A fourth-tier city, the old district.
Even after the rain, the air remained stifling on a midsummer night.
Beneath the orange streetlights, Wang Changle staggered past a group of old men sitting together, then turned into a dim alley.
His passing immediately perked the old men up.
"Ah, what a shame~"
Just before disappearing into the darkness, Wang Changle glanced back toward the alley entrance.
He climbed the stairs, looking at the rubbish scattered through the stairwell and the rows of pitch-black doors and windows.
It was hard to imagine that in less than three months, all the neighbors who had vowed to stand together through thick and thin had moved out of the complex.
The once noisy, bustling neighborhood had become desolate and silent.
He brushed his fingers over the crude words scrawled in paint on the doorframe, then gently pushed open the door, which was nearly falling apart.
"Creak~"
The room was pitch-black. Two freezers stood in the small living room.
Inside lay the Elderly Couple, their bodies ghastly pale yet peaceful. Even though he cleaned them every day and replaced the dry ice, the corpses had still begun to rot, giving off waves of stench.
After standing there for a long while, Wang Changle finally sighed, picked up the first-aid kit on the cabinet, and expertly treated his wounds.
Then he took out a notebook and crossed out a name in the middle. The little notebook was packed with names, and now it was covered in X marks.
His already pale face looked even more exhausted.
"Hiss~"
Wang Changle slowly lay down. The moment his back touched the bed, the searing pain made him suck in sharp breaths.
He glanced at the bandages wrapped from his back around to his chest, then reluctantly changed position and carefully rolled onto his side.
As soon as he lay down, the corner of his eye caught a family photo on the bedside table. In it, the Family of Three smiled brightly, happy and close.
Beyond the living room, all he could see was a stretch of white—bleak and desolate.
Even with the power cut, that expanse of white still stood out painfully!
In a daze, Wang Changle seemed to see countless scenes.
He remembered how the neighbors, after hearing that the buyout offer was only half the market price, had gathered in his family's noodle shop, indignant and furious.
He remembered how unwilling and outraged they had been, how shopkeepers and neighbors all along the street had joined forces, promising to sign a petition in protest.
His parents had not been the most adamant among them, nor the loudest in their protests. Yet they had become the first "chickens" sacrificed to warn the rest.
Wang Changle still remembered that morning. He had returned from the provincial capital to help deal with the family's demolition arrangements. His parents had told him it was a "double celebration," so they had taken a family photo especially for the occasion.
Who could have guessed that they took the photo in the morning, and by the afternoon, they were gone—all while he had briefly turned away.
"Bang!"
The Elderly Couple had both been sent flying by an out-of-control vehicle.
But that very morning, the driver responsible had worn a mocking smile as he tore up the evidence Wang Changle had spent months collecting, then trampled it underfoot, sneering at him all the while.
The torn scraps were more than just evidence. As they were ripped apart, so too were Wang Changle's dignity and all his hard work.
"Do I really have to accept my fate? But... why should I? Why?"
Wang Changle pounded the wall in fury. The violent movement tore open his already injured wounds.
"Ah!"
The intense pain, combined with his complete physical and mental exhaustion, made Wang Changle's blood seize up. He passed out.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Wang Changle woke up choking on thick smoke. Everywhere he looked, there were flames and smoke.
Several parts of the house were burning, especially the freezers in the living room, which had become an inferno.
"What's going on..."
Wang Changle tried to get up, only to realize the ceiling beam had collapsed. He could no longer feel anything below the waist.
Gradually, breathing became more and more difficult, and the scene before him blurred.
"Am... I going to die..."
But he couldn't die yet. He hadn't cleared his parents' names, found the mastermind, made those people pay, or taken his revenge!
He wanted to live. He wanted revenge. He didn't want to accept this fate!
Just before Wang Changle lost consciousness, he faintly heard a voice.
"Hunter, Cycle Paradise is opening for you!"
[Body transfer in progress, 10%...25%...60%...100%, transfer complete] [Damage detected in the Contractor's body. Repairing...] [Hunter consciousness has not awakened. Minimum life support will be maintained for now. Duration: 10 minutes] [Rare talent detected in Hunter. An additional 1 hour of life support has been granted]
In the darkness, several lines of pale-blue text hovered in the air, giving off a faint glow.
Beneath the pale-blue text, Wang Changle lay peacefully.
After a while, Wang Changle suddenly opened his eyes, greedily breathing in the fresh air.
