Bronze Rank

Wang Yiyang stared blankly at the bottom right corner of his field of vision, where lines of text were rapidly popping up like lines of programming code.

Characters resembling data flickered into existence and vanished just as quickly.

Soon, after a massive deluge of incomprehensible technical jargon pulsed and faded, a line of text Wang Yiyang could actually understand appeared.

'Initialization complete, Bronze Rank identity generation starting...'

Less than two seconds later.

'Identity generation complete, loading...'

Then, every character in the bottom right corner vanished in an instant.

Wang Yiyang stood rooted to the spot, wondering if he had just been seeing things.

But just as the thought of self-doubt arose and before it could even take root, a mysterious, synthesized mechanical voice drilled coldly into his ear canals.

No... perhaps it didn't ring in his ears at all, but was transmitted directly into his mind.

'On the surface, you are merely an ordinary office worker, but your true identity is that of a behind-the-scenes director at the multinational Mister Pharmaceutical Group.

You are responsible for managing the Security Department, but the immense pressure from the power struggles within the group has left you physically and mentally exhausted.

You returned to your hometown, attempting to find some respite for your weary soul.

Unfortunately, the trouble within the group has followed you like a shadow. A greater danger has already arrived in this peaceful city alongside you.'

'Identity Mission: Resolve the impending trouble. (You may reasonably utilize your own powerful resources).'

'Mission Completion Reward: Obtain one random item from this identity, such as an ability, talent, or attribute.'

'Warning: Once an identity is generated, it will be permanently valid.'

'Warning: The greater the convenience an identity brings, the equivalent the risks that accompany it.'

'Warning: You have one month to prepare for the massive danger that is about to follow.'

Behind the wooden door, Wang Yiyang stood motionless, frozen in place.

Within his mind, streams of data and information regarding Mister Pharmaceutical Group, along with every detail concerning this director identity, flooded into his memory at high speed.

What is this?? The legendary system cheat code?

It wasn't as if Wang Yiyang hadn't read novels; many protagonists in those stories possessed their own cheats or golden fingers.

He had seen many types of cheats, but one like his seemed to be a first.

He took a deep breath, confirming that all the data and memories in his mind had finished transferring.

Taking advantage of the chaos in his brain, he hurried to speed up, walked into his room, closed the door, and sat down to rest.

He took out a disposable plastic cup, poured himself a glass of warm water, and downed it in one gulp.

He leaned back against the seat, letting the wooden chair bear his full weight.

He sat like that for quite a while before he finally managed to organize the information in his head.

According to the information in his memory:

He, Wang Yiyang, was an unremarkable office worker on the surface.

But in secret, he was one of the behind-the-scenes directors of Mister Pharmaceutical Group. Within the massive Board of Directors, he held the critical position of head of the Security Department.

According to the information in his memory, during the years he held the Security Department, he had used ruthless methods to suppress several personnel riots within the group. He had also secretly sought personal gain, acquiring a significant amount of personal wealth.

Now, with the change of the chairman of the Board of Directors and the infighting between factions, the power struggle had reached an extremely cruel level.

He had fled to the countryside precisely to avoid the period when the fighting was most intense.

Sitting in his room, Wang Yiyang took out his phone. His contact list had inexplicably gained a large number of phone numbers for various personnel from Mister Group.

Furthermore, his phone had inexplicably transformed into a satellite phone made of high-strength materials.

The exterior of the phone looked the same as before, but the contents inside were completely different.

"This is insane!" Wang Yiyang stared, dumbfounded, as he toyed with the phone. The various novel, high-tech functions inside made him feel like a complete bumpkin.

And to think he used to consider himself a tech geek who knew high-end digital products like the back of his hand.

He opened the phone's parameter specifications.

The row of monstrous data above truly gave him a shock.

Drop-proof from over a thousand meters, waterproof up to ten thousand meters, resistant to all kinds of interference, and enhanced signal. The battery life was over ten times that of a standard phone. It also featured over a dozen encrypted communication modes, remote operating system functions, and more.

Looking at the hardware specs alone, the performance of this phone was far superior to the best computers on the market.

"Impressive!" After admiring the various functions of the phone, Wang Yiyang quickly checked his own body.

According to the data in his memory, as a behind-the-scenes director of Mister Group, he possessed a Human Authentication Chip.

Soon, he raised his right hand and felt a slightly hard, circular disc under the skin just above his forearm.

He pressed down on the disc and, following the data in his memory, softly recited the password.

"Activate Mister System."

Swish!

A sudden warmth flared on his forearm, and a semi-circular blue light screen instantly manifested in mid-air, hovering before him.

The light screen was divided into four major options.

Weapons, Personnel, Intelligence, Upload.

"Impressive!" Wang Yiyang reached out with interest and tapped the Personnel section.

The light screen immediately expanded the 'Personnel' option.

Rows of information, accompanied by personnel portraits, cascaded down like a waterfall.

'Henry Kash: 31 years old, former Federation Special Forces Team 1, tactical commander, specializes in positional command, infiltration, and assassination.'

