"When will this miserable life ever end?!"
That evening, Zhou Ming dragged his exhausted body back to his rented room and collapsed headfirst onto the single bed.
His hands were covered in bloody blisters, and he could not even move a finger. After barely more than a day at the Construction Site, Zhou Ming already felt like he could no longer hold on.
"System, if only you could bring a living person like me into the game. Then I wouldn't have to suffer in this damned world!"
"Please confirm, Host. Select a game map. The system will begin teleportation shortly," the system said in his mind.
"Teleport my ass. Get lost."
Zhou Ming was speechless. The system was usually quite serious, but today it actually had the leisure to joke with him.
"System, I have to work these next few days. Is there any way for me to earn some Achievement Points in the game? Hauling bricks is just too exhausting. I want to buy a few more Strength Point Cards."
One drawback of The Sims system was that once Zhou Ming entered a game, his activities outside the game were immediately restricted. His body had to remain in sleep mode, and he could not exit midway.
"The Host may choose Injection Mode to enter the game. Under this mode, the player may move freely in the real world."
Injection Mode... right, wasn't there a playstyle like Injection Mode?
Zhou Ming smacked his forehead. He had been so busy these past few days that he had nearly forgotten about Injection Mode. The system had introduced it to him from the very beginning.
"System, if I choose Injection Mode to enter the game, compared to Replacement Mode, will the game become more difficult? Will I have much less freedom?"
Zhou Ming was somewhat worried. In Replacement Mode, every decision made in the game was his own. But in the less free Injection Mode, the game character would not be under his control, and he would not be able to fully dictate every decision. That meant far more variables. How many Achievement Points he could earn would depend entirely on his luck.
"Yes, Host. Compared to the absolutely free Replacement Mode, Injection Mode offers far less freedom. After all, the player can only influence the game character's behavior from a third-person perspective... How the game unfolds depends entirely on how well the player guides the character. As for the difficulty, that depends on the game character's performance. If he performs well, he may not necessarily do worse than if the player participated personally."
"However..."
The system added, "After a game played in Injection Mode ends, the rewards obtained will be split equally between the player and the game character. Therefore, rewards earned through Injection Mode are generally somewhat lower."
"Fine, split them then. As long as it doesn't interfere with my work in the real world."
Zhou Ming took it in stride. He opened the Game Panel and prepared to select a game map.
His gaze settled on the newly unlocked game map, Lord's Dispute. Zhou Ming looked over the map's background information—
This was an absurd, ignorant, and conservative era. Lords were selfish, knights obsessed with martial force, farmers went hungry, priests spread hypocrisy, and slaves barely clung to life... In this world plagued by constant warfare, rampant epidemics, and bandits everywhere, how would you, the ordinary Son of a Farmer from Rose Town in Glan Territory, become involved in this Lord's Dispute...
An image depicting a medieval-style countryside, castles, and knights appeared beside the text.
"This map really does feel a lot like medieval Europe. There are even lords and knights..."
However, when he saw words like warfare, epidemics, and bandits, Zhou Ming hesitated. The setting clearly showed that this map was not set in any peaceful environment.
Instead, it was filled with all kinds of wars and conflicts!
The game character's ordinary survival was fraught with countless uncertain factors.
It might not even be as stable as the life Zhang Ergou led in Zhang Ergou's Counterattack Life.
"I'll put Lord's Dispute aside for a few days. First, I'll use Injection Mode to grind some Achievement Points in Zhang Ergou's Counterattack Life. Once I've saved enough to buy a few Skill Cards, I'll start the new dungeon!"
"Injection Mode activated. Player is now entering the game."
North of Niu Family Village, at Zhang San Niu's home, Zhang Ergou was now six years old.
"Ergou, Ergou, can you hear me?" A voice suddenly rang out in Zhang Ergou's mind.
"Y-you... who are you?" Zhang Ergou asked in a childish voice.
"I'm you. I'm your past life, and I'm also called Zhang Ergou!"
"You're also called Ergou? Why don't I know you? Where are you?"
"I'm in your head. I'm currently in soul form, so you can't see me."
"Head? What's a head? Can you eat it? And what's a soul?" A child's comprehension was limited, after all. Faced with such complicated words, he truly could not understand their meanings.
"Speechless. Forget it, I really can't communicate with a child."
Zhou Ming shook his head and gave up trying to communicate with the young Zhang Ergou.
That was the drawback of Injection Mode. The game character's growth period was simply too long. To establish normal communication with him, Zhou Ming would have to wait until he was at least ten.
Fortunately, the game had left Zhang Ergou a way to survive. His older brother Zhang Da Gou had drowned when he was three, and his younger sister had been abandoned when he was six. As a native of this tragic world, Zhang Ergou naturally could not avoid those tragedies. But as the family's only remaining son, he should have no problem surviving to adulthood.
Time flew by. After Zhang Ergou turned ten, Zhou Ming instilled into his mind, one by one, the skills already bound to the game map: Elementary Farming Skill, Elementary Blacksmithing Skill, Elementary Carpentry Skill, and Beginner Hunting Skill. Relying on those skills, Zhang Ergou quickly built up a considerable family fortune and entered a Comfortable Life.
It was also about time to settle Zhang Ergou's lifelong matter of marriage.
"Why can't I marry Wang Xiumei? I don't want to marry anyone but her!" To Zhou Ming's surprise, Zhang Ergou had tastes similar to his own and had also set his sights on Wang Xiumei from the village.
"Listen to me, Ergou. You can marry anyone except Wang Xiumei, unless you can quietly get rid of Li Shouzhen's second son, Li Wenhao."
"Get rid of Li Wenhao? Why do I have to get rid of him?" Zhang Ergou froze for a moment before asking.
"How else are you going to marry Wang Xiumei if you don't get rid of him?" Zhou Ming rolled his eyes, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
"You mean... Li Wenhao will compete with me for Xiumei?"
A blaze of fury suddenly flared in Zhang Ergou's eyes. Li Wenhao, you dare steal my woman? I'll kill you!
That night, Zhang Ergou, dressed in black, silently infiltrated the Li residence. Following the route Zhou Ming gave him, he slipped into Li Wenhao's room. Without a word, he sent a poisoned needle flying into Li Wenhao's body. Li Wenhao convulsed for several seconds, then soon breathed his last.
After all, it was his first time killing someone. On his way back, Zhang Ergou slipped up in his nervousness and alerted the Li family's guard dog. Though he escaped by luck, he still inadvertently exposed his trail.
"Xiumei, run away with me! Don't worry, I'll treat you wholeheartedly and never abandon you for the rest of my life!"
Zhang Ergou eloped with Wang Xiumei. The two concealed their identities and lived like an immortal couple in a secluded valley.
Game over.
He clicked the Game Panel.
Achievement obtained: 186/2, Game evaluation: D (Although Zhang Ergou's life was obscure, happiness was always by his side)
"Zhang Ergou, Zhang Ergou, you fucking had happiness by your side, but I only got 93 Achievement Points! You useless bastard, couldn't you have been a little more reliable?"
Zhou Ming pursed his lips helplessly. This round had been a failure. He could only look to the next one.
Before you continue