Preparation to Become Strong

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out. Cheng Xiaoyu sat up in bed in a panic, gasping for air.

After a long while, he finally recovered from the sensation of suffocation and looked around.

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

But... why was he in a hospital? Hadn't he already died out there?

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

How was this possible? My arms and legs have completely healed. What happened?!

He crossed his legs, rubbed his chin, and fell into memory.

At the time, he vaguely remembered waking up at some point. Then, driven by a powerful desire to survive, he'd left the cave. He'd run into Xiao Ke-jie on her way back, and immediately passed out. That was how he'd survived.

Right, there was also that incredible game screen he'd seen before he died...

With a thought, the dazzling game screen appeared before his eyes, radiating a sense of technology.

[Notification]

[You have one unread message]

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu finally accepted the shocking sight. After all, he knew about the so-called systems in novels. Maybe this was one of them.

He reached out to tap [Unread Messages], but the screen scattered like an electric current, and he couldn't touch anything.

"Hm?"

Cheng Xiaoyu froze. He was about to try something else when the hospital room door opened. Ye Xinxia, sitting in a wheelchair, appeared in the doorway, staring at him in a daze.

"Xinxia... you're here."

Seeing the calm look in his little sister's eyes, he felt strangely guilty and couldn't bring himself to face her.

Ye Xinxia wheeled herself over to the bed. The next second, she raised her slender arm and swung it toward Cheng Xiaoyu's face.

But the expected slap never came. A soft hand stroked Cheng Xiaoyu's cheek. She threw herself into his arms, pressing her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat.

"I made dinner at home, but you broke your promise, brother."

At that, Cheng Xiaoyu lowered his eyes, slowly wrapped his arms around her, and said softly,

"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 still hasn't woken up. You're all I have left, brother."

Ye Xinxia didn't cry. She'd already cried at his bedside last night and didn't want her brother to see her at her most vulnerable.

That's right. I only have you, Xinxia...

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed inwardly. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes as he patted Ye Xinxia's back and said solemnly,

"Xinxia, I promise I won't let anything happen to me again!"

"Okay, I believe you, brother. Let's eat."

Ye Xinxia took out the lunch box and set it out. She'd made lunch, too, but Cheng Xiaoyu hadn't woken up then.

After going through life and death, being able to eat a meal made by his little sister was a kind of happiness...

He looked at the game screen before him, then at Ye Xinxia as she packed up the lunch box. Realizing that no one else could probably see it, he asked,

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

Ye Xinxia tilted her head and replied uncertainly,

"Maybe... you just have to open the mailbox."

Open the mailbox...

Cheng Xiaoyu focused his thoughts, and [Unread Messages] opened before him. So it worked through thoughts, after all.

[Notification]

[You have become a player]

[Daily Task: "Preparation to Become Strong"]

Preparation to Become Strong... What was that?

Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu lost in thought, Ye Xinxia didn't disturb him. She took the lunch box and left the room.

[This system will assist the "player" in growing stronger]

[If the "player" fails to follow this system's instructions, they will face the corresponding "punishment"]

Reading through the screens, Cheng Xiaoyu was beginning to understand what was going on. The only reason he'd survived was probably because of this [System].

He immediately looked at the message he'd opened earlier.

"Confirm."

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

"Do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats, then run 10 kilometers. If I don't complete them all, I'll face the corresponding punishment... And I have to do this every day?!"

Cheng Xiaoyu's mouth twitched. What kind of joke was this? He was still injured and lying in a hospital. How was he supposed to complete this task? Besides, wasn't it ridiculously over the top?

After thinking it over for a long while, he decided to put this so-called preparation aside for now. He got out of bed, moved around a little, then left the room.

This was the hospital where his mother was staying. Xinxia had probably gone to visit her just now...

When he reached the room, a nurse happened to come out. Cheng Xiaoyu nodded to her, knocked on the door, and said,

"Xinxia, I'm coming in."

"Okay."

He opened the door. Ye Xinxia was indeed inside, and a beautiful woman lay in the hospital bed. She was their mother, Ye Chang.

"Xinxia, you've worked hard."

Ye Xinxia finished wiping Ye Chang's arm with a towel, then smiled sweetly at Cheng Xiaoyu.

"It's okay. It's not something you can do, brother. The nurse helped me just now."

The woman in the bed was very beautiful, her jet-black hair falling behind her. Her exquisite features were stunning, though she was a little thin from long-term malnutrition.

Even so, her beauty was impossible to hide. She didn't look like a mother of two at all.

Cheng Xiaoyu sat beside the bed and held Ye Chang's slender hand. He could only feel a little reassured when he felt its warmth.

"Brother, why don't you... stop working as a hunter magician?"

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Ye Xinxia, who had lowered her head and didn't dare look at him. After a moment of silence, he asked,

"Then where would we get the money to pay for Mom's care?"

Ye Xinxia had no answer, but Cheng Xiaoyu's next words made her raise her head.

"Don't worry. I won't go hunting again before the New Year."

At that, a smile bloomed across her face, and she nodded firmly.

At midnight, Cheng Xiaoyu was sleeping soundly in his hospital bed when a synthesized electronic voice rang out without warning.

Half-asleep, he slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a system screen.

[Notification]

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

[Punishment Task: "Survive"]

[Objective: Stay alive until the 4-hour countdown ends]

Cheng Xiaoyu stared blankly at the screen. Then he suddenly sat up and looked around in shock.

A pungent smell filled his nostrils, putting his nerves on edge. The room was still a hospital room, but it looked extremely run-down, as if it had been abandoned for years.

"What... is going on?!"