Divine Treasure Chest, System Upgrade, Now It's Really Hard to Kill

"I'm really impossible to kill right now."

"Holy shit!"

Cao Cheng tried to put himself in the shoes of the villains—if he were one of them, tasked with killing himself.

It seemed utterly hopeless.

How could anyone even attempt it?

It’s just too difficult.

...

The eighth one.

After the convoluted, surreal visuals faded away,

the light in Cao Cheng’s eyes dimmed further.

He was completely numb by now.

He wanted immortality.

That had always been his goal.

But there was a difference between eternal life and being unkillable.

In any case,

these weren’t things Cao Cheng urgently needed at the moment. One was enough—maybe two or three at most.

Any more, and he’d just become desensitized.

He’d built up an immunity.

[Ding~]

[Congratulations, Host, for witnessing a miracle! You’ve drawn a Divine Treasure Chest and obtained Divine Counterattack!]

"..."

The name said it all.

He didn’t even bother reading the description.

Basically, if a villain attacked him, they’d get hit with the same force in return.

...

"Forget it."

"I’m not opening any more."

"This is boring."

Cao Cheng still had two chests left but didn’t feel like opening them.

His luck today seemed off.

Better to wait.

He stood up to leave.

But after just two steps,

he sat back down with a dark expression and grumbled:

"Screw it, I’m opening the ninth one."

He was already here.

He’d even lit incense.

What was the point of saving the last two?

Might as well go all in.

"Open~~~"

[Ding~]

[Congratulations, Host, for witnessing a miracle! You’ve drawn a Divine Treasure Chest and obtained Bullet Time!]

"!"

Unkillable.

Absolutely unkillable.

Cao Cheng grinned. Excellent, just excellent.

"Keep going."

"Let’s see how many survival skills these Divine Chests have. I refuse to believe they’re all just life-saving perks."

"Surely there aren’t any duplicates, right?"

Knock, knock, knock—

A series of raps at the door.

Then it swung open without waiting for a response.

So rude.

Did I even say "come in"?

Oh~

Long legs.

Second Sister was back.

She’d been busy with work earlier and missed the family dinner.

Tonight, she was wearing a mid-length dress.

And stockings.

A far cry from her usual jeans and leather jackets.

At work, she mostly wore casual clothes, but he’d never seen her in a skirt before.

"..."

Cao Cheng gave her a once-over—those legs, that sheer fabric, the length, the curves...

"Did you go on a date today? Dressing up this fancy—who are you trying to mesmerize?" Cao Cheng teased.

Second Sister felt a flicker of satisfaction at his reaction.

At least someone noticed her outfit.

His words were a compliment, even if a bit backhanded.

Though she wasn’t entirely used to it.

"Undercover mission today," Second Sister said offhandedly.

Cao Cheng understood.

Basically, she’d been on a stakeout.

But real-life undercover work was nothing like the movies. Most of it was like this—plainclothes surveillance near a target’s location, waiting for the operation to begin.

Only a small fraction involved deep-cover infiltration.

"Prostitution bust?"

"No, helping with a drug raid."

"Was it dangerous?"

"We were just backup. No real risk."

They exchanged a few more words.

Partly because Second Sister had missed the family gathering, and partly because they hadn’t seen each other in a while.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered coming to Cao Cheng’s room to chat, no matter how late she got back.

"What’s this incense? Smells nice."

"I’ll give you a couple sticks later."

"How generous. Thanks a lot."

"Tch!"

Cao Cheng scoffed. "Seriously? I give you something, and you mock me? Do you even know what this is?"

"What is it?" Second Sister shook her head, genuinely clueless.

"Ultra-rare ambergris. Not something any ordinary sperm whale can produce. It has to come from the king of whales, one that’s lived for at least a hundred years, and even then, there’s only a chance—just a chance—of yielding a tiny amount like this."

Cao Cheng said, "I managed to get my hands on a dozen or so sticks of it. You can’t even buy this stuff with money, you know."

"..."

Cao Cheng was actually downplaying it.

He couldn’t very well say it was something from the cultivation world, could he?

Even if you gathered every sperm whale on Earth, there’s no guarantee you’d find any.

This stuff can enlighten the mind.

Anything that can do that naturally carries an air of prestige.

And honestly, Cao Cheng didn’t have much.

Just a dozen or so… pounds!

A single stick might weigh less than a gram, but… once it’s gone, it’s gone.

If he wanted more, he’d have to gamble on golden treasure chests.

Ahem.

Anyway, it’s incredibly rare.

...

Second Sister didn’t argue.

She took a deep breath, and a hint of relief flickered across her delicate face.

It really was good stuff.

After just a couple of whiffs, the exhaustion of the day melted away, replaced by an indescribable lightness.

Like she could pull an all-nighter tackling major cases without breaking a sweat.

"How about four sticks?" Second Sister shamelessly bargained.

They were close enough now that she felt comfortable asking.

Her usual demeanor was crumbling.

Cao Cheng’s eyes gleamed with mischief. "Not impossible."

"Name your terms." Second Sister tilted her chin slightly, her expression saying, I knew there’d be a catch.

"A massage."

"Get on the couch!" Second Sister was nothing if not decisive.

The incense really did wonders for her, especially when she was exhausted.

One whiff and the feeling was…

Besides, it wasn’t like this was their first massage session.

Cao Cheng grinned and flopped onto the sofa.

Second Sister immediately went for a wrestling hold.

"Ahhh—!" Cao Cheng howled.

This wasn’t massage!

What the hell was this, an arrest?

A sly smirk played on Second Sister’s lips.

