Task

"Host, don't be nervous. I'm an intelligent system that travels through time and space. I've been to many different spacetime dimensions, and now I reside in your brain."

"A parasite? Are you going to eat my brain?" Qin Ze jumped in fright.

"...No. Intelligent lifeforms in the three-dimensional world have difficulty understanding my definition. You may think of me as the Golden Finger of a male protagonist in an online novel."

"Oh!" Qin Ze nodded, then suddenly sprang up from his seat. "As if I'd believe you. I'm going to the hospital..."

But the moment he stood up, his body abruptly stopped obeying him, and he plopped back down into his seat.

Qin Baobao stared at him blankly. "What are you doing?"

Qin Ze pulled a long face. "Sis, save me. I think I need emergency treatment."

"Are you nuts?" Qin Baobao protected the phone against her chest with one hand while cautiously reaching over with the other to touch his forehead. "Has your brain gone haywire?"

"No, it's in my head... I'm fine." The words that came out of his mouth were completely against his will. At the same time, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind. "Host, take note. Do not expose my existence, or you will be eliminated."

"What exactly are you?" Qin Ze roared inwardly. "You can even control my body? Don't feed me that system nonsense. I can tell reality from fiction."

"I have visited many spacetime dimensions and changed hosts many times. There have been plenty like you. It's fine; you'll accept it eventually. Your first task now is to help Qin Baobao sign with Star Arts Entertainment Co., Ltd. Success will earn you points. Failure will deduct them. If your points are reduced to zero..."

Qin Ze trembled. "Elimination?"

"Not quite. I will simply choose a new host."

"Good riddance."

"But I exhausted all my energy traveling to this spacetime dimension. I can only select a new host in your world. To leave my current host, I would need to drain all the energy from your body. Are you sure you wish to give up?"

"Wait a minute! What will happen if you drain all my energy?"

"You will become a vegetable."

"I love Golden Fingers more than anything... Are you sure you won't eat my brain?"

"I won't!"

"Then what should I do now?"

"The task has begun. You have three hours. Repeating the task: help Qin Baobao sign with Star Arts Entertainment Company. Success will reward three hundred points. Failure will deduct one hundred points."

"Sis, it's not like you can't enter the Entertainment industry, but we need to think this through carefully." Qin Ze put on a gentle smile, like an old teacher patiently guiding a student.

"Your brain really has gone haywire. I'll call 120 for you..." Qin Baobao frowned and pulled out her phone to dial.

"Call 120 my ass." Qin Ze lunged at his sister like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, wrapping his arms around her soft body and snatching the phone back.

Qin Baobao assumed he wanted to grab the phone and report her. Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, she fought Qin Ze for her life, clinging to his 1.72-meter-tall frame like a koala.

Qin Ze lifted her by the butt with one hand and tossed her onto the living room sofa. He tilted his head back to evade his sister's Face-Grabbing Divine Skill while shouting, "Stop messing around! Let's talk business. I agree to let you become a star."

"You're not lying?" Qin Baobao's hair was a mess, her cheeks slightly flushed after their fierce struggle. Her watery phoenix eyes glared at him.

"I'm not lying."

"Good little brother, you're my favorite." Qin Baobao immediately beamed and planted kisses all over Qin Ze's face.

"But entertainment companies aren't that easy to get into. A pretty face alone won't make them want you." Qin Ze frowned. "Let me think this over."

"No need to think it over. As long as you don't report me, it's fine. I was already prepared." Qin Baobao sat on the sofa with her legs folded beneath her. "When I quit my job, my boss asked why I was leaving. I told him I wanted to give the Entertainment industry a try. He happened to have some connections at Star Arts Entertainment Company and put in a word for me beforehand. I just need to go for an interview at ten today."

Qin Ze finally understood. The road had already been paved. His sister had come clean because they lived together and she couldn't hide it from him. And the system's task just so happened to involve Star Arts Entertainment Company. That clearly wasn't a coincidence. Come to think of it, he was just a college student. How could he possibly have the ability to help Qin Baobao sign with an entertainment company? This made the task much easier. It was like a rookie fresh out of the beginner village, with the village chief saying: Brave warrior, go kill the Big Boss for me... Oh, that boss only has one HP left.

Now that made sense.

The interview was at ten, and it was only eight thirty, so they still had plenty of time. Qin Baobao happily went to her room to change. When she came back out, she looked like a completely different person: a PORTS Women's Business Suit over a pure white blouse, no stockings, and black high heels, turning her into a capable workplace powerhouse. She had even put on exquisite makeup.

Qin Baobao's features had already been flawless. With makeup on, she was simply breathtaking. Qin Ze hurriedly covered his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Qin Baobao ran a hand through her chestnut curls draped over her shoulders.

"You're blinding my dog eyes." Qin Ze said dramatically.

"You idiot." Qin Baobao rolled her eyes at him, but the upturned corners of her lips gave away her smug delight.

The siblings took the elevator down to the residential complex's underground parking garage. Qin Baobao's ride was a red Little BMW. It had cost half a year's salary, plus several tens of thousands she had asked from home. She had bought it at the beginning of the year, and it was still brand-new.

Qin Baobao kicked off her high heels in the car and tossed them to Qin Ze in the passenger seat. The Little Red Horse backed out of its parking space, then, once it had enough room, shot off in a flash.

