Chapter 4

May 19, 2000, 12:00:00 PM!

He Ping's mind went blank, filled only with this time. In the year 2000, He Ping was only twelve years old. On May 19, there was not much time left before he graduated from elementary school. For most people, this might have been just an insignificant day. If you randomly stopped someone on the street and asked what they were doing on May 19 of their sixth-grade year, they would probably just stare blankly and say, "What kind of nonsense! Who remembers something like that?"

But He Ping was different. He would never forget that day. Even if he were to become senile in his old age, he would never forget that Friday in sixth grade. Because that day was the last day he lived as a rich second-generation young master. The next day, May 20, his father would be taken away for allegedly producing and selling controlled knives and illegally possessing firearms. From then on, his life would change completely.

He Ping's eyes gradually turned red, and he exuded an indescribable aura. If one had to describe it with a single word, it would be "killing intent." However, He Ping didn't actually know what killing intent was. Even the so-called "killing intent" that seemed tangible between the two armies was just a term he had come up with. But at that moment, He Ping did indeed have killing intent, even though he had only killed one person so far.

The reason for He Ping's intense killing intent was simple. It wasn't because he had any grievances against his father or dissatisfaction with the authorities who took his father away. It was because he always believed that his father was not a fool and would not make mistakes on major issues. Especially at that time, his family was already very wealthy and had no need to take risks by selling controlled knives. In other words, he always believed that his father had been framed!

Looking at his child's body and the date on the gate, He Ping pushed the door without a word. According to his current understanding, he had returned to the day before his father was taken away, when he was twelve years old. If he entered this gate, he could return to the day in his original world. That way, he might have time to investigate the truth. If his father was indeed framed, He Ping would not let the real culprit off easily!

However, what frustrated He Ping was that the gate did not budge despite his strong force. At this moment, he noticed that the words on the gate were grayish-white, which, based on his experience with computers and phones, usually indicated that something was not usable. In the corner of the gate, there were some small words that he had not noticed before, as his main focus had been on the time.

Civilization Level: Level 4.

System Activation Level Required: Level 2.

What does this mean? The gate can't be opened yet? He Ping was anxious. Time was of the essence. If he couldn't return to his original world soon, it would be too late to save his father. If his father was taken away and his factory was sealed, even if He Ping found evidence to prove his father's innocence later, he would not be able to return to his original life. Thinking of this, He Ping stretched out his foot to try to kick the door open, but he froze again as he noticed that the time on the gate was still 12:00:00 PM, unchanged from before. He realized that the time was frozen, not even the seconds were ticking. This discovery made He Ping both relieved and puzzled. He couldn't figure out what kind of situation he was in.

"Level 4 civilization makes sense. It means the original world is already at Level 4 in terms of civilization. But what does the required system level for activation mean? Wait! System level!?" He Ping had a sudden realization. He had seen similar words on the desktop earlier. Thinking of this, he immediately returned to the desktop control panel in the center of the tower. He saw a square in the center of the display screen that read "System Status."

He Ping instinctively wanted to tap the square, but he soon realized that his short legs and arms couldn't reach the center of the desktop display. After a few twitches of his eyes, He Ping jumped onto the desktop and stood on the narrow edge of the display screen. He squatted down, gritted his teeth, and stretched out his hand to firmly press the square in the center of the display that showed the system status.

"Whoosh!"

The square immediately expanded, covering most of the desktop in an instant. The rows of data on the screen made He Ping's head spin:

Portable Arsenal System (V1.0.11689_beta)

Host Individual Identification Name: He Ping

Current System Level: Level 1

War Points Required for Next Level: 1000

Current War Points: 0

Current Resource Points: 0

Current Special Skill Points: 5

Current Extra Skill Points: 10

Current Maximum Daily Production: 100

Current Maximum Inventory: 1000

What the hell is all this! Despite his anxiety, He Ping carefully examined each piece of data. One line caught his attention: Current System Level! It read Level 1, while the gate to the main world required a Level 2 system to activate. This meant that with the current Level 1 system, he couldn't activate the gate to his original world; he needed to reach Level 2.

How can I get to Level 2? He Ping's gaze moved down to the next line: War Points Required for Next Level. Did this mean that if he had enough war points, the system level could be upgraded? Seeing the 1000 behind this line, He Ping frowned. How could he get war points? His current war points were 0. With a trial mindset, He Ping, who was squatting on the edge of the desktop display, tapped the words "War Points."

He Ping didn't expect to find an answer here. He was already prepared for a long battle, but the result was somewhat surprising. The words "War Points" turned out to be a link. As He Ping clicked, a not-so-large square popped up, which read: System Upgrade Requirements. When selling weapons and equipment at a price above the minimum, the system will award a certain number of war points based on the condition of the weapons and equipment. Note: The current world's currency and equivalent items are acceptable.

Seeing this, He Ping was momentarily stunned. When he saw the words "arsenal," he had been mentally prepared, but deep down, he still had a glimmer of hope that it might just be a metaphor. But now, it was clear. This was a real arsenal, a place for producing and selling weapons and equipment! And He Ping would never forget that his family's life had been destroyed by these things!