Cao Cheng yelped, "Massage! Massage! Not a takedown! Can’t you be gentler? With skills like this, I’m seriously worried you’ll never get married. Second Sister, I’m telling you—ahhh!"

It wasn’t actually that painful.

She was just hitting all the right pressure points.

She was a professional.

Skilled enough to make it hurt and relax him at the same time.

But…

Cao Cheng had to exaggerate. If he acted like it felt good, she’d probably lose interest.

With girls, you had to play along with their quirks if you wanted them to keep engaging with you.

Like when the playful ones tease you—you have to react, or they’ll just move on to someone else.

"I surrender!"

"I confess! I confess!"

"I’ll tell you everything!"

"I’m the Comintern liaison, my superior is—ahh! I’m talking!"

Cao Cheng kept up the theatrics.

Second Sister snorted and punched his shoulder lightly. "Stop joking around with that."

"Fine, fine, no more jokes. But take it easy, will you? You’re breaking my bones here. You’re a seasoned investigator, and I’m just a frail scholar—can’t lift a finger, can’t carry a load. My only redeeming quality is the millions of girls swooning over my face. Be gentle…" Cao Cheng rambled on.

"Pfft. Millions of girls?"

Second Sister smirked. "Cut the act. I know you’re no pushover. We should spar sometime."

"Ah, you still haven’t grasped it. I’ve told you, strengthening the body is about cultivating the mind, aligning with the natural way. Stop focusing on just fighting… Yes, yes, that’s the spot—ah, ouch, oww, owwww…"

Second Sister’s face flushed red as she gave him another light punch. "Stop making those weird noises. Keep it down."

She was probably worried others might hear.

Jokes aside.

Playfulness aside.

Amid the teasing and roughhousing, Second Sister began massaging him in earnest—not just for the sake of the premium ambergris.

Their relationship had reached that point.

After all, they’d known each other for so long.

From their initial misunderstandings to gradually discovering each other’s differences, and later helping her solve a case.

Even if it was just one case.

But that case’s complexity and sheer coincidence were truly extraordinary.

It also made her see Cao Cheng in a new light.

Including his knack for making money.

Even if Second Sister wasn’t particularly money-savvy, she knew how difficult it was—proof of Cao Cheng’s skill and capability.

Especially this time with the donation.

The attitude and selflessness Cao Cheng displayed even made her do a double take. She never could’ve imagined it.

A man who casually donated a billion without hesitation—she didn’t know whether to call him foolish or righteous.

Not to mention, the sum was staggering.

Even if the Ren family pooled all their resources, they couldn’t match it.

Unless they sold off company assets.

So,

Second Sister’s opinion of Cao Cheng had completely changed.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have rushed over to see this annoying Fifth Brother right after work, just because she missed the family dinner.

It was an apology in action.

For the first time ever, she’d even considered asking for leave from work—just to attend Fifth Brother’s homecoming feast.

But no one knew about this shift in her mindset.

Maybe even she hadn’t fully realized it herself.

……

Second Sister pressed with focused precision.

Cao Cheng could feel it.

So he stopped his exaggerated yelping and teasing.

He relaxed and let himself enjoy her skilled kneading.

Haaah… bliss.

Nothing beats being home.

And honestly,

A professional is a professional.

After Second Sister’s ministrations, the frustration from his earlier lottery draws had completely melted away.

Whatever.

They were just a few divine treasure chests.

He could always draw more later.

No way

he wouldn’t eventually pull something granting immortality.

For now, he’d rely on the [Longevity Tea]. As long as he lived long enough and gathered enough emotional points, divine chests would be his for the taking.

Oh right.

There was still one left.

Draw!

Ethereal mist swirled around him, scattering like stardust, dazzling as if he were floating in a galaxy.

Maybe it was Second Sister’s presence, but even the pre-draw spectacle didn’t feel as pretentious or boring anymore.

After all…

Second Sister, with her long legs, was straddling behind him, working on his shoulders.

Nice.

All that was missing was some fruit being fed to him.

Where’s The Fourth?

Couldn’t even come over to feed me fruit—what a waste of a little sister.

[Ding~]

[Congratulations, Host, for witnessing a miracle! You’ve drawn a divine treasure chest and obtained a special message!]

Cao Cheng nearly sat straight up.

Finally, not another life-saving item…

A glance at the description confirmed it.

Nope.

The special message was a form of ‘intel.’

It contained the rise and fall of foreign exchange and commodity markets on a specific day two months later.

An outrageous piece of intel.

Cao Cheng’s dreams hadn’t provided much of this kind of information—mostly just major news events.

But this special message filled that gap. Even if it was just for one day, it was enough to make a fortune.

Forex and commodities weren’t like stocks.

Especially in the forex market, where leverage can go as high as 400 times.

With enough capital in hand, making over a hundred million dollars in profit in a single day isn’t out of the question. Plus, the forex market’s scale is vast enough to accommodate massive amounts of capital—far beyond what the stock market can handle.

Of course, Cao Cheng has no interest in money.

What excites him is that the divine treasure chest has finally changed—it’s no longer just a lifesaving tool.

Wait—

Cao Cheng suddenly realizes something.

He’s spotted the key detail.

Is it because of Second Sister?

She’s his lucky charm.

Having her by his side can shift his fortune.

"Second Sister."

"You really are… a treasure of a girl."

"?"

Second Sister pauses, baffled. What kind of nonsense is this? What does "treasure of a girl" even mean?

[Ding~]

[After drawing ten divine treasure chests, the system is upgrading…]

[Please wait!]

[Countdown: 90 days!]