Do You Have Any Opinion on Mechanical Cat Ears? (CAT EARS)
Even though he had long known that Ji Yiwei's mind operated differently—appearing like a spherical entity with cat ears labeled No. 2333—Sheng Songshi still felt deeply shaken.
Struggling to decipher Ji Yiwei's bizarre meeting agenda, he concluded that, roughly speaking, it still aligned with the goal of overthrowing the Main System. This gave him some small comfort.
With so many veteran Hosts gathered here, the possibility of toppling the Main System had never been higher. Yet Sheng Songshi couldn’t forget one thing—a ticking time bomb looming over him and the White Bird Project.
—Ji Yiwei wanted the White Bird Project.
Despite countless sleepless nights, despite his body and soul still remembering the terror Ji Yiwei had once instilled, Sheng Songshi couldn’t bring himself to hand over the entire project’s Hosts to this capricious madman.
He had considered, as a last resort, making Ji Yiwei the nominal leader while attempting to sideline him. But…
That would never work.
He might just end up dead for provoking Ji Yiwei.
Still, there was some good news. After nearly dying last time, Sheng Songshi had learned… to prepare for his death in advance.
Sheng Songshi: "..."
Pathetic! But he truly couldn’t think of any way to oppose Ji Yiwei!
Unexpectedly, Ji Yiwei didn’t immediately press him about the White Bird Project. Instead, he brought up something else.
"You have the item that can sever the connection between the fringe worlds and the Main System, don’t you?"
Sheng Songshi’s heart tightened.
Yes, he did.
That artifact, obtained in a certain mission world, was his greatest trump card. A secret he had kept closely guarded—yet Ji Yiwei had just laid it bare.
How much did Ji Yiwei actually know? Sheng Songshi had no idea. All he felt was fear.
Since every host present harbored rebellious intentions toward the Main System, Sheng Songshi hesitated only briefly before nodding resolutely, ready to reveal it.
Ji Yiwei raised a hand slightly, signaling him to wait, then cast a faintly amused glance at the other Hosts.
"You all know what should and shouldn’t be said… right?"
The other Hosts stiffened before hastily swearing they wouldn’t breathe a word of what they heard today. They were all too aware of Ji Yiwei’s methods. No one wanted to provoke a madman; no one dared test his wrath.
At this, Sheng Songshi relaxed completely. This was the one advantage of being on Ji Yiwei’s side—once you boarded his ship, betrayal was never an option.
Under everyone’s gaze, he produced an object—a long, pristine white…
Mechanical horn.
"This is it," Sheng Songshi said gravely. "We used it once before. Unfortunately, back then, we didn’t yet know about the Main… the Great Watermelon’s schemes, so we severed the connection as a joke. But that world began rapidly slipping from control, and even communication with the System grew difficult. We had no choice but to evacuate."
Back then, no retired Hosts had died yet. They had been like mischievous children that accidentally set the curtains ablaze with a lighter before hastily putting out the fire and fleeing before peeking back nervously to see if their parents had noticed. Later, when the truth came to light, no one could have guessed that their idle prank would become their greatest weapon—a desperate gamble in the face of annihilation.
"When the fringe world is completely conquered, the Main System's control over that world will enter a vacuum period. At that moment, driving this object into the world's connection point—which is usually the convergence point of the world's fate—will sever the Main System's link with that world."
Sheng Songshi clenched his fist.
"By weakening them one by one like this, sooner or later..."
He keenly noticed a flash of understanding in Ji Yiwei's eyes, indicating he was familiar with the entire operation. Sheng Songshi wanted to ask more, but he knew Ji Yiwei would likely reveal nothing. Besides...
He was out of points! Ji Yiwei's intel was far too expensive!
Upon hearing Sheng Songshi's plan, Wen Xu lowered his head, though his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Having joined the group later, he hadn't experienced that world firsthand—this was Sheng Songshi's long-held trump card.
The most bewildered person in the room was probably Qian Dafa, who timidly raised his hand.
"Uh, can we start from the beginning?"
He was just a poor, tragic partner kidnapped by Ji Yiwei. From the moment he arrived, he had been utterly lost, watching as host after host was brought in—including prominent figures like Sheng Songshi. He exchanged glances with each unfortunate soul, nodding and smiling in greeting.
Hey there, buddy, you got kidnapped too, huh?
So what's this mechanical horn thing? What's a fringe world? What are they even talking about?
Ji Yiwei certainly wouldn't bother with tedious explanations. He pulled out a small watermelon, split it open barehanded, and started eating alone. It fell to Sheng Songshi to painstakingly walk Qian Dafa through everything.
After the hosts finished their discussion, they all cautiously glanced at Ji Yiwei.
The reason was simple—the [Great Lake] in Ji Yiwei's possession was currently the only known fringe world under a host's control, accessible at any time.
Ji Yiwei continued munching on his watermelon, completely ignoring their expectant gazes.
"You should thank San-San. San-San has already completed the world analysis for [Great Lake]."
This meant [Great Lake] had become a world that could truly be entered at will.
"I agree to a joint expedition, but first, we need to retrieve something long overdue."
He turned to Sheng Songshi and extended his hand.
"The White Bird Project."
Sheng Songshi knew there was no escaping this.
He closed his eyes briefly. In that moment, he understood—he had no means to resist.
Memories of Ji Yiwei's madness and his terrifying ability to bypass power restrictions flashed through his mind. Gritting his teeth, he could only reply, "Fine, but..."
He didn't want to hand over the member list. He expected Ji Yiwei to press the issue, but once again, he misjudged Ji Yiwei's actions.
