Chapter 3

Chapter 2: The Revived Soul

Su Jing found himself seemingly suspended in an endless sea. For a moment, he thought he would drown, but he was surprised to find that he no longer had the organs for breathing. He seemed to be nothing more than a consciousness floating in the void.

Memories of his life flashed by, finally settling on the speeding truck that had ended it all.

He never imagined that the afterlife would be so dull. He tried to feel sad for a moment but couldn't sense his heart, which made sense since he no longer had a body. His endocrine system had long since vanished, and it was fantastical enough that he could still think logically. Crying or laughing hysterically was out of the question.

Well, the good news was that he could still think. The bad news was that he seemed to be unable to do anything else.

No way, could it be that the afterlife was just an eternal void where only his thoughts could exist in isolation? Su Jing tried to panic but failed.

As if sensing his thoughts, a milky white light screen unfolded before him.

Su Jing realized he could once again perceive the concept of "color." The world transformed from a chaotic blur into a pure black universe, with only the softly glowing screen floating in front of him.

What does this thing want to do?

As Su Jing's thoughts focused, the screen began to display lines of text in what looked like size three Chinese black font.

【Welcome to the center of the infinite universe, adventurer. Your previous life has ended, and now your life value belongs to the World Core. Try your best to survive; this is your new life goal. Here, you will face every crisis you can imagine, and you will receive rewards beyond your wildest dreams. Power? Wisdom? The only thing you can rely on is the brilliance of your will. Your fate is in your hands, and the path to climb is at your feet. Good luck.】

【Please rate your experience with the World Core client service. One star. Two stars. Three stars. Four stars. Five stars.】

"......" Su Jing pressed the "one star" button with a blank expression, even though he had no hands. His consciousness seemed more effective than hands, allowing him to operate with a mere thought.

【Please provide your feedback on this service.】

"No welcoming lady? Even a virtual human interface would be better! Bad review!!"

【Thank you for your support of the World Core. Your feedback has been received. You will now begin your beginner's quest, which cannot be avoided.】

【Before entering the game, please draw your beginner's gift. Use it wisely, as it will grant you abilities beyond the ordinary. It will play an indispensable role in your beginner's quest.】

The milky white screen broke down into countless tiny light points, then suddenly coalesced into a massive wheel. The enormous wheel was divided into countless small sections, each with intricate patterns.

"......A lottery? Uh... Can I... I mean, can I retract my one-star review? I mean, not to flatter you, but I think my previous judgment might have been hasty... Mistakes should be given a chance to be corrected! How could a great will like yours haggle over a bad review... Hey! I'm wrong!! Please don't give me something useless!!"

Ignoring Su Jing's desperate pleas, the wheel began to spin slowly and inexorably, the small pointer passing over various colored sections. Some areas were noticeably brighter and more luxurious than the others, exuding an extraordinary aura.

Whether it was due to Su Jing's previous prayers, when he tried to see those bright areas, helpful pop-ups appeared, displaying the prizes.

"What?! A complete set of seven Dragon Balls from Namek?! A collection of divine martial arts?! A Dream Creator Brain Assistance System?! The Book of All Spells?! A True Dragon Ball Robot?! Spiral Force Implant?! Genetic Origin Transformation?! Immortal Body Conversion?! Sentinel Potion?! Kryptonian Bloodline?! Legendary Divine Beast Bloodline of Your Choice?! Divine Essence Creation?! Doraemon's Four-Dimensional Pocket?!"

One after another, these mind-blowing rewards floated past Su Jing's eyes, and each time the pointer passed over these astonishing options, he felt his non-existent heart would burst again.

When the pointer finally stopped on a plain silver section, Su Jing sighed.

"Such extravagant things... How could they be given as a beginner's gift? Even if it were possible, the probability would be infinitesimally small."

Resigned, he touched the silver section, and a few sparse colored fireworks exploded from it. The section then turned into light points and coalesced into—

"What is this?! I understand! It's my fault! I shouldn't have given you a one-star review!! I'm wrong!! Let me draw again!!"

As Su Jing screamed, the entire world went dark, and in the distance, a tiny white dot appeared. Su Jing was uncontrollably drawn towards it, accelerating until he was nearly at the speed of light.

