Thud.
Looking at Old Wang lying unconscious on the ground, Lu Chen froze, half-eaten Slime still clutched in his hand.
"He... fainted?"
Lu Chen blinked, glancing innocently at the black lump in his hand.
A second later, realization struck.
"Crap! Did he hit his head?"
He casually shoved the precious "high-energy protein" into his mouth and swallowed it whole, then dashed to Old Wang's side.
He checked the back of Old Wang's head for bumps, then extended two fingers from each hand, pressing precisely on the carotid arteries while checking for breath and listening to the heart.
Good.
No bleeding, breathing steady, heart rate a bit fast but no signs of cardiac arrest.
It seemed to be a simple protective shock of the brain caused by immense visual impact (naked man eating corpse).
"Phew, he's alive."
Lu Chen let out a long sigh of relief.
He hurriedly ran to the corner and retrieved his neatly folded clothes and shoes.
In a flurry of motion, he pulled on his hoodie and jeans, covering the terrifying muscles that could make a child cry, transforming back into the slightly gloomy, overly tall college student.
Done. Lu Chen picked up the heavy metal archive box with one hand and asked in his mind:
"System, let's talk."
"What exactly are you? And..."
Lu Chen glanced at the Slime residue on the floor.
"Does everyone who kills this kind of monster get a system?"
As a straight-A student, albeit a poor one, Lu Chen needed to clarify his position.
If this was a "System for Everyone" scenario, he'd have to keep his head down; if it was an "Exclusive Cheat," hehe (◑‿◐✿).
Buzz.
The system panel floated up, carrying that familiar, nonchalant explanatory tone:
[Answer to Q1: This System is the terminal of the "World Correction Program."][Answer to Q2: Keep dreaming. Only one on the server. No branches.]
"Why me?"
Lu Chen asked the most critical question.
"Because I'm stronger than others? Because my mental power is special? Or because I ate the monster?"
The system was silent for a second, then popped up a bold line full of mockery:
[Question Rejected. Insufficient Authority.][Instead of asking such philosophical questions, the Host should look in the mirror.][Parents sacrificed to the plot, mysterious origins, special constitution, and raised in the famous "Tomato Orphanage"...]
The font on the system panel suddenly began to twist and elongate, like dancing notes on a parchment scroll.
Immediately after, an aria with built-in reverb exploded in Lu Chen's mind like poetry:
[Oh! Do you hear it? The roar from the Void Dimension!]
[Awaken! Tremble! You, the originally mediocre and obscure—Young Hero!][This System is by no means a random lottery program piled up by inferior code,]
[But a causality spanning billions of light-years, tailored solely for you—][Yes! You, this insignificant individual—]
[A prologue to a legend, utterly luxurious and absurd!][Look! The "Demon God" clad in divine gear,][Standing at the end of the timeline, waiting like an eternal tombstone!]
[Go! Swing your sword!]
[Use that blade, destined to break and be reforged, to sever the throne of the "Great Demon King" symbolizing tyranny and terror in the abyss!!]
[Complete the grand script named "Saving the World," which sounds cliché to the extreme, filled with platitudes,][Yet is damnably fascinating!]
[Go! Don't look back!]
[Embark on this journey destined for success, devoid of suspense yet filled with thorns, to fulfill the great cause sung by billions of beings!]
[Next, please hold a grand farewell ceremony known only to yourself,]
[For your boring life, which was plain as water and lackluster until a second ago.]
[Because you will have to bear the fate of the "Child of the Plane"—a fate so heavy it suffocates, so cruel it nauseates, and so magnificent it makes one want to cry...]
Lu Chen watched this scrolling poetry recitation with a deadpan expression.
"System, are you crazy? Never mind, so you mean I'm the protagonist?"
Although being certified as a "protagonist" was a good thing, the "Tomato Orphanage" part had too many plot holes; he didn't know where to start roasting it.
As for the last part about fate...
Lu Chen pursed his lips, automatically categorizing it as the long, stinky background lore before a game starts, and mentally clicked "Skip."
He precisely extracted the core information most useful to him:
Exclusive Cheat.Destined to Win.
"Fine."
Lu Chen accepted it quickly.
Since he was the Chosen One, it meant this cheat was stable—no running away, no risk of getting banned. As for heavy fate... could anything be heavier than having no money for food?
Lu Chen looked at the monster residue all over the floor, then at the box in his hand.
"So, does this mean all the dirty, tiring work like this belongs to me from now on?"
[System: You could understand it that way. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. And you, are the Chosen Worker.]
"Is there a salary?" Lu Chen asked realistically.
[System: ...The Gray Fog creatures of the entire world are your XP packs and supplies. Is that not enough?]
Lu Chen: "..."
Something feels off.
"Fine. Black cat, white cat... as long as it gives me a meal ticket, it's a good cat."
Having clarified that he was the "Only One," Lu Chen felt assured.
He walked over to Teacher Wang and extended a hand.
The hand that had just crushed a monster core now gently grabbed the back of his collar.
Then, like lifting a chick whose throat was choked by fate.
"Up."
The middle-aged man weighing over 80kg seemed to lose gravity in Lu Chen's hand, lifted lightly into the air.
Lu Chen adjusted his posture, carrying the teacher like a sack on his left shoulder, while his right hand carried the archive box weighing dozens of kilograms.
