The System Robbed Me!

The door to the abandoned house had no restrictions and could be opened with a simple push.

The scene before me was desolate, without a single flower or blade of grass, and in the distance, a thick fog stretched out.

Before the dense foliage, a hunched old man in a black robe stood there, leaning on a cane, motionless and silent like a god fallen to earth.

The edges of his black robe seemed to merge into the depths of the thick fog, taking root in the surging void. Tiny specks of ash-like fluff drifted down from the sky, still covering the old man's shoulders like snowflakes.

The old wooden door creaked open, and several people stepped out.

Yu Xing carried the unconscious Zhao Yijiu on his back, keeping a few steps away from the Lingren. Yi Qing floated behind them without touching the ground, gazing at the old man from afar.

"The ending is always so unexpected." The old man's voice seemed less solemn and dignified than before. He raised his deeply lined face and looked at the door of the abandoned house.

When everyone turned around, they noticed dried bloodstains on both sides of the gate, and a lot of wood chips had been shaken off the wall.

"The abandoned house originally gave you three days, but it didn't last three days in the end." The old man sighed softly, glancing at Yu Xing almost imperceptibly before continuing, "The unexpected visitor disrupted the balance and the rules."

"The original test was useless; since that's the case, let's end it here."

He turned around, and the thick fog surged to both sides, revealing a road stretching into the night. The dissipating fog resembled countless twisted gray tentacles, baring their fangs and claws.

The old man stepped into the path, his figure quickly becoming indistinct. The group immediately followed, but still couldn't catch a glimpse of him. Instead, the mist enveloped them, blocking the entrance.

A sudden feeling of weightlessness washed over her. Yu Xing clung tightly to Zhao Yijiu's back, vaguely sensing that she was gradually losing contact with this space.

At the last moment, he heard the old man's voice in his ear. "The ticket won't disappear no matter what you do before it goes into effect, but remember, don't let anything non-human see it."

[Welcome back to the Absurd Deduction Game]

The darkness did not dissipate quickly, and when Yu Xing's mind was clear, she heard the system's voice for the first time in a long time.

[Detected that the deducer "Xing" has returned after being out of contact, currently receiving data...]

[Updating character data]

The system paused for a few seconds.

[Persona Mask? Luck]

[Owner: Yu Xing]

[Basic Information: Male, Height 187cm, Weight 71kg, Age???, Personality Conscious (Extremely)]

[A hidden error has occurred and is being evaluated.]

[Identity: Alienation Deducer - Real Level (Remaining Points???)]

[Error occurred, reassess]

This time, the system paused for an exceptionally long time.

[Identity: Alienation Deducer - Despair Level (Upgraded to Truth Level upon successful completion of the next deduction)]

[Title: No link available]

[Star Rating: Commonplace (Special case: Because you were still active during your absence, viewers frequently talked about you, and you have already gained a certain level of popularity)]

[Guild: Broken Mirror]

[Mask weighting: Madness 1%, Chaos 1%, Calmness 1%, Goodness 1%, Evil 1%, Ambition 1%, Unknown 44%]

[Holder's description: Too many gaps in your Persona Mask make it difficult to provide an accurate description, but you should know in your heart what you truly are.]

[Personality Sacrifice: Demon &#Curse*|*^(Data Error) (Equipping Decision Not Made)]

[Personality Assimilation Degree: 90% (Personality Assimilation Degree exceeding 20% will negatively impact the deducer's personality; your Personality Assimilation Degree too high... whatever.)]

It had been a long time since Yu Xing had seen this panel. He listened to the system's announcements, and the changes to some of the descriptions and prompts at the end were somewhat amusing.

Although he himself must bear the consequences of his comedic talent.

Suspended in the darkness, Yu Xing could still feel her body, so she asked, "What about the compensation and the rewards from Dead Silent Island that were promised?"

The system said, "I'll give it to you now."

Yu Xing's spirits lifted.

