Late at night, a cold wind swept past.
"Achoo."
Xin Lailai shivered, sneezed, and casually stuffed the tissue he had used to wipe his nose into his pocket.
In the cold wind, the shivering Xin Lailai scanned the completely unfamiliar surroundings by the moonlight, complaining in his heart once again.
"Those bastards, they left without calling me, leaving me here alone to starve and freeze."
Last night, he got addicted to chatting with group friends and only remembered at dawn that he had promised a group of old classmates to accompany them on a mountain trip today.
When his old classmates came knocking, Xin Lailai had originally wanted to decline so he could get a good night's sleep.
However, he unfortunately fell prey to his own weakness of being thin-skinned and was so provoked by his old classmates' sarcastic remarks that he lost all sleepiness and followed them over, muttering curses.
As a result, after reaching the mountaintop and visiting a temple called the Temple of the Sun God, Xin Lailai couldn't resist his drowsiness any longer, so he asked the abbot for an empty bedroom, planning to rest for a while.
So, after setting an alarm, sending a message to two slightly familiar old classmates who were with him asking them to remind him to wake up, and greeting the guy on the bed next to him... Xin Lailai slept until the afternoon.
When he woke up and realized he had overslept, he declined the abbot's kind invitation to stay the night and hurriedly ran down the mountain, thinking he might still catch the last bus at the foot of the mountain.
Then Xin Lailai got lost.
He didn't even know how he got lost himself; he probably just walked this way and that according to the path down the mountain he remembered, and then he got lost.
By the time he realized he was lost, the sky had already darkened.
"At this hour... they are probably already in bed with their lovers."
"Forget it, if worst comes to worst, I'll go back up the mountain and stay for a night, and trouble the abbot to take me down the mountain tomorrow."
Xin Lailai glanced at the time displayed on his phone, his expression a bit grim.
He could already imagine the expressions on his old classmates' faces when he saw them tomorrow.
"Hmm? What's that? Is someone setting off fireworks in the mountains?"
A beam of light suddenly shone down from above Xin Lailai's head, and he looked up, somewhat puzzled.
He saw a ball of fire appear out of thin air diagonally above him, and then, that not-so-blinding ball of fire rapidly expanded under Xin Lailai's gaze.
"Holy crap, what is that thing?"
Xin Lailai looked at the rapidly expanding ball of fire and immediately realized something was wrong, but just as he took a step to run away, a wave of heat accompanied by immense force hit him, sending him flying.
Before losing consciousness, Xin Lailai seemed to smell a pungent burning odor.
...
"Damn it, this is big trouble. I wasn't paying attention and actually let this heretic escape, and he even managed to self-detonate."
4296 looked at the charred pit in front of him, his mouth twitching.
"The fanatics who believe in the Sun God Sect are troublesome, and the Violators who escape from them are even more troublesome. Every single one of them wants to use themselves to praise the Sun at the drop of a hat."
"Forget it, I'll leave this kind of messed-up situation to the professionals. The real trouble now is this guy."
4296 sighed, walked to the edge of the large pit, kicked the 'oversized charcoal' in front of him, and said helplessly:
"I'm talking about you, you idiot. You shouldn't be in this place at this critical moment. You just killed yourself, you're half dead, and yet Heaven chose you. Being chosen is one thing, but damn it, you lack any good talent, so Heaven wouldn't save you for free. Then you come asking me if I want to pay to save you."
The more 4296 spoke, the more agitated he became, his expression twisting with each word."The most frustrating thing is this—you're half-dead, yet you just happen to have such a lucky name. If you were called Xin Goudan, Xin Qiliao, or Xin Kuni Quanjia, I wouldn't give a damn whether you lived or died. But no, you just had to be called Xin Lailai."
With a curse, 4296 spat at Xin Lailai's charred body. He lifted his foot several times, wanting to stomp down, but in the end, he held back.
After a long hesitation, he let out a heavy sigh."Fine. Our Lai Lai Divine Sect has always valued fate above all else. Kid, you've got ridiculous luck and a strange bond with our sect. Just guiding you down the mountain clearly wasn't enough to settle things."
Wiping the soot from his face with his tattered monk's robe, 4296 bared a mouthful of white teeth and growled at the lump of charcoal in front of him:"Remember this, brat. From today onward, you're a member of the Lai Lai Divine Sect!"
[Body data transferring…][1%, 15%… 100%. Transfer complete. Contractor's body severely damaged. Beginning assessment…][Talent detected: low-level. Repair value deemed insufficient.][Secondary Contractor detected nearby. Initiating Paradise Protection Protocols.][Contractor 4296 has paid 10,086 Paradise Points. Protection approved. Commencing full repair.]
In the endless void, pale blue text flickered into existence. A soft light enveloped the burnt husk, and pieces of charcoal fell away. The human within, clinging to the last thread of life, was reborn.
When Xin Lailai finally opened his eyes, he twitched instinctively, as though still trapped in the agony of burning. Yet no pain came. Blinking in confusion, he noticed the glowing line of text before him:
[Contractor, welcome to Holy Domain Paradise.]
For several seconds, Xin Lailai just stared blankly. Then he looked around—only to find endless darkness."…Guess I'm still dreaming," he muttered, and lay back down.
But a sudden chill crept up from his waist, spreading through his body. He shivered violently and shot upright. Naked, bald, and smooth from head to brow, Xin Lailai fell silent."So… I'm not dreaming, am I?" he whispered at last.
[You have signed a contract and become a Contractor of Paradise. By regulation, Contractors must complete assigned tasks. Paradise will reward or punish accordingly.]
"Wait, a contract? When the hell did I sign anything? Don't tell me I've got to turn into some magical girl and save the world now," Xin Lailai said, half-joking but already suspecting the truth.
He must have stumbled into one of those transmigration clichés from novels.
[Due to severe injuries and insufficient repair value, Contractor Xin Lailai automatically triggered Protection Protocols.][Under these protocols, Contractor 4296 paid the full repair cost.][By the principle of equivalent exchange, Xin Lailai is now permanently bound to the Lai Lai Divine Sect.]
A dizzying stream of messages flashed before his eyes."Contractor 4296? Lai Lai Divine Sect? Protection protocols? …So basically, I got blown up, got dragged here, and because I was useless, Paradise wasn't gonna bother fixing me—until that 4296 guy paid up. And now, in exchange for my life, I'm permanently tied to his sect?"
[As Contractor Xin Lailai was unable to consent, Contractor 4296 completed the contract on his behalf.]
Xin Lailai rubbed his smooth head and sighed. "Guess I owe that guy my life. Without him, I'd already be cosmic dust."
Still, being forced into this "Contractor" role might not be the worst thing. Maybe, just maybe, it was a chance to change his fate."Tsk. Does this count as landing a lifetime job? Even if I've got no clue what that 'iron rice bowl' actually comes with…"
As if sensing his thoughts, the pale text shifted again:
[Upon passing the trial, a Contractor will be dispatched to various Derived Worlds to complete missions and gather World Source.][Final settlement rewards will be determined by mission completion and World Source obtained.][…]
Xin Lailai tried to follow, but it was too much to absorb. Only the last line stuck with him:
[Holy Domain Paradise is almost omnipotent.]
"Almost omnipotent, huh? Then… can it at least give me back my hair?"
[Contractor's current authority: insufficient.]
Darkness swallowed his vision again.
[Teleportation commencing. Contractor Xin Lailai, beginning trial mission.][Contractor, welcome to Holy Domain Paradise.]