian's face also darkened.
"The system says they are homologous. The headquarters says they are duplicate samples."
Nezha landed on a box, tapped it with his toes, and pointed his Fire-Tipped Spear diagonally forward.
"This is not a case of mistaken identity."
"There really is another Chen Fan in the warehouse."
Pigsy felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shrank behind Chen Fan.
"One is already bad enough, if another one comes along, how will I, Old Pig, ever get any advantage in the future?"
At this moment, the "Chen Fan" who had just crawled out of the old box was panting, leaning against the side of the box, the blood at the corner of his mouth still wet. He stared at the first black box, his face even more pale than before.
"Don't open it."
Chen Fan immediately turned his head.
"Do you know who's inside?"
The man gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse.
"I know a little."
"The first row is all main cabins."
"Whoever's name is written on it, that's the earliest version of theirs lying inside."
Sun Wukong understood half of what was said, and his brows furrowed instantly.
"The earliest version?"
"Explain yourself clearly."
The man glanced at the monkey, as if he wanted to say something, but suddenly a red line descended from the top of the canopy and swept across his throat.
Yang Jian moved with lightning speed. With a flick of his blade, he cleaved the red line in two, and it was still sizzling as it landed.
The man clutched his neck and took two steps back, his breathing becoming erratic.
"It doesn't allow you to say too much."
"Besides, I'll die first."
Chen Fan felt a chill in his heart.
The warehouse is being used to silence witnesses.
No, it was this "head office" that was silencing them.
But the more this is the case, the more it indicates that there is a big problem with the first box.
Sun Wukong hates this kind of suspense the most; he'll raise his golden cudgel and smash it down.
"If I can't open it, I'll smash it."
"If anyone dares to take it back, Old Sun will rip up this warehouse too."
"stop."
Yang Jian pressed down on the staff, his voice very low.
"A forced opening will trigger a full position."
He looked up and glanced at the edges of the boxes around him.
Beneath each black box, there is a ring of extremely fine dark lines. Originally dark, they are now creeping outwards, one by one, like snake scales, and have already connected to form half of the warehouse area.
"This is a recovery array."
"You smash it once, and it'll all be activated."
Nezha landed, squatted down and touched the ground. As soon as his fingertips touched the dark pattern, a spark popped and made his fingers go numb.
"It's no joke."
"Once this formation is fully upgraded, not only will the boxes be affected, but we'll all be caught up in it."
Upon hearing this, Pigsy's face turned green.
"Then what's the point of playing?"
"We can't open it, we can't smash it, are we supposed to just stand here and wait to be destroyed?"
Chen Fan stared intently at the box with his name written on it.
The people or things inside haven't come out yet.
But the sign is already up.
The warehouse seemed to be telling him that he wasn't the only one.
You might not even be the first one.
This feeling is disgusting.
It's as if someone has disassembled him alive, stuffed him into different shells, and then arranged them in a row for people to choose from.
Just then, the lid of the first box popped open a little more.
A soft sound came from inside.
Like a fingernail scraping against the inner wall.
Chen Fan subconsciously took a step forward.
Sun Wukong immediately grabbed his arm.
"Don't come near."
"Have you forgotten what you just said?"
Don't believe me when I'm the first one to wake up.
Chen Fan certainly hadn't forgotten.
The problem is, the first box now has his name on it.
That reminder, like a knife, was turned around and held to his own neck.
Nezha frowned and said, "There are two possibilities."
"One of them is fake; it's a trap to lure him in."
"Second, what's in the box is real, even more real than this one."
Pigsy cursed.
"You'd be better off not saying that."
Chen Fan ignored them and went straight to ask the injured "Chen Fan".
"Which number are you?"
The man paused for a moment, then uttered two words.
Number four.
Even Yang Jian raised his eyes slightly at this.
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
There are three more ahead of us.
Number Four nodded.
"At least three, as far as I know."
"Number one went into the main warehouse. Number two was taken away. Number three woke up once, then disappeared."
