Seized by the System

The matter of Tian Zhu being possessed by Demonic Energy soon blew over. Only a few people mentioned it occasionally.

In the blink of an eye, the seventh month had arrived.

A year ago during Qixi ¹ , a Flame Meteor had passed by in the sky.

The entire incident had occurred in August on the Gregorian calendar ² , which meant that the first anniversary of Fang Ning being seized by the System would be in about a month.

Fang Ning has been feeling weird recently. For the past few consecutive days, he not only could not focus on cultivation, he also felt unease every time he tried to play a game or read a novel. His half-heartedness would even worsen when he had to work overtime.

Occasionally, he could be heard muttering to himself, “There won’t be anything falling from the sky this year right? Hopefully not…”

Right after Fang Ning had repeated that statement, the System, who had just finished farming a group of evil spirits, finally asked, “Big Billionaire Host, why have you been so anxious and preoccupied recently?

“Is it because you’re still under the Demonic Energy’s influence from the last time it had entered the System Space? That shouldn’t be possible. I hold the most power in the System Space, so I had immediately caught the Demonic Energy, so it shouldn’t have affected you in any way… If not, why don’t you let me give you another psychiatric examination?”

Fang Ning was immediately speechless. He knew clearly that he was not possessed by the Demonic Energy at all…

Just like what the System had said, the Demonic Energy would not be able to put its abilities to good use in the System Space.

In here, the System was the Heavenly Axiom, the god of gods.

As to why he has been so distracted and occupied lately, there was only one reason…

The same time last year, a “Flame Meteor” that fell from the sky gave Fang Ning a System.

In the short span of a single year, he had been living a managed life, one where he was able to enjoy comfort and freedom.

Qixi was just around the corner once more. Other men either had to worry about their girlfriends, or about finding one.

Fang Ning was the only one that had to worry about whether or not there would be another meteor that would whisk the System away…

After all, in this new age, any weird or uncommon thing could happen.

However, he was not going to let this idiot of a System realize that he was worried about something like this, otherwise how would he able to take control of things in the future?

He faked a calm tone and said, “Why would I be possessed by Demonic Energy? I’m just worried that the overall situation now will undergo another great change again. The anniversary of last year’s Flame Meteor Incident is coming up soon.

“You have no emotions and you only know how to farm monsters, so it would make sense for you to live freely. I really envy idiotic children like you… no, I meant idiotic Systems like you.”

The System paid Fang Ning’s insult no heed and replied nonchalantly, “I’ll just farm any monsters that’ll pop up, what change do I have to be afraid of?”

Fang Ning was at his wit’s end. However, he thought of something that prompted him to say, “Oh right, that black dot you met on that mountaintop the last time, have you located it?”

The System answered, “Of course not. If I had, I would have already caught it and notified you about it. Unlike you, I don’t procrastinate.”

Fang Ning nodded his head, seemingly much more at ease.

…

Black Cat Tom had been doing well recently.

After the matter with the kelp demons, he had absorbed a large amount of Death Energy and had gotten Death’s recognition, so he officially risen to Lake-level.

However, he did not let this get to his head, nor did he started thinking that he would be able to face Vigilante A head-on either.

The last person that had thought like this was Lei Tian, who had died.

However, he had heard that after being locked up into the Draconic Penitentiary, Lei Tian had turned over a new leaf and had appeared at China’s spiritually-controlled mech tournament, where he continued to fuel his fire for battle.

Huang Rui was the one that had told him this, but why was he so sure of it as well?

That was because Lei Tian himself was too unique of a character.

In the final round where Team Tianyuan had emerged as the champion. He appeared for the first time and dared to insult everyone there by saying, “You bunch of weak chickens who only know how to hide behind a slab of steel are unworthy of being called respectable warriors!

“If you lot dare to activate the Complete Pain Experience, then come and experience the feeling of being punched!! If anybody does that, I’ll reluctantly accept you as a warrior.”

A 20-something young man finally took up his challenge, as he could not resist the taunting; the young man activated his Complete Pain Experience, yet he passed out from extreme pain after just one punch from Lei Tian…

From the moment the host kicked off the battle until the end of it, the entire process lasted no more than three seconds.

Every audience member that watched the match agreed that Lei Tian was much too cunning…

In a battle like this one, the shortest ones would usually also take a few minutes. After all, everyone had the same equipment and were about equal in strength, so contestants only competed based on handling and operation. If they wanted to prolong a match by just resisting, it would be entirely possible too.

Black Cat Tom was no idiot; he had no use in being recognized as some honorable warrior.

After advancing to Lake-level, he had went to a secret mountainous base belonging to the Global Power Balance Association to strengthen his Cultivation Base. He did not even thought about going about committing massacres.

He even had to temporarily set aside the work from Black Cat Postal Service.

While he was focused on practicing cultivation and not stirring up trouble, an unexpected guest suddenly paid him a visit one day.

It was difficult to tell whether this unexpected guest was a male or a female, or whether it was human or a ghost.

That was because this guest was covered from head to toe in a black cloak; only half a face could be seen, and even then it was quite a strange face.

However, Black Cat Tom could feel a strong threat of death from the guest, so he welcomed the guest with open arms.

In the eyes of Black Cat Tom, every living creature was worthy, even the smallest of earthworms.

He engaged with anyone that had the same ideals as him, and never rejected a guest that visited him on their own accord. This guest might be another one with potential too, so he definitely would not let them go.

The guest made their intentions clear immediately, “This humble servant has long heard of Black Cat Tom being one of the only figures that is on par with the Eastern Pharos, yet never created conflict with him. I have come far to consult an audience.”

