Logical Dead Loop

Su Yu held Tang Wu's hand, walking hurriedly along the dirt path of Holy Soul Village.

Throughout the journey, he was rapidly calculating his next moves in his mind.

Old Jack's ruthless methods had sounded a loud alarm for him; this seemingly peaceful novice village was actually a high-risk quarantine zone crawling with cheaters.

Although he had awakened Twin Martial Souls and possessed the [Conceptual Eraser] that specifically countered systems, he had yet to obtain a soul ring, and his soul power was limited.

If he were to clash head-on with those system hosts who had endless trump cards, it was hard to say who would win.

Lying low and developing was the only way to go.

Nuoding City was the closest city to Holy Soul Village, and it housed a junior Soul Master Academy.

Once they arrived there, relying on his and Tang Wu's Innate Full Soul Power talent, they would definitely be able to secure the academy's protection.

More importantly, the city was crowded and chaotic; even if those system hosts wanted to make a move, they would have to weigh the risks.

The two soon returned to the dilapidated blacksmith shop.

Before they even entered, a pungent stench of cheap alcohol hit them in the face.

Su Yu pushed open the rickety wooden door and led Tang Wu into the courtyard.

The moment they stepped inside, the sight before them made Su Yu's brows knit tightly together.

Tang Hao was sprawled out in the mud, covered from head to toe in sludge and vomit.

His messy hair sat atop his head like a bird's nest, his face was covered in stubble, and his clothes were in tatters.

Tang Hao clutched an empty wine gourd so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, and he let out meaningless, beast-like roars, looking every bit like a completely insane beggar.

"Ah Yin... my Ah Yin... why... why did it have to be this way..."

Tang Hao rolled frantically in the mud, his hands clawing at his hair in agony, drawing blood from his own scalp.

Su Yu watched this man, once the Clear Sky Douluo who had shaken the continent, with cold eyes; there was no sympathy, only deep vigilance.

He immediately activated the [Eye of Truth].

As a brilliant golden light swirled in Su Yu's pupils, the panel belonging to the [Wei Wu Legacy System] manifested in the void above Tang Hao's head.

At this moment, the system panel, which should have been pink, was flashing with blinding, chaotic red code.

The entire interface looked as if it had been infected by a virus, constantly twisting and trembling.

Lines of crimson warning prompts cascaded down the panel like a waterfall:

[Warning! Critical Error! Critical Error!]

[Current Target: Ah Yin (100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor transformation).]

[Status Check: Target has sacrificed herself! Vital signs zero! Soul dissipated!]

[Logic Conflict: Target is dead; unable to proceed with capture interaction.]

[Task reset failed... Forced reset failed... Underlying logic collapse...]

[System Prompt: Ah Yin is dead, target lost, logic dead-loop!]

[Penalty Mechanism Activated: Host's consciousness suffering backlash, pain receptors amplified tenfold!]

Su Yu sneered inwardly as he watched the frantic pop-ups.

This transmigrator named Zhao Si was quite the talent; he had possessed Tang Hao while carrying a system specifically designed for "Cao Thief" behavior.

He had likely thought he could get close to the target, capture Ah Yin directly, and use the system rewards to reach the pinnacle of life.

Yet, he never expected that his transmigration point was wrong.

Ah Yin had long since sacrificed herself to the real Tang Hao, leaving not even a strand of hair behind.

The system couldn't find the target, the task became stuck, and it fell into a logic dead-loop.

The backlash caused by such a collapse of underlying logic was terrifying.

"Ah!!!"

Tang Hao on the ground suddenly let out a shrill, miserable scream.

He bolted upright, clutching his head with both hands so hard that his nails dug deep into his flesh.

"System! You bastard! Give me a new target! Change the target!"

Tang Hao roared hysterically at the air, his facial muscles contorted by extreme pain, looking exceptionally hideous.

"Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to capture a blade of grass! I want beauties! I want living people!"

He rampaged through the courtyard like a madman, kicking over the nearby iron stove and scattering gray ash everywhere.

Tang Wu was so frightened by this sudden, insane outburst that her little face turned deathly pale.

Although she had lost the memories of her past life, her instinctive fear caused her to react immediately.

She hid behind Su Yu, gripping his clothes so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Brother Yu... Dad... what's wrong with him? I'm so scared..."

Tang Wu's voice carried a distinct, tearful tremor, and her body shook uncontrollably.

Tang Hao's roar grew louder and louder until he suddenly whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Tang Wu, who was hiding behind Su Yu.

Su Yu's Eye of Truth clearly captured a high-danger alert popping up on the system panel above Tang Hao's head:

[Detected eligible female target: Tang Wu.]

[Warning: This target is the host's nominal daughter; Ethical Restriction Firewall triggered!]

[System logic conflict intensifying: Forcing erasure of Ethical Restriction... Erasure failed... System imminent collapse...]

Tang Hao's gaze struggled violently between madness and clarity.

He stared at Tang Wu, his mouth emitting beast-like gasps as if he wanted to lunge at her, yet he was held firmly in place by some invisible force.

Tang Wu completely broke down.

Trembling all over, she lunged into Su Yu's embrace, burying her deathly pale face deep into his chest.

Her breathing was rapid, her chest heaving violently.

Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead, dampening her short, dark blue hair.

Her soft, fragile body pressed tightly against Su Yu, as if she were trying to merge herself into his very being, the only way she could find a shred of security.

Su Yu could clearly feel her frantic heartbeat, "thump-thump-thump" against his chest like a frightened little deer.

He lowered his head to look at the shivering girl in his arms, his eyes turning incomparably cold in an instant.

He reached out his right hand and gently stroked Tang Wu's thin back.

Once, twice, his movements soft yet firm, attempting to soothe her heart, which was gripped by extreme terror.

"Don't be afraid, San'er, I'm here. No one can hurt you."

Su Yu's voice was low and powerful, carrying a reassuring magic.

Under his comfort, the intensity of Tang Wu's trembling lessened slightly, though her hands remained locked tightly around his waist, refusing to let go for even a second.

Su Yu looked up, staring coldly at the broken man still writhing in agony on the ground.

This fake Tang Hao had been driven out of his mind by the system's backlash; even if he weren't killed, he wouldn't last much longer.

Ignoring Tang Hao's roar, Su Yu kept one arm around Tang Wu and walked into the room, efficiently rummaging through a dilapidated cabinet to pull out a few changes of coarse clothing, which he stuffed haphazardly into a grey bundle.

Next, he reached into a hidden compartment under the bed and fished out the dozen or so copper soul coins the original owner had saved, tossing them in as well.

This was the sum total of their worldly possessions.

"Let's go."

Su Yu slung the bundle over his shoulder and took Tang Wu's hand.

He cast one final glance at Tang Hao, who was still convulsing in the mud.

The shell of the once-invincible Clear Sky Douluo was now like a dying stray dog, gasping for breath under the torture of the system.

Without a shred of attachment, Su Yu led Tang Wu away, walking out of the dilapidated courtyard without ever looking back.