The veins on the back of Sun Wukong's hands were bulging.
"Who did it?"
Number Four looked up at the top of the warehouse.
"You've already heard that."
"Headquarters."
"They don't support people, they support samples."
As soon as the words were spoken, the entire row of black boxes suddenly trembled simultaneously.
It's like someone inside is turning over together.
The mechanical sound from the top of the warehouse rang out again the next second.
[Bug Fix Initiated]
[Increased conflict between duplicate samples]
[Priority Adjustment]
[Recommendation: Remove the active object immediately]
Pigsy bristled instantly.
"Active entities? Are they talking about us?"
Nezha gave a cold laugh.
"Otherwise, how could the box possibly grow legs and run away by itself?"
Sun Wukong took a step forward and slammed his golden cudgel into the ground.
"Come."
"Let's see how Old Sun cleans it."
As soon as he finished speaking, all four walls simultaneously flipped open, revealing a row of black round holes.
Each hole lit up with a little red light.
They were densely packed, aimed directly at everyone in the room.
Chen Fan's mind raced.
We can't tough it out.
This is their territory; even Number Four almost had his throat slit. If they were to fight here, even if they won, they might not get what's in the box.
The worst part is that the first box is about to be opened.
The "Chen Fan" inside is about to appear.
He suddenly thought of something and abruptly turned to look at Yang Jian.
"You just said that forcibly activating it will trigger the recovery array."
"What if it opens by itself?"
Yang Jian's pupils contracted.
Before he could even speak, the dark patterns on the ground suddenly lit up.
The first black box clicked open on its own.
Not half a foot.
It's a full palm's width.
A blast of cold air blew out from inside.
The next instant, a hand landed on the edge of the box.
That hand was very steady.
A string of old fruit pits also hung on his wrist.
It's exactly the same as the one on Chen Fan's wrist.
Sun Wukong's eyes suddenly turned extremely fierce, and he raised his staff half an inch.
Number Four, however, seemed to have seen a ghost, and his voice cracked.
"It wasn't him!"
"Retreat now!"
But it was too late.
Beside that hand, half a face slowly emerged.
It really is Chen Fan's face.
Even the old scar at the end of his left eyebrow was exactly the same.
The person inside the box raised his head, first glancing at Sun Wukong, then at Chen Fan standing outside, and slowly a smile spread across his face.
It's like looking in a mirror.
Then he spoke.
"So this is how you live your life."
"Then it's my turn to go out—"
Before he could finish speaking, a louder sound of a lock breaking suddenly rang out from the deepest part of the warehouse.
Not just one bite.
It's a whole row.
Chen Fan suddenly turned around.
The black sign on the middle black box in the second row was also lit up.
There are only four characters on it.
The Monkey King
Chapter 524 The Previous Body Was Not a Ghost
When the black box belonging to the Monkey King was lit up, the entire row of warehouses trembled.
Sun Wukong's eyelids twitched, and he held his golden cudgel horizontally in front of his chest.
"Don't move."
He said that to Chen Fan.
Chen Fan didn't rush forward either.
He stared at the face in the first box, and a chill ran down his spine.
Like a mirror.
It doesn't resemble a mirror either.
The mirror wouldn't look at him like that.
The man, holding onto the edge of the box, with blood still dripping from the corner of his mouth, first smiled, a cold smile.
"Scared?"
"You've been overturning the case all along, and now that it's back on your own head, your legs are giving way?"
Chen Fan ignored the question and, with a flick of his wrist, slammed the temporary access point of the overturning case cabin onto the ground.
As soon as the silver platter hit the ground, it opened up, and eight thin chains shot out and embedded themselves into the four walls of the warehouse area.
"Scan the link".
"Source warehouse".
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire black warehouse flashed.
Like a river that has been submerged for a long time, the lights at the bottom are lit one by one.
Above the first box, the black card flashed randomly at first, then spat out a string of white characters.
[Link connection in progress]
[Same order verification in progress]
[Identity verification complete]
The next moment, the string of words froze.