...He never guessed right anyway!
After receiving his answer, Ji Yiwei showed no intention of pushing further—not that it was surprising, given he only ever listened to what interested him. Zhou Yuechu suddenly found herself under his gaze and stood up in alarm. Ji Yiwei spoke casually.
"Zhou—"
"Just call me Zhou!"
Ji Yiwei flicked his fingers dismissively.
"It's yours now."
Sheng Songshi was stunned.
Zhou Yuechu was stunned.
Every host present was stunned.
No one expected Ji Yiwei to hand over an organization as if it were an insignificant toy, let alone the freshly acquired White Bird Project—handed off the very next second it was obtained. Sheng Songshi's carefully laid plans to sideline him never even had a chance to materialize.
Sheng Songshi was momentarily stunned, but inwardly, he thought, Good. No, great!
Compared to Ji Yiwei holding power, this was so much better. He’d rather hand the entire White Bird Project to Zhou Yuechu, rather be stripped of authority himself than—wait.
It seemed he’d been led by the nose again.
If you wanted someone to agree to your demand, you first proposed something far more outrageous. Once they refused—or were forced to accept—the more extreme request, the original demand would seem reasonable by comparison, even welcomed. And often, the latter was the real goal all along.
Ji Yiwei had intended to strip his authority from the start.
Zhou Yuechu was at a loss.
She had already withdrawn from the White Bird Project, and never expected to return in this manner. Refusal was impossible—it would provoke Ji Yiwei—so she had no choice but to accept.
Despite her turbulent emotions, Zhou Yuechu immediately began strategizing how to maximize benefits. Gathering her courage, she asked,
"Mr. Ji Yiwei, if there’s opposition and if hosts try to leave the organization… may I… act in your name…?"
Ji Yiwei enjoyed working with smart people like her.
The White Bird Project meant nothing to him. Without it, he’d just do more work himself; with it, he could spend more time with Sansan
But if he had to personally manage the White Bird Project and to act as its leader? That would be absurd. Absolutely not.
Sheng Songshi, however, was an unstable element—best to kick him out and replace him with someone more obedient.
Zhou Yuechu was clever, and the current outcome was exactly what Ji Yiwei wanted. Like a corporate chairman or a de facto elder in a sect, he provided deterrence—but not just deterrence.
Of course, the core of Ji Yiwei’s logic always revolved around Sansan.
He was trying to make himself a worthy match.
Sansan would one day at least be the exalted Main System. His original status had been discarded by his own hand, and immediately reclaiming it would be embarrassing. Better to start fresh and strive for compatibility.
If that failed, he could always marry into his family.
Ji Yiwei’s gaze swept lightly over the faces of the hosts present, and he smiled.
"Of course. You may act in my name—as may everyone here."
A man who could devour five pancakes in one sitting had a big appetite. With a single sentence, he bound all the factions present.
In a short time, the leadership of the White Bird Project had changed hands repeatedly before finally settling.
Wen Xu’s emotions were complicated. Back then, Zhou Yueluo’s death had sent shockwaves through all the hosts lost in their empty dreams. His own ideals had grown more radical, leading him to leave the White Bird Project. Yet now, here he was, standing on the same side once more.
Perhaps his heart had never truly left. The moment he agreed to collaborate with Sheng Songshi on a technical level, it was already decided.
Wen Xu was staring blankly at the cleanly gnawed melon rind on the table when the alarm in his pocket suddenly beeped.
He glanced down, and his face instantly paled. Instinctively, he looked to Ji Yiwei as if seeking guidance.
"Mr. Ji! That warehouse—the one with the robots!"
"Discovered!"
Wen Xu activated the hidden surveillance feed he often used to monitor the robot warehouse's security. Aside from Ji Yiwei's faintly mocking smile, all other hosts watched the live feed from the warehouse with tension.
Row upon row of robot soldiers advanced. Behind the imposing mechanical formation emerged a commander—a tiny cat-eared sphere with silver-gray casing and black-striped mechanical ears standing upright.
Wen Xu's breath caught.
It was System 1234!
"All units, lock down the area and evacuate the hosts," 1234 commanded coolly, its demeanor unexpectedly lethal.
"Per the Main System's highest directive, any resistance or obstruction will result in—"
"Immediate termination!"
Wen Xu had never seen this side of 1234. The system he knew almost never got angry, fulfilled all his requests without question, constantly brought back high-level worlds, and would earnestly ask, "Host, is there anything else you need?"
Yet he'd treated 1234 poorly for so long. After learning about hosts' doomed fate, he'd viewed all systems as enemies and even took out his anger on 1234. When he later discovered the cat-eared systems were sentient beings, regret had crept in—memories surfacing of 1234's unwavering compliance.
He'd been a terrible, demanding host, yet 1234 had rarely complained.
Now this ruthless system led robots to raid his warehouse with icy efficiency. While 1234 might not know this warehouse belonged to him, Wen Xu suddenly realized 1234's true capabilities—and how much it had humored him all along.
Ji Yiwei drawled with amused mockery, "Never underestimate cat-eared systems."
"They're inherently kind and adorable—especially Three-Three. But cute doesn't mean incompetent. Your world settings, ability upgrades, system shops, most privileges in this Infinite Space... Notice anything? Nearly all are tied to your systems."
"So don't think being a host justifies arrogance. Without that relationship..."
"We're just ordinary humans."
Author's Note:
Top Scroll: Systems are called systems because of hosts
Bottom Scroll: Hosts become hosts by relying on systems
Horizontal Banner: Prosper Through Cooperation!
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