After waking, Wang Changle breathed in the fresh air as he surveyed his surroundings. Remembering the room full of flames and smoke, and the large freezers in the living room, he tried to get up and rush outside.
Only then did he realize that, apart from his head, he couldn't feel any part of his body.
[Hunter, welcome back to Cycle Paradise]
Looking at the line of text above him in confusion, he couldn't make sense of it. Hadn't he died? How had he ended up in Cycle Paradise?
[Hunter, please sign a contract with Paradise as soon as possible, or you will die in 30 minutes]
Staring at the bizarre text floating before him, he recalled the novels he'd read in middle school. He couldn't believe it. Had some unseen being heard his cries?
"If I join Paradise, what do I have to do, and what will I get?"
There was no love without a reason in this world, and certainly no such thing as a free lunch.
[By signing the contract, you will carry out missions released by Cycle Paradise in one Derivative Plane after another and obtain World Origin. Rewards will ultimately be determined based on the World Origin you obtain] [Cycle Paradise can do anything.]
"You can do anything? Then can you bring people who have already died back to life?"
[Given your status as a Hunter, no!]
Looking at the text that appeared before him, he felt a pang of sorrow.
"Then I need power. I want revenge!"
[Cycle Paradise can do anything. As long as you can pay the price, you can obtain anything you desire!] [Please communicate with 'Paradise' as soon as possible, or you will die in 15 minutes]
All the light faded away, and the surrounding darkness returned.
A parchment scroll giving off a faint glow slowly descended from the darkness and floated before Wang Changle,
He gazed up at the light in the darkness, knowing this was his last chance.
[Sign the contract?]
"Yes."
As strange characters flashed across the parchment, Wang Changle had a feeling this would overturn his life. His blood stained the parchment scarlet.
[Contract established! Beginning to repair the Hunter's injuries]
Pale-blue light descended from thin air and enveloped him.
In the span of just a few breaths, all his injuries had completely healed.
[Injury repair complete. Forcibly unlocking Hunter talent] [Talent unlocked. To provide a clear representation of the Hunter's overall qualities, semi-attribute visualization has been enabled] [Warning: 'Semi-attribute visualization' is only an auxiliary combat function. If the Hunter's head, heart, or other vital organs suffer severe damage, the Hunter will still die. Please exercise caution when facing a 'Derivative World']
Suddenly, all the basic information about Cycle Paradise gathered in his mind.
Wang Changle dropped to one knee and clutched his heart, trying to ease the sudden, stabbing pain. He had the vague sense that something inside him had awakened.
[Hunter-exclusive trial begins. If you fail to complete the trial, 'Paradise' will strip you of your Hunter status and turn you into a Contractor.] [Warning: If a Hunter dies while carrying out a mission in a Derivative World, death will be permanent.] [Law of Paradise: Everything is an equal exchange.]
Wang Changle had just stood up when a sudden pain struck the back of his head. The world spun before his eyes, and he lost consciousness.
[Transmission beginning!]
When he regained consciousness, Wang Changle found himself on a large bed. Judging by the room's furnishings, he seemed to be in a hotel.
A faint breeze drifted in through the window, bringing a slight coolness with it.
Just as Wang Changle got up to look outside, a strong burning sensation suddenly flared in his arm.
He rolled up his sleeve and saw a black, sword-shaped tattoo on his left arm.
Pale green text began to appear as well.
[Entering World: Doomsday Roulette] [World Difficulty: Lv. 8, Nightmare (This difficulty is exclusive to the Hunter's trial)] [World Origin: 0% (The Hunter will obtain World Origin by exploring or interacting with the people of this world. At the end of the world, it will be calculated together with the mission difficulty to determine the final reward)] [World Introduction: In the year 2220, the various races of the universe designated the Blue Star as a trial ground and scattered doomsday factors across the planet. As a result, 90% of humanity died and became zombies, while plants evolved through mutation. The surviving humans could dig out crystals from Mutated Life and zombies they killed, then spin the mysterious roulette to obtain a chance at survival.] [Main Mission: Kill Monster Baby, 0/1] [Side Mission: None] [Warning: Mentioning anything about 'Paradise' in this world is forbidden. Violators will be executed immediately!] [Notice: This is a high-level 'Derivative World'] [Notice: Since this is the Hunter's first time entering a 'Derivative World,' the Hunter will automatically master this world's language. Duration: 2 natural days] [World, begin!]
The first thing Wang Changle did was pick up the hotel phone beside the bed and call the front desk to ask for the time and address.