The moment Chen Fan saw it clearly, his pupils constricted.
[Ninth Predecessor Sample - Not Cancelled]
A moment of silence fell over the surroundings.
Even the locks on the second row of boxes that were cracking seemed to pause for a moment.
Sun Wukong cursed first.
"sample?"
"Damn it, it's alive!"
The person inside the box was also stunned.
He stared at the words above his head, the mockery on his face slowly freezing, as if he himself hadn't expected it.
Chen Fan looked up and read it out, word by word.
"The ninth predecessor sample was not cancelled."
"Did you hear that? You're not a ghost. You're not a fake projection either."
"You're a living specimen left behind by the source warehouse."
The man's lips twitched, and he remained silent for a long time.
Hands were still reaching out from the boxes next to them, trying to pull things out.
An alarm suddenly sounded in the overturning case pod.
[Surviving host detected]
[Recycling process interrupted]
[Sample retention status: Abnormal]
Si Mo strode in from behind, his sleeves still damp with dust from breaking the formation. He glanced at the link screen, and his expression instantly changed.
"Don't touch him."
"This is neither an illusion nor a shell company."
"The source repository's sample storage will only store three types of things: scrapped parts, backups, and live samples."
He pointed to the line "not cancelled" and lowered his voice.
"This mark indicates that it was sealed, but not completely recovered."
"To put it bluntly, he's still alive."
Upon hearing this, even Yang Jian raised his head.
He hadn't spoken until now, simply standing at the far side staring at the black boxes. At this moment, the divine mark on his forehead glowed slightly, and his third eye opened a crack.
The vertical beam of light fell on the person inside the box.
Take a breath.
Two breaths.
Yang Jian withdrew his divine light and uttered a sentence.
"Blood and energy are flowing."
"The soul has roots."
"It wasn't borrowed, nor was it pieced together."
"This is one of your predecessors."
That sealed the deal.
Chen Fan felt as if he had been hit in the chest with a hammer.
Not a ghost.
It's not a counterfeit.
It was his predecessor.
It's still the ninth one.
He suddenly remembered the hint that Yuancang had given him when he recognized people a long time ago.
Synchronous carrier.
Second delivery unit.
This is not just a scare tactic.
it is true.
The person inside the box looked at Chen Fan, and his gaze slowly darkened.
"Do you believe me now?"
Chen Fan stared at him.
"I believe you are alive."
"I don't believe you're hiding something."
"You just said not to trust me if I'm the first one to wake up. What did you mean?"
The person didn't answer immediately.
He first turned his head to look at the black box in the second row that was lit up with "Monkey King" on it, and then looked at the old boxes in the deeper row that were not fully lit up yet.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"You're too late."
Sun Wukong thrust his staff forward, directly hitting the opening of the box.
Stop keeping me in suspense.
"If you keep going around in circles, Old Sun will take your box apart."
The man stared at the golden cudgel, surprisingly not intimidated, and even twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Tear it down."
"If you take a bite, a whole row of eggs will be ready inside."
"Do you really want to see just how many versions of yourself are kept here?"
These words were like a needle, piercing straight into Sun Wukong's face.
Sun Wukong's eye twitched, and the veins on his hand bulged out.
Chen Fan raised his hand and pressed it down.
"Let him speak."
The person inside the box exhaled and tapped the edge of the box with their fingers, making two crisp sounds.
"You're all staring at the wrong person."
"The real case doesn't involve me."
"In the old fruit feeder box."
Chen Fan frowned.
"What box?"
"Old fruit feeder crates." The man raised his chin and pointed to the far end of the storage area. "The oldest row, half of the serial number is worn away, the outer shell is yellowed, and there are rope marks on the corners. Those aren't miscellaneous storage crates; they're old job-related archive crates."
"Can fruit feeders also enter the source warehouse?"
Si Mo replied very quickly: "Yes."
"In the early days, Yuancang had a group of low-level maintenance workers who were not officially named, but only recorded by their job titles. Feeding, cleaning, guiding, and guarding were all considered old jobs."
