Soul Transmigration to Shanghai, a Hellish Start

A dull ache throbbed at the back of Shen Yan's head. All was quiet around him.

He struggled to open his eyes, only to find an enormous ox's head staring him in the face. Its hot, damp breath, reeking of fodder, washed over him again and again, nearly making him gag.

"Holy shit! What the hell?!"

Forcing his limp limbs to move, he scrambled backward on all fours until his back struck a cold brick wall. Still shaken, he looked around.

Damp, uneven flagstones and the mottled, peeling brick walls of shikumen houses... Onlookers crowded beneath the eaves along the street, dressed in short jackets and long gowns from the Republican era.

Shen Yan's head buzzed. Where the fuck is this?

Before he could recover, a dusty old farmer dropped to his knees with a thud. Bracing his gaunt hands against the cold flagstones, he knocked his head against them again and again, soon leaving dark red marks on his forehead. His voice was barely above a whisper, thick with tears and terror:

"Have mercy, sir! Please forgive me! The soldiers' gunfire spooked the ox. I really didn't mean to do it! My whole family depends on this cart of vegetables to get by. I can't spare a single cent. Please be merciful and let me go!"

Shen Yan was dumbfounded.

He blurted out, "Sir, ox carts aren't allowed downtown. Let's just forget about it. Just call 120 for me. It's not like I'm going to extort you, is it?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw the old farmer's expression turn from terror to despair. His eyes seemed to say, He's lost his mind. He's definitely going to extort me now.

The next second, a torrent of chaotic memory fragments flooded Shen Yan's mind. A splitting pain tore through his head, his eyes rolled back, and he toppled stiffly to the ground.

The old farmer's face went paper-white. Trembling like a leaf, he muttered mournfully, "I'm done for... He's definitely going to extort me now..."

Shen Yan had no idea how much time passed before he slowly emerged from the haze.

The dull ache at the back of his head was still there, but his mind now held a complete set of memories from a life that wasn't his own.

This was Shanghai in the twenty-sixth year of the Republic.

After defeat in the Battle of Shanghai, the city had fallen completely. Japanese invaders ran rampant and collaborators held sway. It was an isolated island in a chaotic age that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

The original owner of this body was also named Shen Yan, a low-ranking puppet policeman with no one to depend on. Today, he had been assigned to seal off the street and help capture some "underground Communists," only to be knocked down by a spooked ox cart and knocked unconscious on the spot. That sliver of life had allowed Shen Yan, a modern-day corporate drone, to transmigrate into his body.

Shen Yan lay on the ground, staring at the gray sky. Only one thought remained in his mind:

So not only did I transmigrate, I became a puppet policeman everyone despises?

I'm starting on hell mode?

He was about to let out a few wails when he caught sight of the mournful old farmer beside him. Suddenly, several lines of faintly glowing text appeared above the man's head:

[Name]: Liu Laonian

[Gender]: Male

[Identity]: Vegetable farmer

[Good and evil points]: 0

[Current thoughts]: Maybe I should just run. Forget the ox cart...

Shen Yan froze.

He blinked. The words were still there.

He blinked again. Still there.

"Fuck?" His heart leaped, and he nearly laughed out loud.

A system?

I transmigrated with a cheat?!

He suppressed his wild delight and pushed himself upright. The way he looked at the old farmer changed instantly. It wasn't the look one gave a savior, but an NPC.

The old farmer's heart sank completely.

The good news was that the officer was alive.

The bad news was that he really had gone stupid...

Shen Yan was fantasizing about killing Japanese invaders, saving beauties, becoming a national hero, and reaching the pinnacle of life when a crude shout exploded behind him.

A foot immediately slammed into his back, nearly kicking him to the ground again.

"Shen Yan, you bastard! How dare you slack off here? Get your ass to the end of the street and patrol! If you let the Reds get away, I'll skin you alive!"

Shen Yan stumbled, steadied himself, and looked back.

The man had a face full of fat, reeked of alcohol, and wore a domineering look. He was the original owner's immediate superior, the puppet police squad leader Wang Panghai.

A few fragments of memory flashed through Shen Yan's mind. Wang Panghai bullied the weak and feared the strong, loved money and lusted after women. He usually worked the original owner like an animal, punching and kicking him whenever anything displeased him.

Shen Yan quickly adjusted his expression.

