The Bug in the Villain System

Lock-picking!

How could he have forgotten about that?

But what does lock-picking have to do with defusing a bomb?

With the remaining time, An Yi couldn’t afford to overthink. He wanted to upgrade his lock-picking skill but suddenly realized he had completely run out of Evil Power Value!

"Ding! Insufficient Evil Power Value, unable to upgrade!"

The system’s prompt, with only two minutes left, sounded especially grating.

And damn it, why did a simple lock-picking skill require so much Evil Power Value?!

Shit!

Where was he supposed to find that much Evil Power Value now?!

Cold sweat broke out on An Yi’s forehead.

With two minutes left, if he had any sense, he could still drop everything and run, leaving Qin Yao behind.

"An Yi!"

Qin Yao stared at him, her voice choked with emotion.

An Yi’s voice was firm as he met her gaze. "Don’t worry! If we die, I’ll die with you!"

Right now, Lin Chen’s Destiny Value had bounced back to 100!

An Yi was betting on it—

A protagonist with max Destiny Value and a near-perfect supporting character couldn’t possibly just die like this!

Qin Yao stared at An Yi, his domineering presence and sharp eyes like a vast galaxy, leaving her momentarily mesmerized.

Would she really end up in a tragic love story with this guy…?

Resigned, Qin Yao felt an eerie calm settle over her as death loomed.

"An Yi, in the next life… don’t be such a playboy," she said with a bittersweet smile.

An Yi’s hands were still frantically working on the bomb. He frowned. "The next life’s too far away—don’t give up so easily!"

Seriously, what kind of romantic drama was she trying to pull at a time like this?!

He was a man destined to become the King of Rogues—he couldn’t just die here!

Meanwhile…

With the Seven Kill Fist technique, Lin Chen was holding his own against Butcher.

The two exchanged blows, neither gaining the upper hand.

Butcher’s face was bruised.

Lin Chen was worse off, covered in bloody wounds.

Only his beast-like reflexes kept him alive, barely dodging fatal strikes.

Wiping blood from his lips, Butcher grinned. "Didn’t expect you to last this long. Doesn’t matter—you’ve got a minute left. Let’s see you escape now!"

Lin Chen, panting heavily, smirked back. "Then I’m dragging you to hell with me!"

An Yi’s forehead was drenched in sweat.

A little over a minute remained.

No miracle in sight. The protagonist, Lin Chen, was still tangled up with that sunglasses-wearing bastard.

With his measly Lv1 lock-picking skill, defusing the bomb was a pipe dream.

Had he guessed wrong?

Was Lin Chen’s story actually some angsty short-tragedy where the protagonist dies young?

Oh my god!

An Yi’s hands trembled as he worked. Death wasn’t scary—but dying like this? Unacceptable!

Qin Yao, on the other hand, seemed at peace, gazing at him with a serene smile.

Hey, hey! Snap out of it, princess! I don’t wanna die—I was just bluffing earlier!

"Damn it!"

An Yi suddenly remembered—he still had one unfinished mission!

[Aid the Chosen One]

The words "Incomplete" glared back at him.

He’d been stuck in a mental trap.

The Rogue System had exploitable bugs. For the past two years, he’d been abusing them—

Returning stolen goods, handing snatched wallets to the police… He’d done plenty of ridiculous things.

Could this mission be cheesed too?!

His eyes lit up with realization.

"Old Lin!" he roared. "Quick, say: ‘Thanks to your help, everything’s resolved perfectly. I’m so grateful!’"

Lin Chen: "…"

Butcher: "…"

The hell?! They were in a life-or-death showdown—why ruin the tension?!

Lin Chen: "Are you insane?!"

An Yi was livid. "Just fcking say it already!!!"

Seeing An Yi practically foaming at the mouth, Lin Chen gritted his teeth.

Fine. They were all gonna die anyway—might as well grant the guy his last wish.

With forced embarrassment, Lin Chen stammered: "Th-thanks to your help… everything’s resolved perfectly. I’m… so grateful."

"Ding! [Aid the Chosen One] mission complete! Reward: Evil Power Value +100! Charm +0.5! Lin Chen’s Favorability +50!"

The 0.5 Charm boost brought An Yi’s score to 8.8.

Instantly, his already handsome features sharpened further—chiseled jawline, piercing eyes, devastatingly attractive… Not that it mattered when death was seconds away.

Hearing the system’s voice, An Yi nearly burst into tears of joy.

He’d gambled right!

This trash system was full of holes!

The mission never specified that the aid had to actually succeed—just that the Chosen One had to acknowledge it.

And now, Lin Chen himself had declared the mission complete! How was this not a win?!

"Ding! Host severely violates system rules. Warning issued! Next offense will result in severe punishment!"

The system’s cold voice rang out again.

A warning? Whatever! If he died now, what did it matter?!

"Pour all 100 Evil Power Value into lock-picking!"

"Ding! Congratulations, host! [Lock-picking] skill upgraded to Lv3!"

With thirty seconds left, An Yi’s hands shook.

There was still time!

Everything could still work out!

Outside the abandoned factory, a deafening roar echoed.

"Finally!" Butcher grinned viciously. "Sorry, boys—I’m getting out alive. See you never!"

In a flash, he grabbed the unconscious Viper, slashed through the wall with his blade, and shoulder-charged through the gap.

Crack!

The wall crumbled, revealing the outside world.

A helicopter swooped in, lowering a rope ladder.

At the controls—none other than Red Poison, whom An Yi had met at the underground fight club.

Butcher hauled Viper up the ladder.

Lin Chen lunged forward—but too late. He could only watch as Butcher ascended out of reach.

Then—click.

Qin Yao gaped. In the final seconds, An Yi had disarmed the bomb.

And judging by how effortless it looked, it might as well have been easier than drinking water…

So what was the two-hour struggle for?!

Just to make the mission harder?!

"Old Lin! Kick it!"

An Yi hurled the timer at Lin Chen.

As if sensing it, Lin Chen spun mid-air and delivered a vicious flying kick—

Whoosh!

The timer shot like a missile toward the helicopter.

No no no no—!

Butcher’s face turned green as the timer hurtled toward him.

Mid-air, there was no time to dodge.

Boom!

The explosion lit up the night sky, a fireball blooming into a cloud of black smoke.