It wasn't because the system was about to give him something, but rather that the sentence the system spoke wasn't generated directly in his mind like before, but rather...

He heard it.

He heard the system's voice. Unlike the cold, mechanical voice, this was a deep, feminine voice, carrying a hint of disdain and helplessness, yet also a strange kind of "joy" that was hard to tell whether it was feigned or genuine.

It was as if the system, though speechless at his unexpected data, still warmly welcomed his return.

Oh my god.

The system has been personified.

This feeling... is somewhat novel, quite subtle.

"Regarding the last event," the female voice said, "Dead Silent Island was destroyed. Based on your contribution ranking, you will receive the following rewards."

"One self-selected rule-level offering, 3000 points." The system paused briefly, using rhythm to compensate for the flatness and lack of tone, "Or one dungeon exit card."

"A dungeon escape card?" Yu Xing had never heard of this before. He guessed it was a new feature the system had come up with this year.

"Using the instance exit card, you can connect to this system at any time. I will immediately remove you from the instance, interrupt the Yugi, and this Yugi will be considered a successful completion."

"What if it were Yin Yang City? Could you still bring them out?" Yu Xing immediately thought of this.

That probably won't work. Judging from the current situation, Yin Yang City's status is not lower than the system's, and the system has a hard time interfering with Yin Yang City's own rules.

The system was incredibly annoyed, its tone even harsher than before. "... Only Yin Yang City is an exception. Apart from that place, the dungeon escape card works anywhere."

Yu Xing: "Oh."

"You can choose between the two rewards, but as compensation for leaving you behind on Dead Silent Island, I will give you a third option." It, or rather, what could be called her now, mimicked the sound of taking a deep breath, as if making a very serious decision for her.

"I know you have already qualified to enter Yin Yang City. You can give up the event rewards and sacrifice all your points and existing offerings (except for the Sheqing Dreamscape) in exchange for a core offering and a matching title."

Yu Xing could hardly believe her ears.

What is the system saying?

The third option, a sacrifice and a title, would require him to spend all his current points, five sacrifices, and the rewards he would otherwise have received.

He didn't know if there were banks in the system world, but his first reaction was that the system was robbing people.

But Yu Xing quickly realized that this might not be a complete loss, because the core offering was truly terrifying.

Among the people Yu Xing knew, only Qu Xuanqing possessed the core offering. As the possessor of the Wicked Grace, her soul was forever hidden in the void, controlling her body like a puppet. As long as her soul did not perish, she could never be killed.

Under this premise, the Wicked Grace also has the ability to externally condense weapons. Qu Xuanqing's sword was once so powerful that intelligence personnel mistakenly believed it to be the true form of the Wicked Grace.

With this core treasure, Qu Xuanqing doesn't need any other offerings at all.

In addition, he had also gathered intelligence, and the ancient book possessed by Yan Ming of the Widow Investigation Team was also a core offering.

Because of that book, Yan Ming the most unsolvable person in the entire deduction system in terms of calculation and prediction, not to mention his terrifying information gathering ability.

This is the horror of the core offering.

The offerings Yu Xing now possesses are no longer as useful to him as before. The curse power within him is his best tool, which he can control meticulously and operate easily.

If we add a title that matches the core offering...

"System, while this suggestion is very tempting, I have a feeling you have some kind of plan," Yu Xing laughed. "After so long, you give me such a big gift as soon as we meet. Are you trying to use me as a weapon to stab someone else?"

The system said, "I do hope you possess this offering and title. Only rule-based offerings, core offerings, and titles can be effective within Yin Yang City."

"I want you to become stronger, and then do something for me in Yin Yang City. Only you are best suited to do this."

She was surprisingly honest.

Yu Xing's smile deepened, "You're the one who needs something from me, yet I have to pay such a high price to get it..."

System: "That's the rule; every acquisition of power beyond reason comes at a price."

"Okay." Since the system was so honest, Yu Xing readily agreed. "I'll pay the price. Tell me, what sacrifice, what title?"