Chapter 2: Awakening of the System

A glowing holographic screen materialized before his eyes, displaying the details voiced in his head, words appearing one after another.

Lin Fang couldn’t help but rub his face. “Is this…” He looked at the glowing screen again, murmuring. “Afterlife?”

A few months later;

Month of June, Year 2016;

Huaxi City, Lushan Province, Northern Yan;

The afternoon sun filtered through the dusty windowpanes of the little store, casting long shadows across the shelves lined with faintly glowing monster eggs.

Behind the counter sat Lin Fang, elbows on the table, chin resting in his palms.

His hair was slightly messy, and fatigue was clearly seen in his eyes. It’s not the fatigue from working too hard for hours. It is the kind of fatigue filled with depression, not getting the required results despite working hard.

On the holographic screen hovering in front of him appeared the same notification he had been seeing for weeks.

Main Quest: Sell 1000 System-Provided Eggs (Progress: 963 / 1000)

Lin Fang stared at the numbers as if sheer willpower could make them change.

Nothing did obviously.

With a soft sigh, he let his head fall to the counter. The holographic panel blinked idly without any emotions.

“It’s been 4 months since I regressed to the past and awakened the system, inheriting it from Dad. I inherited the Main Quest he didn’t get to complete, but man, look at those prices… Who would want to buy those eggs? They were of only rare quality and had the potential to reach Level-29, just an Elite Tier. They can’t even reach Commander Tier.” Lin Fang groaned in complaint, subtly banging his head against the counter again and again in frustration.

Each egg was tagged with a solid price of 1000 credits.

The system wouldn’t let him go a single credit lower.

He had tried to give a discount and was willing to pay from his own Pocket, but the system wouldn’t let him.

Every time he tried to bundle or lower the price, System Error: Mission Violation. Then the monster egg would disappear and return to his inventory. Some clients ran away, seeing the magic, while some were deeply offended.

In the end, after so much struggling, he managed to reduce it down to the last 37.

Lin Fang groaned and rolled his head sideways on the counter. The store was silent.

A broken fan above him creaked in a tired rhythm, swinging slightly but doing little to push the heat out.

Outside, the street was also quiet, save for the distant honking of a delivery van.

“I’m cursed,” he muttered. “No grades. No family. No money. No customers. In the novels, Protagonists become lucky after gaining such a system. But me… I couldn’t do a damn thing. To survive, not only do I have to look for a store for the entire day, but I also have to work a part-time job at night. I barely slept during the past few weeks. At this rate, I need to look for another part-time job. Only had like 14,000 credits in the bank, barely enough to cover the EMIs and the bills this month. Ugh… do I have no choice but to sell this building?”

Just as those words escaped his mouth, as if the god was listening to him, the door creaked open.

*Ding!

A mechanical chime rang in the store. But to Lin Fang, it sounded like the trumpet of heaven.

He shot up in his seat, trying to tame his hair and straighten his shirt in one motion.

He saw a middle-aged man, sharply dressed in a dark suit and glasses, entering the store. He had this air of confidence as he walked to the counter, well, at least in the eyes of Lin Fang.

“Good afternoon, sir.” Lin Fang said, beaming with desperate energy, he gathered. “Welcome to Origin Pet World. We sell the finest monster eggs this side of the district.”

The man didn’t respond immediately. He scanned the shelves, taking in the modest layout, the slightly worn floors, and the faint smell of incense and dust. Then he nodded, stepping forward with a businesslike expression.

“Hello, my name is Chen Yu. I represent the Eastern Sun Group,” the man said in a low and calm voice. “We’re interested in acquiring this property.”

Lin Fang blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“We’re purchasing all the buildings on this block. The group is planning to build a flagship supermarket in this area. Your store is part of the plan, Owner Lin.”

“Sorry, I’m not selling,” Lin Fang replied quickly on instinct. Then, more gently, he added in a softer tone. “This place… is all I have.”

Chen Yu didn’t argue about that. He simply took out his smartphone, and a PDF document was opened as he placed it on the counter and pushed it toward him, displaying Lin Fang’s bank details in terrifying clarity. Negative balances. Overdue interest. Rent deferrals. Power bill extensions. Even the late fees from the city’s merchant license authority.

