You Can Call Me Abu

"Ding."

An ethereal notification tone, devoid of any sense of a physical source, suddenly rang out deep in his mind.

Wuling's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively looked down at the phone in his palm.

The screen was clear, still on the lock screen. The alarm app had long since been completely shut down. There were no notifications, reminders, or pop-ups.

The screen was lit, silent and still.

"Strange, I distinctly remember turning off the alarm."

Wuling murmured to himself and swiped the screen to check.

He had indeed manually switched off this morning's alarm at the first opportunity, stopping it completely. It couldn't possibly have made another sound.

But that "ding" had been unmistakably real, perfectly clear as it reached his ears and registered in his mind.

Where had the sound come from?

The question had only just arisen in his mind, before he had time to think it through.

Another ethereal, cold mechanical notification rang through his mind without warning.

"Ding. Congratulations, host binding successful. Activating system."

This time, it was perfectly clear. It could not have been an illusion.

"A system?"

Wuling was utterly stunned.

Isn't this an urban slice-of-life story? Why is there a system? Am I going to cultivate immortality later?

But the next second, the cold, steady mechanical announcement sounded again without mercy.

"System startup successful. Now officially activated."

"Identity verification in progress..."

"Verification complete."

"AI Assistance System successfully unlocked. Officially bound to host—Wuling."

The moment the final notification sounded,

formless, intangible streams of data poured silently from the depths of the void, spreading along his consciousness and throughout his body.

Deep within his consciousness, it was as though a vast, cold, precise virtual space had appeared.

Countless tiny streams of pale blue data flowed, rose, sank, and operated quietly, like the soundwave ribbons of light in last night's dream.

"What on earth is..."

Wuling's lips trembled slightly, his eyes filled with utter shock and bewilderment. His mind went completely blank.

Everything that had happened in those few seconds had overturned the understanding he had held for more than a decade.

"What, are you stunned?"

A sudden voice came from beside him, and Wuling whipped his head around.

A round, milky-white unidentified creature was floating in the air before him.

A vermilion, four-pointed star marked the center of its forehead. A pair of enormous drooping ears hung out to either side. Its left eye was a warm golden amber, while its right was a clear icy blue.

Even more surprising, its pupils were the same shape as the star on its forehead.

Seeing the person before it staring blankly, the little milky-white beast floated up in front of him and waved a paw.

"Hey, hey, you weren't really scared silly, were you?"

Coming back to his senses, Wuling saw the unidentified creature in front of him. Every nerve in his body instantly tensed, and he warily backed away two steps.

"What are you?"

The little beast blinked its mismatched eyes. Seeing him looking as though he were facing a formidable enemy, it couldn't help bursting into laughter, its little body quivering and swaying in the air.

It raised its little pink paws and folded them across its chest with an air of feigned maturity, then proudly lifted its round little face.

"Remember this: I'm not some thing. I have a name. It's Abu, and I'm the physical manifestation of the system you just bound."

"Simply put—"

The little beast paused, flecks of light glimmering faintly in its two differently colored eyes.

"I am your system, and the system is me."

Abu hovered lightly in midair, its soft, childish voice carrying a touch of innate pride and composure.

Wuling's heart sank sharply, but his taut nerves did not relax in the slightest.

"You're the system's physical manifestation?"

Wuling suppressed the turbulent emotions surging in his heart. His voice was faintly, almost imperceptibly hoarse, and his gaze remained wary.

"Why did you bind yourself to me? I'm just an ordinary student at Star Torch Academy. I don't have a special physique or any unusual talent. Why would the system choose me?"

Unexpected gifts often came with hidden costs. The more bizarre they were, the more likely there was something concealed beneath the surface.

Hearing this, Abu swayed its enormous drooping ears, scratched the tuft of hair sticking up on its head with a little pink paw, and casually spun in a circle as it floated.

"Ordinary?"

It gave a soft, derisive chuckle, its tone carrying a hint of distant wisdom, as though it saw through everything.

"Other people being ordinary doesn't mean you are. In fact, you're the most special one of all."

