Words Betray the Heart, Li Xing's Utter Disdain

Li Xing had just finished muttering to himself.

Outside on the street, the sounds of screaming, frantic running, crashing objects, and the slamming of doors and windows filled the air incessantly.

A flash of anxiety crossed Li Xing's eyes. What's going on? What happened?

Is anyone there? Make a sound.

"Squeak!"

Just as he thought that, a squeak sounded, followed immediately by a loud thud.

Light had just begun to stream in and hit Li Xing's face, but the next moment, it was cut off as if a drawer had been slammed shut.

He sighed inwardly.

In his current state, he had no way to play the hero saving a damsel in distress.

"Good heavens, the monsters are here again."

Li Xing clicked his tongue in annoyance.

It turned out to be a man.

Needless to say, it must have been the father or brother of the girl who had brought him back.

Li Xing watched the man bustling about, but before long, he noticed something was wrong.

The door was locked, and there was no one else in the house.

"You've locked the door, but what about your daughter or sister?"

Li Xing spoke up suddenly, giving the man a massive fright.

"Who's there!"

After a sharp shout, the man spotted Li Xing.

With a look of anxiety, he took a few strides to the bedside.

"Young man, what are you babbling about? I'm all alone."

"Oh, hush, don't talk! The monsters are coming."

Li Xing was completely bewildered.

What was going on?

Why was it a middle-aged man who saved him?

What happened to the trope where falling into a river and passing out guaranteed being saved by a pure, lovely young beauty?

This wasn't protagonist material at all!

Curling his lip, Li Xing ignored the man entirely.

He focused his attention on his own attributes.

A transparent panel appeared, and Li Xing furrowed his brows slightly.

Host: Li Xing
Lifespan: 24
Combat Power: 1 (0.2, current state)
Physique: 1 (0.2)
Mental Power: 1
Energy: 1
Ability: Devour Ability (Increases with usage and insight.)

Li Xing stared at the data without speaking, nor did he bother asking why any of this was happening.

Damn system, the feedback is infuriating.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Looking at the stats that were all those of a normal person, Li Xing was speechless.

He had risked his life and limb just to end up as an average Joe.

Li Xing felt something was off and took another sharp look at the data.

A storm instantly raged in his mind.

He remembered correctly; his lifespan had been 25 at the start, and the system had even mocked him for being short-lived.

And now?

24!

"Screw your grandmother's legs, System! Get out here and explain why my lifespan has been cut by another year!"

Li Xing was furious.

As a transmigrator, being short-lived was one thing, but losing a year just from passing out?

What kind of mess is this?

"Physique insufficient to support Devour Ability, compounded by cellular damage from unconsciousness."

Li Xing's eyes turned red instantly.

"Screw you! If I can't use it, why give me this ability? You're just sending me to my death."

"Super Choice System, everything is led by the host; the system does not interfere with the host's choices."

Li Xing gritted his teeth until they clicked.

What a damn system.

"System, let me ask you, if I commit suicide, will you crash?"

"Negative. The system will seek out the next host."

Li Xing was furious; he scrambled up, his fists clenched tight.

Before he could speak, the homeowner jumped in fright, then began to earnestly advise him.

"Oh, what are you doing? There's a monster outside, don't cause trouble."

Li Xing glanced at the man, his murderous aura so intense that the man stumbled backward.

"W-what are you trying to do?"

Li Xing curled his lip, offering no explanation.

"Danger detected, Super Choice System activated.

Option One: Help the villagers kill the monster, reward: Physique +0.1.

Option Two: Help the monster loot the villagers, reward: Mental Power +0.01.

Option Three: Ignore everything and leave immediately, reward: Energy +5."

Li Xing was stunned when he saw the options.

There was no penalty this time, as if it didn't matter whether he chose or not.

But in the world of Dragon Ball, with a system at his disposal, how could he not make good use of it to grow stronger?

The problem was that the rewards given by this damn system were just too meager.

Other people's systems always started them off with a Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline, the power of a God of Destruction, or something similar.

How did he end up with this piece of trash?

The only thing that looked remotely decent was the Energy +5 at the end.

Even the best rewards were pathetic and stingy; he'd be embarrassed to tell anyone he had a system if he walked out the door.

Besides, were those options even meant for a human?

Was Li Xing the type of person to be ungrateful?

"System, I choose three!"

Li Xing declared firmly in his mind.

He was kidding himself if he thought he could stay; this was Dragon Ball, after all.

He had already made up his mind to work hard to improve himself, to step onto the stage in the turbulent future, and to lead the way in style.

To avoid dragging these villagers down, he was naturally going to slip away on his own.

Looking at the three options, Energy was clearly the best.

It was more!

More is better.

Thinking of this, Li Xing's eyes darted toward the corner of the room where the tools were kept.

"Y-you, what are you doing?"

Li Xing glanced at the man, feeling a pang of sorrow.

This was his savior; to just ignore him when a monster was coming was truly inhumane.

"Tell me, who is this monster you mentioned?"

The man made a shushing gesture and whispered an explanation.

"You're new here, so you don't know about our village. We have a King Oolong; he can transform into anything and specializes in snatching young girls."

Li Xing understood immediately.

He knew exactly where he was, and he knew exactly what kind of creature that monster was.

At the same time, he looked at the man with a strange expression.

"Has he done anything else heinous?"

"No, he just snatches girls."

Li Xing's eyes grew even more profound.

"They're snatching girls, not men, so what the hell are you afraid of? Are you worried about getting your chrysanthemum ruined and your backside left in tatters?"

The man, having never been baptized by the endless flow of information from the modern world, stared at Li Xing in bewilderment.

Li Xing shook his head. These villagers were truly pathetic; if they had just been a little braver and resisted a bit more, they would have easily seen through Oolong's bluff. Instead, they were all cowardly to the core.

Just as he was about to offer to deal with Oolong for the village, a sound rang out.

"Ding! Detected host's negative intentions. Violating the choice will result in unfavorable consequences."

Li Xing's chest heaved rapidly. Ignoring the man's confusion and terror, he grabbed a shovel, stepped past him, pushed open the door, and strode out of the house with a flourish.

The man who had saved Li Xing looked on in horror. "Hey, you, you..."

Li Xing was in a foul mood and barked at him, "Shut up! I'm leaving. You can stay here and keep hiding like a spineless coward." As he spoke, he marched toward the edge of the village.

With a livid expression, he interrogated the Super Choice System in his mind. "System, how can you read my thoughts? If you don't explain this clearly, I'm not letting it go."

"Ding! You're overthinking it. With your current strength, even Master Roshi could see right through you while wearing sunglasses. If you want to shield your thoughts from the system, work on improving yourself."

Li Xing's face remained dark. Regardless of the explanation, having someone—or something—know his inner thoughts was an unpleasant, terrifying, and unsettling prospect.

"The system is aware of any thoughts the host has regarding choices; the host cannot conceal them."

Li Xing felt a vein throb in his forehead. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"And another thing, why are the rewards you give so stingy? Let me tell you, don't try to scam me; I read plenty of novels. Those god-tier choice systems hand out tens of thousands in combat power at the drop of a hat. What is this? Not only is the choice itself garbage, but the reward is pathetic."

His soul and body were both filled with extreme disdain.