Wang Yiyang stared blankly as lines of text flashed rapidly into view in the lower-right corner, like lines of code.
Data-like characters appeared and vanished in quick succession.
Soon, after a jumble of incomprehensible technical terms had flickered past and disappeared, a line of text Wang Yiyang could understand appeared.
'Initialization complete. Generating Bronze Rank identity...'
Less than two seconds later:
'Identity generated. Beginning upload...'
Then all the characters in the lower-right corner vanished at once.
Wang Yiyang stood there, almost convinced he had imagined it.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, before he could dwell on it, a mysterious, mechanical voice suddenly rang coldly in his ears.
No... Perhaps it hadn't sounded in his ears at all. It had been transmitted directly into his mind.
'On the surface, you are merely an ordinary office worker. In truth, you are a behind-the-scenes director of Mister Pharmaceutical Group, a multinational corporation.
You are in charge of the Security Department, but the enormous pressure of the power struggles within the group has left you physically and mentally exhausted.
You returned to your hometown, hoping to give your weary mind some much-needed rest.
Unfortunately, the troubles within the group still followed you like a shadow. An even greater danger has come with you to this quiet city.'
'Identity mission: Resolve the coming trouble. (You may make reasonable use of your considerable resources.)'
'Mission completion reward: Randomly obtain one ability, talent, attribute, or other trait from this identity.'
'Warning: Once generated, this identity will remain permanently active.'
'Warning: The greater the convenience this identity brings, the greater the corresponding risks.'
'Warning: You have one month to prepare for the immense danger that is about to come.'
Behind the wooden door, Wang Yiyang stood motionless, staring blankly into space.
In his mind, information and records about Mister Pharmaceutical Group, along with all kinds of details about his identity as a director, rapidly flooded into his memory.
"What is this? A legendary system cheat?"
Wang Yiyang had read plenty of novels. Many protagonists in them had their own cheats, their own golden fingers.
He had seen all kinds of cheats, but he had never come across one like his.
He took a deep breath, confirming that all the information had finished transferring into his mind.
With his thoughts still in a jumble, he hurried into his room, closed the door, and sat down to rest.
He took out a disposable plastic cup, poured himself some warm water, and drained it in one go.
Leaning back in his chair, he let the wooden seat bear his entire weight.
He sat there for quite a while before slowly sorting through the information in his mind.
According to the information in his memories, he, Wang Yiyang, appeared to be an unremarkable office worker.
But in secret, he was one of the behind-the-scenes directors of Mister Pharmaceutical. Within its massive Board of Directors, he held the crucial position of head of security.
According to his memories, during the several years he had led the Security Department, he had used ruthless methods to put down several internal power struggles. He had also secretly lined his own pockets, amassing a considerable personal fortune.
Now, with a change in the group's board chairmanship and factions locked in bitter rivalry, the power struggle had reached a brutally intense stage.
He had gone off to the countryside to avoid the worst of the conflict.
Sitting in his room, Wang Yiyang took out his phone. Somehow, his contacts list had gained the numbers of all kinds of people from Mister Group.
His phone had also somehow been transformed into a satellite phone made from high-strength materials.
It still looked the same on the outside, but everything inside was completely different.
"This is insane!" Wang Yiyang stared at the phone in shock as he fiddled with it. Its various cutting-edge functions made him feel like he'd been a country bumpkin all his life.
And he'd once considered himself a tech geek, well-versed in the latest digital gadgets.
He opened the phone's specifications.
The shocking specs listed there made him jump.
It could withstand drops from over a thousand meters, function underwater at depths of over ten thousand meters, resist all kinds of interference, and boost its signal. Its battery lasted more than ten times as long as an ordinary phone. It also had over a dozen encrypted communication modes, remote operating system functions, and more.
Judging by its other hardware specs alone, this phone was far more powerful than the best computers on the market.
"Impressive!" After admiring the phone's many functions, Wang Yiyang quickly checked his body.
According to the information in his memories, as a behind-the-scenes director of Mister Group, he had a Human Authentication Chip implanted in his body.
Soon, he raised his right hand and felt a slightly hard disc beneath the skin just above his forearm.
He pressed the disc and, following the information in his memories, quietly spoke the passphrase.
"Open Mister System."
Whoosh!
His forearm suddenly warmed, and a semicircular blue holographic display appeared in midair, hovering in front of him.
The display was divided into four main options.
Weapons, Personnel, Intelligence, and Upload.
"Impressive!" Wang Yiyang eagerly reached out and tapped the Personnel option.
The display immediately enlarged the Personnel menu.
Information accompanied by personnel portraits scrolled rapidly down the screen like a waterfall.