"There are some things I can't tell you yet, but don't worry, I won't hurt you. Besides, you've read so many novels. When have you ever seen a system harm its host?"

"Besides, we're deeply bound now. We share both glory and ruin, so you can rest completely assured."

Only after hearing Abu say that did Wuling's taut nerves relax a little.

But the doubts in his heart had not entirely faded. Common sense ingrained over more than a decade couldn't be completely shattered by a few words.

"The most special one?"

Wuling repeated the words quietly, his brow furrowing slightly.

"What does that mean?"

In his nineteen years of life, he had always followed a dull, conventional path. He had never had any fortuitous encounters, though there had been a few more abnormalities.

If even that counted as special, then what the world called ordinary was far too ironic.

Abu swayed its chubby body and slowly settled on Wuling's shoulder, its little paws gripping his collar and its warm, soft fur brushing against his neck.

"The kind of special you can't see with the naked eye is the most precious."

Its soft voice sounded by his ear, carrying an ethereal quality.

"The time isn't right yet, so I can't say much. Anyway, stick with me and your life will be completely different from now on. Your peaceful, ordinary days ended the moment you bound yourself to me."

The moment the words fell, a cold, clear mechanical notification sounded in Wuling's mind again.

[AI Assistance System functions unlocked]

[Beginner's exclusive gift pack issued. Open it now?]

A pale blue virtual screen suddenly unfolded before his eyes and hovered in midair. Its translucent interface was clean and simple, with countless tiny streams of data circulating slowly around its edges, giving off a cold, faint glow.

This time, the image was perfectly real, no illusion. It appeared clearly in his field of vision, and even when he blinked and turned his gaze, the screen remained steadily suspended, closely aligned with his conscious perception.

Wuling's pupils contracted slightly. He instinctively raised a hand and lightly touched the virtual screen with his fingertips.

It felt solid to the touch. As his fingertips touched the screen, a cool stream of data flowed from them into every part of his body, bringing a faint tingling sensation that spread through his nerves.

The real sensation utterly shattered his last trace of wishful thinking.

It was all real.

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Abu lay on his shoulder and wagged its short little tail, its tone a little smug.

"This is my exclusive system interface. All your abilities, missions, and gains will be displayed here from now on. Hurry up and open the beginner's gift pack. Get your new life off to a good start!"

Wuling gazed at the blue screen before him, his heart beating a little faster beyond his control.

He fell silent for two seconds, suppressed all the jumbled thoughts in his mind, and said silently, Open.

[Beginner's gift pack opened successfully!]

[Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Basic Physique Enhancement (passive), Perception Amplification (beginner), Daily Crisis Prediction, and 100 initial points]

[Physique Enhancement: Subtly optimizes the host's bodily functions, improving physique, endurance, and recovery. No side effects. Continuously active]

[Perception Amplification: Strengthens the five senses, improving observation and insight. Can capture minute details overlooked by ordinary people]

[Crisis Prediction: Passive skill. Can sense unknown risks lurking nearby in advance within a certain range, issuing a warning to the consciousness when triggered]

[Points: Can be used to exchange for skills, supplies, and permissions. Earned by completing system missions]

A series of notification tones rang out one after another, imprinting themselves clearly on his mind.

At the same time, a gentle, sustained warmth suddenly welled up from every part of his body, slowly soaking into his bones and flesh.

There was no intense pain, only a warm, comfortable sensation spreading through him. The slight fatigue from sitting for so long after waking vanished, and his muscles and bones felt loose and light.

He keenly noticed the changes.

The breeze stirring the distant treetops outside the window, the soft snatches of conversation from pedestrians downstairs, and even the dust drifting in the air now registered with perfect clarity in his eyes and ears.

His five senses had been greatly amplified. In his eyes, the whole world seemed to have instantly become countless times clearer and more vivid.

"Is this... the power I have after being enhanced?"

Wuling instinctively clenched his hand, feeling a firm strength beneath his fingertips. A vitality he had not felt in a long time surged through his body, leaving him utterly different from before.

As he was now, he felt he could kill a bull with a single punch.