Mission

"Host, don't be nervous. I'm an intelligent system traveling through time and space, and I've visited many different dimensions. Right now, I'm residing in your brain."

"A parasitic creature? Are you going to eat my brain?" Qin Ze was startled.

"...No. Three-dimensional beings like you can hardly grasp my definition. You can think of me as the golden finger of a male lead in an online novel."

"Oh!" Qin Ze nodded, then suddenly shot up from his seat. "Like hell I believe you. I'm going to the hospital..."

But as soon as he stood up, his body went out of control, and he plopped back down.

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

Qin Ze's face crumpled. "Sis, help. I think I need medical attention."

"You're nuts." Qin Baobao shielded the phone at her chest with one hand and cautiously reached out with the other to feel his forehead. "Brain fried or what?"

"No, it's my brain... I'm fine." He couldn't help but say the opposite of what he meant, and at the same time, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind: "Host, be careful. Do not reveal my existence, or you will be eliminated."

"What the hell are you?" Qin Ze roared inwardly. "You can control my body too? Don't give me that system nonsense—I can tell reality from fiction."

"I've been to many dimensions and had many hosts. Plenty were 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 earns you points, failure deducts them. If your points hit zero..."

Qin Ze's voice trembled. "Elimination?"

"No. I'll just pick a new host."

"Goodbye, then."

"But I used up all my energy traveling to this dimension. I can only choose a new host within your world. If I leave the current host, I'll have to drain your body's energy. Are you sure you want to give up?"

"Wait a minute! What happens if you drain my energy?"

"You'll become a vegetable."

"I love golden fingers... Are you sure you won't eat my brain?"

"I won't!"

"So what do I do now?"

"Task begins. Time limit: three hours. Repeat task: Help Qin Baobao sign with Star Arts Entertainment Company. Success rewards three hundred points, failure deducts one hundred points."

"Sis, if you want to try the entertainment industry, it's not impossible, but we need to plan this out." Qin Ze put on a gentle smile, like an old teacher patiently guiding a student.

"Brain's definitely fried. I'll call 120 for you..." Qin Baobao frowned and pulled out her phone to dial.

"120 my ass!" Qin Ze lunged like a hungry tiger pouncing on a sheep, grabbing his sister's soft body and snatching the phone back.

Qin Baobao thought he was trying to take her phone to snitch, and she fought back like a mother hen protecting her chick, wrapping her tall, slender 1.72-meter frame around him like a koala.

Qin Ze hoisted her by the butt and tossed her onto the living room couch, tilting his head back to dodge her face-grabbing divine skill while shouting, "Stop it, stop it! Let's talk seriously. I agree—you can be a star."

"You're not lying?" Qin Baobao's hair was a mess, her face flushed from the struggle, her watery phoenix eyes glaring.

"I'm not lying."

"Good brother, I love you the most." Qin Baobao's face lit up with a grin, and she peppered Qin Ze's face with kisses.

"But getting into an entertainment company isn't that easy. They won't take you just for your face." Qin Ze frowned. "Let me think it over."

"No need to think. Just don't snitch—I've got it covered." Qin Baobao sat duck-style on the couch. "When I quit my job, my boss asked why. I said I wanted to try the entertainment industry. He happened to have some connections at Star Arts Entertainment Company and put in a word for me. I just need to go for an interview at ten today."

Qin Ze suddenly understood. The path was already paved. His sister had come clean because they lived together and she couldn't hide it. And the system's task targeting Star Arts Entertainment Company was clearly no coincidence. Thinking about it, it made sense. He was just a college student—how could he help his sister sign with an entertainment company? This way, the task difficulty was way lower. It was like a noob fresh out of the tutorial village, and the village chief says, "Brave warrior, go kill the big boss... oh, and the boss only has one HP left."

That was reasonable.

The interview was at ten, and it was now eight-thirty. Time was plenty. Qin Baobao excitedly went to her room to change. When she came out, she looked like a different person—a PORTS women's business suit, a plain white blouse underneath, no stockings, black high heels, transforming her into a sharp, capable career woman. She'd also put on delicate makeup.

Qin Baobao's features were already flawless, but with makeup, she was breathtaking. Qin Ze quickly covered his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Qin Baobao smoothed her shoulder-length chestnut curls.

"Blinding my dog eyes," Qin Ze said dramatically.

"You're such a dork." Qin Baobao shot him a glare, but the curl of her lips betrayed her smugness.

The siblings took the elevator to the underground parking garage. Qin Baobao's ride was a little red BMW, which had cost her half a year's salary plus a few thousand from their parents. She'd bought it earlier this year, still brand new.