He was at the Pearl Grand Hotel on Wunan Road, Ping'an District, Yingcheng. It was 4:15 p.m. on September 10, 2220.
After confirming the time and address, he quickly ordered the hotel's refined dinner service through the front desk.
In his spare time from work and study, his favorite things were anime and novels.
Doomsday Roulette had been a hit in the apocalypse-fiction genre back when he was in school, and he knew its story very well.
According to the timeline, doomsday would begin in 25 minutes. Including the time the virus took to spread, it would take no more than 30 minutes.
By then, all life on the Blue Star would be swept into a frenzy of evolution and survival.
He activated the contract mark on his arm and selected View Mission.
Main Mission: Kill Monster Baby Mission Difficulty: Lv. 8 Mission Details: Kill Monster Baby by any means. Mission Time Limit: Within 48 hours Mission Reward: Hunter status activated Mission Penalty: Forced execution
After reading the main mission details, Wang Changle couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had imagined the main mission might be difficult, but he hadn't expected a Hunter's mission to be this absurd.
Right now, Wang Changle was nothing more than an ordinary Lv. 1 person, yet he had been sent into an Lv. 8 world and given an Lv. 8 mission.
He wasn't a combat expert, and he had no superior physical skills.
And his mission target was a monster adored by its group, with all kinds of treasures and mastery of summoning. The moment it appeared, every monster would protect it.
My god, this really was hell difficulty!
But for Wang Changle, no matter what mission Paradise had assigned him, he had no choice but to accept it and do everything he could to complete it.
Having been trapped in endless darkness, he naturally had to seize the light that had appeared, no matter the cost!
Wang Changle had a feeling this was unquestionably a major turning point in his life, as well as the greatest crisis he would ever face.
But a crisis contained both danger and opportunity. Turning danger into opportunity was what he needed to think about.
After sitting in silence for a moment, he opened his personal information.
Contractor 521668 (To protect the Hunter's information, this is a false number. No means can be used to track the Hunter) Name: Wang Changle (Hunter) Level: Lv. 1 (First Tier) (Every 10 levels constitute one tier. Increasing a level does not provide any attribute bonuses. This is the Hunter's corresponding authority in Paradise, and matches the corresponding world and mission difficulty.) Health: 100% (This data cannot be displayed in detail) Mana: 60 (Intelligence × 10. Current mana recovery rate: 2.5 per hour) Strength: 5 (Related to attack power and carrying capacity) Agility: 6 (Related to movement and attack speed) Endurance: 5 (Related to health, defense, and resistance to abnormal effects) Intelligence: 6 (Related to spell damage, mana, and perception) Charm: 7 (Related to social interactions and summoning) Luck: 1 (Related to opening and crafting items. This attribute is extremely difficult to increase. Please cherish opportunities to improve it.) Note: The standard attributes for an adult male are 5 points, with Luck at 1 point. Killing Talent: Talent: Characteristic Extraction. After killing a target, there is a certain chance to obtain one of its Characteristic Cards. This talent can obtain at most 3 cards per world. 0/3. [Personal information is provided to help the Hunter assess his own strength and is unrelated to his actual combat power. Attribute values affect the Hunter's physical abilities]
After reading the information displayed on his personal status panel, he slowly calmed down and gained a general understanding of himself.
Wang Changle naturally knew this was far from a true display of his abilities.
He didn't have any particularly outstanding physical abilities, nor did he possess any combat skills beyond those of an ordinary person.
But after growing up in a noodle shop and working in sales, he had an extraordinary talent for processing and gathering information.
What's more, he knew about the information gap in the world of Doomsday Roulette. That enormous gap could help him obtain enormous resources.
This was a trial mission exclusive to him, Wang Changle, so he didn't need to compete with other contractors in cunning. That gave him far more room to maneuver.
Second, although he wasn't good at fighting, he wasn't afraid of it either. Sometimes, whether you could get things done came down to whether you were willing to make sacrifices.
Together, these two things gave Wang Changle the confidence to stand his ground in Cycle Paradise. What he had to do now was turn that confidence into real capital.
With that thought, Wang Changle began recalling what he knew about this Derivative World, Doomsday Roulette.
On September 10, 2220, according to this world's calendar, Blue Star was chosen as a trial ground for the myriad races. Under bombardment from a space battleship, the apocalypse descended.
Deadly Lands opened, Secret Realms invaded, and the various races of the universe began arriving on Blue Star one after another.
Ninety percent of humanity became zombies. Plants and animals also mutated and evolved. To help humanity survive, the roulette wheels and Magic Crystals appeared as well.
