Chapter One
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Xing Shi stood silently, his eyes filled with confusion.
He was indoors; to his left was a dining area, designed in a fresh, minimalist style. To the right stretched a long window serving food, with a cacophony of voices and a constant din filling the space.
If he wasn’t mistaken, this was a restaurant.
But what was going on? Shouldn’t he be in the magical world?
Years ago, he had inexplicably found himself transported into a world of magic—a place where technology lagged, the strong ruled, and nearly everyone carried a magic core within them. Life had been harsh for him there, and to find any peace, he had to grow stronger. So, after much hardship, he had finally managed to upgrade his magic core, stepping into the ranks of the truly powerful.
Upgrading a magic core was a grueling process. It had taken him three days and nights to break through, and he fell into an exhausted sleep immediately after.
Yet when he next opened his eyes, he was here.
The familiar clothing, the familiar color of skin, the familiar bustle of ordinary life.
Was he dreaming? Or had someone cast an illusion spell on him while he slept?
But his residence was protected by advanced defensive enchantments, and he wore a magic stone that resisted illusions. For anyone to set a trap for him without raising his alarm was nearly impossible.
Which left one other possibility.
He had… crossed over again.
He was back in ordinary human society.
The moment this thought occurred, the whole world seemed to spring to life before him.
He became acutely aware of his racing heartbeat, the fine sweat on his forehead, and the mouth-watering aroma of food in the air.
Following the scent, he spotted the nearest serving window.
Chinese food!
Fresh, piping hot Chinese food—something he hadn’t tasted in years!
Xing Shi pivoted toward it, but just then, a cold voice rang out in his mind.
[System 99, successfully bound to host.]
Xing Shi froze.
Not far away, at a table, Fu Xiuning paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth.
He continued eating calmly, listening as the voice continued.
[Host, you must pursue the target as required, or face erasure.]
[Target: Fu Xiuning.]
[Beep beep.]
[Current favorability: -5.]
Fu Xiuning’s expression didn’t change.
He’d been able to hear voices like this for years. At first, he thought it was auditory hallucinations, but soon enough, hosts would approach, trying to win his favor.
He’d tried playing along, but the favorability program was always accurate. As long as he was within scanning range, any fluctuation in his feelings was instantly updated. No matter how friendly he acted, his true favorability always plummeted. He couldn’t fool the system, so he simply stopped trying.
After a period of anxiety and frustration, he’d become quite adept at handling these situations, having already driven away batch after batch of hosts.
It had been over a month since the last host was dealt with, and he’d been speculating that the system would restock soon. Sure enough, a new one had arrived today.
He took a sip of water, waiting to see how this newcomer would react.
Meanwhile, after reporting the favorability score, the system continued, “Host, you may communicate with me mentally to avoid inconveniences in daily life.”
Xing Shi said nothing.
Neither the system nor Fu Xiuning was surprised. Anyone suddenly embroiled in something this bizarre would need time to process it.
The system took the initiative to offer, “If you have questions, you can always ask. For now, you may choose to review information on your target, Fu Xiuning, review your own information, or perform a beginner’s lottery draw.”
Xing Shi blinked and composed his thoughts.
He had fought monsters and demons, and stumbling across dismembered bodies was a common occurrence for him. He had seen all manner of strange and gruesome things. Unless something was truly extreme, little could shake him now.
The voice in his mind had no mechanical tone, just a calm and cold neutrality, betraying no emotion.
Since he could communicate mentally, he decided to share his delight: “Wonderful!”
Both the system and Fu Xiuning thought at once: He’s come to his senses.
They were not surprised by his reaction. They’d seen many like him—those with difficult or unremarkable lives, thinking that being chosen by the system would bring them to the pinnacle of life.
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Generally, such people were very accepting, cooperative, and motivated.
The system was quite satisfied, just about to advise him to calm down, when Xing Shi’s next words burst forth, excited and resounding: “Zha Jiang Mian!”
System: “?”
Fu Xiuning: “?”
What was that about? Was it even relevant?
The system said, “Host…”
Xing Shi declared, “It’s the smell of Zha Jiang Mian!”
The system tried to get things back on track: “Host, please…”
Xing Shi remained excited: “Zha Jiang Mian!”
The system asked, “Are you even listening to me?”
Xing Shi replied, “Shut up! No one is stopping me from eating Zha Jiang Mian today!”
The system’s voice turned cold: “If you do not cooperate, we will initiate the punishment protocol. Severe cases will be erased.”
Xing Shi exclaimed, “There’s actually Zha Jiang Mian here!”
The system, cold and merciless: “Detected host non-compliance, initiating level one punishment. Countdown: three seconds.”
Xing Shi remained unmoved.
Even after all these years, with his temper worn smooth by hardship, one line remained—he hated being threatened and controlled.
The moment “erasure” was mentioned, his only thought was to tear it apart.
First, though, he would need to understand its mechanisms and level of threat so he could make plans.
Fu Xiuning, hearing no plea for mercy, looked up slightly.
From what he knew, level one punishment was the lightest, but even so, it was unpleasant. Hosts would typically turn pale, tremble, or cry out—never an exception.
He scanned the area with feigned indifference, curious to witness the scene firsthand. Yet after searching, he found no suspicious figure. He guessed the host must be behind him, close to someone eating Zha Jiang Mian.