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

Star Arts Entertainment Company was twenty kilometers from Qin Ze's apartment, separated by a district. It was rush hour, and Shanghai City's traffic could make you question your existence. After Little Red Horse left the complex and passed two traffic lights, it successfully got onto the elevated road, then started crawling along at thirty to forty kilometers per hour, stopping and starting.

Qin Ze hugged his sister's heels, leaned back in his seat, and pretended to nap while conversing with the system in his mind: "What exactly are you?"

"The Universe Calculation System."

"What's that?"

"Three-dimensional beings can hardly grasp my definition. My ultimate purpose in development was to calculate the universe."

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

"Random host selection. In every dimension, I choose a host at random."

"Every dimension?" Qin Ze said. "Sounds impressive, but I don't get it."

"Time and space are the universe's greatest mysteries. Time flows in one direction; space is an infinite superposition. The universe is boundless, and planets with intelligent life are countless. My abilities only involve the domain of space, so I've been to many dimensions. Every intelligent being who became my host was a standout figure of their era."

"Great one, please accept my knees." Qin Ze quipped, then added, "I've read novels. Can I pluck stars and grab the moon, live forever?"

"I've been to similar worlds too."

Qin Ze got excited: "So can I cultivate immortality? Live forever without dying?"

"Ridiculous. Nothing in this world is eternal—even the sun has its end. Based on my calculations, the universe itself isn't eternal. Including me."

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

"No. A world's formation depends on many factors; each world is different, with its own laws and principles. In your world, humans simply can't achieve the level of flying through the sky or burrowing into the earth."

"What use are you then?" Qin Ze was deeply disappointed. Every boy has a dream of immortal heroes.

"Qin Ze, born in 1995, average physique, average intelligence, average grades—you've lived an unremarkable life from start to finish. Following your current life trajectory, your sister Qin Baobao will be the most beautiful woman you'll ever meet, and you'll spend your whole life in mediocrity. But I can change your life, change your fate, so I think I'm still useful."

"With a description like that, I feel like dying." Qin Ze covered his face. "What use are you, then?"

"Next up is the newbie tutorial. Please open the system interface."

"How do I open it? You could at least give me a controller. Am I supposed to shout 'System interface!' at the sky and have it pop up?" The moment Qin Ze finished speaking, a glowing blue virtual interface appeared before his eyes, reminding him of the 3D projections he'd seen online.

In the top-left corner of the virtual interface were the words "Qin Ze." Below that were two options: Missions and Points Shop!

Qin Ze reached out a finger and tapped "Missions." The virtual interface displayed the mission details: Main Mission: Help Qin Baobao sign with Star Arts Entertainment Co., Ltd. Success rewards 300 points; failure deducts 100 points.

He tapped "Points Shop" next, but a prompt popped up: This function is not yet unlocked!

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

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

"Is it not unlocked because my current points balance is zero?"

"Correct. Please work hard, Host."

"Let me ask—what's up with this mission?"

"The mission isn't a ghost, though I roughly understand what you mean. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you want something, you have to put in the effort. To exchange items from the Points Shop, you'll need to keep completing missions."

"What determines when a mission appears? Don't tell me you'll make me kill people, set fires, or molest little girls."

"The conditions for mission formation are based on the Host's current state, the people and events around you, and also the desires within your heart."

"So if I wanted to molest a little girl, would a mission to molest a little girl possibly appear?"

"Yes."

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

"If you encounter a mission like that, the Host can choose to abandon it. The system will automatically deduct points."

"Hey, there's a mission item here?" Qin Ze noticed a line of gray text at the end of the mission details: "Mission Item."

"This is an auxiliary item for the first mission. It hasn't reached the activation stage yet. Please be patient, Host."

Just then, Qin Baobao turned her head to glance at him, curious: "What are you flailing around for?"

"My brain's fried, okay?" Qin Ze said, casually closing the system interface.

Qin Baobao snorted, faced forward, and focused on driving. Qin Ze stared blankly at his sister's profile—her straight, elegant nose, thin lips, and slightly upturned chin reminded him of a Greek sculpture. They didn't look alike at all. Qin Baobao had been praised by relatives as pretty and cute since childhood, and she'd grown into a stunning beauty without any surprises. In kindergarten, she was the class flower; in school, she was the campus beauty. The love letters she received could wipe his butt for ten years and still be more than enough. Qin Ze, on the other hand, was far more ordinary—decent features, barely passable as handsome. He'd also seen his father's younger photos; he could only be called fairly handsome, and his mother was just plain pretty. The two of them had a daughter and passed all the good genes to their firstborn. By the time Qin Ze came along, it was just standard fare.

So Qin Ze often grumbled to himself that he was the one thrown in for free with a phone top-up—and there was some truth to that.