Black Cat Tom immediately straightened up and went on alert. This fellow had purposely come to praise him; what was this guest trying to do?

Was he after Black Cat Tom’s business?

Tom replied calmly, “Much obliged. What would you like to find out?”

The cloaked guest answered, “I want to know, Mr. Tom, how much benefits has Vigilante A provided you with?”

Tom was in shock. Who was this guest and how did he find out about the Path of Death?

It was no surprise that the War Demon Lei Tian knew about it. The Path of Death and his Path of the War Demon were similar, as both developed through bloodshed.

The only difference was that one absorbed nutrients from the results while the other absorbed nutrients from the process.

Black Cat Tom responded carefully, “There is no need for you to worry yourself about that.”

The cloaked guest suddenly smiled wickedly before saying, “If I have a chance for you to obtain even better benefits, would you be willing to mobilize your resources at hand to cooperate with us into realizing the plan?”

Black Cat Tom seethed, “There is no need to kick up a cloud of dust when speaking to me. Be straightforward.”

The words that the cloaked guest spoke afterwards shocked Black Cat Tom…

However, he retorted in anger, “If it were before, your wild ambitions might have the chance of being realized, but the Eastern Pharos shines his light on the entire world now, so I doubt it would be a success now.”

The cloaked guest replied with a hatred laced in their tone, “Hmph, even if he has no enemies now, so what of it? He can calm man-made disasters, but can he say the same for natural disasters?

“After this battle, he will no longer be the Eastern Pharos!!”

Black Cat Tom hesitated, but rejected the cloaked guest in the end. “I’m sorry, but this plan doesn’t meet Lord Death’s criteria for developable strategies.”

The cloaked guest laughed mirthlessly, “Master Tom, why are you so shortsighted? There are countless races on this planet, and humans aren’t the only race with vast potential. Before, humans were able to rule because the other races hadn’t gained sapience.

“First impressions last the longest, so we all thought the humans had the strongest potential. However, if you look closer, those that live underground, or swim in the oceans, or fly in the skies, or thrive in the void, all harbor the potential to replace humans as the superior race.

“Old habits die hard, in this rapidly-developing era, the humans are already showing signs of obvious retrogression. They’re slow, unwilling to give up on past glory, and refuse to improve their technology to welcome evolution.”

Black Cat Tom’s mustache quirked in interest at his guest’s words. He was hovering in between multiple influences after all.

From what he has witnessed firsthand, there was truth in the other’s words.

Humans had many strengths, but the same could be said about their weaknesses. Vanity, extravagance, squandering, impulsiveness, laziness, idiocy… These were all traits that could be seen in humans.

They used to be the only race on earth with sapience, and all other creatures without only served to set off these very strengths.

No race could truly compete with the humans.

Since no race possessed active consciousness or intelligence, not a single race was able to work towards shaping the environment as a single unit. Even if an extremely strong being appeared, they still could not change the overall situation. They could only depend on their instincts and their basic consciousness to adapt to this world.

If they could not, they could either choose to go extinct, or to be protected by humans.

Things were different now. Black Cat Tom knew of at least three races that had the potential to replace humans and all those races needed was time.

After all, the recovery of vitality only started around 20 years ago and a majority of the races only gained sapience in the past year. In fact, many races were barely a year old.

Even the Greater Rat Clan in China, which has long been affiliated with the Global Power Balance Association, were working overtime recently to build a computerized management system, which would increase cohesiveness for them. Doing so would also increase their efficiency, thus allowing them to surpass humans.

Something like this would be hard to achieve in human society, since nobody has been forcing the implementation of such a management system.

The Greater Rats were different, since following the will of the strong was natural instinct for them.

Humans may think of this as nothing more than a joke. After all, the humans’ industrial systems, scientific systems, and educational systems came into fruition through effort spanning hundreds of years.

How would it be possible for a bunch of rats to catch up in a short amount of time?

Black Cat Tom knew this was quite a possibility though. Although only a small proportion of the rats were able to evolve into demons, those that did evolve into demons gained improved intelligence and extended lifespans equivalent to the human Extraordinaires.

The power the Greater Rat Demons could bring into play after cooperating with the regular Greater Rats who listened to their every order was no weaker than that of the humans.

The regular Greater Rats were also bigger in size after being exposed to vitality. They were almost the same size as large dogs, and had about the same life expectancy as well, except theirs was slightly longer at 20 years.

They did not have high intelligence, usually around an IQ of 80, but their reproductivity was about the same as canines, so the speed at which their clan expanded was faster than the humans imagined.

After all, giving birth to a litter of 10 was no problem for a dog, and survival was possible as long as there was enough food to go around.

Furthermore, unlike humans, they were able to bear descendants at a single order of the Elder Ancestor. The Elder Ancestor was currently controlling a race of millions, and he only needed to wait until a self-sufficient food chain was established…

How could humans compete with this alone? From ancient to modern times, no powerful figure has been able to achieve this yet.

Tom was deep in thought and came to this realization after a while.

The cloaked guest waited patiently. Once he noticed Black Cat Tom’s shift in volition, he immediately seized the chance to say, “How about it? As long as Mr. Tom cooperates with us, we could even regulate for all future deaths to only happen at places that you have designated…”

This statement only served to waver Black Cat Tom even further. Finally, he asked a single question, “Doing so provides me with so many benefits, but what do all of you see to gain from this?”

The cloaked guest merely smiled but did not answer. He then gradually disappeared right in front of Black Cat Tom. After all, he knew that Black Cat Tom would definitely cooperate with him in the future.

Tom stared at the black cloak left behind on the ground and furrowed his eyebrows.

He pondered on it for a bit before he too leapt forward into mid-air, disappearing altogether as well.