Lin Bai's Purpose

Ever since the Incomplete System had actually rewarded him with a Morning Flight, Lin Bai had been in a foul mood.

When he was unhappy, he made everyone else unhappy too.

His inexplicable transmigration, the inexplicable systems, and all the inexplicable tasks those systems assigned him—everything hinted at something unusual...

Through his earlier probing, Lin Bai had already learned that although the players' language, behavior, and other habits resembled those on Earth, they weren't from Earth, because they knew nothing of many of Earth's cultural classics.

Yet the systems attached to him bore the unmistakable marks of Earth's culture everywhere.

The Chief Supporting Character System, the proverb "A Tall Tree Catches the Wind," the classic lines from "On the Teacher" quoted directly by the Know-It-All Teacher System, and the incomplete "Dragon-Subduing Ten-Stroke Palm"—all of these were iconic cultural symbols from Earth.

An unfamiliar Game World;

A group of players who weren't from Earth;

A bunch of systems that seemingly came from Earth;

Lin Bai seemed to be the most clearheaded person of all, but in reality, he was the most bewildered. He had no idea what his role was.

Even if the players didn't understand this Game World, they knew their purpose was to play, to enjoy themselves;

The Game World's natives likewise had only two choices: accept the players or resist them;

What about him?

What did he count as?

Who was manipulating his fate behind the scenes?

The Game Company?

Had they placed him in this world as a catfish among a school of sardines, there to stir things up?

Or was there some other mastermind behind it all?

It was precisely this feeling of being inexplicably manipulated that made Lin Bai so unhappy.

That was why he had been racking his brains to be a disruptor.

He completed system tasks in the most outrageous, rapid ways possible to accelerate his growth and widen the gap between himself and the players.

He did everything he could to upset the game's balance and the rules by which the world operated.

For instance, promoting modern brainwashing songs in the Immortal World;

For instance, sending all the players to the City Lord's Residence to pursue the same profession...

Lin Bai didn't want to be a catfish that accompanied the players as they grew. If he had to be anything, he would be a shark. If he was going to disrupt things, he would disrupt them on a grand scale.

Whether he upset the people playing the game or the people living in the Game World didn't matter.

As long as he could disgust either side, that was a success.

As a tool, this was the best form of resistance Lin Bai could currently manage.

Even if he couldn't escape his manipulated fate yet, he would at least dig into the hand wielding him...

"Since I'm a Chosen One now, why won't you take me as your disciple, Master?" [Deng Libuduo] asked with a grin.

"Do you think you're so impressive?" Lin Bai asked, giving him a sidelong look.

"..." [Deng Libuduo] choked. Fine, this was the master he knew.

"So what if you're a Chosen One? Once you come here, you still have to follow our rules." Lin Bai smiled. "When Chosen Ones are everywhere, they're no different from radishes and cabbages. If one doesn't work out, I'll just replace him. Only fools think they're precious treasures just because they're Chosen Ones."

"Yes, yes, you're right, Master." [Deng Libuduo] sighed inwardly and immediately recognized his place, nodding and bowing. "I haven't done anything to displease you today, have I?"

"Do you really want to become my disciple?" Lin Bai asked.

"Absolutely," [Deng Libuduo] said.

"A child fell while running earlier. Why didn't you help them up?" Lin Bai glanced at him and asked, "There were several elderly people among those who came to support us. Didn't you think of bringing them a bowl of water?"

Uh!

[Deng Libuduo] froze for a moment. "Master, doesn't this assessment have any fixed criteria?"

"Criteria?" Lin Bai fell silent for a moment. "When you reach the point where you want to do good whenever you see the chance, and create chances to do good even when there aren't any, you'll be about there."

"..." Deng Libuduo looked utterly baffled. Fine, so this was a reputation-grinding quest!

He swallowed. "Is there a time limit? Master, you know there'll be plenty of Chosen Ones in the future. If the assessment takes too long and I fall too far behind them, that won't reflect well on you either!"

Lin Bai smiled and shook his head. "Little Deng, the moment you asked that question, you had already fallen short. Virtue is a lifelong matter. Once you put a time limit on it, you're only deceiving yourself and others. That's all I'll say. Think it over carefully!"

Think it over, my ass!

A man rotten from head to toe keeps insisting his disciples need virtue. I swear you're just targeting me, Deng Libuduo ranted inwardly, beside himself.

"Virtue is virtue, but business can't wait. Start singing." Lin Bai gave him a smiling glance, rose, and headed into the restaurant. At the doorway, he seemed to remember something and turned back. "Oh, right. When you have a moment, spread the news that the City Lord's Residence is recruiting covert guards. Try to make sure everyone knows."

When Lin Bai entered, Zhang Bao and Zhang Dashan, who were cleaning up the aftermath, hurriedly stopped working and greeted him. "Boss."

Having seen a living Ghost with their own eyes, both men now looked at Lin Bai with respect and fear.

Lin Bai nodded at them and pulled over the restaurant's incomplete noticeboard. "Which of you has better handwriting?"

"I do," Zhang Bao said. "Boss, my family often carves plaques. My handwriting is passable."

"Good. Dashan, grind the ink. You write." Lin Bai smiled at him. "Here's the text: To thank our customers, the Chef God Restaurant is introducing Night Service. Ghosts will bring out and serve your dishes, and can even perform for you. Explore a haunted house up close—thrilling and exciting, adding a unique touch of fun to your nightlife.

Daoist Void of Returning Dragon Temple stakes his reputation on your safety while dining.

Opening promotion: Night Service food and drinks are provisionally priced at three times the daytime rate."

Zhang Dashan had dipped his brush in ink and was just about to write when he heard this announcement. His scalp prickled. "Boss, isn't this a bad idea? If customers find out there really are Ghosts here, I'm afraid even fewer people will come during the day."

"That's because you don't understand how customers think." Lin Bai smiled. "As long as their safety is guaranteed, plenty of people will come looking for thrills. Maybe Night Service business will become our biggest source of income. I'm not much of a writer, so polish it up for me. Use as few words as possible to get our meaning across, and make sure to include a few wrong characters. We can't lose our signature touch. When customers come to eat, help promote it too. If business picks up, I'll give both of you a bonus at the end of the month."

Since the boss had said so, Zhang Dashan had no choice but to comply.

A short while later, the two men carried out the noticeboard announcing the new "Ghost Nighttime Entertainment" service and set it by the entrance.

The moment the announcement went up,

An uproar broke out.

At the entrance, the two scholars stopped halfway through their song and stood there dumbfounded. They exchanged a glance and asked, "Boss, are there really Ghosts in the restaurant?"

"Of course. Without Ghosts, how could it live up to its reputation as a haunted house?" Lin Bai said with a smile.

"Can you really guarantee our safety?" one of the scholars asked.

"Returning Dragon Temple owns a share in this restaurant." Lin Bai raised his voice as he looked at the townspeople around them, all straining their ears. "The Ghosts inside have all been tamed. Otherwise, if someone died, the city lord wouldn't let me off either. Rest assured, since I dare to offer this service, I can absolutely guarantee our customers' safety. During its initial phase, Qingfeng Daoist of Returning Dragon Temple will personally oversee things. In the daytime, you experience the atmosphere of dining in a haunted house, but during Night Service, you can actually interact with Ghosts up close. It's an excellent way to train your courage..."

"Brother Zhang, how about we come back tonight?" Persuaded, the scholar looked at his companion with flickering eyes.

"All right, tonight it is." The other scholar swallowed and unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth, whether from excitement or nervousness was unclear.