"These kinds of people die without a tombstone and live without leaving a name. They're perfect for being used as a fallback when problems arise."
By the time he finished speaking the last few words, Si Mo's face had turned extremely ugly.
Chen Fan understood immediately.
The identity of the fruit feeder at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
Not a coincidence.
It's not that he was unlucky.
That was a shell someone had already given him.
Yang Jian took two steps forward, his gaze passing over the rows of black boxes and landing on the deepest one.
"I saw it."
"Third from the left in the last row."
"The lock isn't broken, and the connection is still working."
"It's consuming electricity."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine.
It consumes electricity.
This means that the container is still in operation.
Sun Wukong blurted out, "That lousy box belonging to the fruit feeder, hidden so deep?"
The person inside the box suddenly laughed.
This time, there was no sarcasm in his smile, only a hint of fatigue.
"Because it contains more than just job titles."
"It still contains records."
"It contains all the information: who fed the fruit, to whom, for how long, who gave the order, and who signed the return slip."
Chen Fan's heart skipped a beat.
This is the root of the case.
Once that box is opened, the hundred years under Wuzhi Mountain will no longer be a mess.
Who threw him there?
Who made him the fruit feeder?
Who used its predecessor as a sample for deployment?
They can all be picked out one by one.
Si Mo's breathing became a little rapid.
No wonder.
"No wonder the section for fruit feeders was always blank in the old register. It wasn't that there were no names; someone sealed the whole box."
He turned to look at Chen Fan, speaking rapidly.
"Go there first. We must open the box before the recycling process resumes. If we wait any longer, the source warehouse will clear itself."
"After the cleanup, everything inside was burned."
Without saying a word, Sun Wukong smashed his staff forward.
With a loud bang.
The two small black boxes blocking the way were sent flying, their broken shells scattering everywhere.
He smashed open the entire passageway.
"Walk."
"Old Sun will clear the way for you."
Just as Chen Fan was about to rush in, the predecessor in the first box suddenly spoke.
"etc."
Chen Fan turned around.
The man stared intently at him.
"If you're going to open that box, remember one thing first."
"I'm only the ninth one."
"The fruit feeder's box may not contain the first one you ever had."
As soon as he said that, the end of the passage suddenly lit up.
It's not a lamp.
It was that so-called old fruit-feeding box that lit up on its own.
A layer of yellowed old shell slowly cracked open with a line.
What emerged from the crack first was not a hand.
It was a string of worn-out fruit pit buttons.
It's exactly the same as the one worn on the hand deep inside the warehouse.
Chapter 525 The Black Ledger Confronts the General Ledger
Chen Fan didn't look at the old box again.
He first opened the black ledger and pressed his finger on the blank space on the first page.
Sun Wukong stood to the side, his golden cudgel slung across his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the end of the passage. The black box over there was still rattling, like someone was knocking bones inside.
"Is your tattered ledger really usable?" Sun Wukong asked in a low voice.
"Whether it works or not, we'll only know after we try it."
After Chen Fan finished speaking, he reached out to pull off the box tag.
The tag hung beside the black box; it was as thin as paper, yet its edges were stiff and prickly. It contained only a number and a line of small print.
[Source Warehouse - Zone Nine - External Samples]
He pasted the account book and box labels together.
Snapped.
The black ledger jolted violently.
On the first page, where it had been blank, circles of fine characters suddenly appeared. They weren't written on; they seemed to slowly emerge from the paper. The ink lines straightened one by one, arranging themselves neatly.
Chen Fan looked down and his brows immediately furrowed.
Number received
[Source repository directory page being generated]
"It really works?" Sun Wukong's eyelids twitched.
The next instant, the black ledger turned its pages by itself.
With a whoosh, it sounded like someone was quickly flipping through case files inside.
A new sheet of paper popped out, initially blank, then lines of text began to emerge.
