The Great Villain System

There was nothing on the rope, yet it was impossibly heavy.

Faced with something so unnatural, Zhang Ruobing froze. "What... what is that?"

A chill shot up Chen Feng's spine. He knew exactly what it was.

The invisible Water Ghost that had killed everyone in the Internet Cafe!

Chen Feng turned and shouted at Zhang Ruobing, "Shoot! Shoot the rope! Don't let it climb up! Hurry!"

Zhang Ruobing didn't understand. "What?"

Chen Feng was frantic. "There's no time to explain! The Water Ghost! The Water Ghost is climbing up! Don't you get it?"

Zhang Ruobing tried to calm him down. "Don't panic. Tell me slowly."

Slowly, my ass.

There was no talking sense into someone determined to die. Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Chen Feng turned and ran. He wasn't about to die with this fool.

Almost the moment Chen Feng left, the rope in Zhang Ruobing's hands went light. A bone-deep chill washed over her.

Was the rain so heavy that it had soaked my clothes and made me lose body heat?

Before Zhang Ruobing could work it out, a pair of invisible hands, soaking wet and unnaturally slick, clamped around her throat with immense force.

Could this be... the Water Ghost Master told me about?

"Ah!"

She didn't even have time to scream.

Crack! Zhang Ruobing's throat was crushed, and she collapsed to the ground.

Just then, a police car came roaring toward her!

After leaving, Chen Feng hadn't chosen to drive away. He had turned the car around and aimed it at Zhang Ruobing.

The most terrifying thing about the Water Ghost was its invisibility. You couldn't tell where its attacks would come from, so you couldn't defend against them. But Zhang Ruobing was the only person outside the car. Chen Feng was certain the monster would go after her.

The moment it attacked was the moment it would reveal its position!

Destroying the Water Ghost would earn him three points. Rounded up, that was three lives.

Fortune favored the bold.

The engine roared as Chen Feng floored the accelerator and drove straight into the spot the chill was coming from.

Thud!

Blood splattered across the windshield, and the hood caved in!

Chen Feng lurched forward. The airbag burst out and struck him, leaving him dizzy.

Shit! I forgot my seat belt.

Of all the roads in the world, safety comes first. Drive carelessly, and your family will be left in tears...

It took Chen Feng a while to recover.

Did it die?

Chen Feng called up the system. When he opened his eyes, the task to destroy the Water Ghost was still gray and incomplete. His heart sank.

That didn't kill it? Then I'm screwed.

Chen Feng shivered.

It wasn't because the air-conditioning was too cold. That thing had gotten inside.

Chen Feng heard the car window shatter, and a heartbeat later, a pair of large hands gripped his throat.

These hands are so slippery. Is that oil on them?

They say Water Ghosts can float on water. So they swim using body oil, like ducks?

His thoughts ran wild as he lost consciousness.

He was back in front of the same Internet Cafe, with the same Landlady before him.

He Ting bent down. "Hey, handsome. You don't look so good. You'd better find somewhere to shelter before it rains."

Chen Feng opened his eyes and rolled his neck.

Compared with the Water Ghost's three-hundred-and-sixty-degree neck twist, the Landlady's way of killing him was a lot less painful.

"No need. I like getting caught in a little rain."

Chen Feng waved goodbye to He Ting, then called up his system.

It was just as he had expected.

Save-Load Count: There were only six left now.

He had died on the first day three times in a row. This other world really was strange. No wonder so many of his predecessors had met their end here.

The Great Benefactor System was gone.

But to his surprise, its tasks had remained.

[Task One: Destroy the Happiness Internet Cafe]

[Task Two: Destroy the Water Ghost]

Then came another choice of three boxes.

Besides DS-01-DER and LS-02-SHSG, which he hadn't picked last time, the box in the first slot was now labeled TY-03-SLD. It said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; rivers and seas are formed from tiny streams."

By now, Chen Feng had more or less figured it out.

Each time he loaded a save and started over, he could choose a new system, while anything left by the previous one would remain.

As for which box to pick...

Chen Feng asked the system what the codes meant.

The answer was that the first abbreviation indicated the system's origin. DS meant a City World system, LS a historical system, and TY a sports system.

City World, history, and sports?

Chen Feng couldn't help complaining. "Those all sound terrible. If only there were an XH fantasy system or an XX cultivation system. Hell, I'd settle for an LY supernatural system."

The second code indicated the type of system.

01 meant a pure Quest System, which assigned users tasks to earn System Points, like the Great Benefactor System.

02 meant a pure exchange system, which provided a system shop where users could spend points on items, like the common apocalypse supply exchange systems.

03 meant a hybrid system with special functions that didn't fit into 01 or 02, like Chen Feng's own Save-Load System.

The final code was an abbreviation of the system's name.

"I don't have any points, so LS-02-SHSG is definitely out."

"Should I take a gamble and open the 03 box? Forget it. It's a sports system. If all it does is make me better at basketball or soccer, it'll be a waste."

“I'd better play it safe and pick a Quest System to build up some points.”

After thinking it over, Chen Feng chose DS-01-DER.

[Ding! Congratulations on activating the Great Villain System.]

[This system will help you earn large amounts of System Points, grow stronger quickly, and achieve your grand dream of ruling the world.]

[Task detected!]

[Zhong Jielian doesn't want to go to school. To scare her parents, she's standing on Cihang Bridge and pretending she's going to jump into the river.]

[Task objective: Since she's asking for death, let her die.]

[Task reward: 1 system point.]

Zhong Jielian?

The girl on the bridge?

Chen Feng's eyes lit up. He liked this task, though the reward was a little stingy. Honestly, after seeing the vile way that girl had gotten Old Li killed last time, he would have wanted to kill her even for free.

"Officer, I'm from out of town... I was hoping to get something to eat."

Using the same excuse, Chen Feng got into Old Li's car.

The radio should go off next.

Chen Feng wondered whether he should smash the radio first. If they never got the call, they wouldn't have to rescue the girl or face that terrifying Water Ghost.

But after thinking it over, he decided that wasn't safe enough.

If the radio broke, someone could call their phones.

Besides, a clever child wouldn't throw a tantrum when her parents weren't around.

Judging by the task description, the girl surnamed Zhong was standing on the bridge because she didn't want school to start. She didn't actually want to die. If no one came to rescue her, she wouldn't jump, and Chen Feng's task would fail.

So they had to go.

Old Li had just hung up the radio when Chen Feng said, "I'm not hungry, Officer Li. Go ahead and take care of your work."

"Huh?"

Old Li stared at him. He hadn't said a word yet. How had this kid answered before he even asked?

Zhang Ruobing asked, "Master, what happened?"

Old Li said, "Someone's trying to kill themselves on Cihang Bridge again."

Chen Feng feigned surprise. "Cihang Bridge? But there's a Water Ghost under there."

How does he know about the Water Ghost?

Old Li gave him a puzzled look. Hadn't this kid said he was from out of town? How did he know so much about Cihang City's ghost stories? And another thing: "A young man like you believes in ghosts?"

Zhang Ruobing scoffed. "Have you ever seen a ghost? You're just making assumptions."

Not only have I seen one, it's killed me.

Chen Feng put what he'd just learned to use. "Hmph. When it comes to ghosts and spirits, it's better to be safe than sorry. How about I tell you a story about a Water Ghost?"

Old Li began to question everything. "Those are my lines."