Chapter Two: An Emotionless, Cold Machine

Staring at the search results on the screen, Chen Qi fell into a long silence once again.

What was this? Was it some sort of compensation for his inexplicable transmigration into this world?

What was the point of it all?

After half a minute, a sudden thought struck him, and he typed the name of a notoriously terrible “blockbuster” into the search bar.

[No results.]

Chen Qi paused, then continued to type in the names of other bad films he recalled.

[No results.]

[No results.]

[No results.]

As he looked at the results displayed on the screen, Chen Qi finally realized that this system did have its limits.

So then...

Whether it was a momentary lapse or a restless urge, an audacious idea sparked in his mind.

He entered the name of a famous actress from a certain country into the search bar.

[No results.]

Seeing those three emotionless words on the screen, Chen Qi’s face scrunched up in dissatisfaction. Unwilling to give up, he tried several other names.

Still, only “No results.”

“So it really is just a cold, unfeeling machine?” For some reason, Chen Qi felt a tinge of regret in his heart.

So many classic works, what a pity.

Now that he’d gotten a rough idea of the folder’s contents, Chen Qi returned to the desktop and clicked on the second folder.

A prompt immediately popped up.

[Locked.]

At the same time, a line of small text appeared beneath the folder.

[Destruction Points: 0/10,000]

Evidently, this folder required ten thousand Destruction Points to unlock.

“Destruction Points?” Chen Qi’s gaze shifted across the screen and soon spotted a number in the bottom right corner.

[Destruction Points: 0]

Chen Qi studied it thoughtfully. If he wasn’t mistaken, this zero was his current Destruction Points total. He had a general idea of what Destruction Points might represent, but how exactly did one earn them?

He noticed a help button in the lower left corner and clicked it.

What appeared before him was a text explanation that closely resembled a product manual.

Chen Qi went straight for the key information and quickly found the method for acquiring Destruction Points.

The method was as direct as it was brutal.

All he had to do was cause destruction, and the targets were the various industries of this world. According to the manual, each time he disrupted an industry, he would be awarded Destruction Points, the amount depending on the degree of upheaval.

As for what constituted “destruction,” the system provided a clear definition: to break the current structure or subvert the established rules of an industry, in short.

The more thoroughly he overturned an industry, the more Destruction Points he would earn, or so the manual implied.

Chen Qi suddenly laughed.

Break the structure, overturn the rules—wasn’t this just another way of telling him to wreck those industries?

This system was perfectly suited to his tastes.

Settling his slightly turbulent emotions, Chen Qi read on. When he saw that the manual stated only he could see the system’s interface and that no modern technology could detect it, he couldn’t help but smile, though he quickly composed himself.

Stay calm. He needed to stay calm.

After all, he was a peace-loving person!

He skimmed through the remaining clauses, then returned to the desktop and tried clicking the other folders. As expected, they were all inaccessible. Not only did they fail to pop up a “Locked” prompt, they didn’t even display how many Destruction Points were needed to unlock them.

It seemed he wouldn’t learn anything about the other folders until he unlocked the second one.

“I wonder what’s inside them,” he muttered under his breath, puzzled as to why the first folder was open to him at all.

Was it because he came from Earth? Or was it a welcoming gift from the system—a so-called newbie starter pack?

Chen Qi wore a thoughtful expression.

Leaving aside Destruction Points for the moment, if he made good use of the resources he already had, walking unchallenged in this world was not out of the question.

As for the Destruction Points...

After some deliberation, he decided not to deliberately collect them. As curious as he was about the contents of the other folders, he didn’t want to turn himself into a machine obsessed with racking up Destruction Points because of this system.

How was that any different from playing a game just to level up?

He decided to earn what he could, as long as it didn’t affect his quality of life. After all, the resources already at his disposal were enough to stir up several storms in this world.

He comforted himself with that thought.

Just then, his stomach protested loudly.

He glanced at the time—it was already past ten. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten in quite a while.

“Forget it, let’s get something to eat first.” He stood up and looked around. Only when he saw the surroundings downstairs and, in the distance, the words “Teaching Building No. 3” on a tall building did he realize he was at a school.

“Didn’t I already graduate? Why am I still at school?” he muttered in confusion, turning to go downstairs.

Only after descending did Chen Qi realize he’d been on the roof of a dormitory building.

As he passed the dorm rooms on either side of the stairs, he noticed most were empty, with only a handful still containing a bed or two.

But what really frustrated him was that he couldn’t even remember which dormitory was his.

He searched his pockets and found nothing but a phone.

“Forget it, let’s eat first.” After struggling with the problem for a while, he left.

Perhaps because it was graduation season, the campus was almost deserted, which made Chen Qi secretly relieved—less chance of running into any “acquaintances.”

After wandering for over ten minutes, he found the cafeteria by sheer luck and bought some food. While eating, he marveled at the convenience of mobile payments—if he hadn’t been able to pay with his phone, being penniless would have been a real predicament.

Unfortunately, his phone didn’t have much money left, not even a thousand. And the phone itself looked rather dated.

Chen Qi had to admit, this was the poorest rich kid he’d ever seen.

Not that he’d met many wealthy heirs, but he certainly didn’t feel like one now.

After a few quick bites, he braced himself and asked the cafeteria lady for directions to the main gate, then left with a calm air despite her astonished expression.

If he hadn’t worried about startling them, he would have also asked for the name of the school.

As he neared the gate, a pretty girl in a floral dress walked toward him. Chen Qi didn’t think much of it and, almost unconsciously, glanced at her twice before continuing on his way.

He never expected that, just as they were about to pass each other, the girl suddenly stopped.

“Senior?”

Chen Qi’s steps faltered, and he sighed inwardly in resignation.

Murphy’s Law—what you fear is exactly what will happen.

“Are you leaving, Senior?” The girl, having recognized him, hurried over, looking rather excited.

“Yes? Do you need something?” Chen Qi turned around calmly, wearing a polite smile.

“Ah…” The girl seemed caught off guard by his attitude, blushing and frozen, unsure what to say.

Seeing her hesitate, Chen Qi pretended to check the time. “I’m in a hurry. We can talk later.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

“Wait…” The girl hesitated, wanting to say more, but in the end just stamped her foot in frustration and left.

At the school gate, Chen Qi glanced back to make sure the girl was gone before finally relaxing.

Still, he didn’t dare linger. After seeing the school’s name, he slipped away to an inconspicuous tree nearby, sat down carefully, and pulled out his phone to search.

To his surprise, this was one of the top three universities in the country.

“Please don’t let me be some big shot at this school, or I’m doomed!” Chen Qi muttered with a heavy heart, worry etched across his brow.

He suddenly remembered he was supposed to be a rich kid. Despite not feeling the part, he was, after all.

No, he had to leave this seemingly vibrant but perilous place as soon as possible.

But he didn’t even remember which dormitory was his. He could do without most things, but he needed to collect some essential documents at least.

He couldn’t possibly search every dorm room, could he?

Rubbing his temples in distress, he sat there until dusk before sighing and murmuring, “This is the only way.”

After making sure no one was around, he headed to a nearby convenience store and bought a can of beer. Then, acting furtively, he made his way toward the dormitory.

Just before reaching the building, he opened the beer and splashed some on his clothes and hair, then staggered forward, feigning drunkenness.

...

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