Yu Luo opened his eyes in confusion and stared blankly at the ceiling. He muttered to himself, "An unfamiliar ceiling... Pah, did you think I'd actually say that?!"
Yu Luo sprang to his feet and looked around at where he was. Before him was a classroom: a blackboard covered in meaningless graffiti, desks and chairs scattered crookedly about, shattered windowpanes, and walls stained with blood.
"What kind of hellhole is this, a real-life School-Live!?" Yu Luo mocked himself. "Does that mean there are zombies wandering around on the field outside too?"
Gathering his courage, Yu Luo walked over to the window and looked downstairs. Sure enough, a huge crowd of figures wandered around the field below, swaying crookedly and looking nothing like normal humans.
"So it really is..." Yu Luo's mouth twitched. "Then, according to the standard plot, shouldn't some weird thing show up right about now and tell me that I've really transmigrated instead of dreaming or filming a movie?"
Yu Luo rattled off his complaints without pausing. He showed none of the tension one ought to have while surrounded by zombies, nor any excitement at having transmigrated. His heart was filled only with the cliche feeling of this standard opening and an urge to complain.
"You've got some nerve..." A female voice rang out in Yu Luo's mind, dripping with speechless exasperation. "Though I really didn't want to give you material to complain about, you got it right. You really did transmigrate. This is Changkong City during the Third Honkai Eruption."
"There really is one..." Yu Luo was speechless too, and sank deeply into self-doubt. "Could I be Haruhi Suzumiya or Yuki Nagato? How come whatever I say just comes true? I was only making an offhand complaint."
"Mm. After conducting a thorough scan, I can confirm that you are neither Haruhi Suzumiya nor Yuki Nagato. Stop dreaming." The female voice in his mind ruthlessly shattered Yu Luo's hopes before telling him something even more realistic. "You should be thinking about how to survive."
"But aren't you here?" Yu Luo casually propped up a desk and sat on top of it. Half of a damaged student ID fell from its drawer. Curious, Yu Luo picked it up and examined it. The name and photo on the ID had vanished, leaving only the words [Qianyu Academy, Changkong City]. There was also a mess of handwriting. Though he could not read it, Yu Luo somehow understood its meaning—
"They've gone mad. Can someone save me?!"
Hearing Yu Luo's words, the female voice in his mind said helplessly, "I can't help you."
"Huh?" Yu Luo asked in surprise. "Come on, you're supposed to be some kind of system, right? You must have a way."
"That's right. I am the Fate Order pay-to-win gacha system," the voice in his mind said coldly. "And I have a hundred ways to help you escape this place."
"Then why did you say you couldn't help?" Yu Luo curled his lip.
"I have ways. Do you have money?" The voice in his mind was thick with disdain. Yu Luo could practically picture the face of a shabby woman looking down on him.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Yu Luo suddenly felt that something was off. He hurriedly got to his feet and questioned this inexplicable system. "So I can't even use you if I don't have money?"
"As a pay-to-win gacha system, what the hell are you playing without money?" The system was initially utterly contemptuous, then switched to a seductive tone. "Use your boobs... Oh, no, your brain. Use your brain and think carefully. If you don't pay to win, can you become stronger?"
Hearing those incredibly familiar words, Yu Luo fell silent for a moment before cautiously asking, "Is your creator surnamed Ma? Is your true form a penguin wearing a scarf?"
"No, my creator's surname is Chen, and his famous saying is, 'Profit matters more than values.'" The system also fell into an eerie silence for a moment before replying.
Leaning against the window, Yu Luo looked at the densely packed crowd on the field. They were all girls of every kind—some in sailor uniforms, some in cheerleading outfits, some in gym clothes, and some in oversized penguin costumes. Every one of them had a lovely figure and delicate features, but they had lost their sanity and become inhuman monsters.
"Can't you give me a beginner's gift pack? Don't your peers all offer that service?" Seeing the field outside, Yu Luo immediately lost his nerve. He knew that as an ordinary person—no, perhaps someone even weaker than an ordinary person—his only hope of escaping safely lay with the system on him that looked down on poor people.