'Henry Kash: Thirty-one years old. Former tactical commander of the Federation's First Special Forces Team. Specializes in battlefield command and infiltration assassinations.'
'Hongli Backlem: Thirty years old. Former scout in the Federation's 10th Airborne Regiment. Specializes in covert assassinations and reconnaissance.'
'Hywell Kahn: Twenty-eight years old. Former second lieutenant in the Federation's 15th Armored Division. Specializes in long-range fire control and close-quarters combat.'
'Quan Hela: Thirty years old. Former soldier in the El Republic's elite defense forces. Specializes in extreme long-range sniping and reconnaissance.'
Rows upon rows of densely packed personnel portraits filled the entire display.
Wang Yiyang swallowed, his mouth dry.
He had never heard of Mister Pharmaceutical Group, but if the information on the display was real...
Then the group's true nature was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
"According to the information the system gave me, as head of security, I'm authorized to freely deploy members of the Security Department.
"If that's the case, couldn't I use the group's resources to investigate what's going on with my grandfather?"
Wang Yiyang's thoughts shifted, and he immediately connected this to the predicament he was facing.
In a straight fight, even ten of him wouldn't stand a chance against Zhong Can.
But if he used his identity as a director of Mister Pharmaceutical Group, the forces he could summon would probably be far beyond his imagination.
"Even if I may face greater danger later, I'll deal with the problem in front of me first!"
Wang Yiyang steeled himself.
He had already died once. What was there to hesitate about?
Following the information in his memories, he quickly selected twenty Security Department personnel, all of them stationed nearby.
He also requested some of the powerful weapons and equipment he considered essential.
After checking everything repeatedly, he pressed the confirmation button on the display.
Mister Pharmaceutical's power was terrifying. There were armed forces nearby that he could deploy, and there was more than one unit.
The more Wang Yiyang read, the more unnerved he became.
The reason his identity as a director had made him such a hated figure was that, within the group, he had proposed a dangerous plan to control the forces under the Security Department with bio-chips.
And according to that plan, he had already taken control of considerable forces.
His trampling of human nature and disregard for human life had made him one of the group's most feared kingpins.
"In other words, given the forces I can control now, whatever threat has even me, the head of security, feeling this uneasy must be an extremely dangerous enemy."
Wang Yiyang shut off the display, the corners of his mouth twitching. His mood, which had just begun to improve, instantly plummeted again.
"Forget it. I still have a month. I'll deal with it then. For now, I'll just get through what's in front of me."
He picked up his phone and saw a text message that had come in.
'Jian Safit: I'm pleased to be of service, Minister.'
Wang Yiyang thought for a moment, then quickly typed a reply.
Jian Safit was the man he had designated as the captain of his team when choosing personnel. He was also Mister Pharmaceutical's best close-quarters fighter.
He would be responsible for assembling and coordinating this temporary team.
After making the arrangements, Jian quickly confirmed when they would arrive. That gave Wang Yiyang a little more peace of mind.
He put down his phone and was just about to turn off the screen when another message appeared.
'You there?'—Wang Dongning.
Wang Yiyang frowned. He suddenly felt as though he'd jumped out of the martial arts school and returned to reality.
Wang Dongning was a coworker at his current company, and they got along well.
'Yeah. What's up? Something happen at the company?'—Wang Yiyang.
He quickly typed back.
The new phone felt so good in his hands that even his typing speed had improved.
'It's not looking good. There's some talk going around in your department. Be careful when you go back. Zhao Huai seems to have been targeted by someone. Watch out so you don't get caught in the crossfire.'—Wang Dongning.
'Zhao Huai? Targeted?'—Wang Yiyang.
'Seems he got into an argument with the supervisor. Anyway, just be careful.'—Wang Dongning.
Soon afterward, the other man cautiously deleted the chat history.
Wang Yiyang put down his phone, feeling an indescribable strangeness.
After suddenly being reborn and suddenly awakening a system, he'd returned to thinking about the petty affairs at his company.
Yet somehow, life felt more real.
'I'll go back tomorrow. Once I'm there, I can remotely investigate what's going on here. With the forces granted to me by my new identity, investigating a mere martial arts school case should be incredibly easy.
'Then I'll see who's pulling the strings behind the scenes.'
Wang Yiyang gradually calmed down.
Jian and the others arrived even faster than he'd expected.
The first to arrive were the two team members stationed closest by: Catherine and Willy. Both were elite operatives specializing in close-quarters combat indoors.
Most importantly, they were fully armed, which made Wang Yiyang feel much safer.
While everyone else at the martial arts school was practicing and discussing their techniques, he slipped out to meet his two subordinates.
It was only a brief, discreet meeting, but it gave him a first impression of the Security Department personnel.
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