Lin Fang stared at the phone. For a second, he felt like his throat went dry.

Chen Yu then continued, “Owner Lin, The Offer is 1,150,000 credits. It was an additional amount on top of clearing your debts. That includes your student loan and your housing mortgage. If you agree to this offer, you will be debt-free and have significant money to restart your business elsewhere.”

Lin Fang hesitated. “That would mean… I will lose this house too.”

The man nodded. “Yes. But you walk away clean. Let us be honest. You’ve been running this place alone for a long time… 5 years, is it? And quite frankly, you are very bad at running this business.”

Lin Fang couldn’t speak. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Because it was a fact that he ran the business for 5 years, as soon as he graduated from high school, except that this time, he regressed back into the past with the knowledge of the future. With the right investments, he can solve his debts.

But where can he get that capital from? With such huge debts and a low credit score, he might not get enough loans from the banks.

Chen Yu then took back the smartphone with a smirk on his face, watching Lin Fang’s expression. He straightened his cuffs and said. “Think about it. I’ll return in two days.”

He turned around to walk out. The door had barely creaked open when Lin Fang’s voice called out behind the suited man.

“Wait!”

Chen Yu paused, his polished shoe half-raised to step outside. He turned his head slightly, raising a brow beneath those sharp glasses. “Yes?”

Lin Fang then stepped around the counter. His heart raced as he said loudly. “I’ve thought about your offer, and I won’t negotiate further. 1,150,000 credits on top of clearing all my debts. I can agree to this offer, but…”

Chen Yu raised both brows, “But?”

“I have conditions.”

The man stepped back into the store, folding his arms. “Go on.”

“Before I sign anything, you’ll need to buy everything in the store. not as a part of the deal but as a customer.”

Chen Yu smirked, his gaze sweeping lazily over the neatly arranged shelves, the corner cabinet, and the humming refrigeration unit in the back.

“There’s hardly anything here.”

“I’ll print you the list,” Lin Fang replied, already stepping to the PC, opening the list.

It took a minute or two. The printer sputtered a few times before coming to life.

Lin Fang handed it over. “Thirty-seven monster eggs. Priced at 1,000 credits each. And roughly three hundred and fifty kilograms of pet feed and other accessories. Add it all up, it’s 81,542 credits.”

Chen Yu took the receipt, eyes scanning quickly. His brow furrowed slightly. “Expensive eggs for Elite Rank potential,” he muttered. “But fine. You’re not haggling, and we need this property. I assume you’ll prepare to sign the transfer contract right away, once I buy these things?”

“I will. Just one more thing.” Lin Fang’s voice turned firmer now, his heart barely able to keep up with the excitement. “I need a month before the handover.”

Chen Yu nodded in understanding. “Very well. You can have one month. Shall we proceed with the signatures?”

The man tapped the smartphone, making the transaction.

A soft beep was heard from the computer, confirming the purchase.

“Payment complete,” Chen Yu said. “The items are now company assets.”

Lin Fang gave a small, thankful bow. “Thanks for doing business. Now, if you please wait, I will go ahead and fetch the documents.”

“Alright.”

At the same time, a sudden ring echoed, not through the store, but inside Lin Fang’s head this time.

*Ding!

[Main Quest Completed]

[Click to receive your reward.]

The holographic screen shimmered into existence before him. The last notification was blinking, waiting for him to press his finger on it.

However, not intending to seem like a creep or a weird fellow, he didn’t click the holographic screen in front of this stranger, and instead, he turned and walked toward the staircase in the back, the creaky steps leading to his residence.

Upstairs, sunlight filtered through a half-open window, brushing against worn shelves and a tiny bed rolled with faded sheets.

Lin Fang reached into a safe tucked in the corner of a wardrobe and pulled out the house deed.

Once it was in his hands, he finally tapped Receive Reward.

Instantly, a blinding light engulfed him, white and pure, engulfing his surroundings.

*Ding!

[System Upgrade: Initiating…]

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