Carrying over 100kg of load required no adjustment to his breathing rhythm.
"Mission accomplished."
"Over-accomplished, even—after all, I brought back the quest giver, Teacher Wang, too."
Lu Chen strode out on his long legs, his 19.9-yuan sneakers making slap-slap sounds on the slime-covered floor.
Shouldering a man, carrying a huge box, he walked toward the exit with large strides.
...
Old Laboratory Building, Main Gate.
Sunlight fell on him again, dispelling the cold, moldy smell.
It was peak class dismissal time.
The moment Lu Chen stepped out the gate, he ran head-on into several passing girls.
The visual was striking: A two-meter giant smelling of burnt matter, carrying an unconscious middle-aged man on his shoulder, and holding a broken box pitted by strong acid.
The girls froze instantly, mouths slightly open, staring at him in horror.
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.
Social anxiety passive triggered; his brain began a rapid self-check:
Why is everyone looking at me?Did I zip my pants too fast just now?Did the Slime acid burn a hole in my crotch?Or does Teacher Wang's current posture look too much like a corpse, making me look like a murderer fresh from the crime scene?
In just 0.1 seconds, Lu Chen simulated ten scenarios of his own "social death."
To mask this awkwardness and panic, his body instinctively reacted defensively.
Muscles tensed instantly, facial expression locked down completely—to prevent leaking his inner panic.
He subconsciously pulled his hoodie hood down hard, trying to hide his face from being "scrutinized."
To avoid misunderstanding, he opened his mouth, trying to explain:
(Don't look! Teacher Wang just fainted!)
But due to chronic social anxiety, the words got stuck in his throat, turning into a low, raspy, single syllable full of intimidation:
"...Move."
However.
In the passersby's perspective, the scene looked like this:
The bandit-like tower of a man, upon finding someone blocking his path, furrowed his brows (impatience), pulled down his hood to hide his face (concealing identity).
Those deep eyes, devoid of emotion, swept coldly across the scene, finally spitting out a chilling command.
The oppressive aura of "Interfere and you die" hit them in the face.
The girls gasped in fright, stunned by this cold aura. Their legs went weak, and like startled quails, they instantly cleared a path, not daring to breathe loud.
Even the courage to pull out a phone to call the police was scared away.
Lu Chen only felt the crowd suddenly disperse.
He couldn't care less why; only one thought remained: Leave quickly!
Head down, he walked stiffly and swiftly, like an emotionless race-walking robot.
Only after rushing out dozens of meters and confirming no eyes were on his back did Lu Chen let out a long sigh of relief.
He secretly looked down to check his crotch.
"Phew... it's fine, no holes."
"Maybe Old Wang is too big, the posture is just weird."
To avoid another "public execution," Lu Chen started a mental dialogue to divert his attention:
"System... why are there things like that in this school? Or rather... is this world already leaking like a sieve?"
[System: This is an early clinical manifestation of "Gray Fog Erosion."]
"In English, please." (Note: Literally "Speak human language" in Chinese, adapted for context)
[Holographic projection unfolding...]
A miniature 3D map of Jiangcheng University instantly floated on Lu Chen's retina.
At the location of the Old Lab Building, a mass of faint, invisible gray mist was clinging to the depths of the foundation like mold.
[Science Time: The Gray Fog. Simply put, this is "Cancer of Reality."]
[Current Stage (Incubation): Like the old building now. Cracks appear in the world barrier, Gray Fog seeps in, breeding low-level monsters (like Slimes). If left unchecked, they will divide infinitely like cancer cells, slowly corroding the rules of reality, and eventually invading reality.]
[System Suggestion: This is a wound that hasn't festered yet. It is suggested that the Host treat it as a "Private Farm." Regular cleaning prevents deterioration and fills your stomach. Win-win.]
Hearing this, Lu Chen's stiff steps finally relaxed a little.
"Private Farm..."
This definition brought a sense of healing to Lu Chen, who was still reeling from the "social accident" just now.
Private = No outsiders. No outsiders = No staring. Most importantly—No one competing for food. The buffet in this entire building was all his.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen stopped and looked back at the gloomy ghost building.
There was no fear in that look, but rather a trace of... the benevolence of an old farmer looking at his own vegetable patch.
"This is good."
Lu Chen nodded heavily in his heart.
For the sake of a good place where he didn't have to meet people and could get free extra meals, he accepted this task of maintaining world peace.
At this moment, Teacher Wang on his shoulder groaned and moved, seeming about to wake up.
Lu Chen's heart trembled. Don't wake up! Please, don't wake up!
Lu Chen had checked just now; Old Wang had merely fainted from fright, his vitals were stable.
Since he wouldn't die, there was no need to go to the infirmary.
Going to the infirmary meant interrogation, filling out forms, explaining why he smelled weird... that was a social hell scarier than tearing monsters apart by hand.
Go straight to President Gu. He's a good person; he'll definitely take care of Teacher Wang.
Lu Chen sped up again. At this moment, he didn't look like a macho man who had just cleared a monster swarm, but more like a miserable worker rushing to dump a hot potato on his boss.
There was only one goal now: Dump this mess on the sucker Gu She, then hurry back to the dorm, lock the door, put on headphones, and shut this damn world out.