But that idea was quickly overturned.
Because he heard the host speak, sounding utterly unaffected.
“I don’t feel anything. Are you done yet?” Xing Shi asked. “Or is your time flow different from ours, and you’re still counting down?”
System: “?”
Fu Xiuning: “?”
The system glitched: “You’re fine?”
Xing Shi understood: “So the punishment’s over? That’s it?”
He felt completely at ease: “I’m off to buy Zha Jiang Mian, see you~”
The system’s energy fluctuated, its arrogance collapsing and its calm tone cracking: “…Wait, why are you fine?”
Xing Shi ignored it.
The instant the system had spoken, instincts honed in perilous environments had him attempt to activate his magic core, but he’d felt no familiar energy. He realized right then that, having crossed over, he’d reverted to an ordinary human without magic.
Yet though his magic was gone, his experiences weren’t. Pain? He could endure it.
He’d braced himself for agony, only to feel nothing.
Xing Shi didn’t know the reason, but he wasn’t about to tell the system.
He ordered Zha Jiang Mian, learned it was free, and sat at a nearby table, eagerly tucking in.
The system scanned him from head to toe, suspicious: “Are you really fine?”
Fu Xiuning was curious too and glanced around again as he wiped his mouth.
Unfortunately, the conversations between system and host were always at the same volume for him, making it impossible to pinpoint the source. With the restaurant packed and the Zha Jiang Mian counter always busy, he couldn’t lock onto his target.
The system asked three times and got no reply, so it threatened the non-compliance rule again.
Xing Shi continued to ignore it.
System: “Detected host non-compliance, initiating level one punishment. Countdown: three seconds.”
This time it paid special attention to the host’s breathing, heartbeat, muscles, and nervous system, finding no changes at all. It ran a self-check, confirmed no bugs, and was astonished: “You really are unaffected!”
Fu Xiuning was surprised as well.
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After all these years, this was the first host immune to level one punishment. Why?
The system wondered the same: “Why aren’t you affected?”
Xing Shi focused on his food, pretending he hadn’t heard.
System: “….”
Watching the steady flow of people in the restaurant, it suddenly felt a twinge of loneliness.
It had never been so wronged before. Furious and helpless, it demanded, “Will you just acknowledge me?!”
Xing Shi treated it as if it didn’t exist.
Having devoured his noodles, he set his chopsticks down and, still unsatisfied, glanced around for his next course.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy next to him raise a hand and looked over immediately.
It was a long table; the boy sat one seat away, holding an opened packet of tissues, and asked cordially, “Need a tissue?”
Xing Shi paused, accepted one, and said, “Thank you.”
The boy had dyed silver-gray hair and a sunny smile. “I’m Feng Zifan. What should I call you, bro? Are you here for the interview or are you already admitted?”
The boy across from him immediately introduced himself: “My nickname’s Big Zhuang, just call me that. You must be a shoo-in, right? With a face like yours, only one word—handsome!”
Xing Shi didn’t understand and called out to the system, “What do they mean?”
The system, finally spoken to, replied with icy detachment, “Weren’t you ignoring me just now?”
Xing Shi smiled at the two in front of him and countered, “Are you here for the interview or already admitted?”
Feng Zifan replied, “We’re both here for the interview, just passed, waiting for class assignments this afternoon. But we’ll probably only make it into the regular class—you should get into Class One, right?”
Xing Shi said, “That’s not certain.”
He changed the subject: “I’m going to get a drink, want anything?”
Feng Zifan and Big Zhuang both already had drinks and politely declined.
Xing Shi stood up, and in his mind asked, “You think you’re important?”
The system replied, “This is just the beginning. Do you know where you’re going this afternoon, what you’re supposed to do, where you’ll live after this, what your body’s name is?”
Xing Shi said, “No idea.”
The system, arrogant, said, “Then please adjust your attitude and cooperate with the mission. I’ll provide the information.”
Xing Shi said, “But I could sprint a hundred meters and crash into that wall, then tell the police I have amnesia and get everything I want to know.”
System: “…Huh?”
It was caught off guard, blurting out, “If you sprint, aren’t you afraid you’ll die? Fainting would be better!”
Of course, Xing Shi knew fainting was more feasible.
But he wanted more than information; he wanted to test the system’s limits. Fainting was too quick—by running, he could see how much the system could control his body.
He said, “No, falling backward scares me. No sense of security.”
The system said, “And running into a wall doesn’t?”
Xing Shi replied, “It does, but I can close my eyes and charge. Not look.”
He mimicked the system’s tone: “Detected system not providing information, initiating hundred-meter sprint. Countdown: three seconds.”
The system warned, “If you act irrationally, we’ll initiate punishment!”
Xing Shi asked, “What level?”
The system choked: “…Level one.”
Xing Shi said, “Whatever makes you happy. I’m charging.”
The system noticed his leg muscles tense instantly and hurriedly cried, “Wait, I’ll talk!”
Fu Xiuning remained calm, thinking, If you have the guts, go ahead and run.
Still, providing information was the system’s job. Now that it was conceding, he could listen in as well… That thought had barely formed when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure suddenly break into a sprint.
At the same time, the system shrieked, “Stop! Stop right now!”
Fu Xiuning: “…?”