CHAPTER 3: A Wheel? Or ATM Machine?
The glowing words hung in front of Yin Zhe like they were floating in the air. The blue light touched his cheeks softly. His breath slowed a little as he stared at the message.
[Congratulations, Host Yin Zhe, for unlocking the System.]
He blinked twice and leaned closer to the glowing screen.
"Hmmm… the system… for real…?"
He could feel his chest rising and falling his heart softly beat. The sound came in rhythm.
thump… thump… thump...
His fingers trembled slightly as he reached out again, just to touch nothing. It was still unreal. Everything in his life had been pain, chaos, regret, mistakes, and people waiting to kill him. But this one thing, this strange glowing panel, the system. It felt like a rope thrown to someone drowning.
It was the first thing that made sense since he woke up. "I mean being reincarnated to another world. I'm supposed to get an op system or cheat skill. But I got the life of a hateful villain".
The system glowed brighter and shifted into a small panel. Lines formed smoothly like a calm handwriting stroke.
[Beginner Package Available.]
Yin Zhe stared at it.
"A beginner package…? Hah… at least life gives me something back."
He rubbed his eyes gently and let out a shaky breath.
"It's only fair… I mean… I got the short end of everything. I only got my Earth memories now instead of at birth. I lived all these years like a lost idiot… acting like a villain."
He shook his head and let out a weak laugh.
"Tsk… life cheated me. Hmph. That might as well be my true nature without proper upbringing"
His chest tightened as old memories poured back in. memories he didn't have until this night. "What have I done?... How did i live this long with sure a life?... Why did he walk the path he had walked?".
Yin Zhe continuously regretted his life. His mind whispered the same question. Over and over again:
"What have I done…?"
He shut his eyes and pushed down the pain in his chest. Yin Zhe started breathing slowly counting his breath and calming himself.
He remembered the moment he left the Yin estate in anger. Then he remembered stepping into the woods alone. And the hit at the back of his head. He had woken up in a cage and found himself in shackles.
All because he didn't regain his memories sooner.
He pressed his palm against his forehead.
"So… I didn't even get kidnapped because of Earth memories or some destiny… I got kidnapped because I walked into the woods like a fool… and human traffickers caught me… tsk... how pathetic"
He gritted his teeth.
"Hmph… and all those bad things I did before now… those caused more problems. I offended so many people… so many geniuses… and I can't fight any of them. If they try to assassinate me I'll die for sure"
His voice dropped.
"I have to become stronger… fast. If not… I'll get killed on the road before I even take ten steps."
He felt the wooden floor shake beneath him as the carriage moved forward continuously.
Thud… thud… rrrk…
The sound made him swallow hard. His life was hanging on a shaking carriage floor.
He stared at the glowing system again. His breathing steadied slightly.
"Nothing else makes sense anymore… only the system."
He whispered to himself.
"In rebirth or reincarnated novels, the protagonist always gets something to help them. Either a cheat. Or a system. Tskk.. or even a strong teacher like gojo. Something…"
He touched the glowing panel again, feeling his finger pass through the light.
"So… this is my edge…? Hmmm…"
He laughed quietly.
"Even if I feel like a villain instead of a hero… I'll take anything that helps."
He stared at the beginner package box. It was floating like a small gift box animation. Pop… pop… glow…
His lips parted slightly.
"This looks like a cartoon from Earth…"
The animation was 3D and smooth. The gift box hopped once, twice, then sparkled with tiny pixel-like lights. It felt like something he used to watch as a kid on Earth, but now it was see-through and floating in a cold wooden cell.
He reached out slowly.
"Hmmm… let me try…"
He clicked the glowing box.
Ding!
The box shook and slowly opened. The top lifted in a smooth spinning motion like a toy. There were Lights bursting out in small lines that scattered like falling digital leaves. "tig… tiggle… tiggle.."
Then the box stretched becoming bigger and changing shape.
It turned into a full luxury animation.
A transparent wheel appeared. The wheel was round, shining bright, and looking like clear glass. It floated gently above the original panel, from the center a soft spark traveled across it in a circle.
On the side of the wheel was a small rectangular slot with a dark frame. It looked very much like a card machine, almost like the ATM machines he had seen on Earth. A place where cards or tickets could be inserted.
The wheel spun slowly at first.
Whrrrr… whrrr…
Yin Zhe widened his eyes.
"This is… an Earth-style animation. But in pixels… this is crazy… topical gaming system. The dream of every gamer"
Bao Zi, in the next cell, watched him with confusion.
"…You're really talking to nothing. I swear you're not normal…"
Yin Zhe ignored him completely.
He leaned forward and studied the wheel. It had different sections around its edge. They were arranged like numbers on a clock. Some of the sections were small, while others were wide, most of them had brighter edges and colors, some had dull colors.
The hand in the center was shaped like a thin clock arm. It moved with a clean clicking sound.
Tick… tick… tick…
Each section had a word written in clear glowing letters. Yin Zhe read them slowly.
"Reflective… Adaptive… Recursive… Resonant… active… reactive…"
He swallowed.
The words felt heavy even if he didn't understand them yet.
He moved his fingers closer but the wheel didn't respond. It spun gently as if waiting for instructions.
Yin Zhe whispered soft enough no one else heard:
"Hmmm… this is my only chance and my edge. My only tool in this world. If I want to live… I have to use this."
Rain tapped on the roof again.
Tap… tap…
The carriage shook once more.
Thud… thud… rkkk…
Yin Zhe kept staring at the glowing wheel.
Because this was the only thing between him and certain death.
And the glowing wheel kept spinning… the words "Reflective, Adaptive, Recursive, Resonant, active, reactive" circling like they were going to soon choose his fate…