Doomsday Roulette: A wide variety of types, roughly divided into levels 1–9. Each roulette wheel had a different number of rewards depending on its quality.
Zombies: Defective products of human evolution, carrying large quantities of pathogens. They were divided into levels 1–9 based on their degree of evolution. Humans who were scratched would also become zombies.
Mutated Life: Plants or animals transformed after being infected by doomsday factors. They were divided into levels 1–9 based on their degree of evolution. Though they couldn't infect others, their attack power far exceeded that of zombies at the same level.
Magic Crystals: Crystals found inside Mutated Life and zombies. They were divided into levels 1–9, corresponding to roulette wheels of levels 1–9, and served as the currency needed to activate the wheels.
Deadly Lands: Spaces formed under nuclear blasts and cosmic rays, with the interior and exterior separated by chaotic barriers. They mostly contained high-level monsters.
Secret Realms: Special spaces belonging to civilizations from past eras that failed their trials and were now barely hanging on. They possessed extraordinary special powers.
Ye Zhongming: The protagonist of this Derivative World, reborn from ten years after the apocalypse. He was the Child of the World in this Derivative World. He was skilled in close-quarters combat with swords and blades, decisive in killing, and experienced in battle.
Liang Chuyin, a female internet celebrity with a fiery temperament, was Ye Zhongming's loyal supporter and one of his harem members.
Mo Ye, a former police officer, had a solid foundation in martial arts and an outdated sense of order.
Pu Xiuying, a university lecturer, was beautiful and kindhearted, yet skilled in combat. She also had a certain saintly streak—big breasts, but no brains.
"Knock, knock, knock."
"Sir, hello! Your dinner is here. Please open the door!"
Wang Changle came back to himself at the sound, opened the door, and let the room-service attendant push the food cart into the suite.
While the hotel attendant turned to lay out the dishes, he snatched the wine bottle off the cart and swung it at the back of the attendant's head.
Crash!
The bottle shattered. The attendant, struck hard in the back of the head, wore a look of utter bewilderment. He didn't even have time to groan before collapsing to the floor.
He stepped forward and checked the unconscious attendant. The warmth of his skin and faint breathing felt so real.
This was a real world, a world with genuine body heat, not some virtual existence!
But so what?
In another hour, the entire Blue Star would become a living hell. In a crowded place like this, the odds of this attendant turning into a zombie were far greater than the odds of him surviving.
Besides, ever since his parents became the first "chick" to be sacrificed, he'd known there was no use relying on anyone. People could only rely on themselves.
After surviving one crisis after another, only to be abandoned by everyone, he had come to understand one more truth while confined to his sickbed.
Nice people don't live long; to be a real man, you have to be ruthless!
If that was the case, he might as well make this guy his very first Magic Crystal!
This was indeed a real world, and its people were flesh and blood. But to him, their world and his were no longer one and the same.
As a Hunter, Wang Changle was destined to travel through one Derivative World after another. He would experience all kinds of worlds beyond the reach of ordinary people.
In the future, he might even have to help Paradise deal with some Violators. His world was bound to be filled with bloodshed, slaughter, and death.
So no matter how real these Derivative Worlds were, they meant nothing to him. Even less meaningful were sympathy and baseless guilt.
All Wang Changle had to do was get the greatest benefit at the lowest cost.
Anyone in business understood how important the initial accumulation of capital was. It determined where you started.
This Derivative World was Wang Changle's starting point, and his first pot of gold in Paradise.
So he was going to make sure he got his hands on that first pot of gold. For it, he could pay any price and stop at nothing!
Stepping over the pool of red liquid, he crossed the unconscious attendant's arms and legs behind his back and bound them together with a bath towel.
He had just finished wrapping the attendant up like a giant dumpling when a deafening roar rang out.
A futuristic warship, like an interstellar cruiser, approached from the horizon. Several streaks of light flashed past, raising mushroom clouds that blotted out the sky.
In the blink of an eye, mountains became valleys, and plains turned into basins.
The apocalypse had begun!
The hotel corridors also grew chaotic in an instant. Countless guests poured out of their suites and rushed downstairs amid screams and curses.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Wang Changle helped himself to a fire axe from the corridor's fire cabinet, then kindly set off the fire alarm.
Watching the crowd outside through the peephole, Wang Changle smiled.
Run, scream, and then turn into zombies, all of you!
The more zombies, the more Magic Crystals!
Before you continue