Don't rush to agree.
Zhang Yu shook his head, his expression turning serious:
"Once you join, the road ahead is one of near-death experiences."
The dangers and enemies you will face will far exceed your imagination.
You might lose your peaceful life now, or even... lose your life.
He paused, looking at Zhou Hengliang's increasingly serious face, and continued:
"But equally, this path is also full of unimaginable challenges and opportunities."
You will see a different world, gain extraordinary power, and witness... landscapes that may not even be recorded in mythology.
Zhou Hengliang's breathing became rapid, his eyes struggling between excitement, fear, and longing.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and nodded emphatically:
"Brother Yu, I've made up my mind."
I don't want to live such an ordinary life anymore.
Looking at the determined light in his eyes, Zhang Yu nodded. "Okay."
Then, he silently recited in his heart:
"Hong Yue, what do you think of my brother?"
Can I be your carrier?
Zhou Hengliang looked at Zhang Yu with a blank, even somewhat frightened, expression. "Brother Yu, who... who are you talking to?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold, indifferent, and indistinct male or female voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
"Carrier?"
I don't care, anyone is fine.
"Ah--!"
Zhou Hengliang trembled with fear and screamed in terror:
"A ghost! There's a ghost!"
Brother Yu, something is talking in my head.
Zhang Yu quickly patted Zhou Hengliang on the shoulder and said speechlessly, "You've been reading web novels for nothing, this is a system."
"System...?"
Zhou Hengliang abruptly stopped screaming, his eyes widening instantly, his face quickly replacing the terror with utter shock and disbelief.
As a seasoned fan of online novels, how could he not know what a "system" was?
That's the golden finger, cheat code, and grandpa that countless online novel protagonists rely on to Defy Heaven and Change Fate, show off, slap faces, and reach the pinnacle of life!
"Yu... Brother Yu... you... you said this is... a system?"
Zhou Hengliang's voice was trembling, but this time it was from excitement:
"It's that kind of system... where a 'ding' sound releases a task, and completing it earns you rewards— Cultivation Method, Pills, Divine Artifact, Superpower... you name it, it has it?"
"More or less, you can figure out the specific functions yourself."
Seeing that he had finally calmed down and looked somewhat tired, Zhang Yu said, "Alright, you can slowly build up your relationship with your 'system' on your own. I need to go back to sleep; I'm exhausted."
After his Cultivation was sealed, Zhang Yu is now not much different from an ordinary person.
After intense activity and mental stress, you will feel tired and need normal sleep to restore your energy.
After Zhang Yu left, Zhou Hengliang was still immersed in the immense shock of obtaining the system. He was in a daze and extremely excited, muttering to himself incessantly:
"System... I really have a system now?"
Am I dreaming?
Hong Yue?
Your name is Hong Yue, right?
What functions do you have?
What about the newbie gift pack?
Is there any unparalleled martial arts technique or unlimited money...?
He tried to communicate with "Hong Yue" in his mind, but Hong Yue ignored him.
But this did not dampen Zhou Hengliang's enthusiasm; the knowledge from countless system novels he had read in the past was churning wildly in his mind.
The various possibilities thrilled him, and he couldn't believe that something that only existed in his imagination had actually happened to him!
Moreover, it was Zhang Yu who gave it to him!
Watching Zhang Yu walk into the dormitory building, Zhou Hengliang was filled with a myriad of thoughts.
Who exactly is Zhang Yu, this seemingly ordinary roommate who's just a bit skilled in martial arts?
How could he so easily give away a "system"?
What is his relationship with those mysterious and powerful figures from last night?
Countless questions swirled in Zhou Hengliang's mind, but more than anything, he felt boundless anticipation and a touch of trepidation for the future.
Meanwhile, beyond Earth, at the distant edge of the Solar System.
The alien exploration spaceship that had previously detected unusual energy fluctuations on Earth hovered silently in the void.
Around it, a sizable fleet had already gathered.
Densely packed, strangely shaped alien warships, exuding a cold, technological feel, stand like silent behemoths against the backdrop of a dark starry sky.
The ship's hull shimmered with a ghostly blue or dark red light, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.