[Source Repository Master Catalog]
[External Sample for Zone 9: Chen Fan]
[External Sample for Zone 9: Sun Wukong]
[External Sample for District 9: White Dragon Horse]
[External Sample for Region 9: Tang Sanzang]
Below that is a long list of smaller entries, so densely packed that it makes your eyes blurry.
Chen Fan stared at the line "Chen Fan," his finger pausing for a moment.
This thing is not a notebook.
It is acknowledging the debt.
To be more precise, it's about stealing money.
"Again," he whispered.
He also stuck another box label on it.
The black ledger warmed up at the corner, and the table of contents on the page immediately extended downwards, with new numbers automatically being added. The previously chaotic boxes began to be arranged by area, by layer, and by sequence.
Sun Wukong grinned.
"This thing is even harder than your mouth."
Chen Fan did not respond.
He has seen something deeper.
The table of contents was flipped through three times. When it stopped on the third time, the entire ledger made a muffled thud, as if it had hit a thick door.
A line of red text slowly emerged in the middle of the paper.
General ledger access failed.
Insufficient permissions
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
"And the general ledger?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the black ledger flipped back on its own.
A thicker sheet of paper popped out.
That page is not the table of contents.
There was only a large blank space on it, like an unfinished ledger. But the moment Chen Fan stared at it, lines of text suddenly jumped up from within the blank space.
[Ninth Experimental Field]
[Ninth Experimental Field]
[Ninth Experimental Field]
One after another.
The first eight lines were all covered by thick black lines.
Article 9 had barely emerged when it was forcibly covered up.
Chen Fan's eyes darkened.
Eight times.
Sun Wukong saw it too, and his expression changed.
"What eight times?"
"The entries for the Ninth Experimental Field have been revised eight times."
Chen Fan reached out and pressed down on the ledger pages to prevent them from flipping through randomly.
But the page seemed to come alive, spitting out words on its own.
[Ninth Experimental Field]
[Initial sealing: Failed]
[Second save file transfer: Failed]
[Three attempts at recovery: failed]
[Four attempts to cover: failed]
[Five rewrites: failed]
[Six attempts at stripping: failed]
[Seven attempts to delete the account: failed]
[Eight attempts to overturn the verdict: all failed]
When those last two words came out, the entire warehouse area suddenly went dark.
It's not that the lights are off.
It was as if the black shells on the wall had turned over one by one.
Each time you flip it over, an eye appears inside.
First, there was one.
Then there were three.
Five.
Ten.
The eyes were embedded in the puppet's face, and the wooden shell crackled open, revealing thin copper shafts and black lines inside. They had all been standing firmly, but now they raised their heads one after another.
The staff in Sun Wukong's hand fell to the ground with a "thud," landing half an inch below the ground.
"These things are awake."
Chen Fan had already closed half a page of the black ledger.
It's too late.
A series of sharp, piercing sounds came from overhead.
It wasn't the sound of bells.
It's more like an iron plate being forcibly twisted open inside a skeleton.
A black warning sign flipped down from the ceiling, its red lettering exploding out in lines.
Alert Level Escalated
[Illegal reversal of verdict]
[Illegal reversal of verdict]
[The Warehouse Manager Puppet Awakens]
[Seal Reopened]
"Overturn the verdict?" Sun Wukong sneered. "I'm the one overturning its verdict."
Just as he was about to swing the bat, the warehouse keeper puppet in the front row moved.
It moved very slowly, as if it had just been pulled out of the mud. But the moment it raised its hand, all five fingers stretched out into hooks, heading straight for the black ledger in Chen Fan's hand.
"predict with confidence!"
Chen Fan stuffed the ledger into his sleeve, shifted his feet, and dodged to the side.
The hook grazed his shoulder, sending sparks flying.
The puppet's head slowly turned, its mouth opening and closing, but there was no tongue inside, only a thin plaque with words engraved on it.
[Account books not returned to their proper place]
[Reversal of verdict ineffective]
"Fuck you, that's invalid!"
Sun Wukong swung his staff at it.
boom!
