Chapter 299: Volume 1, Chapter 299: You Are My System (9)

Xie Xunze hesitated for a few seconds, then said calmly, "Good."

He bought on credit and exchanged for a disguise in the mall, altering his appearance and body; his age no longer looked like a child's but that of a normal adult, the face he molded was quite ordinary, with no striking features.

"Can't you mold a better‑looking face?" she asked strangely.

"This is fine." Xie Xunze was satisfied with his face, hid his small electric scooter, and stepped to the end of the line to queue.

The base's screening is somewhat strict, and one must be an adult; he is not yet 18, so he could only first exchange for a disguise in the mall and sneak in.

As for appearance, he didn't care; in a world where monsters run rampant and the strong prey on the weak, even a handsome face is useless, and he wanted to stay low‑key, preferably so that others wouldn't give him extra attention.

Jiang Zhi looked at the endless‑seeming queue, thinking they'd have to wait a long time, but unexpectedly they reached the front in less than half an hour.

The detector at the main gate, wearing a bullet‑proof vest, said coldly to him, "Enter through this gate."

Not far away stood a metal door that detects all attributes, able to discern gender and age; no trick can fool it.

But even the junk‑mall items can deceive any equipment.

The boy passed through the metal door easily; ahead was the registration desk, and the person there, seeing his numbers, looked up in surprise.

Level 42, which in their base counts as a mid‑to‑high hunter rank.

"Mr. Xie, please fill out this form; if there are no problems, someone will take you inside."

Although the boy came from the slums, he was literate, his knowledge level even reaching high school; he quickly finished the form and handed it to him.

A man in military uniform walked over and said to him, "Follow me."

Xie Xunze was about to step forward and follow, but out of the corner of his eye he saw the girl looking around everywhere, and he sent a mental message: "Keep up with me."

Jiang Zhi entered the base and was amazed by its architecture—towering steel‑reinforced concrete walls lined with thick metal plates; inside the base it was like a nation, divided into provinces and towns, and the central North China City buildings were majestic and splendid, gilded and brilliant, resembling a palace from Norse mythology.

In this world, paper money has become worthless scraps, and gold is useless except for decoration.

She sighed, "It's so magnificent in here."

As she spoke, she glanced at him, seeing no surprise or curiosity, and Jiang Zhi blinked: "Aren't you surprised?"

Xie Xunze followed behind the soldier and replied mentally, "Not bad."

After saying that, he reminded, "Stay close to me."

Inside the base, many people came and went, all hunters; everyone was busy, faces hurried, striding forward, and occasionally a few people bumped into each other in the crowd, merely apologizing before continuing on.

Jiang Zhi feared losing him, didn't dare look any longer, and hurriedly followed behind him.

Upon arriving at a bounty hall, the soldier in uniform introduced, "You're a newcomer; tonight you don't need to go out on a mission, but from now on you must complete one task each day to earn points. You start with 100 points, and 50 points are deducted daily for lodging and meals; if your points reach zero, you will be expelled from the base and cannot return."

Xie Xunze listened attentively.

This was also his main reason for coming to the base.

He needed a place to stay temporarily, so that while completing the tasks issued by the Stupid System he could also finish other tasks.

Large bases all have bounty halls; the tasks there not only yield rewards but also solve the problem of food and shelter.

"Thank you."

The soldier looked at his data, a flicker of surprise crossing his eyes, and involuntarily asked, "Have you stayed in other bases before?"

Hunters who don't affiliate with a base find it hard to survive outside, but this person before them has a completely blank history yet is level 42; if he hasn't stayed in other bases, how did he manage to reach such a high level?

Xie Xunze showed no trace of immaturity; he was completely like an adult man, mature and steady, neither arrogant nor restless, and had not a hint of arrogance.

He replied, "No."

Before the man could ask another question, Xie Xunze spoke up, "Could you tell me where my lodging is?"

The soldier handed him a tablet, "Your residence is marked on it; I can only bring you this far, and if you have any questions you can check this tablet."

Xie Xunze took it, said thanks, and left.

Following the address marked on the tablet, he arrived at his lodging.

It was a one‑bedroom, one‑living‑room single unit, fully equipped, with meals delivered morning, noon, and night; the treatment could be said to be excellent.

Jiang Zhi sat beside the sofa and urged him, "Quickly activate the physical function; I want to feel how comfortable this sofa is."

After saying that, she narrowed her eyes and warned, "No refusing!"

Xie Xunze said, "Don't go out; you can only stay in this room."

Jiang Zhi excitedly raised her hand to speak, "I won't go out, so hurry up and turn it on."

As soon as her words fell, her whole body sank into the soft sofa, and she stretched lazily in comfort.

"Hehe, I'll sleep here tonight!"

Xie Xunze glanced at her lightly, then lifted his foot and went into the bathroom.

After he finished washing, he pushed open the bathroom door, and the first thing that met his eyes was her face leaning toward him.

He jumped back a few steps in shock and asked, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Zhi rubbed her stomach and said, "I'm hungry."

Xie Xunze had nothing to say in response.

After a while, he walked past her out of the bathroom, bewildered, and asked, "Can even a system get hungry?"

Jiang Zhi slumped, head down, sat on the sofa, "Once you have a physical form, you'll feel hunger."

Xie Xunze said, "Then should I shut it down?"

Jiang Zhi moaned in distress, "No~ don't~"

Xie Xunze rubbed his forehead, no longer looking at her sickly state, picked up the tablet, spent 20 points, and bought two meals.

They arrived at the door in less than half an hour.

Before, he would exchange items for compressed biscuits to eat, which filled him up, took a long time to digest, and didn't make him hungry easily.

This was his first time eating a boxed meal; the dishes were plentiful, with meat and vegetables, and a bowl of soup was included.

After finishing, he rose and was about to go to the bounty hall to accept a mission.

Jiang Zhi got full halfway through her meal, and the rest was taken care of by him.

"So delicious!" she said happily, lying contentedly on the sofa.

Xie Xunze tidied up the lunch box, his gaze fell on the girl; after glancing at his few remaining points, he went to the bounty hall and accepted five missions.

Three D-rank missions, two C-rank missions.

Jiang Zhi stared in shock: "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Xie Xunze said nonchalantly, "I'm confident."

Jiang Zhi stared at the boy, who seemed pumped up like chicken blood, unable to fathom how the villain in the story—normally so cautious and meticulous—could have turned out like this…

And it had lasted a full six years.