Heaven-Collapsing Start, I Just Want to Live, Damn It!

Year 335, Jiashan Fortress, still under construction.

Lin Junyu wore golden armor and sat astride a tall, snow-white warhorse clad in golden leather barding, standing atop a small hill beside the fortress.

Imperial Guards filled the hill, banners fluttering in the wind. Eight hundred well-equipped, rigorously trained cavalrymen, clad in black armor and mounted on black horses, stood silently in formation behind the golden-armored figure at the front.

Below the hill, tens of thousands of orc slaves hunched over as they dragged massive slabs of granite beneath the looming whips of their overseers.

Jiashan Fortress had been ordered built by the eleventh emperor of the Luminous Empire. Looking at the fortress complex already taking shape in the valley ahead, no one could have imagined that this place would one day become the famed imperial capital of the Zichuan Clan.

The Zichuan Clan of today was merely a top-ranking imperial family that had only recently risen to prominence. Its current patriarch was Zichuan Shengxing, one of the Empire's Five Tigers.

"Your Highness the Third Prince, a message has arrived from Far Capital. His Majesty will soon be celebrating his birthday. We must depart in advance!"

"Mm, I understand. You may leave. Also, go down there and bring Zichuan Mingri to me."

Lin Junyu spoke indifferently, waving away the general who had come to report.

He had been in this world for eighteen years. Eighteen years ago, he had still been an ambitious young man setting his dreams free on the streets on New Year's Eve.

On his way back after picking up a delivery, he had been struck by a freak stroke of fate. When he woke up, he had become a babbling infant—and the third son of the eleventh emperor of the Luminous Empire.

After eleven emperors, the Luminous Empire's national strength had reached its peak.

The current emperor, his own father Lin Huang, had sharpened the army and expanded the military, ever prepared to launch an eastern expedition into the Far East and expand the Empire's territory.

The Jiashan Fortress he had ordered built was to serve as the main base for the Empire's coming eastern campaign.

To stay away from the power struggles in Far Capital and steadily build his own forces, Lin Junyu had requested to be sent to the front lines to oversee the construction here. It was through this that he came to know Zichuan Mingri, the young patriarch of the Zichuan Clan.

His two elder brothers had been fighting for power in Far Capital. Especially over the past two years, an endless stream of intelligence had arrived from Far Capital—council disputes, schemes, assassinations. The two of them had practically beaten each other's brains out.

His imperial father, meanwhile, was exceptionally confident in his own civil and military accomplishments. With all his attention focused on the eastern campaign, he had no interest in their power struggle at all.

Far Capital was therefore a treacherous place now, deep waters swirling with hidden currents.

Both of his elder brothers had mothers from the Empire's foremost families. His own mother had merely been the daughter of an ordinary merchant. Only because her beauty was unmatched had she been fortunate enough to enter the imperial palace. A few years after giving birth to him, she died of illness.

If he had not requested to come to Jiashan two years ago and temporarily distanced himself from their power struggle, they would surely have played him to death by now.

Even so, he had only managed, through every effort, to develop some forces of his own outside the capital.

But compared with his two elder brothers, who had been backed by the power of top families since birth, the gap was not something he could close in a year or two. After all, he had worked himself to the bone and exhausted everything he had, yet only trained eight hundred elite cavalry in two years. They only needed to say the word to their families to field a thousand well-equipped personal guards.

So he had to secure the support of a family if he wanted to preserve himself in the struggle for power—and only then could he possibly vie for that position. The Zichuan Clan was the target he had chosen.

"Your Highness, Zichuan Mingri is here!"

"Big Brother! You called for me? Is there something tasty to eat or fun to play with again?"

From the foot of the hill, a teenage figure ran toward him, waving as he charged up. His excited voice carried all the way from a hundred meters away.

"Ah, this foolish kid..."

Watching the youth run toward him below, so delighted at the thought of food and fun that his grin nearly reached his ears, Lin Junyu could not help rubbing his forehead with a sigh. This guy was actually the young patriarch of the Zichuan Clan? Wasn't he just a dumb, spoiled rich kid?

"What, I can't call for you unless there's food or fun?"

Once he ran up to Lin Junyu's horse, Lin Junyu raised his hand and knocked him on the head from above, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

I'm working my ass off playing a survival game here, while you're living out the casual entertainment game I wanted to play. So damn irritating!

"Big Brother, don't hit my head. My father said getting hit on the head makes you stupid!"

Zichuan Mingri rubbed his head and protested with a few complaints.