The first puppet was knocked back three steps, its chest panel cracking open and a string of black nails rolling out. But it didn't fall; instead, it slid down the ground and used the momentum to lunge at the row of boxes next to it.
With a snap, the three black boxes popped open simultaneously.
The figures sitting up in the box moved in such a synchronized manner that they seemed to have been trained.
Chen Fan's heart tightened.
It's not a new box.
It's someone from the past.
Every face was ashen and cold, their eyes lifeless, and each wore a small plaque around their neck.
He only glanced at it, but a chill ran down his spine.
The signs all bore the same line of text.
[Warehouse staff fill in]
"Chen Fan," Sun Wukong called him softly, "Look at the front."
Chen Fan looked up.
At the deepest part of the passage, the wall of the general ledger, which had been dark, was gradually lighting up.
A thicker page of the general ledger was flipped out from the wall, half of it exposed.
What appears above is no longer a table of contents.
It is a list of names.
Each name is followed by a processing record.
The name at the top of the list is slowly revealing its full form.
Chen Fan
[Processing Status: Pending Archiving]
Just as Chen Fan was about to reach out and tear it, the black ledger suddenly shook out of his sleeve.
Snapped.
It automatically flips to the last page.
On that page, there was only one new word.
[Target for overturning verdict detected]
The former accountant has returned to his post.
Immediately afterwards, a lock clicked from deep within the warehouse area.
Click.
It was as if someone had finally opened the innermost box.
Chapter 526 The Warehouse Keeper Must Return to the Warehouse
When the innermost box was opened, the first thing to come out wasn't a person.
It is a string of iron chains.
It was shiny black.
The links were covered in small print.
Each section is engraved with the same sentence.
[Returning to the granary]
The moment the iron chain hit the ground, the entire warehouse area trembled.
The rows of black boxes in front closed together seamlessly, as if they came to life, and moved backward on their own, forcefully making way for a path.
At the end of the road, something slowly emerged.
Like a person.
It doesn't look like a human.
It wore an old barn robe, covered with labels. Its face had no flesh, only a smooth black shell, on which words were constantly being brushed.
[Source Repository Execution Sequence]
[Executor of Return to Warehouse]
[Target confirmed: Chen Fan]
[Determination: Abnormal Carrier]
When the last four words appeared, it was as if someone had struck a bronze bell throughout the entire warehouse area.
With a buzzing sound.
Chen Fan felt a tingling sensation in his ears, and the black ledger on his chest felt hot.
The warehouse manager raised his hand, and the sound was like the rubbing of a warehouse door.
"The old master has returned to his post."
"Abnormal carrier Chen Fan, return to the warehouse immediately."
Sun Wukong took half a step forward and held his golden cudgel horizontally.
"Who do you think you are, to dare tell him to return to his granary?"
The warehouse manager didn't even glance at Sun Wukong.
It only stared at Chen Fan.
"Carrier out of bounds. Numbering is inconsistent. Deployment records are missing. According to warehouse regulations, receipt should be completed before review."
"Those who refuse to accept the goods will have their documents sealed."
As soon as he finished speaking, a black pen slid out of his sleeve.
The nib is not ink.
It's a needle.
Chen Fan's scalp tightened the moment he saw that thing.
The "Pending Archiving" entry on the general ledger was probably written using this thing.
"Receive first, then review?"
Chen Fan grinned, his eyes turning cold.
"I haven't even acknowledged him yet, and you've already reserved him for me?"
The warehouse manager didn't talk back.
It simply lifts its pen and makes a single stroke in the air.
laugh.
The black box behind Chen Fan, which had the name "Chen Fan" written on it, suddenly opened its lid, which resembled a giant mouth and sucked him in from behind.
This happened too fast.
The dust on the ground, the broken wood nearby, and even the broken lock plate were all sucked in.
Chen Fan slipped, and sparks flew from the soles of his shoes.
"Chen Fan!"
Tang Sanzang raised his hand to pull him up.
