Warm firelight flickered inside the damp cave, casting shifting shadows across the stone walls.
Wang Yanfei sat in front of the fire, hands stretched toward the heat, looking as relaxed as a guy on a camping trip.
If not for his torn clothes,ripped enough to show his knees and the small white-jade snake hanging around his neck, anyone who saw him would've thought he was out enjoying nature.
Too bad that wasn't the case.
He had transmigrated. Physically. Not only with zero memories of this world, but without a system, too.
Judging by his current state, life had not been kind to him.
The cause of it all was simple: a few nights ago, a meteor streaked across the sky, and the world suddenly began producing all sorts of "special objects."
Whoever picked up a special object would awaken a superpower.
So the whole world entered a massive treasure-hunting frenzy, and Wang Yanfei joined in as well.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible. Every time he arrived at a site, he was always a step too late.
So he got desperate and decided to try his luck in the mountains. Maybe he'd find something.And he did he "found" a little white-jade snake.
He barely had time to celebrate before something unknown fell from the sky.
Then everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he had ended up in this miserable place.
———
Just as he was comfortably warming his hands, the little white snake on his neck stirred and slowly woke up.
It blinked groggily at the fire, then spoke—
"Human, you haven't entered the city yet?"
Wang Yanfei rolled his eyes. "If you think I can storm past fifty machine guns with no ID… then sure, I still have a chance."
The snake seriously considered it, looked him up and down, then shook its head.
"Good luck, then."
It prepared to go back to sleep.
Wang Yanfei, furious, grabbed it off his neck and tossed it onto the ground.
"Damn it! If not for you, how would I have ended up in this dump?! And you don't even give me anything useful!"
The snake tumbled, then puffed itself up in anger.
"I DID give you power!!!"
"You mean this useless crap?"
Before he even finished speaking, a translucent panel popped up with a snap.
The snake lifted its little head proudly. "Yes! You can view all your stats and abilities! What an incredible power!"
"Incredible my ass!"
Wang Yanfei jabbed a finger at the screen, lungs ready to explode.
[Wang Yanfei]
Race: Human
Status: Healthy [large green stick figure]
Height/Weight: 183 cm / 69 kg
HP: 92% (this value is not digitized)
Sanity: 72/80
Energy: None
Attributes (Base → Bonus → Total):
Strength: 3 → (—) → 3
Agility: 4 → (—) → 4
Constitution: 4 → (—) → 4
Spirit: 5 → (—) → 5
Perception: 3 → (—) → 3
Abilities: None
Wang Yanfei held his forehead. "…What the hell is this even good for???"
"As the saying goes there are no useless abilities, only users who don't know how to use them."
Wang Yanfei stared at the panel and repeated the line expressionlessly, sounding like he was desperately trying to convince himself.
Then he turned toward the white snake beside him with a look of pure disdain.
The snake grew guilty under his stare, its eyes darting aside. "Ahem… well…"
Then something seemed to occur to it. Its tail slapped the ground and it raised its voice confidently:
"Oh right! You can go back in ninety-eight days! Doesn't that motivate you?"
Wang Yanfei: "…"
He shook his head. "If I could survive ninety-eight days without food or water, I'd be plenty motivated."
Right after he finished, his stomach let out a loud grumble.
The air around the fire froze.
Silence lasted several seconds.
Then Wang Yanfei slowly turned his head to look at the snake.
Then at the fire.
Then down at the snake's plump, smooth little body an odd glint growing in his eyes.
The snake shivered violently. "W-What are you doing? Don't come any closer!!!"
Wang Yanfei lunged at it with clawed hands.
The snake frantically backed away. "I'm warning you! You'll regret eating me! I—I taste terrible!!!"
In the end, he didn't eat it.
With a sigh, he slumped against the cave wall. "Forget it… eating a sentient creature feels morally wrong."
The snake instantly regained its "I'm king of the world" expression, flicked its tail, and snorted dismissively.
Wang Yanfei sat against the cold stone, exhaling deeply.
The fire danced softly, warming the cave, but inside, he felt nothing but cold.
"…Serves me right," he murmured.
If he hadn't been greedy, if he hadn't gone up the mountain looking for luck, if he hadn't picked up that white-jade snake…
He'd probably still be somewhere in the city, struggling like everyone else to earn three meals a day.
But life didn't have that many "ifs." If he starved to death out here, it really would be his own doing.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the cave.
Thudding footsteps, followed by frantic scraping sounds.
Wang Yanfei snapped fully awake and stared at the entrance.
He had set up a simple snare trap there earlier.
Did he… finally catch something?
The next second—
"Help! Someone help me!!!"
His face turned pitch black. "…Great. Not prey."
He closed his eyes, and in his mind flashed the dismal five-minute funeral slideshow that was his life.
As a child, he had been abandoned at the gate of an orphanage—
"Help! Ahhh!!!"
A sudden scream cut off his melancholy.
Wang Yanfei: …
He took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore it.
And continued remembering.
The director treated him well, except—
"Uwaaah! I stepped on a trap! Who put this damn thing here?! Help!!!"
Wang Yanfei: "…"
His fists tightened, but he still endured.
"Later, when I started working… life wasn't great, but at least I wasn't starving…"
"HELP— I'M— HANGING UPSIDE DOWN—!!!"
Wang Yanfei's breathing grew rough.
The snake peeked at him. Seeing he wasn't coming to eat it, it peacefully closed its eyes again.
Outside, the screaming continued:
"I'm really— gonna die— someone— help— me—!!!"
Wang Yanfei finally snapped.
"Damn it! SHUT UP!!!"
He shot to his feet, the flames whipping wildly from the sudden motion.