Tiny letters filled the lower-right corner of his sight. They slid past like code, vanishing as soon as they appeared. Wang Yiyang stared at them, stunned.
He stood in the shadow of the doorway until he caught the meaning: "Database missing. Running self-repair. Please wait."
His heart lurched. Was he seeing things? Before the doubt settled, the text jumped again: "Random search complete. Timeline scaffold locked. Core rebooting."
Line after line cascaded past. "Core online." "Registering imprint." "Registration complete." "Image vectors rebuilding." "Your rank is Bronze. A Bronze-tier identity can now be generated."
The text ended and a cold synthetic voice flooded straight into his mind.
"You might look like an ordinary office worker, yet behind the mask you sit on the board of a transnational giant: Mister Pharmaceutical. You hold the role of security director. The board struggle has worn you down, so you returned home to rest—but trouble has already followed you here. A greater threat is walking this quiet city."
"Identity mission: resolve the looming crisis. You may use the resources tied to this role."
"Reward: one random ability, talent, or attribute taken from this identity."
"Warning: once forged, an identity is permanent."
"Warning: bigger benefits carry matching risks."
"Warning: you have one month to prepare before the danger arrives."
Wang Yiyang stood frozen behind the wooden door. Waves of data about Mister Pharmaceutical and his board seat poured into his mind until it ached.
"A system cheat? For real?" He had read countless webnovels. Protagonists always grabbed some miracle plug-in, yet he had never seen one like this.
He slipped into his room, shut the door, and slumped into a chair. A disposable cup of warm water steadied his rattled nerves. Not until he emptied it did his thoughts line up.
According to the implanted memories he was still the same wage slave on paper, but in secret he was also a shadow director who commanded the entire security division. Years of brutal purges had cemented his reputation. He had even skimmed a fortune while crushing internal coups. Now the board was replacing its chair, factions were at war, and the bloodletting forced him to hide in the countryside.
He checked his phone. His ordinary handset had morphed into a hardened satellite device. The shell looked familiar, but the guts told a different story. A specs page blinked up: drop-proof for a kilometer, waterproof to the abyss, shielded against interference, ten times the usual battery, more than ten encrypted channels, remote system tools—the hardware put top-end laptops to shame.
"Wild." He flipped the phone in awe, then pressed two fingers to his right forearm. A firm disk sat under the skin. He whispered the passcode lodged in his new memories. "Open Mister system."
Heat rippled along his arm. A half-moon blue display unfolded in the air. Four large icons hovered there: Weapons, Personnel, Intelligence, Upload.
"Cool." He tapped Personnel. The panel zoomed in and scrolled like a waterfall.
"Henry Kash, thirty-one. Former Federation Special Forces Team One. Tactical command. Breaching and assassination."
"Hongli Beklem, thirty. Former Tenth Airborne Recon. Stealth and intel."
"Haywell Khan, twenty-eight. Former Fifteenth Armored Lieutenant. Fire control and close combat."
"Kwon Hela, thirty. Former Ell Republic elite sniper. Extreme-range shots. Recon."
Rows upon rows of hardened profiles filled the screen.
His throat went dry. He had never heard of Mister Pharmaceutical, yet if this information was genuine, the corporation was terrifying. As security director he could move any of these squads at will.
"Does this mean I can borrow their muscle to investigate Grandfather's case?" The thought flashed bright. He could never beat Zhong Can in a straight fight. Using Mister Pharmaceutical's network would be a different story.
Future risks could wait. Surviving the present came first.
He quickly flagged twenty operators within reach and selected a crate of heavy gear from the weapons tab. After double-checking the request, he hit Confirm. The logistics map showed multiple strike teams already within range. The power at his fingertips made his scalp prickle.
No wonder this identity drew so much hate. He had proposed embedding Bio-chips into every security unit as a fail-safe, and he had already implemented it for a sizable force. Handy, ruthless—and enough to make anyone fear him.
In other words, whatever threat could scare a man with this kind of backup had to be monstrous.
He dismissed the interface just as a new text popped onto his phone. "Glad to serve, Minister." —Jain Safet.
Wang Yiyang typed a quick reply. Jain was the squad leader he had assigned to the emergency team and the strongest close-quarters fighter under the division. He would gather and command the contingent. A moment later Jain sent their estimated arrival. The timeline gave Wang Yiyang a sliver more comfort.
Another message chimed. "You there?" —Wang Dongning.
Reality snapped back. Dongning was his friend at the office. "Here. Did something blow up at work?" —Wang Yiyang.
"Bad vibe. Seems like someone is gunning for our department. Watch your back when you return. Zhao Huai already got singled out. Don't get splashed." —Wang Dongning.
"Zhao Huai is in trouble?" —Wang Yiyang.
"Yep. He and the manager clashed. Just stay alert." —Wang Dongning.
The chat cleared itself—Dongning always wiped sensitive threads.
Wang Yiyang set the phone aside. After the shock of rebirth and the sudden system, words from a normal coworker weirdly made life feel real again.
"I'll head back tomorrow. Once I'm in the city I can run this remotely. With this identity, checking one little martial hall will be easy. Then we'll see who pulled the strings."
Confidence steadied him.
Jain's people arrived even faster than promised. The first to report were a two-person unit: Catherine and Willy, indoor assault specialists. They showed up in full kit, weapons sealed, movements crisp. The sight alone eased his nerves.
While the rest of the disciples traded tips in the hall, he slipped outside, met the pair in secret, and learned their habits. Even that brief contact told him a lot about the security division he now commanded.