The suction force first grabbed his sleeve, almost pulling him along with it.
The warehouse manager's voice was flat.
"The warehousing process begins."
"Record recycling. Outer layer peeling. Name cancellation."
"Fruit feeder sequence, and box."
Upon hearing these words, all the previous "Chen Fans" changed their expressions.
Especially the first one in the box, the predecessor, his hand was pressed directly on the edge of the box, his knuckles were taut.
"You can't go in!"
He growled at Chen Fan.
"It's not charging you, it's using you to pay off debts!"
Chen Fan gritted his teeth and planted his feet firmly in the ground.
The warehouse floor was dragged into two long ditches.
"Monkey King, smash that pen!"
"I've been waiting for you to say that!"
Sun Wukong pushed off with his feet and shot forward.
The golden cudgel slammed down on his head.
The warehouse manager finally looked up, a fleeting look crossing his face.
[Execution Priority]
The next instant, the iron chains behind it suddenly swung up, and more than a dozen black shadows lashed out at Sun Wukong.
boom!
The first chain struck the golden cudgel, sparks filling the air.
Sun Wukong paused abruptly for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Hey, this chain is pretty sturdy!"
The warehouse manager picked up his pen and wrote again.
"Add lock".
"The Monkey King, in the process of being retrieved."
The black box in the second row, labeled "Monkey King," clicked open, and the lid popped open.
An even fiercer pulling force rushed towards Sun Wukong from within.
Sun Wukong cursed, and his body was pulled to the side by half a foot.
Several chains immediately wrapped around him, intending to lock his hands and feet.
"Strict rules, you think you can take me, Old Sun, in?"
He gritted his teeth, clenched his arms, and swung the golden cudgel horizontally.
Bang bang bang!
The three chains snapped on the spot.
The broken chain fell to the ground, where it continued to writhe like a live snake.
The words on the warehouse manager's face faltered for the first time.
[Target's resistance escalates]
[Upgrade the storage level]
It raised its hand, the black pen aimed at Chen Fan's forehead, as if about to write something.
At that moment, the black ledger on Chen Fan's chest popped out on its own.
Snapped!
The ledger was slapped directly onto the black pen.
A page was suddenly flipped open, revealing a line of large characters.
[Without review, it may not be stored in the warehouse]
The entire warehouse area fell silent for a moment.
Even the suction was momentarily stuck.
Chen Fan was taken aback at first, then laughed.
"Come on, write some more."
"Aren't you following the rules?"
"My accounts haven't been settled yet, what are you talking about?"
On the warehouse manager's dark face, words were frantically written in rows.
[Conflict Clause]
[Execution Conflict]
[Revalidate]
The black pen in its hand actually moved back half an inch.
Chen Fan saw it all clearly, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.
"Weren't you being pretty arrogant just now?"
"You keep talking about storing things away, but you're the one who's more afraid of the ledger than anyone else."
"What, does Genkura also have old grudges he's afraid to touch?"
The first person in the box stared at the black ledger, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he had remembered something.
"As expected, it's here with you."
His voice was hoarse.
"It recognizes you, not the warehouse."
The warehouse manager suddenly turned his head and looked at the "Chen Fan" figures in the boxes for the first time.
"Subordinate project, muted."
With a flick of the iron chain.
Snapped!
The first door of the box immediately slammed shut halfway, almost trapping the original body back inside.
Chen Fan's face darkened, and he slapped the black ledger into his palm.
"Try banning one."
The ledger trembled, and the pages turned on their own.
Lines of old text jumped out.
[Fruit Feeder Sequence: Nine]
[Initial deployment: Missing]
[Alternative delivery records: Forged]
[Approval Signature: Blank]
When these few lines of text appeared, even Tang Sanzang was stunned.
"Forgery?"
Sun Wukong swept the chains open with his staff, then turned around and started cursing.
"Well, no wonder there are so many counterfeit goods in the warehouse; you even dare to fake the distribution!"
The words on the warehouse manager's face began to flash red.
