In a hazy daze, Zhang Yuanqing felt something soft and plump pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
He opened his eyes and saw a round, delicate face wearing a mischievous smile.
His aunt grumbled,
"You little brat, dare to stand me up? I'm gonna sit you to death!"
She straddled him like a duck, leaning forward and then slamming her butt down hard.
Zhang Yuanqing let out a muffled grunt, nearly choking, but angrily thrust his back up, flipping the woman off him.
Amid his aunt's startled yelp, he noticed through the window that night had fallen — somehow, he'd slept from morning all the way into evening.
"Dinner time!"
His aunt lay sideways on the bed, delivering a deadly flurry of kicks to her nephew's butt.
"Don't take revenge, okay? I respect my elders and love the young. I'm not gonna stoop to your level."
Zhang Yuanqing slipped off the bed, put on his shoes, and stepped out.
The living room was filled with a strong aroma of food. His grandparents sat quietly at the dining table. Grandfather's hair was silver-white, his body thin but tall, his face stern and unsmiling.
"So, how's the match we arranged for you this time?" Grandma asked eagerly.
"Not bad. A corporate executive, million-dollar salary. Satisfied, very satisfied!" Aunt nodded her head like a chicken pecking rice.
"You say that every time, then block them right after." Grandma poked her daughter's head sharply with a finger, scolding, "Grow up and think about your age."
"Yeah, yeah..." Zhang Yuanqing snickered nearby, only to get a vicious kick from Jiang Yurou on the shin under the table.
The two started kicking each other under the table, causing the dining table to clatter nonstop.
"If you're not gonna eat, get back to your room."
Grandma's shout silenced them instantly, and Zhang Yuanqing and his aunt bowed their heads and ate.
"Grandma, when's cousin coming back?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
His uncle's family lived right across the street. Recently, his rich aunt and wild uncle went abroad for travel, so cousin had been eating dinner here.
"Supposed to work late tonight, not coming back," Grandma complained. "That guy works like he's got no life, totally opposite of his lazy father."
Working late... Zhang Yuanqing sighed with disappointment.
After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yurou went back to their rooms, leaving Grandma to clean up.
...
Back in his room, Zhang Yuanqing locked the door and dialed his cousin's number.
Since he couldn't talk face to face, a call would have to do.
But the call quickly went to voicemail—phone was off.
"In a meeting?"
Zhang Yuanqing sighed. His cousin was the head of the security team, with a hectic schedule and irregular lifestyle. Losing contact like this happened often.
He was used to it.
Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts wandered...
If Bing Ge's disappearance was deliberate, and their target was the Black Card, then I need to be careful. The safest way is to hand the Black Card over to my cousin, let him report up the chain.
Given the level of the Songhai City Security Bureau, influence from Jiangnan Province is limited.
But the problem is—the Black Card is missing. That's the biggest headache...
A Black Card that can vanish into thin air... just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. Without it, official procedures can't move forward.
I can only confess to my cousin, then follow whatever orders come. I'm just a regular college student. There's nothing I can do.
Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sharp pain and heat on his forehead. He scratched it—and the pain intensified.
Huh? Hot and painful... what the hell?
He got up, walked to the full-length mirror by the window, and examined his reflection.
In the mirror, a young man's face stared back — delicate features, fair skin, no signs of life's hardships or years of wear, only the vibrant energy of youth.
But at the center of his forehead was a black crescent-shaped mark, vivid and lifelike, with irregular blotches clearly visible.
At the bottom of the crescent was something like a progress bar: 90%.
What the... Zhang Yuanqing staggered backward in shock. He rubbed his forehead hard, but the mark was like a tattoo — it wouldn't come off no matter what.
When did I get this thing? Why is it here?
His mind swirled with confusion, panic, and bewilderment.
Wait! Isn't this the black moon pattern from the card?
His thoughts snapped together in a flash.
The Black Card wasn't lost. It had somehow entered his body, transforming into this mark on his forehead in a way he couldn't understand.
As he stared in disbelief, the progress bar below the black moon ticked up to 92%. His forehead burned fiercely as the numbers flickered.
What is this? Some kind of supernatural phenomenon? High-tech? A hallucination?
The phrase from the letter echoed again in his mind: This is a gift that can change your life...
"So the Black Card really is a treasure. My guess was right. Someone's after it, Bing Ge didn't want them to succeed, so he sent it to me. That's why he disappeared..."
Zhang Yuanqing worried about Bing Ge but watched the progress bar with growing anticipation.
What happens when it reaches 100%?
After several more waves of burning pain, the progress bar finally hit 100%.
Suddenly, a voice with no emotion or inflection sounded in his ears:
[Character Card Restart Complete...]
[Name: Pending (Please Name Immediately)]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Night Wanderer]
[Level: 0]
[Skills: None]
[Experience: 0%]
[Morality: 60 (Initial Value)]
Below the Morality stat was a note:
[Never let your morality fall below 60. You may not have had a choice before, but now, be a good person.]
Staring at the glowing blue character stats panel floating in midair, Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, thinking, What the hell is this?
He tentatively said, "System?"
Being a savvy net surfer, he was no stranger to strange concepts.
The emotionless voice repeated:
[Please name your character immediately!]
A glowing blue handwriting box appeared on the panel, frozen in midair.
Not a system, or it would be smarter and at least able to communicate...
Taking it one step at a time, Zhang Yuanqing stretched out his finger and wrote his own name:
Zhang Yuanqing
[Warning: Do not use your real name.]
You can't use my real name? He was stunned, then wrote a second name:
Yuan Shi Tian Zun
[Name accepted! Starting Spirit Realm in 10 seconds, Yuan Shi Tian Zun, good luck!]
Hearing the voice, Zhang Yuanqing blinked, thinking: What? Spirit Realm activation? Shouldn't you explain what the Spirit Realm is first?
Before he could react, the 10-second countdown finished.
[Ding! Spirit Realm map activated. Welcome to "Night Wanderer — Sheling Tunnel," ID: 0079.]
[Difficulty: S]
[Type: Solo (Permadeath)]
[Main Quest 1: Survive 3 hours.]
[Main Quest 2: Explore Spirit Realm 0079, current progress: 0%.]
[Note: Non-Spirit Realm items cannot be carried in.]
[Introduction to 0079: Have you heard of Sheling Tunnel, one of Songhai's Top Ten Urban Legends?]
[Built at the end of the last century, a construction team entered the tunnel one rainy night and vanished without a trace.]
[The security bureau searched for days and found one worker alive but mentally unstable, babbling only: "Don't enter the temple, don't enter the temple..."]
The voice grew quieter and quieter until it faded away. The surroundings blurred like ripples on a lake.
In an instant, the scene stabilized.
Dim yellow lights shone on the uneven tunnel walls, the stone-pebble floor beneath.
"Where am I?"
Zhang Yuanqing looked around in shock. He was inside an old tunnel, the arched ceiling lit by old xenon lamps emitting faint orange glows.