"Am I one of those cheap, trashy systems that lower themselves like that?" Yu Luo imagined that shabby-looking woman giving him a sidelong glance as though he were a joke. "Use it if you want. Get lost if you don't."
"I..." Yu Luo nearly choked to death on his own breath. His eyes rolled as he began using a skill engraved into his DNA—provocation.
"Tell me, are you making so many excuses because you're actually a useless system?" Yu Luo used the same attitude the system had just displayed, his tone as cutting as possible.
"Hmph!" The system snorted softly. It seemed particularly bothered by the words "useless system," and said with a hint of agitation, "What do you know? Would things be like this if you spent eighty thousand?"
"If I had eighty thousand, would I come looking for you?" Yu Luo shot back sharply. "Even stores let people sample their products. You won't even let me try anything. Are you actually some useless bootleg?"
The moment Yu Luo finished speaking, the system in his mind seemed unable to bear his slander any longer and directly issued a mission:
**Ding! Main Quest [Escape Changkong City] issued.** Quest objective: Escape Changkong City safely. Reward: ??? [First Phase Quest: Escape Qianyu Academy] Quest objective: Leave Qianyu Academy safely. Reward: 5 Saint Quartz. [Weekly Quest: Arm Yourself] Quest objective: Find a suitable weapon to arm yourself and improve your combat ability. Reward: 1 Saint Quartz. 2,000 Friendship Points.
Three system notifications sounded in Yu Luo's mind in succession. He checked the system interface and found only the Master Info, Shop Exchange, Servant Codex, Noble Phantasm Card Codex, Gacha Pool, Mission List, and World Gate pages.
Of those, World Gate and Shop Exchange were grayed out and unusable. Yu Luo opened Master Info and found only his name, followed by the label V0. Below that was a large array of neatly arranged boxes, all gray question marks that could not be viewed. The Servant Codex and Noble Phantasm Card Codex could be opened, but they were completely empty.
Finally, Yu Luo opened the Gacha Pool. Three pages appeared before him. The first was the Friendship Pool, which could draw one-star to three-star Servant Cards and Noble Phantasm Cards. Spending 2,000 Friendship Points allowed one ten-pull, and the words "Daily Free" below it were lit up, indicating that it was available.
The second was the standard pool. It displayed a 3D illusory projection of a blonde, blue-eyed girl in armor, holding a holy sword and sporting an ahoge. Below it, the text was written clearly: One summon costs 3 Saint Quartz; ten summons cost 30 Saint Quartz, with a guaranteed four-star.
The third was a limited rate-up pool. It also had a 3D projection, but unlike the standard pool, this one depicted a scantily clad young girl with brown skin, casually tied pink hair, and a black dagger and a white dagger in her hands. Beside her was a line of text: "Chloe von Einzbern rate-up now live, appearance rate increased by 100%." Yu Luo carefully checked the listed end date and found that it was two weeks away.
"Hey, hey," Yu Luo complained unhappily to the system in his mind. "Don't think I haven't played Fate Order before. I'm an Opening-rank Master, so watch how you try to fool me. Little Black was clearly a free four-star from an event, yet you made her limited? That's way too greedy."
The system merely said coldly, "If you don't want her, don't pull. No one's forcing you."
"What kind of management attitude is that?!" Yu Luo snapped in humiliation and anger. "Where's the selectable four-star Servant that should come with the server launch?"
"Sorry, there isn't one."
"Then what about the free standard-pool ten-pull at the beginning?"
"It has been changed to a Friendship Pool ten-pull."
"This Fate Order of yours is running on a NetEase server, isn't it? So shady. Just what I'd expect from you!"
The system fell silent again, seemingly realizing that it had gone a little too far. Another notification appeared in Yu Luo's mind:
Ding! Obtained item [Summoning Ticket] x1. Can be used in place of Saint Quartz for one summon.
"So stingy," Yu Luo complained resentfully.
However, Yu Luo seemed to have made too much noise. A shrill cry that sounded nothing like a human came from nearby, followed by heavy footsteps slowly approaching the classroom where Yu Luo was.
"Tap... tap..." A long shadow fell across the wall and drew closer and closer. Yu Luo finally realized that he was surrounded by zombies. The sense of mortal danger finally surged into his heart.
Before you continue