In the light that Su Jing had become, a small silver object seemed to follow him.

It was a beetle.

————————————

On a bustling street, a young man stood with a dazed expression. He was dressed in black and white casual clothes, carrying a backpack and a black rolling suitcase.

Su Jing had been standing on the curb for a full twenty minutes.

After trying to pinch his thigh, punch a utility pole, and bang his head against the ground until his face was covered in blood, he ignored the puzzled looks from passersby and laughed to the sky:

"I'm alive again, hahahahahahaha—"

Everything he had experienced in the other world seemed like a nightmare. Su Jing walked into a nearby convenience store, bought a bottle of mineral water to clean the blood from his face, and sighed heavily.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a dream.

There were two reasons:

1. The silver beetle he had drawn in the dream was now perched on his shoulder.

2. He seemed to be able to communicate with a voice in his head.

【Beginner's Quest: Within seven days, obtain over ten million RMB or its equivalent. Any means are acceptable. At midnight on the seventh day, if you fail to obtain ownership of ten million RMB, you will be considered to have forfeited the game.】

This content seemed to be spoken by a cold voice in his head.

Su Jing also noticed that in the lower right corner of his vision, there was a number display showing 【5034.73】. Whether he opened or closed his eyes, even if he looked directly at the sun and saw a blur of stars, the 【5034.73】 remained unchanged in his field of vision.

"Sir, one roll of gauze and one bottle of mineral water, that's thirteen yuan and five jiao."

"Ah... Sorry, I was a bit distracted."

Su Jing fished out money from his pocket to pay, and then suddenly realized that the "World Core" had not only restored his life but also returned his possessions. His backpack and suitcase were the same items he had with him at the moment of his death, and his wallet and keys were still in his pocket.

After paying, he noticed the number had changed to 【5021.23】.

"Ma'am, where is this...?"

"Binhe Road, sigh, you young people, can't even read street signs."

"Uh... I mean, which city's Binhe Road is this?"

The old lady in the convenience store named a city in the southeastern coastal province, and Su Jing was stunned.

He had returned to the world he had lived in, which was indeed Earth and China.

Su Jing touched the bank card in his pocket, feeling a surge of impulse to return to his old life. But he immediately found it absurd.

He had already been expelled from school and had no reason to return to a place filled only with memories.

As for home... Su Jing shook his head, dispelling the unrealistic thoughts. Everyone was dead, and returning to that wasteland would be meaningless.

He had once sworn to never look back, to move forward straight and break through all the challenges fate had set for him.

Never look back. Never regret.

The silver beetle on his shoulder seemed to sense Su Jing's mood and flew in front of him. Su Jing extended his hand, and the beetle landed on his palm.

Upon closer inspection, the gift from the World Core was truly extraordinary. Its body was a translucent silver, with a round shell covered in tiny, transparent runes. The different refractive indices of the light allowed Su Jing to barely make out the intricate patterns.

As Su Jing observed it closely, a card appeared in his mind. It seemed to be his personal emblem.

【First Login, Codename: Su Jing. Personal Emblem Generating... Su Jing, Lower-Rank Adventurer, No Special Abilities. Held Item: Detection Demon Bug Larva.】

The patterns on the card changed several times, gradually forming a long sword. The hilt and the entire blade were entwined with long, thorny vines, giving it a strange and distorted beauty.

The beetle's image appeared on another small card. When Su Jing focused on it, the card instantly enlarged, and a clear explanation was imprinted in his mind.

【One-Star Item: Detection Demon Bug Larva.】

【In the multiverse, the insect race has a vast biological spectrum. Among them, some have evolved to possess unique abilities, forming higher insect lineages. This larva is a special breed created by a deity or demon. As it is currently a newly hatched larva, it has no offensive capabilities. However, it has already demonstrated some of its investigative and stealth abilities. When it bonds with a host, it can remotely connect to the host's visual nervous system.】

【Bonding Status: Unbonded.】

Following the instructions on the card, Su Jing dipped his finger in the blood on his forehead, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed it against the larva.

The transparent runes were instantly soaked in blood, and the larva trembled twice before unfolding its two layers of wings and flying up. It circled Su Jing a few times, then seemed to recognize him and darted into his left eye!

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