Chapter Twenty-Five: Spirit, Shatter!

"..." Damn, so now you're coming up with new ways to insult me? You perverted system!

"...Master, do you not remember what happened then?"

"What happened?" Geng Haoshi rolled his eyes again.

"Master, you almost pounced on Yu Manman at that time."

"Really? Was I that daring?!" Geng Haoshi’s face lit up with excitement. "So, what happened in the end?"

"...Master, in the end, Yu Manman slapped you awake with her whip."

"Is that so? What a pity, what a pity." Geng Haoshi shook his head.

"...Master, is that really the point? ...You see, you don't even remember it, do you?"

"I only remember the first three dunks and hugging the beautiful coach's leg at the start... Did I lose my memory during that time?"

"Master, although amnesia could be a relief for someone whose brain capacity is already below average..."

"..."

Geng Haoshi rolled his eyes again.

"But, Master, if you continue in this state for a long time, you might develop permanent split personalities, and then—"

"Then there’ll be two awesome Geng Haoshis in my body! Right?" Geng Haoshi looked expectant.

"...Master... Awesome, my foot!"

"In that case, let's start creating even more and even better Geng Haoshis!" Geng Haoshi completely ignored 9527's words.

"..."

9527: My master's IQ is beyond saving.

"9527, give me another round of 'Powerful Energy Boost.' I want to speed up my 'stationary low dribble' training. Come on, my even more awesome self!"

"..."

9527 was drenched in sweat. "Master, don't do anything crazy. I don't want to crash just yet..."

"9527, don't wimp out! Show me the wild, cool, and domineering side that a cosmic system ought to have!"

"...Hell no, I won't let a brainless idiot like you call me a coward!" 9527 thought to itself, pushing 'Powerful Energy Boost' to the limit!

"Ahahaha!" In an instant, Geng Haoshi's energy soared, and the fat in his body began to burn away!

Geng Haoshi's right hand moved up and down at incredible speed... At that moment, the basketball beneath his palm seemed to be sucked into a black hole, completely at his mercy!

As Geng Haoshi's ball-handling became ever faster, his gaze grew more and more bizarre, as if he could snap at any moment, just like before!

"Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!..."

The ball rocketed up and down, the rapid slaps echoing off the gym floor. Once again, all eyes in the Chen Zhi Gymnasium focused on Geng Haoshi.

"What’s this performance now?!"

"Is he possessed or something?!"

"His hand speed is even faster than—!"

Yu Manman thought to herself, This fat guy might actually have some real athletic talent.

"Ahhh—" Geng Haoshi dribbled like a madman, his eyes tinged red, radiating a wicked charm!

"Hey, my other awesome self, you’d look even cooler if you didn’t keep shouting ‘Ah ah’ while playing."

"Oh, is that so, you pathetic excuse for me?"

"Heh, we know each other so well by now, do we really need to talk like that?"

"Who the hell knows you! I’ve been repressed for ages, finally I get to come out and breathe!"

"If I hadn’t had 9527 activate 'Powerful Energy Boost,' would you even have a chance to strut around? So, I’m the boss, you have to listen to me!"

"You really are brainless! With how awesome I am, do you really compare?"

"You—!"

Huh? What’s going on?

Before, 9527 could only occasionally catch glimpses of Geng Haoshi’s twisted inner monologue, but now it was hearing a full-blown conversation between two Geng Haoshis in his mind!

"...Um, Master, are you just pretending to have split personalities for fun?"

"Screw you!" both Geng Haoshis replied at once.

"...Master, I..."

"Shut up! You damn troublemaker! Ever since I met you, it’s been one disaster after another, and you still have the nerve to yap at me!"

"9527, I think you and I must have crossed paths a thousand times in our past lives to form this bond in this one... How about we team up and get rid of that useless, lazy Geng Haoshi?"

"...Hmm, I think that’s a good idea, Master."

"Who the hell are you calling Master? I’m your real master!"

"9527, you seem like a sharp system. If we work together to get rid of this guy, those so-called super-level missions and god-level tasks will be a piece of cake for me."

"Yes, Master, so what should I do?"

"Damn you, 9527! Are you really going to rebel? ...Fine, I admit I was wrong, okay?... How about I call you ‘Master’ from now on, does that work for you?"

"You coward! 9527, ignore him. Just keep ‘Powerful Energy Boost’ running, and I’m sure I’ll completely replace this idiot one day!"

"But, Master, if I keep ‘Powerful Energy Boost’ on all the time, we’ll probably crash and burn before you ever take over."

"Exactly, exactly. 9527, just stick with me, and we’ll live happily ever after for thousands of years!"

"..."

9527: Master, you pathetic wimp!

"9527, you’re supposed to be a high-intelligence system from the stars. Are you really content to stick with this loser forever?... I think a good system should aim high, not give up on dreams and adventure just for short-term comfort... Better to live boldly and burn bright for a short while than to drag out a miserable, repressed existence."

"Please! Dreams and adventure? With a face like yours, do you really dare recite poetry without choking?"

"9527, you decide for yourself. You’re a smart system. You know who’s best to follow, right?"

"...Master, why don’t you two just get along and be good friends..."

Hell! How can you be best buddies with yourself? Is this some kind of self-inflicted backstabbing?

When neither Geng Haoshi replied, 9527 continued, "Master, you’d better focus on your training. The demon goddess coach is still watching you."

"Hmph! Boring. 9527, you’ve been with this coward so long, you’ve become a cowardly system yourself, haven’t you?"

"Why don’t you both watch me show off my true, overwhelming power!"

This split-personality version of Geng Haoshi, let’s call him Geng Haoshi 2.0, while the original remains Geng Haoshi 1.0—the earliest, most pitiful version.

Geng Haoshi 2.0 called out to Yu Manman, "Beautiful coach, look, my skills are now truly refined. I say, why don’t we find a scenic spot with mountains and water and admire the moon together?"