Chapter 4

The cover of the book was a pure black, with only the four letters "BOOK" on it. Opening to the first page, there were large lines of text:

BOOK: Lv1 (0/100)

Pet (1/1): Matcha

Level: Lv1 (0/10)

Loyalty: 100

Ability: Time Stop, Duration 3s, Cooldown 3s

Behind the pet's level and ability, there was a small plus sign, but it was grayed out. Zhao Yao tried to turn the page, but felt the entire book enveloped by an invisible force, making it impossible to flip any further. He could only see words like "Tasks," "Diamond Hall," "Evolution," and "Breeding" on the side labels, but he couldn't open them no matter what.

Looking at the introduction in the book, Zhao Yao's curiosity grew even more intense: 'Based on my tests with Matcha, his ability is exactly as described in the book. So time stop is this silly cat's ability, and my ability is this book? He's Lv1, and my BOOK is also Lv1?'

Recalling the process of how countless pieces of information, desires, and emotions in his mind formed this book, Zhao Yao suspected that the book was his true ability, and time stop was Matcha's ability.

After not sleeping for a day, Zhao Yao took a day off to rest. He called the landlord to fix the chandelier in the bedroom. The next day, he decided to go to work.

He needed to carefully plan what to do with his superpower. This superpower would clearly bring him countless benefits, but it could also attract the envy of others. Therefore, he decided to maintain his life as it was and keep a calm mind.

...

The next morning, Matcha lay on the sofa, grabbing a handful of dried fish and stuffing it into his mouth. His big eyes were fixed on the TV, which was playing the anime "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."

Seeing the character in the show use the time stop ability, Matcha's pupils contracted slightly: "Oh~~ There's actually such a use for it."

After saying that, the dried fish in the bowl flashed, and in the next moment, it had already been teleported into Matcha's mouth. Clearly, he had used his superpower to throw the fish into his mouth during the time stop, making it look like he was moving objects through the air.

When Zhao Yao came out of the bedroom and saw Matcha lying on the sofa, he said helplessly, "You're eating too much. Look at you now, you're getting fatter and fatter. Be careful, or you'll get fatty liver and high blood pressure in the future."

Matcha rolled his eyes: "Please, I'm an orange cat. I gain weight just by drinking water."

Zhao Yao couldn't help but roll his eyes as well: "If you get so fat that you can't even lick your butt, don't expect me to clean up after you."

Despite saying this, Zhao Yao couldn't resist petting Matcha's head. The latter closed his eyes in enjoyment and said, "Harder, a bit harder."

While petting Matcha, Zhao Yao thought: '3 seconds of time stop, if used properly, can be a way to make money. But it needs to have minimal side effects, be legal, and not expose my ability...'

Zhao Yao already had some ideas, but he was still carefully considering them. However, he understood that if the time stop ability had no severe side effects and he could keep it forever, his future would be boundless.

At 8:30, Zhao Yao left on time. He bought a bun at the entrance of the neighborhood and walked for five minutes to reach the company building.

Living close to the company was the main reason he rented this house.

Zhao Yao worked as a programmer, having graduated a year ago. His salary was barely considered above average among his peers.

While he didn't worry about food and drink, it was far from enough to buy a house and a car in the big city of Jianghai. So, after discovering his time stop ability, the first thing he thought about was making a lot of money to buy a house and a car in this international metropolis.

When he arrived at the company, he greeted his familiar colleagues and sat at his desk.

At that moment, a beautiful figure entered his field of vision, immediately capturing most of his attention.

It was a girl with bright eyes and a radiant smile, long flowing hair, and big, expressive eyes that sparkled like stars. Her skin was as smooth as a peeled egg, and her long, straight legs drew most of Zhao Yao's attention.

Zhao Yao knew this girl; she was a new graduate in the company's HR department, named Song Jiayue. She had just graduated from a nearby university this year.

As he watched her slowly walk into the HR office, Zhao Yao's mind was still filled with her image.

He wasn't very familiar with her, but a girl as beautiful as her naturally attracted more attention. Just looking at her made Zhao Yao feel better.

In fact, besides Zhao Yao, several other male colleagues in the company had already started pursuing Song Jiayue.

Although Zhao Yao liked her a bit, after working for a year, he understood the foundation of love and marriage better, so he had never dared to make a move.

But now, with the time stop ability, he had different thoughts.

The next moment, the ability activated, and time instantly stopped. Looking at all the motionless, frozen colleagues, Zhao Yao felt a surge of emotion.

'I am no longer an ordinary person.'

'I now have the ability to live the life I want.'

The three seconds passed in an instant, and Zhao Yao looked at the world returning to normal, his eyes flashing with confidence.

At that moment, the book in his mind glowed brightly, and the page labeled "Tasks" opened unconsciously.

He saw the following:

Task: To become stronger, start with eating.

Objective: Earn one million RMB within a month to provide high-quality food for Matcha, and stop feeding him any toxic food.

Task Reward: 10 experience points

Failure Penalty: Deduct 10 experience points

Seeing the sudden task content in the book, Zhao Yao's eyes flashed, but when he saw the task objective, he couldn't help but curse.

"Earn one million in a month? Why don't you just tell me to rob a bank?"

"And this deduction of 10 experience points? Matcha's experience points are currently 0. If 10 points are deducted, will he lose his superpower? Or if my book is deducted from 0 points, will the book disappear?"

Seeing the task penalty, Zhao Yao immediately felt a deep sense of malice. However, after a brief moment of frustration, he quickly reacted: "One million is a lot, but with my time stop ability, it's not impossible."

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Yao already had some ideas. He immediately opened his computer browser and started looking up information.

A moment later, he sent a leave email but noticed that his boss wasn't in the office today.

Looking at the time, Zhao Yao frowned: "Forget it, I'll go first."

He had already made up his mind about how to earn one million.

"Thinking about it, the fastest way seems to be Macau."

There are many ways to earn money using the time stop ability, and gambling is one of the fastest. Macau is the best place in China for gambling.