Preparation to Become Strong

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out. Cheng Xiaoyu bolted upright in bed in a panic, gasping for air.

After a long while, he slowly recovered from the suffocating sensation and surveyed his surroundings.

A hospital room, a hospital bed, an IV drip... The air was filled with the scent of medical alcohol. This was definitely a hospital!

But... how could I be in a hospital? Didn't I die out there?

Cheng Xiaoyu froze, staring in shock at his hands and legs, which were completely intact. He stretched them out in disbelief, confirming that he wasn't dreaming.

How is this possible? My hands and feet have completely recovered. What on earth happened?!

He crossed his legs and rubbed his chin, his thoughts drifting back into memory.

He vaguely remembered waking up at some point, then relying on a desperate will to survive to leave the cave. He had encountered Xiao Ke-jie running back halfway, and immediately after that, he had blacked out. That must have been how he survived.

Right, there was also that magical game screen he saw before he died...

With a thought, that cool, high-tech game screen immediately appeared before his eyes.

[Notification]

[You have one unread message]

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu finally accepted this shocking sight. After all, he knew about those so-called systems in novels; perhaps this was one.

He reached out a finger to tap on [Unread Messages], but the screen rippled like dispersing electricity, and he didn't touch anything.

"Hmm?"

Cheng Xiaoyu was stunned. Just as he was about to try another method, the hospital room door opened. Ye Xinxia appeared in the doorway, sitting in a wheelchair, staring at him blankly.

"Xinxia... you're here."

Seeing his younger sister's calm gaze, he actually felt a bit guilty and, for a moment, couldn't bring himself to face her.

Ye Xinxia maneuvered her wheelchair to the side of the bed. The next second, she raised a slender arm, aiming a slap at Cheng Xiaoyu's face.

However, the expected sound of a slap never came. A soft, jade-like hand caressed Cheng Xiaoyu's cheek instead. She threw herself into his arms, pressing her head against his chest to listen to the sound of his beating heart.

"I made dinner at home. Older Brother, you broke your promise."

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaoyu lowered his eyes, slowly embracing the delicate body in his arms, and whispered.

"I'm sorry..."

"I don't want to hear you say you're sorry. I don't want anything to happen to you either. Mom hasn't woken up yet; you're all I have left, Older Brother."

Ye Xinxia did not cry. In fact, she had already cried by the hospital bed last night; she didn't want her Older Brother to see her weak side.

Yeah, I only have you left, Xinxia...

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed inwardly, a flash of determination crossing his eyes. He patted Ye Xinxia on the back and said solemnly.

"Xinxia, I promise you that nothing will happen to me again!"

"Okay, I believe you, Older Brother. Let's eat."

Ye Xinxia took out the lunchbox and set it up. She had actually prepared lunch at noon as well, but Cheng Xiaoyu hadn't woken up yet.

Having experienced a brush with death, being able to eat a meal made by my younger sister could be considered a kind of happiness...

Looking at the game screen in front of him, then glancing at Ye Xinxia as she tidied up the lunchbox, he realized that no one else should be able to see it. He asked.

"Xinxia, do you know how to open the unread messages in the game?"

Hearing this, Ye Xinxia tilted her head and said uncertainly.

"I suppose... you just need to open the Mailbox, right?"

Open the Mailbox...

Cheng Xiaoyu moved his mind, and the [Unread Messages] in front of him opened directly. So it was operated by thought all along.

[Notification]

[You have become a Player]

[Daily Task: "Preparation to Become Strong"]

Preparation to Become Strong... What is this?

Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu lost in thought, Ye Xinxia didn't make a sound to disturb him and left the hospital ward with the lunchbox.

[This System will assist the "Player" in growing]

[If the "Player" does not follow the instructions of this System, they will suffer the corresponding "Penalty"]

Browsing through the content on the screens, Cheng Xiaoyu now understood more or less what was going on. He figured that the reason he was able to survive was all thanks to this [System].

Immediately, he looked at the first message he had opened.

"Confirm."

The next second, a larger screen unfolded before him, detailing the so-called "Preparation to Become Strong."

"100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10-kilometer run. If not fully completed, you will suffer the corresponding penalty... It actually has to be completed every day?!"

Cheng Xiaoyu's mouth twitched. What kind of joke was this? He was currently lying in the hospital injured; how was he supposed to complete a task like this? Besides, the content was far too perverted.

After pondering for a long time, he decided to put this "preparation" thing aside for now. He got out of bed, moved around a little, and then walked out of the hospital room.

This was the hospital where his Mother was staying. Presumably, Xinxia had just been to visit her as well...

Arriving in front of the ward, a Nurse happened to walk out from inside. Cheng Xiaoyu nodded at her, knocked on the door, and said.

"Xinxia, I'm coming in."

"Mm, okay."

Opening the door, Ye Xinxia was indeed inside. Lying on the hospital bed was a beautiful woman; it was their Mother, Ye Chang.

"Xinxia, thank you for your hard work."

Ye Xinxia finished wiping Ye Chang's arms with a towel and flashed a sweet smile at Cheng Xiaoyu.

"It's okay. It's not convenient for you, Older Brother. The Nurse just helped me a moment ago."

The woman on the hospital bed was incredibly beautiful. Her jet-black hair was draped behind her head, and her exquisite features were incomparably beautiful, though she was somewhat thin due to long-term malnutrition.

Even so, it could not hide her beauty; one could not tell at all that she was the mother of two children.

Cheng Xiaoyu sat by the bedside and held Ye Chang's slender Jade Hands. Only by feeling the warmth from her hands could he feel a bit more at ease.

"Older Brother, why don't you... stop being a Hunter Magician."

Cheng Xiaoyu glanced at Ye Xinxia, who was keeping her head down, not daring to look at him. He remained silent for a moment before asking in return.

"Then where would we get the money for Mom's expenses?"

Ye Xinxia was left speechless, but the next second, Cheng Xiaoyu's words made her lift her head.

"Don't worry, I won't go out as a Hunter again before the New Year."

Hearing this, a smile bloomed on her pretty face, and she nodded heavily.

At twelve o'clock at night, while Cheng Xiaoyu was fast asleep in his hospital bed, an electronic synthesized voice rang out abruptly.

In his daze, he slowly woke up, and what met his eyes was a system screen.

[Notification]

[Daily Task "Preparation to Become Strong" not completed]

[Punishment Task "Survival"]

[Objective: Survive until the 4-hour time limit ends]

Cheng Xiaoyu stared blankly at the content displayed on the screen, then suddenly sat up, looking at his surroundings in astonishment.

A pungent smell entered his nostrils, causing his nerves to tighten involuntarily. The hospital room was still the same hospital room, but it looked extremely dilapidated, as if it had been abandoned for many years.

"What... is going on?!"