Lin Jiu's vision was bathed in crimson as a piercing alarm exploded in his mind:
[WARNING! Detection of an ultra-dangerous entity approaching!!!]
[Divine Choice System forcibly activated—]
[Option 1: Kneel and beg for mercy (Reward: Shadow Resistance +10%)]
[Option 2: Counter-kill the entity (Reward: Fragment of the Soul-Devouring Demon Art)]
[Option 3: Livestream a distress call (Convert viewership into Revival Tokens)]
Thud!
In an instant.
Lin Jiu’s heart convulsed, the unfamiliar crimson interface and the choices before him snapping him to full alertness.
"Hey... wait a second..."
Lin Jiu swallowed hard, panic seeping through his veins.
He scrambled off the bed, staring at the options on the screen in disbelief.
This had to be a joke, right?
"What ‘ultra-dangerous entity’?!"
"What the hell is going on?!"
"System, are you glitching?!"
His face paled. This couldn’t be real.
Just yesterday, he was choosing between bringing a rich girl pearl milk tea or bubble tea.
And now you’re telling me I’m under attack by some monstrous threat?
Huh?
Are you serious?
[Host must choose immediately! Otherwise, the system will enforce a random selection!]
Damn it, this stupid system was always like this.
If you hesitated even a little, it’d pick for you in the most chaotic way possible.
Lin Jiu closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
Wait.
If I were truly doomed, the system wouldn’t give me three options, right?
Which means...
His eyes flew open, gleaming with realization.
Has my destined protagonist’s ascension arc finally arrived?!
He stared at his hands, gulping.
Could it be... that I’ll awaken powers like those martial artists?
Right.
Just look at the options.
Option 1: Kneel and beg—no way, I’m the protagonist, I’d never grovel.
Option 3: Livestream for Revival Tokens? Pfft, have you even read stories? Protagonists like me are unkillable!
So...
"Only Option 2 is left."
Lin Jiu licked his lips, about to tap the second choice when—
Bzzzt—!
Suddenly.
The screen emitted a shrill static noise, followed by a flood of squirming black glyphs crawling over the interface.
Lin Jiu froze, about to demand an explanation when—
[Big... brother...]
[Come play... with us...]
Without warning.
The pitch-black corridor of the abandoned building echoed with the laughter of children.
Lin Jiu’s breath hitched. He turned stiffly toward the sound—
And saw a sight that made his scalp crawl.
There, emerging from the darkness, were twelve ragdolls.
Their grotesque grins stretched ear to ear, their button eyes—oversized and black—glinting with a cold, lifeless sheen, as if fixated on him.
Their mouths gaped unnaturally wide, lined with jagged black teeth, trails of dried crimson liquid oozing from the corners. With every hop, the fluid dripped onto the dusty floor with a nauseating plink.
Their limbs were grotesquely elongated, joints creaking like rusted hinges, their movements jerky and disjointed.
"What... what the hell are these things?!"
Lin Jiu’s heart hammered against his ribs, his legs locked in place as if nailed to the ground.
Sweat stung his eyes, blurring his vision, but he dared not blink—terrified the dolls would lurch forward the moment he did.
[Big brother, play with us...]
Their voices wove through the hollow building, a chorus of whispers that slithered into his mind, gnawing at his sanity.
Their hopping grew frenzied, closing the distance in seconds.
"System! Do something!"
Lin Jiu screamed inwardly. I’m the protagonist!
I can’t die here!
Then.
[Found you~]
A mocking voice dripped from above.
Lin Jiu looked up.
A hulking monstrosity hung inverted from the ceiling beams, its massive form shadowed by a swirling green specter clutching the Ten Thousand Demon Banner.
In the next heartbeat—
Whoosh!
The banner’s fog unfurled into tendrils of inky hair, cocooning Lin Jiu in a suffocating embrace.
As the darkness swallowed him whole, his final thought was sheer disbelief.
This... can’t be happening...
System... system...
[System terminated.......]
Lin Jiu: ???
...
Meanwhile.
Golden City, Financial District.
Boom!
As the Blood Fiend’s massive blade cleaved through the bank vault, the entire financial center shuddered like a torn wound, blood gushing from severed steel beams and staining the glass facades crimson.
On the edge of his blade, coagulated blood formed into a nine-headed serpent, each maw gaping wide, venom dripping from fangs that sizzled as they corroded the ground.
The wealthiest family in Gold City—
Young Master Wang cowered inside a safety deposit box, fingers trembling as he swiped frantically across his phone screen.
His [Ultimate Tycoon System] was blaring warnings, his balance hemorrhaging nine-digit sums every second, as if some unseen force was devouring his fortune.
Just moments ago, he’d been busy wooing a starlet.
Then—out of nowhere—she collapsed, and he found himself under attack.
Forced to flee, he’d taken refuge in what was touted as Gold City’s most secure financial stronghold.
But—
CRASH!
When the monster tore through the bank walls and pried open his hiding place—
This—
This was clearly no sanctuary.
“I’ll transfer it all! Take every penny!” Young Master Wang’s voice cracked with terror as he stared up at the Blood Fiend.
Yet—
“Kill you, and your wealth still belongs to our King.”
The Blood Fiend cracked his neck.
The nine-headed serpent on his blade roared in unison.
The words barely faded—
Before the crimson serpent lunged.
THUD.
Young Master Wang slumped to the floor, his phone screen dead.
The system’s final alert echoed in his ears:
[WARNING! Hostile superior system detected—]
...
High above the city—
Qin Luo treated the night sky as his chessboard.
His long fingers placed black pieces—each one a coalescence of shadow and the stolen fortunes of so-called “Chosen Ones.”
Across the celestial board, swarms of black pieces encircled the white.
“Heh…”
A faint smirk curled Qin Luo’s lips.
Chosen Ones… enjoy your night.
Beside him, a pair of scissors floated—
SNIP. SNIP.
One by one, the threads of destiny tied to those favored by fate were severed.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