Star Arts Entertainment Company was twenty kilometers from Qin Ze's residential complex, with an entire district between them. It was also rush hour, and Shanghai City traffic could jam badly enough to make you question your life. After the Little Red Horse left the complex and passed two traffic lights, it successfully got onto the elevated road, then began crawling along at thirty or forty kilometers per hour.

Holding his sister's high heels, Qin Ze leaned back in his seat and pretended to doze while communicating with the system in his mind. "What exactly are you?"

"The Universe Calculation System."

"What kind of thing is that?"

"Intelligent lifeforms in the three-dimensional world find it difficult to understand my definition. My ultimate purpose was to calculate the universe."

"Why are you in my brain?" Qin Ze didn't understand, so he changed the subject.

"I select hosts at random. The hosts I choose in every spacetime dimension are random."

"Every spacetime dimension?" Qin Ze said, "That sounds impressive, even if I don't understand it."

"Time and space are the universe's greatest mysteries. Time flows in only one direction, while space endlessly overlaps. The universe is so vast it has no borders, and the number of planets with intelligent life is beyond counting. My abilities only involve the domain of space, so I have visited many spacetime dimensions. Every intelligent lifeform that became my host was a prominent figure of their era."

"O mighty one, please accept my kneel." Qin Ze cracked a joke, then asked, "I've read novels. Does that mean I can pluck stars and seize the moon, become immortal, and never die?"

"I have visited similar worlds."

Qin Ze grew excited. "Then can I cultivate immortality? Can I live forever?"

"How ridiculous. Nothing in this world is eternal. Even the sun will one day come to an end. According to my calculations, the universe is not eternal either. Including me."

"Then can I live as long as the sun?"

"No. The formation of a world depends on many factors. Every world is different, and the laws governing them differ as well. In your world, humans cannot fly through the heavens or burrow through the earth by themselves."

"What use are you, then?" Qin Ze was deeply disappointed. Every boy had a dream of becoming an immortal hero.

"Qin Ze, born in 1995. Average physique, average intelligence, average grades. You have lived an utterly ordinary life from childhood to adulthood. Based on your current life trajectory, your sister Qin Baobao will be the most beautiful woman you ever see, and you will live your entire life in mediocrity. But I can change your life and alter your fate, so I believe I am still useful."

"Now that you put it that way, I really want to die." Qin Ze covered his face. "What can you do?"

"Next is the beginner guidance phase. Please open the system interface."

"How am I supposed to open it? At least give me a controller. Do I just shout at the sky, 'System interface,' and it'll pop up?" The instant Qin Ze finished speaking, a glowing blue virtual interface appeared before his eyes, reminding him of the 3D projections he had seen online.

At the top left of the virtual interface were the words "Qin Ze." Beneath them were two options: Tasks and Points Shop!

Qin Ze reached out and tapped "Tasks." The virtual interface displayed the task details: Main Mission: Help Qin Baobao sign with Star Arts Entertainment Co., Ltd. Success would reward three hundred points, while failure would deduct one hundred points.

When he tapped Points Shop, a prompt appeared instead: This function has not yet been unlocked!

"System, what's in the Points Shop?"

"Things that can help you reach the pinnacle of life."

"It hasn't been unlocked because I currently have zero points?"

"Yes. Please work hard, Host."

"I want to ask, what the hell is this task?"

"Tasks are not ghosts, but I roughly understand what the Host means. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to obtain something, you must put in effort. If you want to exchange points for items in the shop, you must continuously complete tasks."

"What conditions cause tasks to appear? Don't tell me you'll make me commit murder, arson, or molest little girls."

"The conditions for task generation are determined by the Host's current circumstances, the people and events around the Host, and the Host's inner desires."

"Then if I want to molest little girls, is it possible that a task to molest little girls will appear?"

"Yes."

"That's enough." Qin Ze's mouth twitched. Who didn't have a few dark thoughts?

"When encountering similar tasks, the Host may choose to give up. The system will automatically deduct points."

"Huh, there's a task item here?" Qin Ze noticed a line of gray text at the end of the task details: "Task Item."

"This is an auxiliary item for the first task. The activation conditions have not yet been met. Please wait patiently, Host."

At that moment, Qin Baobao turned to glance at him curiously. "Why are you waving your arms around?"

"My brain's gone haywire, okay?" Qin Ze said as he casually closed the system interface.

Qin Baobao snorted, looked ahead, and focused on driving. Qin Ze stared blankly at his sister's profile: her straight, handsome nose, thin lips, and slightly raised chin reminded him of a Greek sculpture. They did not resemble each other at all. Qin Baobao had been praised by relatives for being pretty and adorable since childhood, and unsurprisingly grew into a great beauty. She had been the prettiest girl in kindergarten and the school belle after she started school. The love letters she received would have been enough for Qin Ze to wipe his ass with for ten years. Qin Ze, on the other hand, was far more ordinary. His features were decent, and at best he could be called mildly handsome. He had seen photographs of his father when he was young and could only say he had been fairly good-looking. His mother was merely delicate and pretty. Together, they had a daughter and passed every last good gene on to their eldest child. By the time it was Qin Ze's turn, he came out perfectly average.

So Qin Ze often grumbled to himself that he was the free gift that came with topping up phone credit. There was a reason for that.