'Hongli Backlem: 30 years old, former Federation Airborne Army 10th Regiment scout, specializes in lurking, assassination, and intelligence reconnaissance.'

'Hywell Kahn: 28 years old, former Federation 15th Armored Division second lieutenant, specializes in long-range fire control and close-quarters combat.'

'Quan Hela: 30 years old, former El Republic High Defense Force soldier, specializes in ultra-long-range sniping and intelligence reconnaissance.'

Rows of dense personnel portraits occupied every inch of the light screen.

Wang Yiyang's throat bobbed, his mouth suddenly dry.

He had never heard of Mister Pharmaceutical Group, but if the information on the screen was true, the true nature of this group likely far exceeded his imagination...

"According to the data provided by that system, as the Security Department head, I have the authority to mobilize these security department members at will. If that's the case, couldn't I use the power here to investigate my grandfather's affairs??"

Wang Yiyang's thoughts shifted, immediately connecting to the predicament he was currently facing.

In a direct confrontation, he wouldn't be a match for Zhong Can, not even if there were ten of him.

But if he utilized his identity as a director of Mister Pharmaceutical Group, the power he could mobilize would likely far exceed his imagination.

"Although I might face greater danger in the future, I have to resolve the immediate crisis first!"

Wang Yiyang steeled his heart.

He was a man who had already died once; what was there to be hesitant about?

Following the memory data in his mind, he quickly selected a total of twenty Security Department personnel, all of whom were the closest available assets.

At the same time, he also requisitioned some powerful weapon tools he deemed necessary from the Weapons section.

After confirming repeatedly, he pressed the confirm button on the light screen.

The power of Mister Pharmaceutical was terrifying; he could actually find mobilizable armed forces in the vicinity, and not just one unit at that.

The more Wang Yiyang looked at the data, the more alarmed he felt.

The reason his identity as a group director was so hated was entirely because he had proposed a dangerous plan within the group to control the forces under the Security Department using bio-chips.

And according to this plan, he had already gained control over a significant amount of power in advance.

This trampling of human nature and disregard for life had successfully made him one of the few feared "black hands" within the group.

"In other words, looking at the forces I can control now, any threat that even I, as the head of the Security Department, find dangerous and troublesome must be an extremely, extremely dangerous enemy."

Wang Yiyang's mouth twitched as he closed the light screen. His mood, which had just improved, instantly plummeted to the bottom.

"Forget it, there's still a month left anyway; I'll deal with it then. Let me just survive the present first."

He picked up his phone and saw a text message he had received.

'Jian Safit: It is a pleasure to serve you, sir.'

Wang Yiyang thought for a moment, picked up his phone, and quickly replied to the message.

This Jian Safit was the captain of the guard he had designated when selecting personnel. He was also the strongest in close-quarters combat within Mister Pharmaceutical.

This temporary team would be gathered and coordinated by him.

After the arrangements were made, Jian quickly confirmed the arrival time. This gave Wang Yiyang a little more sense of security.

Putting down the phone, he was just about to turn off the screen when another line of text popped up.

'Are you there?' -- Wang Dongning.

Wang Yiyang frowned slightly. He suddenly felt as if he had jumped out of the martial arts gym and returned to reality.

Wang Dongning was a colleague at the company where he currently worked, and they were on good terms.

'I'm here, what's wrong? Did something happen at the company?' -- Wang Yiyang.

He quickly typed a reply manually.

However, because the phone was a newer model, the tactile feel was truly excellent. It made his typing speed significantly faster.

"Things are looking a bit dicey. It seems there's some talk circulating in your department, so be careful when you head back. That kid Zhao Huai seems to be getting targeted; just watch yourself so you don't get caught in the crossfire." — Wang Dongning.

"Zhao Huai? Being targeted?" — Wang Yiyang.

"Seems like he had a falling out with a supervisor. Regardless, just watch your back." — Wang Dongning.

Soon after, the other party cautiously retracted the chat history.

Wang Yiyang put down his phone, an indescribable sense of strangeness lingering in his heart.

Suddenly reborn, suddenly awakening a system, and then looking back at the trivial nonsense within his own company.

Instead, he felt that life had become more real.

"I'll head back tomorrow. Once I return, I'll investigate the situation here remotely. With the influence of the new identity I gained from the system, looking into a case involving a mere martial arts gym will be absolutely effortless.

When the time comes, I'd like to see exactly who is pulling the strings in the shadows."

Wang Yiyang's heart slowly settled.

Jian and the others arrived even faster than he had imagined.

The first to arrive were two of the nearest team members. Catherine and Willy, both elites specializing in indoor skirmishes.

Most importantly, they were fully armed, which gave Wang Yiyang an even greater sense of security.

Taking advantage of the time when everyone else in the martial arts gym was practicing and sparring, he slipped out to make contact with his two subordinates.

It was only a brief, covert meeting, but it gave him a preliminary understanding of these members of the Security Department.