In the center of the fleet, on the bridge of a flagship ship, far larger than the other warships and shaped like the head of a ferocious beast.
A tall, dark silver-skinned alien commander with four arms and compound eyes was scanning the detailed reports about Earth transmitted back by the exploration spaceship with his cold, icy eyes.
"A... a planet with Half-Level Technological Civilization?"
The alien commander's voice was like the scraping of metal, carrying undisguised contempt and a hint of doubt:
"Such a primitive life form, such primitive technology... how could it detect such a huge and pure fluctuation of internal energy?"
This doesn't make sense.
He pulled up the energy fluctuation graph, and the peak energy levels and purity displayed on the graph surprised even the well-informed man.
"Commander, according to preliminary analysis, the nature of this energy fluctuation is extremely unique, and it does not completely match the reaction of any known energy ore, but the energy level is extremely high and the potential is enormous."
Preliminary assessments suggest that the planet may contain some undiscovered, high-grade primordial energy ore, or... some kind of special energy source.
The adjutant beside him, an alien creature with compound eyes and shell-like skin, reported in a shrill voice.
"Special energy source?"
The commander crossed his arms over his chest, a glint of greed and decisiveness flashing in his compound eyes:
"Whatever it is, this energy must belong to our 'Predators' Civilization."
A Civilization at level one and a half doesn't deserve such precious resources!
He turned abruptly to face the enormous star map, in which the image of Earth was highlighted.
"Pass on my orders!"
The commander's voice turned cold and filled with Killing Intent:
"Third and Seventh Assault Fleets, immediately enter the planet's synchronous orbit and initiate Level-One Extermination Protocol."
Eradicate all carbon-based life signals from the planet's surface within 24 standard hours.
At the same time, a "Scavengers" engineering unit was dispatched to cooperate with the energy detection unit.
Once the life extinction process is complete, log in immediately and thoroughly scan, locate, and uncover the source of that energy fluctuation.
I want to see that planet transformed into our new mine within 48 hours.
"Yes, Commander."
A uniform, cold, and ruthless echo resounded from the bridge.
In the eyes of this commander from an advanced interstellar Civilization, the "Predators," Earth, this beautiful yet fragile blue planet with seven billion lives, is nothing more than a habitat for a primitive Civilization that has accidentally discovered precious Mineral Deposits.
Its fate was sealed the moment he gave the order.
As for the "insects" on top... they didn't even deserve a second glance from him.
The massive alien fleet began to adjust its formation, dark energy gathering at the muzzles of its cannons, and a chilling murderous intent, like an invisible tide, began to spread toward that distant blue planet.
Earth, Huaxia, Su City.
The next morning, sunlight streamed into the dormitory through the gaps in the curtains.
Zhang Yu woke up from a long-awaited deep sleep, feeling much more refreshed.
After a quick wash, he changed into clean casual clothes and prepared to go to the cafeteria for breakfast.
As soon as I stepped out of the dormitory building, I saw Zhou Hengliang standing under a tree not far away, looking excited despite having dark circles under his eyes.
It seems this guy spent the entire night "communicating" with the "Hong Yue" system, and might even have been too excited to sleep, fearing he might wake up to find it was all a dream.
Zhang Yu smiled and was about to raise his hand to greet Zhou Hengliang.
Sudden--
Rumble rumble rumble--!!!
A dull, oppressive roar, seemingly coming from the depths of the earth or from the Nine Heavens above, erupted without warning.
The sound was so loud that it instantly drowned out all other sounds on campus, causing the ground to tremble slightly and the dormitory windows to vibrate!
Zhang Yu and Zhou Hengliang's expressions changed simultaneously, and they abruptly looked up at the sky!
The once clear, azure sky was now covered with countless strange, distorted ripples, as if a giant rock had been thrown into a calm lake.
Immediately afterwards, at the center of the ripples, space, like a torn piece of cloth, suddenly split open into huge, dark, deep cracks with ominous red edges!
Through those cracks, one could vaguely see the cold, menacing shadows behind them, covered with eerie symbols and cannon barrels—those were warships.
It was an unimaginably massive alien warship, slowly emerging from the spatial rift, like a metallic behemoth crawling out of its lair, casting a cold shadow upon the unsuspecting blue planet below!