[Unauthorized Accounting]
[The black ledger exceeded its authority]
[Request for Central Warehouse Takeover]
Its sound was no longer flat; it became somewhat harsh.
"The former accountant has no right to access the master ledger."
"Hand over the ledgers immediately!"
Chen Fan did not back down an inch.
"You think I'll just hand it over because you say so?"
"If you use the rules to pressure me, I'll use the rules to pressure you."
"Without review, nothing may be returned to the granary. This is written in the account book. If you disagree, you'd better change your own household rules first."
As soon as he said that, all the people in the black boxes next to him stared at the warehouse manager.
His eyes changed completely.
That wasn't the look in the eyes of the person carrying out the task.
It's about looking for vulnerabilities.
It depends on whether they can survive.
The warehouse manager obviously noticed it too.
It raised both hands at the same time, and immediately a dense array of black lines fell from the top of the warehouse area.
Each one has a clasp.
This time, it's not just targeting Chen Fan.
It's all the boxes.
"Secondary locking".
"Warehouse area clearing."
"Sound all archives silently."
Tang Sanzang remained motionless.
At this moment, he took a step forward and shook the old scroll in his hand.
"Are you done talking?"
The warehouse manager looked at him.
"Irrelevant sequence, step back."
Tang Sanzang spread the scriptures out into the air.
The above is not a Buddhist scripture.
They were densely packed recitation notes.
Chen Fan recognized them all.
That's what they've accumulated over the years.
He copied the vow change slips, the breaking of precept slips, the recycling slips, and even the Heavenly Court's seal format.
Tang Sanzang stared at the black lines falling from the sky, his voice not loud.
"There are rules for every warehouse."
"The scriptures also have verses."
"If you can lock it, I can press it down."
He pointed with his finger, and the words on the scroll flew out one by one, sticking directly to the black lines.
"The lock must not be placed before a judgment is rendered."
"Do not remain silent without being asked."
"Old debts come first, new orders follow."
Three sentences, three layers of paper.
As soon as the paper was pasted on, the black lines seemed to hit a wall and all stopped in mid-air.
Then, one by one, they tightened, making a piercing sound.
The warehouse manager suddenly turned around.
"Fake agreement!"
Tang Sanzang didn't even lift his eyelids.
"A good sign is one that can keep you under control."
Sun Wukong burst into laughter upon hearing this.
"Monk, that's to my liking!"
Before the laughter had even subsided, he had already leaped into the air, gripped the bat with both hands, and slammed it down hard on the thickest recycling main chain behind the warehouse manager.
"Cut it off for me!"
boom!
That blow really landed squarely.
The entire warehouse area felt like it had been overturned.
The main chain exploded in the middle, sending black debris flying everywhere, and even cracking a long fissure in the ground.
The warehouse manager swayed, and a large number of jumbled words appeared on his chest.
[Broken Recycling Chain]
[Execution Suspended]
[Execution Suspended]
【implement--】
Before it could finish speaking, Chen Fan rushed in front of it, grabbed the black pen in its hand, and snapped it downwards.
Click.
The black pen broke in two.
As the warehouse manager looked up, a human face appeared on the shell for the first time.
It's like someone inside is trying to climb out.
The face was blurry.
But Chen Fan felt a chill run down his spine after just one glance.
That silhouette belonged to none other than...
It was himself.
The warehouse casing cracked, and a voice almost identical to his came from the crack.
"You think you're the old debtor?"
"Chen Fan".
"You're just... the tenth one that hasn't been put into storage yet."
The words had barely left his lips.
The main chain that Sun Wukong broke did not fall to the ground.
The severed end suddenly lifted itself up, as if pulled by something deeper inside.
At the very back of the warehouse area, the last unopened main warehouse door slowly lit up with a new line of text.
[Execution of return to warehouse failed]
[Central Warehouse Agent, Initiated]
A hand reached out from the crack in the door.
On her wrist hung a string of worn-out fruit pit buttons.
There was just one extra gold button among those buttons.