"This is fighting poison with poison. You're already plenty stupid, so I'm knocking some sense into you and opening up that brain of yours!"

Lin Junyu looked at the foolish boy, whose brows were furrowed and lips were pursed from the pain. Had he hit that hard?

Looking at the dazed, silly Zichuan Mingri, Lin Junyu asked helplessly yet fondly, "Did it hurt that much?"

"Hehe, if Big Brother makes me sweet-and-sour pork strips and braised pork, it probably won't hurt anymore!"

Zichuan Mingri remained utterly carefree, even asking Lin Junyu for food.

"Help me with something, and I'll make it for you. How about it?"

Lin Junyu looked at Zichuan Mingri, his voice laced with temptation.

"Big Brother, forget one thing. I can help you with ten, even a hundred things, and I'll get them done perfectly."

Zichuan Mingri patted his chest, speaking with utter confidence.

"Good. Then help me tell your father that I want to meet him. How about that?"

Zichuan Shengxing had avoided him for the past two years. Whenever Lin Junyu went to visit, he would make excuses to refuse a meeting. Lin Junyu naturally understood what that meant, but as long as matters had not been settled, one could not help but hold on to hope.

What if? What if the fact that he had trained eight hundred elite soldiers over the past two years could make Zichuan Shengxing see him differently, raise his value in his eyes, and lead him to support him?

"Th-this..."

The confidence Zichuan Mingri had shown moments ago vanished the instant his father was mentioned, and he began to stammer.

"Father said he won't interfere with me being friends with you. But at the same time, he said he won't interfere in any of your affairs either. Still, I can secretly take you to see my father. That's all I can do. It's very difficult for me to change Father's decisions."

After struggling inwardly, Zichuan Mingri finally repeated the exact words his father had told him and stated the limit of what he could do.

Hearing Zichuan Mingri's words, the last of Lin Junyu's hopes finally died, leaving him somewhat disheartened.

With only the small intelligence network he had in Far Capital, he simply could not compare with the deeply entrenched family power wielded by his two elder brothers. Without the Zichuan Clan's support and protection, returning to Far Capital meant that only death awaited him.

Damn heavens, fine, I got transmigrated into a novel—but couldn't you at least give me a decent start? A minor prince with neither backing nor strength, his mother dead young, his father indifferent, and his brothers wishing he'd die sooner... wasn't this a hopeless opening?

Lin Junyu no longer even dared to dream about that position. He just wanted to stay alive, damn it!

He raised his head to look at the blue sky, full of indignation. Just as he lifted one hand, ready to make that universal gesture, it was as though his casting had suddenly been interrupted. His mood shifted from sorrow to joy.

[ Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations in the host. The host is facing a major choice in life. The Life Choice System has been activated! ]

[ Choice One: Follow Zichuan Mingri to visit Zichuan Shengxing. Use your friendship with Zichuan Mingri to coerce the Zichuan Clan, which has long since pledged itself to the First Prince, into supporting you and protecting your safety in Far Capital. ]

[ Reward: Golden Armor of a Hundred Battles, Sky-Piercing Halberd, combat genes activated, one coffin. ]

[ Choice One System Comment: How many holes does the head of someone choosing this have?! Delivering a fragrant sheep's head right into a wolf's jaws—the wolf cries, "Don't come any closer, I'm already full!" Go on a grand killing spree, burn away your hot blood, then lie down in that coffin. This system will collect your corpse! ]

Seeing Choice One, Lin Junyu's vision went black. The joy of activating the system was instantly blasted away. Wasn't this system a little improper? It seemed rather fond of watching chaos unfold.

He definitely could not choose the first option. If he did, not only would he offend the Zichuan Clan by using the young clan master to coerce them, but once he went to Far Capital, the Zichuan Clan could join forces with his eldest brother's faction and seize the chance to eliminate him, earning merit for supporting the future ruler in front of his dear elder brother.

For the past two years, the Zichuan Clan had been lukewarm toward him. It turned out it was not because he was that worthless, but because they had already secretly pledged themselves to his eldest brother.

As for Zichuan Mingri and himself... looking at Zichuan Mingri's simple-minded appearance, he probably knew nothing. He associated with Lin Junyu purely for good food and fun.

And as for why Zichuan Shengxing had not stopped it, he was probably hedging his bets. Lin Junyu was a fallback option; he was afraid of the unlikely possibility that Lin Junyu might actually succeed. They were all old foxes, always leaving themselves a way out.

Passing over Choice One, Lin Junyu patiently looked toward the system's second choice.