Li Aozi felt very strange.

Logically, the task he assigned to Caramel Snail was basically equivalent to a college elective's final exam; even stepping on the test paper wouldn't result in a failure.

However, Caramel Snail didn't even show up for the exam.

After exploiting a bug, the enemies wouldn't dynamically enhance based on their combat power, Li Aozi directly employed the Earth Dragon People to crush them, and Caramel Snail just needed to obediently follow his instructions to collect items at the designated location.

Even if encountering a couple of minor enemies, it would just take a bit more time, and dealing with Elite Monsters with templates might only be somewhat troublesome for Caramel Snail.

No matter what, he shouldn't be in such a miserable state.

He deactivated the transformation, and the massive Dragonite instantly froze, the magma on its body solidifying as Li Aozi swiftly walked up to Caramel Snail, only then noticing he had been absent-minded all along.

He simply raised his hand and slapped the kid's face.

With two 'slap' sounds, Caramel Snail finally regained his senses. He looked at Li Aozi, with residual violet spots in his pupils.

"Hmm?" Li Aozi was surprised: "What's happened to you? The power of the Void has eroded your mind? That shouldn't be possible, right?"

"I... I don't know." After Caramel Snail said this, he suddenly felt a complete drain of energy, staggered twice, and immediately collapsed to the ground. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, his hands clenched into fists, yet he shivered as if in a freezing cave, his gaze wandered, unable to concentrate.

Even though the True General was right in front of him, what Caramel Snail saw wasn't the tall and robust man.

'You've completely let me down, Jiaozi Niu.'

"No, I'm not like that."

Caramel Snail covered his face, yet Cumin Powder's voice constantly entangled in his ears, unable to escape even when he closed his eyes.

'You can't even protect me, yet you live so openly in this world.'

"I'm not, I'm not, I just wanted to avenge you..."

Caramel Snail trembled, desperately trying to exonerate and defend himself.

'Revenge? Then what have you done until now?' Cumin Powder said maliciously: 'Have you ever been sleepless because of me? Have you ever lost your appetite because of me? You can even laugh while talking with friends!'

"Niu." Li Aozi spoke.

"I've been trying hard, I'm really working hard to grow and become stronger..."

"I'm asking you, are you listening to me?" Li Aozi stepped forward.

'You hypocritical fool. No one cares about you, and you're not worthy of anyone's care or love.'

[You have disabled ally damage]

Caramel Snail trembled, kneeling on the ground, anxiously explaining:

"No! I'm not that kind of person, I'm really try——"

Bang!

Li Aozi kicked Caramel Snail in the face, sending him flying several meters away, embedding him deeply into the mountain wall, and before Caramel Snail could react, Li Aozi arrived instantly.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

He raised his fist, clenched his fingers into a single fist one by one, and ruthlessly struck Caramel Snail's face.

Boom——————!

The remaining blast wave evaporated the stream flowing through the mountain.

Plop...

Li Aozi retracted his fist, Caramel Snail knelt, hands pressing against the ground, falling into a long silence.

"Your cognition filter malfunctioned?"

Li Aozi asked.

"...It's gone."

Caramel Snail said dejectedly:

"The system went offline, the cognition filter shattered, I might not even have the medical protocol anymore. I've got nothing left, and I'll be trapped in this world forever... True General."

Li Aozi nodded.

[Cognition filter shattered, system offline — encountering such a big issue, Qiqiao Network hasn't responded?]

[Or is Lai Anding busy with other things right now?]

Anyway, lacking a cognition filter impacts players significantly.

[Come to think of it, I seem to never have triggered a cognition filter.]

Li Aozi opened the system panel and glanced at it.

— Turns out, truly.

True General's system is actually a cull version, and the Lai Anding medical protocol effect is even worse than the original.

As for cognition filter, he never had it.

After all, he truly submerged into the Starry Abyss with his physical body, while other players, or rather Spiritual Warriors, are conscripted bodies.

"Get up." Li Aozi pulled Caramel Snail up, calmly saying: "If you can fight, then fight, if not, go back to the Strange Hotel and wait until the official repairs it for action."

Caramel Snail was stunned, looking at Li Aozi:

"Wait... What about you?"

"I'll do whatever I have to do."

Li Aozi waved his hand, exploring downward along the Mahmut Ancestral Home ruins. Casually said:

"Players without a system are like riders without a steed; saying don't worry, it'll be solved eventually is pointless, as far as I'm concerned— you're a burden now, go back and stay put."

Caramel Snail opened his mouth: "But, you're going to the East next, aren't you?"

"Sure." Li Aozi dismantled the floorboards, searching for valuable items among the ruins: "What's that got to do with you?"

"We... we're teammates, right?"

"Yes." Li Aozi glanced back at him, saying: "But what I need is a warrior, an assistant who can complete tasks and share my burden."

"So, shouldn't we act together?"

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