The few days he'd spent working as an extra in Hengdian came in handy. He tucked in his neck, lowered his head, and slumped his shoulders, putting on a terrified, submissive expression. His eyes darted away, too afraid to meet Wang Panghai's, perfectly recreating the original owner's usual cowardly manner of letting others push him around.

"Boss Wang, I wasn't slacking. I got hit by a cart. Look at the blood on my head..."

"Then are you dead?! If not, get back to work! Every last one of you is good for nothing but eating and waiting to die!"

"Yes, yes, whatever you say! I'll go right away!"

Shen Yan nodded and bowed repeatedly while discreetly waving behind his back, signaling the old farmer to leave quickly.

"Pah!"

Wang Panghai, who had been dragged out of Yicui House for this assignment, was in a foul mood. He turned and walked away, cursing under his breath.

He never noticed that the timidity had vanished from Shen Yan's eyes as he watched him go, leaving only a cold, assessing gaze.

[Name]: Wang Panghai

[Gender]: Male

[Identity]: Puppet police squad leader

[Good and evil points]: -26

[Current thoughts]: This damned assignment! Little Yingge is still waiting for me.

Shen Yan stared at the "-26," the corners of his mouth curling upward.

Minus twenty-six good and evil points, huh?

I'll make you my first job tonight.

He touched the sticky blood on the back of his head, dark red droplets clinging to his fingertips. He glanced at the onlookers. Seeing him awake, they all lowered their heads, afraid to look him in the eye or draw the attention of this black-uniformed "officer."

In troubled times, human lives were worth no more than grass. Nobody wanted to lose theirs for nothing.

Amid the commotion, Liu Laonian led his frightened old ox away, ducking his head as he slipped into an alley. He didn't even dare look back, afraid Shen Yan would change his mind and come after him.

Shen Yan didn't go to patrol the end of the street right away.

Steadying himself against a mottled shikumen wall, he slowly made his way into an inconspicuous narrow alley around the corner. Sheltered by the wall, he closed his eyes and called inwardly:

System?

Are you there?

The next second, a soft mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Punish Evil and Promote Good System online.]

[Host's first binding detected. An exclusive beginner's gift pack has been issued. Open it?]

Shen Yan's heart suddenly raced.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself, then said inwardly, Open it.

[Beginner's gift pack opened! Rewards obtained:]

1. Brick That Defies Martial Ethics ×1: An utterly ordinary brick. One hit knocks the target unconscious for three hours; two hits kill outright. Leaves no obvious wounds on the victim, ignores armor, and is a divine weapon for sneak attacks.

2. Worker's Little Red Bottle ×3: One swig and the pain's gone, ready to work at full health! Rapidly treats injuries and relieves pain, accelerating wound healing.

3. Anti-Sneak Minimap: Detects enemy activity within a thirty-meter radius in real time. Upgradeable. Trying to sneak up on me? I spotted you ages ago!

Shen Yan opened his eyes, unable to suppress his smile.

Seeing no one around, he took a little red bottle out of his storage space and drained it in one gulp.

A sweet warmth instantly swept through his body. The intense pain at the back of his head and the weakness throughout his limbs vanished. His scalp still itched faintly, though. It wasn't that he was growing a brain; the wound was healing rapidly.

He gently scratched the back of his head a few times, feeling so good he wanted to hum.

Just then, the distant gunfire, which had only just died down, suddenly erupted in rapid succession.

Hurried footsteps drew closer.

At the same time, a green light appeared on the Anti-Sneak Minimap in his mind.

Shen Yan immediately slipped into the shadows and narrowed his eyes at the mouth of the alley.

A young woman in a short jacket of indigo-dyed blue cloth was stumbling toward him.

The sleeve over her left arm was soaked in blood, but her right hand clutched an old cloth bundle as if it were her life.

Shen Yan's heavenly eye swept over her, and several lines of faintly glowing text appeared:

[Name]: Su Wan

[Gender]: Female

[Identity]: University of Shanghai student, underground Communist courier

[Good and evil points]: +72

[Current thoughts]: The intelligence must never fall into enemy hands. If there's no other way, I'll fight to the death!

Shen Yan looked at the conspicuous "+72," then listened to the approaching footsteps of her pursuers in the distance. Suddenly, he smiled.

Heaven must have been afraid my start would be too boring, so it sent a mission right to my door.

He pulled out the brick he'd just put away and hefted it in his hand.

All right, then.

I'm definitely working overtime.